Kerrigan nodded along as Valia continued explaining all the finer minutia of the individual scoring system. She would have to learn it quickly if she was going to help her keep score the next two days. But even as she listened and memorized the scoring system, her heart was in her throat while she watched the actual competitors.
A swift block of air here, a roar of earth there, a timed punch, a sweep of the legs. She wanted to be out there. She hadn’t really let herself consider the possibility since she had left Gelryn’s room and testing behind a week ago. But she had actually passed testing to be in the tournament. She wasn’t old enough or part of a tribe or even full-blooded Fae but she could have been out there, fighting alongside the other competitors. A dream, a fantasy. Nothing more.
If she had pushed her luck to try to get into the tournament, which seemed highly implausible, they probably would have done to her what they’d done to the Erewa competitor. No one wanted to see a half-Fae in the tournament, disrupting the centuries of competition. Kerrigan was reckless, but she wasn’t stupid.
“And that’s one point for Noda. She’s actually quite good,” Valia said under her breath.
“Noda is…”
“Concha in the teal headscarf.”
Kerrigan’s eyes were drawn to the Concha girl, wearing the soft teal silk of her island homeland. She was doing pretty well against her opponents. She looked like she’d had an air Fae teacher. She moved with the flow of the air, avoiding her opponent’s fire and then blasting him in the face, knocking him out of the fight.
Fordham was still dealing with the guy from Herasi. They weren’t evenly matched. Kerrigan could see that Fordham was superior in fighting, but Herasi had brute strength of his flames against air. Had she been wrong to suggest he take air? She had thought that she was doing the right thing. But now, she was second-guessing herself. Maybe the vision hadn’t been telling her to interfere at all.
But then she saw what Fordham couldn’t as the guy from Herasi kept his focus forward—the girl from Aude in a crimson tunic was approaching from behind. She had an arc of blue flame before her like a sword of living flames.
Kerrigan’s vision flashed before her eyes. The arc of blue light. The impending destruction. She jumped to her feet before she could think better of it and scream, “Fordham, behind you!”
Despite the rush of the crowd and the thousands of people yelling all around him, it was as if in that one moment, he heard her. And just her. His dark gaze snapped to the competitors’ box for a split second, and then he rolled out of the way. The edges of his black-and-silver sleeve burned away as the other competitor brought the blue flames down toward him.
“Kerrigan,” Valia gasped. “We’re not supposed to be involved. Protocol dictates—”
“Screw protocol,” Kerrigan said, ignoring Valia’s concern.
Fordham ducked out of the edge of her flames and sent a blast of air toward Herasi before concentrating on Aude. Luckily, Noda had realized what was happening, and she raced forward to help. Both of the third competitors from either team were already out.
Together, he and Noda blasted the other two competitors back. Kerrigan could hear the thud from her seat as they landed heavily on their backs. Bastian waited a full minute before blowing the whistle and announcing Fordham’s team as victors.
Kerrigan blew out a breath.
No knife.
That was good. Really good.
He’d made it. He was a total jerk to her, but she was glad that he was still alive. She could tell him about the knife later in the next rounds. Figure out a way to prepare for it. Not that she had ever been able to prepare for anything that happened in her visions before. But things were changing… escalating. She could feel the urgency in them. And she didn’t know what that meant. She should talk to Helly about it.
But first, she needed to have words with Prince Fordham Ollivier.
18
The Box
Kerrigan stood up to confront Fordham, who was dragging himself off the arena floor with Noda smiling faintly at his side, when Valia slapped a piece of paper against her chest. She coughed in surprise.
“Take this to the top box,” Valia said. She pointed up to the sky as if the master of ceremonies were in the heavens.
Kerrigan opened her mouth to argue, her eyes tracking Fordham closely, but she had no chance. Just then, Master Bastian appeared before her. He was sweating in his long black robes in the Kinkadian humid heat. He took one look at her and frowned disapprovingly.
“Kerrigan, there you are. You disappeared.”
“I was… ill,” she said softly. “But I feel better now. I was just going to take the scores up to the box.”
“I am glad you are better. Next time, let us know, so a healer can be sent.”
“Of course.”
If she’d been able to move, she would have certainly sent for a healer. Fordham clearly hadn’t thought of it.
“Now, hurry along and come back quickly. We’ll discuss your role back inside the shade of the mountain.”
Kerrigan nodded, glanced once more at Fordham, and then turned toward the steps. She would deal with Fordham when she got back.
She took the steps two at a time. Her breathing coming out heavy as the oppressive heat weighed down on her as well. Some of the crowd had already begun to file out of the boxes, but the majority wouldn’t leave until the final scores for the day were announced. Then, it would be a mad dash back to their homes and to the parties that happened each night. The tournament was in the heart of the festival season.
