Page 3 of A Court of Thralls and Thorns

“By the gods—!” Olam gasped, the sound a brittle echo against the heavy silence that followed. The man’s eyes widened in abject terror as his veins lit up like rivers of lava. His hand convulsed violently, and his face contorted into a silent scream of unbearable pain. Smoke began curling from his ears as if the very essence of his life was being scorched away by an unseen fire.

“What in the name of Charrem...?” I murmured, sure the God of Death couldn’t avoid this horror. The air was thick with tension and disbelief as the man staggered, his body betraying him with violent spasms before he fell to the floor.

“Get him out!” barked the magistrate, his voice cutting through the chaos. Two grim-faced guards swept forward, their grips unyielding as they hoisted the man’s limp form. As they dragged him away through a side door, his final, ragged breaths were lost amidst the mounting gasps and whispered curses of those who had witnessed the fatal test.

The magistrate simply drew a thick line through his name on a long parchment and curtly motioned, “Next.”

“What just happened?” I asked aloud, my voice trembling with shock.

Solei’s quick, precise signs answered me.Those without any fae blood can’t withstand the testing. It kills them. There was a warning in the royal decree.

Nice to have known that ahead of time.

The magistrate focused on the young man ahead of me. “State your name,” he commanded.

“Quinn Forsythe,” the young man replied.

After scribbling the name, the magistrate gestured to a crystal shaped like an egg. “Place your hand on the crystal.”

Quinn obeyed, and as his hand met the smooth surface, the crystal pulsed and turned blue. A slight smile tugged at the magistrate’s lips.

“Warder. Please report to the Third Guild in the northwest tower.”

Quinn glanced back at me with his rucksack slung over his shoulder, before disappearing through a rear door that led to the main gate.

“State your name,” the magistrate said as his icy gaze fell upon me.

“Ashlyn Rebec,” I whispered. Murmurs stirred behind me as the magistrate’s eyebrows arched imperceptibly.

“Take off your cap,” he instructed.

Reluctantly, I removed it, and my long white hair cascaded down my back in a silvery waterfall. A hushed exclamation of “Holy shit” came from behind me, drawing the magistrate’s attention.

“I have not seen a white hair in fifty years,” he said, leaning toward me slightly.

“I’m a throwback.” I shrugged, offering a wry smile.

“I doubt you will exit through the side door,” he said, his tone measured. “Please place your hand on the crystal.”

I did as instructed, feeling the crystal’s surface pulse beneath my hand. It seemed to recognize me, and its power caressed my skin like a ripple of water. Then it changed color. First gray, then green, before settling into a steady gold. The magistrate’s lips thinned.

“Dragon rider. Please report to the Ascension Grounds. They are on the left. You will be assigned to Thrall Squad.”

Solei’s hand moved to my arm. “There is no such thing as a Thrall Squad.”

The magistrate’s eyes narrowed in undisguised hatred as he retorted, “There is now. Are you taking the test?” Solei shook her head and with quiet finality, he added, “Then you must leave immediately.”

Solei was the kind of woman who could slip into a man’s bed chamber and slit his throat without hesitation, so I took my rucksack from her.

“It’s okay. We will chat soon.”

“Unlikely,” the magistrate said curtly. But I didn’t look back at my Order sister. I exited through the rear door and entered through the main gate.

What kind of dragon bonded with a commoner? And in my case… a criminal.

Chapter

Two