Page 81 of A Court of Thralls and Thorns

“One.”

We launched into the sky.

The moment we entered the gorge, the world closed in.

Massive rock walls loomed on either side, their jagged edges threatening to shear too-close wings. The air was tight, charged with the energy of the challenge ahead. Kaelith’s powerful wings kicked up loose gravel as she navigated the uppermost section, her massive form shadowing Jax and Ferrula as they flew beside me.

“Formation, stay tight!” Tae’s voice echoed through the gorge.

Below, Cordelle and Eilvin’s dragons skirted the lowest tunnels, dodging through tight passages as stones crumbled in their wake. In the middle layer, Riven and Naia soared through the narrowest lanes, their dragons twisting to avoid the sudden juts of rock from the canyon walls.

Tae and his squad weaved through crumbling tunnels, barely making it through as slabs of stone slammed shut behind them.

This is madness,I thought, gripping my rope tightly as Kaelith barreled forward with zero concern for my comfort.

A sharp woosh of wind signaled Koddos banking hard to my right, Jax muttering a curse as a pillar of rock erupted in front of him. He twisted just in time, Koddos’ wings beating powerfully as he cleared the obstacle.

“That was close,” Jax called.

I scarcely had time to respond before the gorge shifted again.

The walls themselves groaned, as if the stone was alive, watching, waiting. Suddenly, the passage ahead split into three different routes.

“We need to split!” Ferrula shouted. “Jax, take the right tunnel! Ashe, middle! I’ll go left!”

I didn’t have time to argue as Kaelith made the decision for me, diving into the narrow center corridor. The darkness swallowed us whole, and for a split second, I couldn’t see.

Then the air glowed.

Bioluminescent runes lined the walls, pulsing with eerie blue light, shifting the shadows into haunting shapes.

A sudden drop.

Kaelith tucked her wings and plummeted, her body twisting through a network of caverns, the stone pressing in tight around us.

Keep up, softling,she purred in my mind.

Stop trying to throw me off, and I will!

The ceiling cracked. Shards of rock rained down, forcing Kaelith to snap her wings open at the last possible second. I gritted my teeth, holding desperately to the rope as my stomach lurched with the rapid acceleration.

“Almost out,” I muttered.

Then I saw it.

The final stretch of the trial. A maze of shifting stone.

The walls began to move.

Massive pillars slid across the gorge, blocking paths without warning. Large, rotating stone rings spun like deadly gears, opening and closing at random intervals.

Below, Jax and Ferrula were dodging fireballs, their dragons weaving between plumes of rising flame.

Riven’s dragon, Zola, twisted midair to avoid a collapsing tunnel, barely escaping as it slammed shut behind her.

Cordelle and Eilvin flew through an underground chamber, relying on glowing runes to guide them.

Kaelith did not slow down.