Page 39 of A Court of Thralls and Thorns

The thought of eating made my stomach turn. My body still hadn’t fully recovered, and the lingering ache of whatever the ghosts had done to me curled deep in my gut like a sickness I couldn’t shake.

“I think I’ll grab some rest,” I admitted. “But I appreciate the offer. I’m not sure I could stomach food right now.”

Naia nodded, as if she’d expected that.

A silence settled between us, and for once, it wasn’t uncomfortable. She didn’t press me for details. Didn’t offer empty reassurances. Just gave a slow nod before pushing herself up from my bed.

“Rest, then,” she said simply.

I watched as she moved toward the others, who were already grabbing fresh clothes and muttering about where they should go. Within minutes, they were changed and slipping out the door, their voices fading into the night.

And then, I was alone again.

I had barely drifted into a light rest before the soft creak of the hallway door pulled me back to awareness. I didn’t open my eyes at first, assuming one of my squadmates had returned early.But then I heard nothing—no shuffling of boots, no muttered complaints about the long trek back.

And then I felt it.

A warm weight settled against my shoulder, a presence both foreign and strangely familiar. The sensation of smooth, cool scales pressing against my skin sent a shiver down my spine.

I turned slightly, blinking against the dim candlelight, and found myself staring into golden eyes with onyx-slit pupils.

Hello, Blossom.

His lips didn’t move, but the voice resonated through my mind like distant thunder.

I swallowed, my hand slipping from beneath my covers, hovering uncertainly over his massive snout.

“Hello, Siergen.” I spoke aloud, my voice rasping from exhaustion.

His breath warmed my arm as he stood impossibly still, watching me with an intelligence that felt ancient.

You are in pain.

I let out a slow breath. “I will heal. I always heal.”

The spirits of the past hurt you in ways that cut deeper than any blade.

I shifted, my fingers curling slightly against the sheets. “I noticed. At first, I thought it was poison.”

It can feel as such… or so I am told.

“I don’t recommend walking through that particular cave.”

His head tilted slightly, considering.That cave has no effect on me or my brethren.

“Well, you’re the only one who would fit in it.”

Red was silent for a long moment, his golden gaze flickering with something unreadable.

We assumed the hatchlings and younger dragons were safe there once,he finally said, his voice quieter now.But we learned that we were wrong.

My heart stuttered.

The ghosts are real. They actually died there?

Yes.

A chill spread through my limbs, different from the pain still lingering in my muscles. I had thought the memories were echoes, illusions of the past. But they weren’t. They were remnants.