Page 135 of A Court of Thralls and Thorns

A second gust surged through the Aetherfield, and I slammed into the ground hard enough to knock the breath from my chest. The glyph snapped, and my magic recoiled inside me like a coiled wire pulled too tight.

Pain lanced through my ribs. Blood trickled from my split lip.

Get. Up,Kaelith’s voice finally growled through the bond.

I staggered to my feet, dodging a crumbling stone pillar that collapsed just inches away.

I can’t hold this on my own.My thoughts seared toward her, desperate.I need you.

Nothing. Not even a whisper of power from her.

The Wellspring’s pulse thundered like a drumbeat inside my head. Power surged through the air—wild and uncontrollable.

I reached for my magic, and it seared through me like fire racing through my veins. My glyphs flickered and flared, trying to hold the volatile energy in place.

More. Just a little more.

I forced more power into the construct I was weaving—a shape of wings made from threads of glowing light—something strong enough to tether Kaelith through the chaos.

My magic bucked, burning hotter than I’d ever felt before. My vision blurred, my head pounding. My body trembled, muscles seizing from the strain.

Too much.

I felt my power slip, the wings faltering, flickering like dying embers.

No, no, no?—

The Wellspring surged again, swallowing what magic I had left. I felt something inside me tear—as if my magic had clawed itself too deep, leaving raw, gaping wounds behind.

I choked on a scream as fire seared through my body. My vision blurred into streaks of red.

Kaelith... please...I begged.

Stop. You’ll kill yourself.

Kaelith’s voice slammed through my mind.

I can’t... I can’t do this without you,I pushed back, barely conscious, my body collapsing under its own weight.If you won’t help me... then just?—

Her magic hit me like a lightning strike.

I screamed as her power surged through me, cold and sharp like ice forced through my veins. My fingers spasmed as I tried to shape the wings again, the magic burning through my hands like molten metal.

But this time, it held.

The glowing wings solidified, their light burning bright enough to sear through the chaos. The Wellspring’s pulse shifted—wild magic folding in on itself, dragged back into balance by the shape I’d carved from my own pain.

I stumbled from the Aetherfield. Blood smeared my fingers, burned raw by the magic that had lashed through me. My vision swam, my head pounding as though my skull was splintering from the inside out.

Jax and Naia had just finished celebrating before they turned toward me—Naia’s face pale with worry.

“You look like hell,” Jax muttered. “You pushed too far.”

I couldn’t answer.

You waited,I said to Kaelith inside my mind, barely able to stand.

You survived.