Page 109 of A Court of Wings and Shadows

“They tried to assassinate Dorian,” I said. “Fifty Blood Fae against a handful of riders. And they would have succeeded if Foran hadn’t saved him.”

Solei stared at me for a long moment, the wind brushing the few loose strands of hair from her face. Her mouth tightened. “Why are you sharing this with me now?”

I stepped closer, keeping my voice low. “I was always willing to share information if it meant protecting Warriath. I just wasn’t willing to do it at the expense of my squad.”

Her eyes flickered, something unreadable moving behind them.

“That’s new,” she said, but her voice didn’t hold the edge it usually did.

“No, it’s not.” I looked away, toward the castle looming behind us. “It’s just the first time I’ve had something worth protecting.”

Solei let the silence stretch between us before finally nodding. “Then maybe… we both want the same thing.”

Her fingers twitched subtly in a silent admission.

We will trade. But not everything. Not yet.

I nodded back, fingers just as quick.Good. Because some truths aren’t mine to give.

And we stood there for a long moment, assassin and soldier. Sisters. Caught between a kingdom on the brink and a past we couldn’t escape.

Solei watched me in silence, then her voice softened.

“You have a new family now,” she said. “You’re… different.”

“Yes,” I answered, without hesitation. “And it’s not just my dragon.”

I glanced toward the barracks in the distance, where Thrall Squad slept under the weight of too many battles and not enough answers.

“I have people who would die for me,” I said. “Not kill me.”

Solei looked down, her hands flexing at her sides before she spoke. “I will endeavor to regain your trust. You know I will never raise a blade to you again.”

“I do,” I admitted. “But I will never trust you. Your loyalty is to the Order, not to me. Not to my new family.”

Her mouth twitched like I’d hit her, because I had. But she didn’t deny it.

“Someday,” she murmured, “my loyalties will change. But for now, we must defeat the Blood Fae.”

“Easier said than done, Solei.”

“I’m aware,” she said grimly. “But warders are being assassinated at an alarming rate. And soon, our protections will fall, just as easily as the Outer Kingdoms already have.”

I turned to her sharply. “You know about the deaths?”

Solei nodded. “The Orders have been communicating. We all have spies in the castles of our kingdoms. The question we keep asking is—Why haven’t the Blood Fae annihilated the kingdoms with no defenses?”

I froze. “There are kingdoms with no warders?”

“Several.”

My stomach turned. “How can that be?”

She exhaled through her nose, her jaw tight. “Simple. When a warder dies here, the king pulls one from an Outer Kingdom to replace them. Quietly.”

I stared at her. “They’re removing our security across the entire continent.”

“Yes,” she said. “And they’re keeping the raids minimal. Just enough to keep the army busy. Not enough to raise alarm. Not enough for people to realize what’s really going on.”