Page 21 of House of Embers (Royal Houses #5)

Fordham glanced to Kerrigan. “That’s in the works.”

“Oh,” Danae said. “I thought going back with your magic would fix it.”

“Me too,” Kerrigan said with a sigh.

“Is there anything we can do to help?”

Kerrigan didn’t know how exactly they could possibly help, being that they were on the other side of the dimension and all. But she was sure there was more she could learn, and maybe that would fix it. “Could you ask Cleora to meet me at the next full moon? I still need to learn energy magic.”

Danae nodded. “Of course. Be safe in the meantime.”

Kerrigan hugged her again. “You too.”

They said their goodbyes, and Kerrigan wrenched them off the plane. Fordham was pale, bending over his legs as he breathed heavily.

“This is too much for you,” she noted.

“No, I can keep going.”

She shook her head. “Absolutely not. You would never let me continue if I were doubled over, panting on the ground.”

He glanced up at her. “I think I actually have done that many times.”

“Well, yes, fair, but this is different. Spirit magic can burn you out.”

It was a testament to how shitty he must have felt that he didn’t argue with her. “As you say.”

“Good,” she said with relief.

“You don’t even seem winded.”

“No, I feel fine. I must have pulled more spirit magic or something.”

Fordham shot her a skeptical look as if he had some other idea for her increased ability in spirit magic, but instead he said, “Who are you going to reach out to first?”

The list was long: Alura, Audria, Noda, Zina to start.

Checking in with Clover and Hadrian too.

If she felt this good, then she might be able to get through everyone tonight.

But of everyone, she felt like Audria made the most sense.

Yes, her friends had concerns about Audria working with the Society, but she had been Kerrigan’s first friend in Bryonica.

She’d fought for Kerrigan tooth and nail every step of the way.

She’d fought by her side in the arena against the Red Masks.

Maybe she was surviving in Draco Mountain, but Kerrigan felt certain she was just biding her time.

“Audria,” she finally said.

Fordham nodded. “I thought you might say that.”

“You don’t think I’m crazy for trusting her?”

“No,” he said at once. “We’ve gone into battle with her on more than one occasion.”

“We were with Roake too,” she said, reminding him of the male who had betrayed them.

“It’s your call.”

“Audria,” she said.

Kerrigan reached for her spirit magic. Dreamwalking could be done in two different ways—either Kerrigan could walk into someone else’s dream, or she could pull them into hers.

The former was much more dangerous, the latter much more difficult.

The only time she’d successfully done the latter was with Fordham, when she had been in the holy waters in Bryonica.

She’d had endless power then and used it to find him when he’d been trying to break his curse.

She touched her magic again to get an assessment of her depth, but it honestly didn’t feel any different.

It was surprising because by now, she’d normally feel low.

She could step into Audria’s dream to assess where she was in all this, but she’d lack control.

Or she could just go for the harder option.

“Pull me back out if it looks like I’m flagging,” she told Fordham.

Fordham frowned. “Be careful.”

“Best I can.”

Then she reached down and found that place where Audria resided—the signature of her magic that smelled like Bryonican sunflowers and the holy waters of Draíocht.

The summer girl who had been her friend so long.

Then Kerrigan threw for it across what she was certain would be a great distance: Audria safely back in her rooms in the mountain.

Except the throw didn’t feel that long, and her brow furrowed at the short cast. Had she done something wrong?

She barely had a second to think before she was inside a dream world of her own making, a figure with golden hair standing before her.

“Kerrigan?” Audria gasped. Tears came to her blue eyes, and she threw herself into Kerrigan’s arms. “You’re okay. Oh gods, you’re okay. Where are you? Where are we? Oh, don’t answer that. I don’t want that information.”

Kerrigan looked her friend in the face. For all intents and purposes, she looked like the same golden-honey dream girl, a beauty—confident, popular, and vivacious—except for the hollows under her eyes, the tremble of her hands, and the downturn of her mouth, the fear laced in her expression, as if she were waiting for the other shoe to drop, only the shoe was a blade on her neck.

“How is this happening?” Audria gasped. “I’m here, but I don’t know where here is.”

“Spirit magic,” Kerrigan said.

“Right. I didn’t think you could do this ,” Audria said in awe. “I don’t know how you even got your powers back.”

“It’s a long story. What happened to you?” Kerrigan asked.

Tears formed in Audria’s eyes. “You left. Bastian took over the Society. I was imprisoned, but Roake vouched for me.”

“I’d heard as much. And now you’re working for the Society?”

“No,” she gasped. “I mean, yes.” She scrubbed at her face again. “I don’t agree with them, Kerrigan, but I don’t want to die. Roake got me out of the dungeons, but I’m being followed, and I can only leave the mountain with him.”

“Oh, Audria.”

“I thought you were dead,” she said, breaking down into tears. “Helly was dead. You were dead. Fordham was dead. I didn’t know what to do. I thought I could work from the inside, but no one trusts me. Gods, do you hate me?”

“I don’t,” Kerrigan told her. She envied her the ability to keep going through life like a lie, the privilege to do it. “Now I have someone on the inside.”

“Yes. Yes, I’ll do anything I can to help,” Audria said at once. “But I don’t see how I can help. Roake is going away on this mission, and while he’s gone, I’m under house arrest.”

“A mission?” Kerrigan asked.

Audria’s mouth opened and then closed abruptly. “I…”

Kerrigan arched an eyebrow. “What’s he doing, Audria?”

“I’m not even supposed to know,” Audria said in a whisper as if she expected someone to overhear.

“But you do know.”

Audria dropped her gaze. “He’s escorting a scholar to the Holy Mountain.”

Kerrigan narrowed her eyes. “For what purpose?”

“To talk to the Dragon Council.”

The Dragon Council. Her mind whirled at that information. What exactly could Bastian want with the Dragon Council? Any of the innumerable possibilities were frightening.

“Who else is going with him?”

“Uh, I think four escorts in total.”

“Just fighters?”

“No, two fighters and a healer. I only know because Roake was trying to convince me to go as a healer.”

Kerrigan considered. “But you’re not even a good healer.”

“That’s what I told him. But the other healers revolted after Helly’s death,” Audria said in a whisper.

Helly had been the most accomplished healer in several generations.

When Bastian had murdered her in the arena, it was beyond Kerrigan losing her mother figure; it was also losing the knowledge of several lifetimes.

“I see,” Kerrigan said. If they were down to Audria as one of their most accomplished healers, then they were definitely struggling. “And the other healers went where?”

“Sonali took them to Rosemont, and the king and queen have closed off Bryonica to the Society,” Audria admitted wistfully. “I wish she’d taken me with her, but I was imprisoned then.”

Kerrigan considered this statement. The healers had protested. Bryonica was against the Society. It was as Gerrond had intimated—the houses were in open rebellion over what had happened. Kerrigan could use this.

“Do you think you can convince Roake to take you on as the healer again?”

“Uh…maybe,” Audria said slowly as if she realized that Kerrigan was strategizing.

“Maybe or yes?”

“It’s Roake,” she said softly. “I could probably convince him of anything.”

Kerrigan nodded. She agreed with that. Roake had always been in love with Audria. “And this scholar is the one who will speak with the Dragon Council?”

Audria nodded. “What are you thinking?”

Kerrigan had a lot of ideas, one in particular she thought could work if she had Audria on her side. That was a big if right now, but it was one worth pursuing. Especially if it could disrupt the Society’s plans.

“Do you want to change sides, Audria?”

“Yes,” she said immediately. Then a dangerous smile crossed her face. “Oh, Roake is going to hate this.”

Kerrigan laughed. “What else is new?”

“You’re not going to kill him, are you?” Audria asked. She frowned. “I know that he’s on the wrong side, but…”

“I don’t want to kill anyone.”

“That’s not a no.”

“I know,” Kerrigan said.

Audria accepted the answer. “What do I need to do?”