We must be off. The time is nigh.
They scrambled onto Tavry, and he burst into the sky before they were even completely situated.
Did you find what you were looking for?
“Yes,” Kerrigan said. “Unfortunately.”
She hugged Tavry’s side and tried to keep the terror from overwhelming her.
Basem Nix was a formidable opponent on a good day, but this was above and beyond anything she could have imagined. They had stepped into the middle of a tangled web, and she didn’t know what their next move was or where they would land.
* * *
Dawn blurred bright across the horizon. Kerrigan’s heart sank as Draco Mountain came into view. They were late. Tavry had been certain that they would need to be there before daybreak. She hadn’t thought they had dawdled, but they had had to navigate an unknown city.
Tavry flew into the aerie with ease, landing effortlessly.
She slid off Tavry’s back. “Thank you.”
Don’t thank me yet, Kerrigan Argon.
Kerrigan was about to ask why, but then she realized that she didn’t need to. Helly stormed toward them. Her carefully placed bun was disheveled. Her black robes rumpled. Her eyes spat fire. Kerrigan had never seen her look so angry.
Fordham dropped to his feet next to her, straightening at the sight of Helly. “This isn’t good, is it?”
“No,” she whispered.
“What in the gods’ name do you two think you were doing?” Helly all but shrieked as she approached them. “You were both out of your beds, a dragon missing. Do you know what would have happened if the council had been alerted?”
Kerrigan winced. “We were only trying to help—”
“I don’t want to hear it!” Helly slashed her hand down to stop her from speaking further. “I don’t want a single word out of either of you. We had a deal.” She glared at Kerrigan in fury. “What you did was reckless and dangerous, not to mention theft.”
Mistress Helly, Tavry began.
But she whirled on her dragon and flung a finger out. “We will talk about this later.”
Tavry’s wings flared in outrage, and then the beast took to the skies once more.
Helly sighed, rubbing her temple. Kerrigan didn’t know anyone who had been in a fight with their dragon. They were bound together. They shared so much that it was hard to stay mad at one another.
“You were gone,” Helly said, her voice stiffening into pain. “Just like Lyam. You were just gone.”
“I’m sorry, Helly, but if you’d let me explain.”
“No, I need no explanation. I understand precisely what you did. But have you forgotten what happened with Lyam?” Helly asked, sounding sick to her stomach.
“Of course not.”
“Then, what you did is cruel, if not simply reckless.”
“Mistress Hellina,” Fordham began formally.
But it was the wrong move. She turned her anger on him. “And you! You could be expelled from the tournament for this. Did you consider that?”
Fordham’s jaw set. “No, but we are trying to solve a murder.”
“Murder? What murder?” She looked between the two of them. “What happened to Lyam was a tragic accident. Whatever you two have been doing, you’re finished.”
“Just listen to us!” Kerrigan cried. “An assassin was sent after me. We witnessed an illicit weapons deal. There is more at stake than you know. Basem Nix is trading illegal magical artifacts, and he still has Ellerby’s nephew.”
Helly shook her head. “That’s enough. If you had any of this information, you should have come to the Society with your concerns. We handle criminal investigations in Kinkadia. It is not left to a Dragon Blessed and a tournament competitor. You will cease your operation immediately and allow me to handle it from now on.”
“Helly, please,” Kerrigan cried.
“You are confined to the mountain for the remainder of the tournament,” she snapped. “Both of you.”
Fordham stiffened, clenching his jaw.
“What? But I’m supposed to find a patron…” Kerrigan said.
“You should have considered the consequences to your actions,” Helly said coldly. “After all the deaths last tournament, I should report you both to the council. Consider this a warning. If I discover you plotting again, I will have to follow through with that.”
“Helly—”
“Do you understand?” Helly snapped over Kerrigan’s protest.
“Yes,” she whispered.
Fordham brusquely nodded his head.
“Then go. You both look like you haven’t slept in weeks. I don’t want to hear anything else out of you.”
Kerrigan didn’t see another choice. She swallowed, holding back her mounting anger, and stormed from the room. Fordham was hot on her heels as they left Helly behind. She didn’t dare look back. Not once.
“What do we do now?” Fordham asked. “We can’t just let this stand.”
“No, we can’t,” she agreed. She rubbed her temples. “I have an idea.”
“Is this going to get me expelled from the tournament?”
She squeezed her eyes shut. “You no longer have to be a part of this.”
He reached out and dragged her to a stop. “I’m a part of this. We’re in this together. What do we do?”
“Do you still have that party invitation? The one that I picked up the other day?”
“I believe so. Why?”
“I have an idea on how we can draw Basem out.”
“With a party?”
“Yes.”
“And how will we get out when Helly just confined us both to the mountain?”
Kerrigan’s lips lifted at the edges. “I’ve lived here my entire life. You think I only know one way in or out?”
39
The Party
Curly hair sleeked and pinned to perfection, Kerrigan stood resplendent in a Parris original gown, red velvet that fell to her feet with a fitted bodice and dainty off-the-shoulder sleeves. Her bright red hair had been dyed a temporary chestnut brown, and her features were obscured by a small black mask. Only her emerald-green eyes and cherry-red lips were visible against her pale skin.
“Why do I feel like this is a bad idea?” Hadrian asked from her side as they stepped up to her father’s home on the Row.
“Because danger goes against your nature.”
“Yes, yes, it does.”
“Don’t worry so much. I don’t look like me,” Kerrigan reminded
