Total pages in book: 141
Estimated words: 136009 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 680(@200wpm)___ 544(@250wpm)___ 453(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 136009 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 680(@200wpm)___ 544(@250wpm)___ 453(@300wpm)
“Bastian?” she guessed.
“I left the aerie at Draco Mountain to work with Mistress Zahina on her investigation into you as a harbinger.”
This was news to Kerrigan. Zina was her original spirit teacher. She hadn’t seen or heard from her after Zina’s father’s death on the battlefield at Lethbridge.
“She has gained control of her father’s assets in House Herasi and wishes to convey that she will rise to your cause along with the full might of Herasi.”
Kerrigan balked at that. All of Herasi was behind her. She hadn’t even known what house Zina came from, nor her father, Trulian. But this was a massive allegiance if they could harness it. That meant they had Bryonica and Herasi behind them. They were still negotiating with many of the other houses who had allies within their ranks. If they could show they had another force behind them, it might shift everything—the way more dragons would.
“That’s great news. Scales.”
“But we must get through our current challenge before they can provide troops to your cause.”
For the first time, Kerrigan thought she was seeing the fearsome legend of the Great War. The dragon who had led the charge and leveled the playing field. He was terrifying.
“What am I supposed to do about Tieran? I can’t talk to him. I can’t help him. This is his own fight.”
“And you are one who has never exploited a loophole?”
Kerrigan laughed. “Well, I suppose I was put into the dragon tournament despite my age.”
“The rules of men do not govern us. Isn’t that right?”
“You figured it out?” she asked.
He nodded his giant head once. “You are not part human at all.”
“No, I’m a demi-Doma, of the gods.”
Gelryn sniffed at that. “You should be our mortal enemy. You cast us from our world to the Holy Mountain. And yet you do not have the stink of them. You are something else.”
“I have met their kind and do not wish to rule as they did. I just want a place for everyone to live in peace.”
“Looking for peace in times of war is like asking for fresh blooms in the dead of winter.”
Kerrigan bowed her head. “Despite the horrors, I persist.”
“That is why we follow you.”
And to her shock, Gelryn bowed his enormous head in deference to her.
She put a hand to her chest. “Thank you, Gelryn.”
“Now for the matter of Tieran. Do exactly what I tell you, and perhaps we can save many lives today.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
The Body
Tieran had already been announced when she returned to her body.
Audria shot her a worried look at her blank expression. Kerrigan clasped her hand and squeezed. That did nothing to ease Audria’s worry. The plan was risky—there was no denying that—but at least they had a plan.
“You look relieved,” Audria said.
“We’re going to win this,” Kerrigan told her.
“You seem more certain than a moment ago.”
Kerrigan’s eyes cut to Cathia. The attendant was speaking with Thiery. If she had any knowledge that Kerrigan had just been in conversation with Gelryn, she didn’t show it. But she was a spy regardless, and Kerrigan couldn’t let her know what she had planned.
So instead, she just smiled. “Tieran can do this. I have faith in him and us.”
“Okay,” Audria said, her eyes flickering to the attendant. “Good. I do wish I could speak to Evien about all this though.”
“Same,” Kerrigan said.
“They’re about to announce the champion,” Cathia said, silencing them both.
A hush fell over the lake. Dragons had filled in much of the surrounding area for miles to watch the impending fight. Kerrigan had frankly never seen so many dragons in one place, and she had been a Dragon Blessed in the House of Dragons. She hadn’t even known there were this many dragons within the Holy Mountain. A handful were large elder dragons, such as Gelryn and Thiery, and another large contingent were regular-size dragons, but the bulk were smaller—hatchlings. Most weren’t even the size of Tieran yet.
While Kerrigan had never been there when a dragon was born, as it was a sacred rite among their kind, she had seen many dragons shortly after that. She had thought that Draco Mountain had the largest collection of hatchlings. She had been wrong.
That had nothing on the number before her.
Lowan stumbled forward, resting his hand on Kerrigan’s arm. “I’ve never seen so many. In all my days…”
“I know,” Kerrigan whispered.
“They’re never going to let us leave after seeing this,” he whispered in both awe and horror.
Kerrigan was pretty sure he was right unless Tieran won, a fact she was less and less certain the dragons were planning on letting happen.
For a second, a buzzing sounded in her head. Kerrigan and Audria put their hands to their ears.
“What the—” Kerrigan groaned.
An announcer spoke directly into her mind, “And for the current champion, enter Dalrig, son of Darlion and Sarda, born of the Holy Mountain, one of blood and pain.”