House of Dragons (Royal Houses 1)
* * *
Kerrigan came to, gasping for breath. She put her hands on her knees and tried to suck in enough life to leave that horrible nightmare behind. She knew that it was the faerie illusion that she had walked into. That it was designed to warp reality and pull out her deepest, darkest fear. She had just lived it—marrying Ashby March and living a life where no one ever saw her for who she truly was. She had come out on the other side of it, had risen above the adversity, but it had felt so very real.
Her body trembled with exhaustion from the illusion, but she was no longer helpless. Her magic flared bright and bursting within her, and all of her injuries had been healed. She straightened to her full height and found herself before a gaping audience. The cave was large enough to hold the five dragons—Avirix, Netta, Tieran, Luxor, and Evien—as well as their five Dragon Blessed handlers. Standing before them were the four competitors who had made it this far. Audria stood with wide eyes, farther from her. Roake looked shocked at her side. Noda crouched in a corner, a green tint to her visage. And then, finally, Fordham stood on the other side, pale and shaken.
“Kerrigan?” he asked in shock.
“What is she doing here?” Roake asked indignantly.
Kerrigan shook her head. “I shouldn’t be here. Darrid is going to be coming in right behind me. He was chasing me with a battle axe.”
“The room is sealed,” a small but powerful voice said from beside Tieran.
Kerrigan gulped and found Tara, a pale-skinned Dragon Blessed three years younger than her. “What?”
“What do you mean, sealed?” Audria piped up.
“Yeah, we’re missing one more competitor,” Roake spat. “Darrid will be here in a moment.”
“No,” Tara said evenly, pushing her dark ponytail over her shoulder. “The room has selected the five competitors who will become dragon riders this tournament.”
Kerrigan gaped. “That’s not possible.”
“She is not a competitor,” Roake yelled.
“I mean, I hate to say it, but he’s right,” Audria said. “She wasn’t part of any of this. How could she even be accepted?”
“This room is imbued with powerful magic. Only a competitor could have passed the fear test and entered,” Tara said with a small smile for Kerrigan. “Whether or not she was an official competitor matters not. If she has been tested for her magical ability and passed the fear test, then she is a competitor, and the room has accepted her as a victor.”
“Well, she couldn’t have gone through testing,” Roake continued.
Fordham glanced at Kerrigan. “But you did. You just told me you did.”
She bit her lip and nodded. “I did. I didn’t… mean for any of this to happen, but, yes, I was tested by Gelryn. He said I was passed through. I just… I didn’t think it meant this.”
“Then, leave,” Roake snarled.
“She cannot,” Tara said. “We are sealed in until the ceremony is complete. The other competitors will be escorted back to the mountain. We must begin with our champions.”
“I don’t understand,” Noda said softly. “She’s taking someone else’s spot?”
“No, she is claiming her own spot,” Tara said. “And this isn’t up for discussion. The magic is powerful. A group of thirteen came together to build this for the competitors. There is no way that a single person could break it down. The only logical conclusion is that Kerrigan is a competitor, and she will now be a part of the final task.”
Tara waited to see if anyone else would speak up. But everyone was too shocked by the pronouncement to do much of anything but stare. Kerrigan among them. This wasn’t what she had planned. This was far from it. She had just been following her visions that told her how to help Fordham. She had sent him ahead so that he would make it and she could hold off Darrid. She never dreamed that she would even be allowed to test for a dragon. Not her—a half-Fae with no tribe and no prospects.
“That is settled,” Tara said. “Kerrigan is our fifth and final competitor. Please form a line, and we will begin.”
50
The Bonding
Tara brooked no argument. And though Kerrigan was sure this was an elaborate prank, that it couldn’t possibly be true, that not even in her wildest dreams had she envisioned herself standing in this moment, she moved into a line with the other four competitors. Audria, then Roake, then Noda, then Fordham, and finally Kerrigan before the five dragons.
She swallowed painfully and stared back at the dragons, unable to fathom that this was real life. Her stomach was topsy-turvy, and her mind was reeling, but if this was real, she wasn’t going to give it up for anything.
Five years ago, Kerrigan had stood where Tara was now, and she had spoken these words to Cyrene. It was a duty so honored that Dragon Blessed were spelled to never, ever speak of what happened within. But that didn’t mean Kerrigan didn’t remember. She knew what was coming even though the other four competitors did not. She was far from ready, but she would serve with honor.