Page 42 of A Court of Thralls and Thorns

I doubted it. Pretty sure mine wasn’t. Kaelith made the word bitch sound like a pet name.

Kaelith’s voice slithered into my mind, her tone mocking and as sharp as steel.I will scorch you just to warm my claws.

“Oh, well, that’s nice,” I replied dryly.

Siergen chuckled.Do not mind her. She has more fire than sense.

I shot him a look. Kaelith could eat him in three gulps.

“Any ideas on how to get into the vault?” I asked, crossing my arms.

Siergen’s tail flicked lazily, his wings shifting slightly.Of course. I have wandered these halls since their construction.

I lifted a brow. “You know where the vault is, then?”

Yes. I helped design this castle and its compound. It’s the only one of its kind.

Without another word, he turned, leading me deeper into the castle’s lower levels.

The air grew cooler as we descended a narrow staircase, the rough walls damp with age, the scent of old parchment, earth, and stone thick in the air.

The corridors down here were different—tighter, older, meant for servants, not nobility. Siergen’s tail flicked once, his sharp gaze scanning the walls as he walked.

Here,he finally said, stopping beside a wall-mounted sconce with an illumination crystal embedded in its iron frame.

I stared at it. “And?”

Turn it.

I reached out, gripping the cool metal, and twisted.

The wall groaned.

A soft click echoed through the corridor, and then—the stone wall shifted, turning on its axis to reveal a dark passageway beyond.

I stared at Siergen, impressed. “You are the best, Red.”

Of course.

He lowered his head, touching his snout to my forehead for half a second, and suddenly?—

An image burst into my mind.

A perfect map—every twist and turn, every hidden corridor, every entry point to the royal vault—along with the precise code sequence to open it.

I staggered slightly, adjusting to the rush of information.

I am too large to follow,Siergen murmured.But you will not lose your way.

I exhaled, steeling myself, and slipped into the dark tunnel.

The corridors were eerily quiet, save for the occasional flicker of torchlight casting long, shifting shadows across the walls.

I moved quickly, my boots making no sound against the cold floor, my body tucked into the darkness where the torchlight didn’t quite reach.

A faint murmur vibrated in the air, just at the edge of my hearing.

It wasn’t voices.