Page 167 of A Court of Thralls and Thorns

The power surged again, fierce and hungry.

Ashe, no!Kaelith’s roar hit me like a hammer.You’ll lose control! Focus on the rain—force them down!

I forced a deep breath through my teeth, closing my eyes as I focused not on the rage, but the cold. The pressure of the air shifted, and instead of the fire inside me erupting in fury, I called on the chill of the sky.

The heavens opened, and rain poured down like a flood. Cold and vicious, the drops stung my skin like needles, driven by the wind I realized I’d summoned. The downpour swept over the battlefield, drenching everything. The blood dragons twisted in the sky, wings faltering in the sudden torrent. One by one, they dipped lower, too heavy to stay airborne.

Now!Kaelith roared, diving toward the clearing.

We hit the ground hard, her talons sinking into the mud as she folded her wings over me like a massive canopy. Hein landed seconds later, Zander tucked beneath his dragon’s silver neck. Our squad followed, their dragons huddling together to shelter us.

Water ran in rivulets down Kaelith’s scales, cold and relentless. I pressed against her side, feeling my strength drain from me as the storm churned above.

“Fuck, Ashe,” Jax swore as he stumbled under Koddos, drenched from head to toe.

Riven grinned despite the cold. “You needed a shower anyway.”

I let out a weak chuckle, chest tight with exhaustion. My fingers trembled, and I shoved them beneath my arms to hide it.

But then... a sound.

A shrill, haunting wail echoed from the forest—long and ragged, like something torn from the depths of agony.

Our laughter died instantly.

“What the hell was that?” Naia asked, her voice low.

Cordelle’s face was pale. “A dragon.”

We stood there in silence, the storm beating against our dragons as the wail faded into the night.

We must put it out of its misery,Kaelith said with a solemn tone.

I met Zander’s gaze. “We have to...”

“I know. Kaelith has taken responsibility for this mercy. We will escort her.”

Kaelith spread her wings out just enough that we could stay beneath them as she walked toward the wail in the forest.

Zander and I moved with Kaelith as she began to walk toward the forest. We stayed close to her, as protected as possible, as she broke branches on the ground with her talons.

The dragon’s cries cut through the rain, raw and broken. Each wail seemed to shake the air, vibrating through my bones. We moved toward the sound, the squad following silently behind us as the storm softened to a constant drizzle.

I froze when I saw it.

The blood dragon lay in a twisted heap, its wings shattered and crumpled beneath its body. Deep gashes marred its black scales, rivers of crimson streaking down its side, pooling beneath its broken form. The stench of burned flesh lingered in the air—a sickly reminder of the lightning strike that had sealed its fate.

Kaelith shifted beside me, lowering her head until her nose nearly touched the wounded beast.

Hello, Seratine,she whispered in my mind, her voice laced with sadness.That would have been your name… had you not been stolen from us.

The black dragon let out a weak, pitiful groan—the sound of agony and fear and something far more primal.

“Can it understand you?” I asked aloud, my voice barely above a whisper.

I don’t know,Kaelith replied, her mind full of sorrow.But I know it feels my presence.

The dragon’s breath came in ragged bursts, each weaker than the last. Its head shifted slightly, its dull red eyes struggling to focus. Even in death, the beast was magnificent—as dark as midnight, its scales etched with faint crimson veins like rivers of blood.