House of Dragons (Royal Houses #1) - K.A. Linde Page 0,20
beaten into submission. Her head had a dull throb that wouldn’t go away. And hunger gnawed at her so fiercely, she felt like she would never be satisfied.
She needed to fix that first. She knew the competitors were brought to a room with a buffet after completing testing. For the first time, she understood why.
She found the room mercifully empty and collapsed into a seat before the table of food. Her hands moved without prompting and grasped a dozen different items to put on a tray. Hearty foods to boost her fatigue and restore her magic. Because right now, she couldn’t feel a single drop of the stuff. It was like the feeling after her visions hit her. All of her energy completely tapped. She wondered how close she was to blacking out.
Probably too close.
Kerrigan ate and she ate and she ate.
She ate until her stomach hurt for a whole new reason and the enormous water jug was nearly empty. It still didn’t sate her thirst, but it was better than nothing. By the time she finished, she felt as if she could fall asleep right there on the table.
She folded her arms over one another and rested her head on them. What in the gods’ name had happened in that training room? Why had she been so curious that she had to walk inside? Had she even been able to ignore the curiosity? It’d felt like something truly was drawing her steps forward. She didn’t know what it meant, but she didn’t like it. She didn’t want to be a puppet on strings.
She had visions about other people. She wasn’t supposed to have them about herself. Her thread wasn’t supposed to entangle with anyone.
“There you are!” Darby cried. “Hadrian, I found her!”
Kerrigan lifted her head and saw spots before her eyes. She blinked them away and saw her friends rushing into the banquet room.
“Where have you been?” Darby gasped, rushing around to Kerrigan’s side of the table.
Kerrigan gestured to the feast before her. “Here.”
“You should have been at the tournament. They let Prince Fordham through, Ker. It’s a nightmare.”
“I know,” she said. “Helly made me escort him to testing.”
Darby shrank back. “You met him?”
“Yeah, he’s a jerk.”
Hadrian laughed softly as he approached the table. “Hilarious, coming from you, Ker.”
“Hey, I’m a lovable jerk!” she said, amazed she could feel this normal after her ordeal.
“You are,” Darby said, patting her hand.
“He… has a giant chip on his shoulder. And he was mean about me being half-Fae,” she said in a whisper.
“That’s not surprising,” Hadrian said. “Considering the history of the House of Shadows.”
“You know the history of the House of Shadows?”
“I don’t fall asleep during our history tutor,” Hadrian said pointedly.
“It’s all just numbers and dates and wars,” Kerrigan mumbled.
“I’d rather dance,” Darby agreed. “Much more enjoyable.”
“What do you know of their history?” Kerrigan prodded.
“I’ll tell you if you come with us and get dressed for tonight.”
“Tonight?”
Darby sighed. “You do remember that we’re going to Sonali’s ball, right?”
“I…”
No. She’d forgotten. It felt like a lifetime ago when she’d agreed. Sonali was the Second of Stoirm, directly under Helly in Bryonica tribe. She was also Darby’s tribe patron. Sonali was a talented healer, and Darby shared those interests. That Darby had been invited to this party at all made it relatively clear that Sonali was going to choose her for patronage next week at the Dragon Blessed ceremony.
It was a real honor.
But Kerrigan had no interest in attending. Not after… all of this.
“You are coming, right?” Darby asked. Her midnight eyes were wide with the request.
And Kerrigan could deny Darby nothing.
“Of course I am,” she said.
She struggled to straighten to her feet, and a groan escaped her lips.
“What happened to you?” Hadrian asked as Darby rushed to get an arm underneath her.
“Just tired.”
Hadrian and Darby exchanged a look.
“Fine,” she grumbled. “I did something that I wasn’t supposed to do, and it backfired on me. No one is surprised. Just help me back to our rooms.”
Hadrian chuckled, and Darby just shook her head. But they each got an arm under her. They walked back like a ridiculous-looking trio and dumped her onto the bed.
“Ugh! Everything hurts. Maybe I can’t go.”
Darby sighed. “Don’t move. Give me a minute.”
She vanished, and Hadrian sank down on the bed. “You’re a mess.”
“Don’t I know it.” She reached forward and tousled his blue hair. It was her favorite thing about her straitlaced friend. “Tell me about the House of Shadows.”
Hadrian sighed dramatically. “The House of Shadows are