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“You think that someone will know about other harbingers?”
Unlikely, he said truthfully. But I hope to find more information from our spiritual leaders. They have walked the plane for generations. I will find control for you, child, if I can.
She respectfully bowed her head. “Thank you, Gelryn.”
While I am away, you need to stay close to Fordham. He is in your dreams for a reason. Whether for good… or evil, we will find out with time.
She cringed. Well, that wasn’t exactly comforting. It paralleled what Audria had been alluding to in the caves. Was Fordham here for good or to cause havoc? She had come to believe that he was on her side, but she wasn’t sure if he was on anyone’s, save himself.
Trust your gut.
“I will,” she agreed.
Her gut said he was friend, not foe. She hoped her gut was right.
28
The Tip
Fordham punished her with more running. Okay, it wasn’t precisely a punishment. He thought that he was helping. But her legs ached for days after her climb up the mountainside, and she couldn’t exactly tell him why she hurt so much. She couldn’t exactly confide in him about the visions.
At the third-mile mark, Fordham slowed to a walk. Kerrigan happily fell into step beside him. Her chest wasn’t heaving quite as bad as it had been, but it wasn’t easy yet either.
“You’re improving,” he said.
“Does this mean we can move to weapons?”
He just shot her a look. “We’ll cut this session early. The second task is tomorrow.”
“Okay,” she said, trying not to sound eager.
She couldn’t believe the second task was already here. Half of her time was up, and she hadn’t gotten any closer to finding out who had killed Lyam or what tribe was going to accept her. She had thought Ellerby would be the answer, but he still hadn’t responded to her letter. He might never respond. She needed to find a way to get in front of tribe members who wanted a Dragon Blessed. Parties were the easiest way to do that, but she’d found Ellerby almost right away and not had to schmooze at any of the parties. Plus, there weren’t any more Dragon Blessed parties until after the tournament was completed.
“You seem distracted,” Fordham said.
“Just two weeks left.”
Fordham remained silent, continuing their walk and turning them back toward the mountain. It had seemed so simple when she made that deal with Helly. But then life had gone down the drain, and though she could see the future, she had no idea what was coming next.
“Are you worried about the tournament tomorrow?” she asked.
“Unless you have some insider knowledge about the second task, I have no idea what’s coming. There’s no reason to worry.” He shrugged. “Anyway, I’ve been through worse.”
“Well, that’s highly logical,” she said with a raised eyebrow.
“This isn’t what has you distracted,” he said.
“No,” she said with a sigh. “Audria came to see me a couple nights ago.”
His back stiffened. “About what?”
“You.”
He gritted his teeth. “And what did your friend from Bryonica have to say?”
“She’s not my friend,” she said at once. “But she was worried about me.”
“Because of me?”
Kerrigan shrugged. “You are from the House of Shadows.”
“Of course.”
“And… there are rumors that you killed Lyam because you are anti-human rights.”
He looked at her, and then all the anger bled out of him. To Kerrigan’s surprise, he began to laugh. She’d never seen him laugh before. Not really. Not like this. It was full-bodied with his head tipped back and his eyes closed. The display was contagious, and she found she was laughing too. She hugged her belly and tried to stop but failed three times before she got it back under control.
Finally, they both straightened, and Fordham cleared his throat. “Rumors are rumors. It’s easy to pin it on me, but why in the gods’ name would I be helping you find his killer if it was going to lead you to me?”
That was a very good question.
“I said that to Audria, but I just wanted you to know.”
“I can handle myself,” he said as easily as she always did.
And she let the subject drop. She hadn’t believed Audria when she passed that rumor on to her. Kerrigan would have been more worried that she and Fordham were working together if her visions hadn’t kept pushing them together. Plus, Gelryn had told her to stay near him. Fordham surely had his own aims for joining the tournament, but it didn’t seem to have much to do with her.
* * *
After another long session in the baths, Kerrigan retreated to her room for a much-needed nap. Only two or three hours was all she was getting. It seemed prudent to try to get in as many sessions as she could. Anyway, Fordham was busy the rest of the evening and she’d already received instruction from Bastian about her role in the tournament tomorrow. A nap sounded wonderful.
