Page 160 of A Court of Thralls and Thorns

Kaelith’s wings pumped hard against the cool morning air, each powerful beat lifting us higher. Without a saddle, I gripped the rope tightly, my legs clamped hard against her scales to keep from sliding. The flight wasn’t long—too short for us to need full gear—which meant whatever Zander had planned wouldn’t require endurance. Something more... precise.

Do you know where we’re going?I reached for Kaelith’s mind.

We hunt the king’s beasts.Her voice thrummed in my head, a low purr of excitement.They are off-limits unless a royal calls a hunt. I have never participated before.

Her eagerness made me smile despite the tension knotting my stomach.Fresh meat?I teased.

New meat,she corrected, her mental tone sharpening. She was more than eager—she washungry.

The other dragons began to break off, spreading out through the sky. Each one banked in a different direction, vanishing above the dense forest that sprawled below.

Where are we going?I asked.

You will see.

We passed over the thick canopy, and I spotted something shimmering ahead—a wall of liquid silver, rippling like moonlight on water.

What is that?

The barrier.Kaelith’s voice hummed with something close to reverence.The warders keep the king’s beasts contained. You need magic to pass through... or permission from a royal.

Magic. That explained Zander’s presence.

As we neared the wall of shimmering energy, I braced myself. The air seemed to pulse around us, heat flashing across my skin. Then, like stepping through a thin veil, we passed through.

The sensation left me breathless—my magic hummed beneath my skin, twitching as if reaching for something beyond my control. The air felt different on the other side—charged, raw, like a storm had just rolled through and the sky was still deciding whether to break open.

A screech split the air—high-pitched and furious. The sound vibrated through my bones, sharp and grating like nails dragged across metal.

The hunt is on,Kaelith said with a wicked growl.

Kaelith landed in a small clearing, her claws digging into the earth as she folded her wings. I slid from her neck, feeling the hard jolt as my boots hit the ground. My rope dangled from where I’d knotted it, and I grabbed it quickly, fastening it to my belt before drawing my rapier. The metal gleamed faintly in the dim forest light, a cold comfort in my hand.

A low, guttural growl rose from the shadows ahead. My breath stilled, every muscle locking tight.

The creature stepped from the tree line, as black as night and twice as terrifying. Its body was twisted—as if nature itself had tried to reject it. Shaggy fur hung in mangled clumps, patchy in places where scaled flesh peeked through. It stood on four legs, each one ending in jagged claws that scraped against the earth. Fangs, long and curved like daggers, jutted from its massive jaws.

It was three times the size of a horse—all muscle and rage—and the moment its soulless, glowing eyes locked on me, it beganto stalk forward. Slow and deliberate. Like a cat toying with a cornered mouse.

Kaelith moved before I could react, her bulk shifting to place her body between me and the beast. Her wings flared wide, shadowing me beneath them, and she let out a low growl that vibrated through my bones. The creature’s ears flicked back, its lips curling over bloody teeth.

Then Kaelith struck.

She lunged, claws raking down its chest as the beast snarled and snapped at her throat. Kaelith twisted away, her teeth clamping onto the creature’s side and shaking it like a rag doll. The monster let out a guttural shriek before Kaelith wrenched her head back, tearing a gaping hole in its side. It hit the ground with a sickening thud and didn’t rise.

I hardly had time to breathe before another snarl erupted from the trees.

The second beast was even larger—its body covered in thicker fur and deeper scars. It stalked in a wide circle, its gaze flicking from Kaelith to me like it was calculating which of us would fall first.

Kaelith shifted, her tail flicking behind her as she moved to intercept.

I took a careful step back, eyes on the beast. My fingers twitched on the hilt of my rapier—but before I could register the movement, something whistled past my ear.

A dagger.

I spun just in time to see a figure emerge from the underbrush—cloaked in black, face obscured. Their arm moved fast, drawing another blade from their belt.

Not just beasts. Assassins.