Page 31 of House of Embers
“Yes, thank you, Wynter,” Fordham added with a growl.
“That isn’t part of the discussion for today,” Kerrigan said quickly. “The real problem is that a dragon rider saw Wynter and me out on Tieran and Netta.” She quickly explained the chase and the interrogation to the rest of the room.
“And you believe this guy?” Kivrin asked in disbelief. “He sounds like a Society stooge.”
Wynter nodded. “I saw his aura. While I read magic auras, you can usually tell if someone, especially someone with a lot of magic like a Society member, is being purposely deceptive. It’s not a science. I’ve been misled in the past, but my”—Wynter paused over the word—“mental state is much improved. The ability is more defined.”
“Also, we spoke to Tieran and Netta, and they both separately vouched for his dragon,” Kerrigan said. “Henrley’s story about Gerrond’s involvement with the Society was nearly identical but with enough nuance in the telling that it didn’t sound rehearsed.”
“Also, to corroborate his story, we searched his pack and found the research he claimed to be doing with a dated notebook going back years,” Fordham added.
“So what are we doing with him?” Kivrin asked. “You can’t think to let him go?”
“We need allies,” Kerrigan said.
“Is he an ally though?” Clover asked. “No offense, but he just dropped out of the sky.”
“I think he could be,” Wynter said.
Clover snorted. “Why?”
“Because I’ve been spying on him,” Dozan said, crossing his arms over his broad chest. “We sent in servants with food and drinks. We had Delle ask him questions. We took off his manacles. And then I sent Wynter back in. She played a little,” Dozan admitted with a grin. “He remained steadfast. He never used his powers. He could be a plant, but he didn’t act like one.”
He’d done all this with Kerrigan’s permission, and still it unnerved her to think about how terrifying the pair of them could be.
“So we let him go?” Darby squeaked.
“We work with him,” Fordham said.
“Gerrond said that the houses aren’t with the Society yet. That they could be swayed. If we want to sway them, we need more people. We need more dragons,” Kerrigan said hastily. “Two isn’t enough to reach the entire continent and guard our back.”
“I could speak to Galanthea,” Hadrian said. “If he’d take me into Kinkadia, I could speak with Fallon and rally their support.”
Kerrigan nodded. “That’s a great idea. We have other allies in the capital and the houses. We need ways to reach them, and we can’t do it alone. This could help.”
“Not to throw us off topic,” Clover said, “but I may have to return to Kinkadia with Hadrian.”
Kerrigan opened her mouth to question her when magic eruptedin Clover’s hand. Kerrigan gaped at her. Her perfectly human friend, who had not a stitch of magic in her, was holding fire in her palm the same way Kerrigan did.
Wynter jumped to her feet. Kivrin balked. Dozan put a hand on Wynter’s shoulder as if he was prepared to put her behind his body. They were treating Clover like a threat or abomination. But humans didn’t really have magic. Certainly not like this. And Clover had never shown any inclination.
“I figured out my father’s amulet,” Clover explained. “He left me the directions in a lullaby, and last night, it worked for the first time. Which means we can arm humans and half-Fae.”
The room went silent.
And then Dozan took a hungry step forward. The man who had never had magic and made an empire out of his own power and force of personality now had his greatest desire right before his eyes.
“Wait,” Kerrigan said, stopping him in his tracks. “That’s the only one that works?”
Clover dropped the magic. “Yes, but we were producing them in the capital. We didn’t know how to make them work. If I go back, I can test them all, and then we’d have more people on our side with the power that’s been held back from them.”
This would change the entire world.
They’d be lucky if they got out without a slaughter of the entire Society system and its replacement with total anarchy if they weren’t careful. As Kerrigan well knew, arming a mob could end in disaster. She’d been almost killed by Red Masks in a riot when she was twelve, which had triggered the start of her spirit magic creating visions. The Society had earned everything coming to them, but she wanted to make sure there was something left at the end.
“We need to keep this secret until the last minute. The last thing we want is for them to kill everyone,” Kivrin said at once.
“They can’t…” Clover argued.
