Page 6 of A Court of Thralls and Thorns

“Good day, everyone. I am Major Ledor,” he announced, his voice booming across the courtyard. “Myself and Major Kaler will see to your training. We have welcomed a new squad this year—Thrall Squad, composed solely of commoners, as the king has opened his doors to the less fortunate.”

“That’s a nice way of saying he bought us,” Jax grumbled under his breath, earning a few grunts from our group.

With a sweeping gesture, Major Ledor motioned toward a building I recalled passing on the way in. “Dragon riders, you have the next time slot in the dining hall,” he declared. “Please eat and proceed to your rooms. Training will resume tomorrow. Thrall Squad is assigned to the old storage room.”

We made our way toward the unmarked building, a structure I had merely glanced at before, unaware of its significance. Inside, we joined a steadily forming line, waiting only a few minutes before receiving our trays of food. We found an empty table and sat down, the clatter of trays and murmurs of conversation mingling with the occasional disgruntled grunt from passing nobles. One female from Iron Fang winked at Tae as she strode by though.

“Someone has a girlfriend,” Riven teased, her tone light yet edged with mischief.

Tae shook his head, his expression playful. “Just a friend I spend time with sometimes,” he replied.

Riven then turned to me as I picked up my biscuit and snapped it in half. “Do you have a boyfriend, Ashe?” she asked, her eyes curious.

My hand froze in the midst of picking up my biscuit, and I felt the weight of memories pressing in, talking about Remy was never easy. “No. My fiancé died a year ago,” I murmured, my voice barely above a whisper.

“Shit, I’m sorry,” Riven said, her tone softening immediately. “It happens I guess. Especially in the Order.”

An awkward silence fell over our table until Naia fixed me with hard, unyielding eyes. “He was an assassin, wasn’t he?” she said, her tone clipped and without remorse.

“He was,” I replied quietly, the admission more painful than I had expected.

Naia stuck a fork into her turnip with finality. “Then good riddance.”

“Jesus fuck, Naia. That’s cold even for you,” Jax muttered, his tone a mix of shock and reproach.

“I call it as I see it,” she shot back.

“Those are brave words coming from a Grenthian,” I said.

“How did you know we were Grenthians?” Jax asked, swallowing his beef.

“Because she has Zantha root tattooed on her wrist. It’s pretty specific,” I answered.

“Most people wouldn’t know what it was. It only grows in Grenthia along the river,” Naia said.

Before I could muster a response, a man from Iron Fang leaned over from the next table. “Hey, white hair,” he drawled, his voice loud enough that people from other tables glanced at him. “I hear you are Cyran Rebec’s daughter. His gambling exploits are legendary. Do you wanna make bets on how long that squad of yours lasts?”

No sooner had his words faded than Zander Rayne, carrying his tray with effortless grace, leaned down toward the man. “Perin, if you speak out of turn again, you will meet me in the ring. There is no mercy for those who oppose my father’s commands,” he warned.

Perin’s eyes dropped, and he gave a curt nod, his cheeks flushing pink. Once Zander had joined his fellow Crownwatch Squad, Perin cast one last glance in my direction and, with a mocking gesture, he pulled his finger across his throat.

I finished my food and caught Tae’s eye. “Where’s the storage room?” I asked.

He dropped what was left of his biscuit onto his tray and replied, “Come with me.”

We exited the dining hall and stepped into the fading glow of the courtyard. The sun was setting, painting the sky with streaks of gold and crimson, a promise of longer, brighter days ahead. As we walked along the ancient wall toward the Southeast tower, I felt a quiet thrill at the possibilities that lay beyond. Just twenty feet from the tower’s entrance, we slipped through a modest door into a sparse room.

Inside, ten bunk beds were arranged in neat rows against the stone walls. The room was simple, with bare walls and just one narrow window that offered a breathtaking view of the beach below. A second door in the room led to a long, dimly lit hallway under the battlements that led to the castle.

“What’s down there?”

Tae’s voice was even as he replied, “It’s a series of small rooms—I’m sure a few are for storage now, and the rest for the other riders. Most have their own rooms, though some double up. The Warriath royals, reside in the castle.”

I dropped my rucksack onto the bunk in the far corner and wandered over to the window. The coastal view was stunning, an endless expanse of rolling waves shimmering under the setting sun, a dance of deep-blues and fiery-oranges, and the rhythmic murmur of the tide that filled me with both nostalgia and wonder. My life underground had never allowed me to fully appreciate the sky and sea, and I drank in every breathtaking detail.

Far in the distance, I noticed a massive purple dragon soaring high above the ocean. Its scales glimmered like amethyst in the dying light, and even from a distance, it was impossible to ignore. “What kind of dragon is that?” I asked, turning to Tae.

He moved to my side and ran a hand through his cropped blond hair. “That’s the Sentinel. She guards the hatchling grounds, located on the Dragon Isle, and since she predates the Unification between dragons and the fae halflings, nobody really knows what species she is.”