Total pages in book: 134
Estimated words: 127026 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 635(@200wpm)___ 508(@250wpm)___ 423(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 127026 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 635(@200wpm)___ 508(@250wpm)___ 423(@300wpm)
Kerrigan had arrived early, for once in her life, well before the rest of her fellow nominees. And so she got to watch them trickle in one at a time.
The first was Mistress Hydie of Concha tribe, dressed in a fashionable teal dress with a matching headscarf. She had the same tanned skin as Kerrigan’s friend Noda, and in one interaction, Hydie had confessed to knowing Noda. They’d agreed that her dropping out of the tournament had been a huge disservice to the Society, but Noda was happy, sailing up and down the Strait of Ursi and to the Gardic Sea beyond.
The other member was Master Selwyn, also of tribe Elsiande. Unlike Bastian, he had gone full out in a pink dressing jacket and cravat with dark trousers and undershirt. He looked a bit like a pink pumpkin, and Kerrigan couldn’t quite figure out how he had gotten ahead. There seemed to be little in his head other than horticulture, which was valuable but he spoke of nothing else.
Master Durban showed up next in a glittering gold suit jacket to match the warring tribe Galanthea. He was a blustering bigot, and Kerrigan avoided his presence at every opportunity. Not that he let her get away. He apparently wanted to use her as a springboard for his own campaign. He’d had parties, fundraisers, and events all summer. She had to guess that he was viewed more favorable by the people who distrusted Kerrigan.
But it was Alura who arrived last and who truly had the favor of the Society. Her black skin had been dusted with the silver of tribe Venatrix. Her stunning black hair was braided back into ropes going past her waist. Her dress was a swirling silver that mirrored the linked silver chains Venatrix tribe wore into battle. Her wooden cane had been replaced with an all silver one, complete with a dragon in flight. She was a vision … and she looked miserable.
“Stop staring,” Alura spat at Kerrigan as she took her spot next to her.
“You’re stunning,” Kerrigan confessed.
Alura shot her a look. “With this?” She stamped the cane down hard once.
Kerrigan nodded. “It doesn’t change anything about you.”
“Ha,” Alura said with no humor. “Liar. It changes everything.”
“I don’t think so. You might move slower, but you can still ride a dragon into battle. You are still fearsome. And even if you never do any of that again, you’re stepping into a position just as important if you win this election.”
Alura frowned at the assessment. “I tried to drop out. They wouldn’t let me.”
“Good,” Kerrigan said.
Alura glared at her. “You want the competition?”
“I followed you into battle, Alura. I trained with you for a year. You can hate me, and I understand why you do, but you are skilled, competent, and fair. You have dated a human woman, even when everyone called you insane for it. The Council could do much worse.”
Alura sighed and dropped her gaze. “You know what, Kerrigan?”
“What?”
“You make it hard to hate you.”
“Oh, I doubt that very much.”
Alura laughed softly, as if she hadn’t had cause to do so in a long time. “The Council could do worse than you too.”
“Thank you,” Kerrigan said with earnest.
And then they were silenced as Ephriam Plympton, the renowned master of ceremonies, projected his voice across the entire arena. “Males and females, ladies and gentlemen, welcome one and all to the opening night of the Society council festivities. I am here with Presiding Officer Zoh and the rest of the current Society Council. We’re happy to announce to you the nominees for the most coveted positions within our government.”
Kerrigan took a deep breath and released it. They were congregated at the entrance to the arena. She had never walked into the arena for an event like this. She had only flown in on Tieran when she won the tournament. This would be a whole new experience.
The master of ceremonies called out the name of each of the nominees, leaving Kerrigan for last. Her hands shook as she waited. Would he leave her off? Slight her because she was half-Fae and that was a crime in this city in its own way.
“Mistress Kerrigan Argon of Bryonica,” Ephriam called across the arena.
Kerrigan’s anxiety dissipated. They weren’t going to leave her off. She was going to get to walk the arena as she had never done before.
She stepped through the archway. The audience roared with delight. Society members in black robes filled the stands, but it seemed the rest of Kinkadia had come to see the spectacle. And that was the reason the volume had doubled at her entrance. The people of Kinkadia, of all of Alandria, were making it clear who they favored. Humans and half-Fae outnumbered the Fae by a long shot, but they had no voice. With Kerrigan as their champion, they would finally have a say in the government.