Page 168 of A Court of Thralls and Thorns

Kaelith opened her jaws, her fangs gleaming in the fading light. She moved slowly, almost reverently, lowering her teeth over the blood dragon’s neck.

I release you,Kaelith said softly.May you find peace with your family. You will receive my mercy.

The dragon gave one final, pained exhale—a sound that was less of a roar and more of a sigh—and Kaelith’s jaws clamped down.

The snap of bone was sharp and final.

The wail of the wounded dragon cut off, leaving the air cold and empty.

A cry came from the tall grass beyond the clearing, faint but sharp enough to jolt me from my haze.

“Someone’s still alive,” Zander muttered, already moving.

I sprinted after him, my boots splashing in the mud as I followed the pained sound. The faint flicker of movement drew my gaze—a figure sprawled in the grass.

The Blood Fae.

He lay on his back, clutching his side where the lightning had burned him. His skin was cracked and gray, tendrils of decay creeping up his face like twisting vines. His breath came in short, desperate gasps, and his eyes—once a burning red—had dimmed to embers.

Zander knelt beside him, but the Blood Fae let out a rasping chuckle.

“It doesn’t matter,” he wheezed, blood bubbling at his lips. “You… can’t stop it.”

“Stop what?” I demanded, but the fae coughed hard, his body shuddering as decay spread across his chest.

His gaze flicked to Kaelith in the clearing, then to me. “They… want you.”

“Who wants her?” Zander asked harshly, his hand gripping the fae’s tattered tunic.

The Blood Fae’s cracked lips twisted into a smile. “Your king… he’s… already lost.”

“Why are you after Ashlyn?” Zander asked.

His rotting eyes moved toward me. “You should know who you belong to, halfling.”

His body convulsed, then sagged, his breath vanishing into the cold night air. The decay crawled over his face, turning him to dust before our eyes.

I stumbled back, the words sinking in.

“What just happened?”

Zander stared at the decimated corpse. “They decay quickly after you kill their dragon; their immortality is tied to dragon magic. Once that tie is severed, they return to the earth.”

I nodded but swayed on my feet.

“You are exhausted.”

“Summoning that much power takes it out of me. Kaelith and I aren’t quite in sync.”

Cordelle pointed at my neck. “No, but you are getting close.” I picked up the gold pendant that had shaken out of my clothes during maneuvers. The purple scale was half exposed. “You’re right, I guess we made some progress.”

Zander motioned to Jax. “Set up the tents. We need to change into dry clothes and get some rest.”

We returned to the clearing and had the tents set up in a few minutes. My stamina was wavering, and Zander told me to go inside mine after setting up my bedroll. He placed a small bowl beside the bedroll, then waved his hand, and Dark Fire erupted. He exited for a moment and called out to the others.

“Everyone, stay battle ready. The dragons will stand watch but stay armed.” He entered my tent as I knelt in front of the bowl, warming my hands.

Zander pulled a shirt from my pack. “Change into this and get into bed.”