Page 136 of A Court of Thralls and Thorns

It wasn’t an answer. Not really. But as I staggered to my feet, still feeling her cold presence lingering at the edge of my mind, I knew the truth.

She could have let me die.

Zander appeared through the haze of my vision, his face tight with shock—and something else I couldn’t quite place. His eyes flickered between lavender and black, like smoke coiling just beneath the surface.

“I’ll take her to the healer,” he said, voice sharp as he moved to my side.

“I’m fine,” I muttered, though my legs felt like they had forgotten how to hold me upright.

“You’re not,” he snapped, already guiding me forward with a firm hand on my arm. I didn’t resist—I couldn’t. The trial had wrung me out, leaving me hollow and unsteady.

We moved through the courtyard in silence, past the new podium. When we reached the Yarrow Gardens, I stopped abruptly and pulled my arm from his grasp. “I don’t need a healer,” I said, and my voice cracked. “I just need a moment’s peace.”

The bitterness in my voice surprised even me. Zander blinked, his hand hovering mid-air like he wasn’t sure whether to touch me again or back away.

I turned from him and pressed my fingers to my temples. The ache behind my eyes throbbed in time with my pulse. The whispers from the trial still lingered in my mind, shadows clawing at the edges of my thoughts. I couldn’t shake them, couldn’t catch my breath.

Zander exhaled heavily. “Stay here,” he said before striding a few steps away. He tilted his head toward the sky and closed his eyes.

Moments later, I heard the powerful beat of wings. I didn’t have time to react before Hein’s massive silver form landed in the clearing beside us, stirring the garden with gusts of air.

“What is he doing here?” I asked.

“Come on,” Zander said, his voice quieter now. “We’re taking a small break.”

“You want me to get onhim?” I stared at Hein’s intimidating bulk, his scales glinting like polished steel under the fading sunlight.

“Yes.” Zander grabbed a rope from Hein’s side and looped it over the dragon’s neck. “He’s making an exception for you.”

“Why?” My voice broke on the word.

“You’d have to ask him,” Zander said, throwing the rope over the saddle horn. “But I think you’ve earned a little grace today.”

I hesitated, feeling dizzy, still raw from the memories that haunted me. But Hein lowered his head slightly, and something inside me shifted.

“You’re sure about this?” I asked.

“Trust me,” Zander said, offering his hand.

Against my better judgment, I took it. His fingers wrapped firmly around mine as he guided me up onto Hein’s back. Zander swung up behind me, his arm circling my waist to steady me. Hein rose to his full height, and my heart lurched.

The next thing I knew, we were soaring—the world falling away beneath us as the wind howled past. The weight in my chest lifted slightly, and for the first time since the trial, I felt like I could breathe again.

The wind whipped my hair back as Hein’s powerful wings cut through the sky. His silver scales gleamed like polished steel in the sunlight, each powerful stroke of his wings carrying us farther from the castle grounds. The ocean stretched beneath us, endless and dark, broken only by the jagged rocks that marked the edges of the Dragon Isle.

I couldn’t believe this was happening. Hein was carrying me. Dragons didn’t allow anyone to ride them unless they were bonded, and Hein had never shown kindness to anyone but Zander.

“What’s going on?” I asked, clutching the rope tight. My ribs still ached from the trial, but the pain was nothing compared to the way my mind kept replaying those horrible images. Jax’s lifeless eyes, Remy’s cold sneer, my father’s hateful words. It all churned inside me like a storm.

Zander sat behind me, one arm loosely wrapped around my waist for balance. “Hein thought you needed a break,” Zander said. “So, here we are.”

I glanced over my shoulder at him. “You’re telling me your dragon can read emotions now?”

“More like instincts.” His voice was quieter now, less sharp than usual. “He’s always been able to tell when I’m close to burning out. I guess he figured you needed this more than I did.”

I swallowed hard and turned back to the sky. “I’m fine.”

“You’re not.” His voice was rigid, but not unkind. “I saw you back there, Ashe. Whatever you saw in that trial… it’s still clinging to you.”