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She tucked her hair behind her ears and displayed her heritage for all to see. She was a Society member now. She might have been hunted and reviled for being half-Fae, but for the first time, she felt truly proud of who she was. She wanted everyone to see.
To soak all of this up and hope that Tieran’s words weren’t prophecy.
54
The Spirit
Kerrigan slept like a baby for the first time in weeks.
She slumbered so late that it was early afternoon when a knock finally woke her from the restorative—and thankfully, dreamless—sleep. Kerrigan yawned and rubbed at her crusty eyes before heading to the door to peek outside. She’d been expecting Fordham. Yesterday, he’d put off any talk about what they would do the next two weeks and if, like everyone else, they would visit his—now, her—tribe. She figured now would be the time.
What she hadn’t expected to find was Tara.
“Hello, Kerrigan,” she said with a smile. “May I come in?”
“Of course.” Kerrigan pushed the door open wider, and Tara stepped inside. “I wasn’t expecting you.”
“No, but I wanted to come and congratulate you personally.”
“Thank you,” Kerrigan said, shutting the door behind her. “And thank you for what you did.”
Tara waved her hand away at Kerrigan. “The room let you through. Whether or not I had someone hastily close the barrier afterward didn’t matter. It’s a House of Dragons’ secret. The council need not know.”
“Well, you didn’t have to do it, and I’m grateful.”
Tara smiled mischievously. “Well, I, for one, wanted to see a Dragon Blessed in the Society.”
“Will Mistress Moran be a problem?”
Tara shook her head. “She agreed that closing it after you was the right call. She even read the tournament rule book, and we found the language that would protect you.”
Kerrigan breathed out heavily. “That’s a relief.”
She clutched her chest. “And thank you for bringing justice to Lyam.”
“I had to.”
“I know I’m three years younger, but I’ve always looked up to you guys. I wanted to be you, and I wanted Lyam to see me,” Tara confessed. “I think he would have wanted to see you in the Society. You do justice to his memory.”
Kerrigan fingered the compass in her pocket. It had saved her and Fordham’s lives in the forest. “I think he’s watching over us.”
“Me too,” Tara said, sniffling. “You’re going to do wonderful things.”
“I have to get through training first.”
“You’ll do it. You never back down from a challenge. It’s what I really admire about you.”
Kerrigan smiled. Seeing herself reflected back at her through Tara. She had been just like this with Cyrene five years prior. It felt strange to have anyone look up to her, but maybe it had for Cyrene too.
“You’re going to do great things too, Tara.”
“Thanks.” Tara wiped her eyes and laughed uncomfortably. “I also came to tell you that Gelryn arrived back from the Holy Mountain. He said he had to eat, and then you should visit him.”
Kerrigan’s eyes rounded. “Scales! I should go!”
Tara laughed. “Yes. Maybe change first though.”
Kerrigan laughed at the fact that she was still in tournament clothes. She had passed out immediately as soon as her head hit the ground and hadn’t even had time to change or bathe. She needed to do both.
She thanked Tara one more time before she left, and then Kerrigan grabbed new clothes, went for a quick bath to scrub the tournament off her skin, and then went in search of Gelryn. She found him in the same eaves with the impossible climb as she’d had that night she came in search of him about her visions. Her legs burned by the time she made it up to the top, and she nearly collapsed at his feet.
Kerrigan Argon, now of the House of Shadows, a full Society member, welcome.
Kerrigan bowed dramatically. “A fancy title for the same person.”
Perhaps. Do you feel the same?
“I don’t know. I feel rested, and that’s different.”
Gelryn laughed a booming thing that filled the cave. You entertain me. Such a rare quality.
“I am so glad to see you return. I was worried that they weren’t going to let me into the Society without your testimony that I had been tested.”
This is your destiny, and no one can deny it to you.
“Well, Lorian sure thinks he can.”
Master Lorian cannot always see what is right in front of him. He has had a clouded past and a fraught history with your father.
“Do you… think he knows Kivrin is my father?” Kerrigan shivered at the thought. She had been trying to ignore the binding dream that she’d had of her father. It made no sense, and she worried that asking about it to anyone, especially Gelryn, would reveal that she hadn’t bonded with Tieran.
Assuredly. Your secret is no longer a secret.
Kerrigan froze. “What?”
How long did you sleep, child?
“All day,” she confessed.
