Page 91 of A Court of Thralls and Thorns

I huffed as I swung onto Kaelith’s back, gripping the rope. “Oh, I’m sure she’sdyingto keep me safe.”

Kaelith purred in my mind, dripping with sarcasm.Now you’re finally catching on.

The moment we launched into the sky, my body swayed with Kaelith’s wing beats. The saddle made all the difference—no more clinging to the rope for dear life, no more praying that Kaelith wouldn’t drop me just to make a point. The leather was smooth, sturdy beneath my grip, and the security of it settled something deep in my chest.

This is actually nice,I admitted reluctantly through our bond.

Kaelith gave a grunt, her massive wings slicing through the sky as she kept pace with Hein.You are easily amused,she muttered, though I swore there was something almost smug in her tone.

We climbed higher, soaring past the Dragon Isles. From this height, only the largest island was visible, its jagged cliffs stretching far into the horizon. The smaller islands drifted farther west, vanishing into the mist, but we turned south, our path leading straight for Thubia.

Zander had said it was a six-hour flight.Six hours,and Thubia wasn’t even at the bottom of the continent. The scale of it hit me, just how vast our world was—how much of it I’d never seen.

We’d been flying for about five hours when something flickered in the distance.

A strange pulse of light rippled across the sky, like a silent explosion.

“What in a wilderbeast’s ass was that?” Jax roared over the wind.

The moment it passed through me, my stomach twisted, my connection to Kaelith flickering, like a lantern struggling to stay lit.

“Do not call on your powers!” Zander’s voice was sharp, cutting through the chaos. He pulled Hein into a sharp climb, scanning the skies. “It’s a severance spell! It destabilizes the connection between rider and dragon!”

I stiffened, gripping the pommel of my saddle as Kaelith faltered slightly before righting herself.

“Who cast it?” Riven called.

“I don’t know,” Zander growled. “There’s no one between us and Thubia!”

The air shifted again.

Raindrops pelted against my face, cold and sudden.

Then hail.

What is going on?

“Someone is manipulating the weather!” I yelled, shielding my eyes as ice rattled against my armor.

Zander turned, his eyes locking onto mine with a hard, assessing look.

“It isn’t me!” I snapped before he could say it.

But my squad wasn’t convinced.

I saw the wary glances exchanged between them. The slight hesitation.

I clenched my jaw and reached for Kaelith.If you would let me anchor my power, I could stop this.

Her response was immediate.Dragons don’t melt in water.

Fine,I growled.

The storm raged on, the winds turning brutal as we raced for Thubia.

The moment Kaelith’s massive talons hit the wet sand, I exhaled, shaking off the lingering unease from the flight. The rain had lessened to a thin drizzle, but the air was thick with moisture, the scent of salt and charred wood clinging to every breath.

Zander slipped from Hein’s saddle with practiced ease, landing lightly before turning to us. The rest of us followed suit, boots sinking into the damp shore as our dragons took off again, their powerful wings sending gusts of wind in every direction.