Page 109 of House of Embers
Kerrigan tapped her fingers against the banister. Alura was right. As weird as it was—and it must have been stranger for Alura—it was good to see them happy. Kivrin had a blinding smile on his face as if all his dreams had suddenly come true, and Anya was practically glowing as they descended the stairs.
“Well,” Anya said when she got a look at the trio, “Kerrigan, you look just like Saffi. Doesn’t she, Alura?”
“Uncanny,” Alura deadpanned.
Kerrigan breathed a sigh of relief. “Good.”
“Now remember, Saffi is really my stepniece. She’s the stepdaughter to Lorian’s brother’s new wife. She hasn’t come out in society yet. She’ll be young and impressionable.”
“I can manage,” Kerrigan assured her.
“Are you ready?” Alura asked.
Anya turned her face to Kivrin. “Yes, of course.”
Kivrin brought Anya’s hand to his mouth and placed a kiss. “Until I see you again.”
She giggled. Again.
Alura rolled her eyes and headed toward the door, leaning heavily on her cane.
“Take good care of her,” Clover said.
“Have her back before midnight,” Kivrin said with a smirk.
Anya smiled wider. “I will do my best.” She touched Clover’s arm. “Good luck.”
“Thank you,” Clover said, her voice thick.
Then Kivrin held his arms out for his daughter. “I love you, Kerrigan Felicity.”
Kerrigan breathed in the musky scent of her father—the man she never thought she would have this relationship with—and a tear came to her eye. “I love you too.”
Anya smiled at Kivrin once more and then took Kerrigan by the arm. Together they walked out into the open air—Kerrigan breathed in her city, her home—and then into Anya’s carriage, heading toward the mountain.
“Are you sure you know what you’re doing?” Alura asked.
“No,” Kerrigan said slowly. Her eyes met Alura’s across the carriage.
“The last time they got all of us together in the arena, they killed all dissenters,” Alura pointed out, as if Kerrigan needed the reminder. “It’s possible that Bastian is doing this again, that he’s trying to find you.”
“I know.” Kerrigan had considered that possibility. “But I know Bastian too well.”
“Not well enough to know he was the leader of the Red Masks.”
“Alura!” Anya argued.
Kerrigan’s cheeks burned. “No, she’s right. I just think I know him, but the Fae I did know wants to be liked. He wants people to come together. He will use this ball to try to regain some sense of control. He knows he’s losing the houses, and he can’t afford civil war.”
“Well, that much is true,” Alura said. “He’s been a real nightmare since you disappeared and even worse since you got back. I hate that I have to play this role with him.”
“We’ve spoken about this,” Anya said. “You did the right thing. We need to know what he’s planning.”
“Sure,” Alura said.
“Do you think he knows that I’ve been giving houses dragons?” Kerrigan asked.
Alura shrugged. “He has spies everywhere, but I haven’t heard anything.”
