Page 100 of A Court of Wings and Shadows

“We need to leave. Can Foran fly?” I asked.

Dorian nodded. “His injuries will heal faster than mine. Thank you for helping me, Ashlyn.”

I nodded as Zander helped Dorian to his feet. But Foran grunted as he got to his.

Chapter

Twenty-Two

We supported Dorian between us, each step slow and careful as we guided him toward the mouth of the cave. His arm was slung across Zander’s shoulders, his face pale but his jaw clenched with the same unyielding pride I’d seen in both brothers.

The sky outside was a tapestry of motion. Crownwatch and Thrall Squad circled in the air like a storm of scales and wings. The formation was fluid, dragons in constant motion, like a living perimeter around us. The wind was stiff, charged with tension, and the horizon boiled with distant clouds.

Then a screech cut through the air, deep, resonant, not from one of our own. My heart leaped as Kaelith stiffened beneath my mind’s touch.

Foran emerged behind us, limping slightly, his right wing dragging just enough to make my stomach clench. He stopped at the edge of the rocks, his head high, his jaw set in the way only an ancient dragon could manage.

Zander’s eyes met mine, and for the first time, we shared something quiet.Concern.

That flight to Warriath wasn’t short. And it definitely wasn’t safe.

“Foran,” I said gently, “are you sure one of us shouldn’t take Dorian?”

The blue striker bared his teeth in a low growl, his eyes glowing like embers through mist.

Before he could respond, Kaelith’s voice stirred in my mind, measured, almost amused.

Foran chose the elder prince. He will fully heal in the next hour. His human rider will not hinder him.

“I’m sorry for doubting you,”I said aloud, bowing my head slightly to Foran. “I just… I don’t want anything to happen to you or Dorian. The enemy is almost upon us.”

Foran rumbled deep in his chest and shifted, lowering his body enough for Zander to help his brother climb onto his back.

Kaelith’s mind brushed mine again, but this time… it hesitated.

What is it?I asked.

She was quiet for a beat longer than usual.

Foran is surprised you are so… caring. Considering your upbringing.

I blinked, stung by how easily the words lodged themselves beneath my ribs. I mounted Kaelith without answering at first, the leather of the saddle still damp from the mist.

Don’t worry,I finally said, bitterness curling through the bond.I’m still a criminal.

Kaelith said nothing. She didn’t need to.

She launched into the air a second later, her wings cutting a clean path upward as I clung tight and rose with her.

But it was only the prelude.

A shadow slithered across the sky.

At first, I thought it was a trick of the clouds, the shifting dance of dragon wings against storm-gray. But then the light changed, dimmed, and I felt Kaelith tense beneath me.

That is not natural,she said, her voice coiling in my mind like smoke.

I didn’t respond. I just gripped the saddle tighter as the darkness spread like ink across the sky, swallowing the sun in its path.