Page 61 of House of Embers
She stepped out of the room, closing and locking it behind her with a wave of her hand. Fordham and Wynter were waiting. She fell into step with them as they headed away from the room, which was being guarded at either end.
“I thought he might be tighter lipped than this,” Fordham said. His arms were crossed over his chest as he stared at the door.
“He seems awfully eager to share information,” Wynter agreed. A small smile came to her face. She had been making those little smilesand sneaking glances at Dozan when she thought no one was looking. Kerrigan had a pretty good idea what that meant but decided not to bring it up.
“He won’t shut up actually,” Kerrigan grumbled. “And Tieran seemspissedthat he’s talking about supersecret dragon stuff. Every time I ping him to confirm what Lowan is saying, he gets mad and ends the connection.”
“If Tieran doesn’t even want to talk about it, then it sounds like he’s telling us the truth,” Fordham said.
“You could confirm with Netta,” Wynter suggested.
Fordham looked sheepish for a moment. “She’s already told me not to bother to ask.”
Wynter smirked. “The king getting a talking to from his own dragon.”
“They’re really the ones in charge,” Kerrigan said. “But regardless, if we can get in to talk to the Dragon Council, it’s worth a shot. We need more dragons. I’d rather have them than give them to Bastian any day.”
“The next question is: Who do you send?” Wynter said.
Fordham glanced at Kerrigan, who raised an eyebrow. “That’s still to be decided,” he said as they stopped before another door. “After you.”
Kerrigan knocked twice, and a faint “Come in” sounded from inside the room. She pushed the door open and found Audria sitting at a table, eating some soup. She’d taken a bath and changed into a long, blue dress that hung off her as if they hadn’t quite had anything to fit her severe frame. Her blond hair was pinned up off her face, and she looked haggard but better than before. There was color in her cheeks and light in her eyes again.
“Hi, Audria,” Kerrigan said. “You look well.”
Audria gestured to her dress. “I’m not in a dungeon or being watched, so it’s an improvement at least.” Her eyes skittered overWynter and Fordham. “Or am I?”
“You’re not under arrest,” Fordham said smoothly. “We appreciate your help in this matter.”
“I’m happy to be out of the mountain and back with my team,” she said, lifting her chin. She might have been faking it, but no one else would have been able to see it. She was nobility through and through, even if her good cheer had evaporated over the last few months. “What can I do for you?”
“We have a problem,” Fordham said simply.
“I think you have more than one,” Audria said.
Wynter snorted. “That’s fair.”
“There are only three dragons in the House of Shadows at present: Tieran, Netta, and your Evien,” Fordham said. “We have an opportunity to go to the Holy Mountain and possibly get more, which would greatly even the odds between us and the Society.”
Audria nodded once as if she had already realized that.
“The smartest thing to do would be to send me and Kerrigan with the scholar,” Fordham continued. “Tieran wouldn’t be great with two riders at that distance, and we’d need another dragon to bear the weight.”
“But you cannot leave,” Wynter argued immediately. “You are in a succession battle at present.”
Fordham lifted his chin. “I’m aware.”
“So it would be best ifItook Netta,” Wynter said.
“Except that dragons at the Holy Mountain won’t accept us without bonded riders,” Kerrigan said. She’d gotten that out of Tieran earlier when he wasn’t giving her the cold shoulder. “They don’t trust unbonded humans.”
“So I should go,” Audria said simply. “I will go with Kerrigan to retrieve the dragons.”
Fordham said nothing. He stared down at Audria’s lithe form with the darkness creeping up around him.
Audria remained firm, never backing down. “Send me.”
“How can we trust you?” Wynter asked.
