Page 40 of A Court of Thralls and Thorns

“But I saw a dragon… a mother… She tried to shield them.”

Her name was Fyvna.Red’s tone softened, though sorrow clung to every word. She broke her own wings to fit inside the cave and protect the hatchlings hiding within. But she died in there with them.

By Charrem, I whispered, the name of the death god suddenly feeling heavier on my tongue.

The God of Death was not merciful that day.

“I’m sorry. Did you know her?”

Yes.He exhaled, a deep, rumbling sound.She was a Catalan. Many of her species perished in those caves. They are rare to this day.

A realization struck me, sharp and cold. “Is that why it felt like I was poisoned? Was she punishing us?”

Her aim is not to punish but to make those who bond with dragons understand her sacrifice. To ensure no fae or human commits such an atrocity again.

I swallowed hard. “The boots I saw in the memories… they weren’t fae, were they?”

No,he confirmed.They were human. But they were aided and manipulated by the Blood Fae. Our treaty with the halflings exists to ensure both human and dragon remain safe.

“Then why did all the fae turn dark?”

“They didn’t. But those who opposed the Blood Throne were killed. Some say the Light Fae fled, but there is no evidence that any survived.”

The weight of his words settled in my chest, thick with a history I barely understood.

Silence stretched between us, heavy and suffocating.

“Why are you so nice to me?”I finally asked.

His golden eyes gleamed with something unreadable.You are unique. And interesting.

I let out a breathy laugh. “I wonder if you’ll still feel that way after I infiltrate the castle vault.”

His tail flicked slightly, an almost amused gesture.It is a human castle. I do not care what you steal.

I turned my head to look at him fully. “I’m not stealing. I’m looking for information. Something that might tell us who is aiding the Blood Fae.”

Red’s approval hummed through my mind like a low growl.Even better.

I hesitated, then finally reached out, brushing my fingers lightly against his scales.

The world shifted.

A rush of color, of memory—the land before Warriath had been built, before the world had been carved into territories. Vast forests stretched endlessly, rivers glowing silver under moonlight. The sky was filled with dragons soaring in unbroken formations, their roars filling the air like a song. The ground was untouched, wild, pulsing with an energy I had never felt before—before war, before treaties, before everything had been burned into ruin.

And then?—

It snapped away.

I gasped, jerking back as if burned.

Red watched me carefully.You are not ready for that yet.

My breath was uneven. “Ready for what? I’m kind of flying blind here. My own dragon doesn’t exactly talk to me.”

Red let out a sound that could have been a grunt.Have you tried?

I hesitated before closing my eyes, reaching inward, searching for the newly formed link. It was like a white filament in my mind and much brighter since Kaelith spoke to me in the cave.