Page 191 of A Court of Thralls and Thorns

“You sold me!” My voice rang out sharper than I intended, but I didn’t care. The air in my father’s office felt like it had thinned, like I couldn’t quite pull enough into my lungs. “I never wanted to be part of the guild. But I am now, and that will never change.”

Cyran stood slowly, the firelight casting jagged shadows over his face. He was calm and that was more unnerving than his rage ever could be.

“You never wanted to be part of the guild?” he repeated, mocking my words. “You think you had a choice? You were nothing before I put you in play.”

“I was surviving just fine without you,” I snapped.

“No,” Cyran growled. “You would have become a mediocre seamstress or a gutter rat stealing loaves of bread to stay alive.”

“Kaelith chose me, and that kills you! Your pawn turned out to be a knight, and you made your move too soon,” I snapped.

He scoffed. “Kaelith chose you because she’s waiting for you to break. She wants a tool, not a partner.”

I took a step forward. “You’re wrong.”

“Am I?” His lip curled. “Look at yourself, Ashlyn. Do you really believe you belong with the riders? You’re reckless. Undisciplined. Emotional. And now you’ve dragged an entire squad into your mess.”

“My squad trusts me!” I shot back.

“Your squad will be dead before this is over,” Cyran sneered. “Every single one of them. Because you can’t keep your emotions in check, and you can’t control your power.”

His words struck deeper than they should have. I knew what he was doing—manipulating, undermining—but it still stung. The worst part was that small, terrible voice in the back of my mind whispering that he was right. I felt my magic stir, restless and volatile beneath my skin.

“You’re a danger to yourself,” Cyran continued coldly. “And to everyone around you.”

I shook my head. “You’re just angry because I won’t be your weapon. I won’t spy for you. I won’t kill for you.”

“You don’t get to decide that.” His voice dropped lower, almost a whisper. “You think you’re free now, but your life belongs to me, Ashlyn.”

“I belong to no one,” I spat. “Not to you. Not to the Order. Not to anyone.”

His face darkened, and for the first time, I felt something dangerous roll off him—something cold and deadly. “If you won’t obey,” he said softly, “then I’ll make sure you can’t defy me again.”

I stepped back, heart hammering in my chest.

“I will lock you in my dungeon,” he went on, stepping closer with each word. “And you will sit there, forgotten and rotting, until you beg me to kill you.”

Kaelith’s voice lashed through my mind like a whip, sharp and furious.

Tell the human criminal I am on my way. If he touches you, I will annihilate the building in which you stand. No living thing will survive.

“No, Kaelith,” I said aloud, my voice shaking. “There are innocent people here.”

A surge of raw power stormed down our bond, curling in my chest like a raging inferno. Thunder rumbled overhead—no longer my anger, but hers. The air thickened, charged with the scent of fire. My father’s eyes flicked upward, warily glancing toward the ceiling.

“Remove yourself from my presence,” Cyran said, his voice low and cold. “Return at your own peril.”

He stepped back, but I didn’t wait to see what he’d do next. I turned and bolted, my boots striking the stone floor in rapidsuccession. Behind me, the air seemed to crackle like a gathering storm, Kaelith’s power simmering on the edge of release.

I’m out,I sent to her.I’m safe. Don’t burn it down.

Her power didn’t fade immediately, but I felt her presence shift—still simmering, still furious, but waiting. Watching.

You shouldn’t have gone alone,she growled.

I know,I admitted as I burst from the tavern’s back entrance into the cold night air. The wind hit my face like a slap, but I ignored it and kept running.

Hein’s rider wishes a word with you.