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“What do you mean?” Kerrigan asked.
“We don’t need crux bonds to control them.”
“I don’t want to control my dragon. I want us to be equals in the way that Fordham and I are.”
Keres tilted her head. “You misunderstand. The bond you are describing can be achieved with any dragon that you need at any time. Especially those of my father’s bloodline.”
“Cleora never mentioned this.” Kerrigan frowned, thinking back on their conversations. “Well, she said some with tremendous power could overpower the dragons to hold their will.”
“You can do that, but it’s more difficult. I would guess that your own powers overrode the dragon bond when you were trying to force it to work originally. All you have to do is reach out with your power, and the connection will manifest, melding your will to the dragon’s. I have done this on many occasions. Though I have never kept the bond active.”
Kerrigan sat with that information. Had the problem all along not been that she was half-human, but half-Doma? Was she too powerful for the bonds that linked the Fae with the dragons? Based on her time in Domara, it seemed that Alfheim had some connection to her own Fae world. The dragons here were related to the ones in Alandria. She was connected to Domara as well. Only her power was the outlier back home, not the default, as it was here.
There was so much more to learn from her mother. She couldn’t imagine leaving in the morning to return to her worries. But she couldn’t stay either. Not when the Red Masks were in control.
“Thank you for that explanation. I will try that with Tieran.”
Keres nodded.
“You never answered me though,” Kerrigan said. “Something is troubling you.”
“Yes,” Keres admitted.
“Are you going to tell me what it is?”
She shook her head. “It’s best that we be gone from here as soon as we can.”
“But why?”
Keres shivered despite the summer heat. “I have a bad feeling about this.”
“Using the bangle?”
“Maybe I’m overthinking it.”
“But you don’t believe that,” Kerrigan said.
Keres frowned. “I have a bond too. It might give me insight into the enemy. More insight than he would prefer.”
“You think Vulsan is coming?”
“I can handle Vulsan,” she said morosely. Her eyes were still distant as she pat Kerrigan’s knee. “Get some sleep. We’ll all need it.’
“Really, we’d prefer to stay,” Cleora said the next morning when Kerrigan staggered blearily out of bed.
Fordham had woken before dawn and kissed her awake. Kerrigan was still groggy from the insomnia that had plagued her most of the night. Everything was on the line this morning … and she was finally going to go home. Her stomach was pitted with nerves about what she would find in Alandria and the fate of her friends and family when she arrived.
“Here,” Vera said, thrusting a mug of tea into her hands. “Looks like you need this, and they’ve been at this for a while.”
“I have to insist,” Keres said calmly but sternly. “You and Danae need to return to the university.”
Danae yawned dramatically. “We could have stayed in bed.”
Both women ignored her.
“What’s going on?” Kerrigan slouched into a seat beside Danae at the table. “You’re sending them away?”
“I would like to witness the use of one of the seven bangles and see a portal.” Cleora stood with her head tall. She must have begun to get used to Keres’s presence because, otherwise, Kerrigan couldn’t imagine her arguing with a Doma.
“That is wonderful for you, but it’s too dangerous. Unless you want Vulsan to discover that you left with me, then you’ll do the smart thing and leave.”
Cleora’s face paled at that. “You think he will appear here?”
“I don’t know,” Keres said. “But I can’t imagine it is in your best interest when you are indebted to him. It was risky, taking you at all. Doing something like this with you and Danae here is worse.”
They both turned to look at Danae as she yawned wide again.
“I wouldn’t want him to find out about her truthtelling,” Cleora admitted.
“No,” Keres agreed. “He would not use that talent well.”
Danae glanced up at them, as if just waking enough to realize they were discussing her. “I’ve spent my whole life trying to avoid notice.” She bit her lip. “Perhaps we should go.”
Cleora threw her hands up. “Fine. We will go. Though I will regret not getting to see this from an academic standpoint.”
Keres smiled. “I understand. Now, please …” She gestured to the door.
Cleora sighed. “Fine.”
They collected their things, and Kerrigan was squeezing Cleora tight only a few minutes later. Tears came to her eyes at the thought of never seeing either of them again.
“I’ll see you on the spirit plane, right?” Kerrigan asked Cleora.
“Yes, yes. If you still wish to have lessons, I can make time.” Cleora released her and smiled broadly. “Or perhaps just for some tea to catch up once you save the world.”
