Page 52 of A Court of Thralls and Thorns

The silence stretched between us before I broke it.

“He talks to you.” I narrowed my eyes at Zander. “And has since you were a child.”

Zander didn’t look comfortable with my question. For a second, I thought he wouldn’t answer.

Then, finally, he said, “Yes.”

I waited.

“My sire was not a hands-on father,” Zander admitted. “Siergen… kept me occupied when I was younger.”

I huffed out a quiet laugh. “Did you really hunt a wilderbeast when you were ten—without a bow?”

A muscle in his jaw twitched. “I had a small rapier, but in truth, Siergen saved me.”

I smirked. “What happened to the wilderbeast?”

Zander sighed. “Siergen said it was tasty.”

“Ah.”

Zander exhaled, rubbing a hand over his jaw before giving me a hard look.

“It’s time to train,” he said, his voice flat, unreadable.

Then—he turned and walked away without another word, his long strides carrying him swiftly across the courtyard.

I watched him go, my thoughts still tangled in the strange conversation we’d just had. Siergen had linked us. I didn’t know what that meant, but Zander’s reaction was telling.

The sound of crinkling paper broke my train of thought.

I tensed, keeping my body pressed against the stone wall.

The guards had opened the letter.

I didn’t dare peek around the corner, not when they were already on edge. But I listened, my heartbeat steady, my breath barely audible.

“What is it?” the second guard asked.

The first guard hesitated, then muttered, “Shit. The Order wants eyes in the king’s private chambers.”

My stomach twisted.

“That’s impossible,” the second guard hissed.

“Yeah. I need to talk to our liaison.”

A moment later, the sound of footsteps approaching the gate made both guards fall silent as someone entered.

They turned back to their duties, their conversation over.

But I stayed frozen in place, my mind reeling.

The Order was trying to infiltrate the king’s private chambers.

Which Order? Was it my father?

Who was the liaison?