Page 117 of A Court of Wings and Shadows

“I prayed to Charrem that you would go first,” he said, his tone far too casual for a blade so sharp.

I stopped cold, eyes narrowing. “So this is the test, huh? Get past your opponents?”

“Exactly,” he said, tossing the blade between his fingers with practiced ease. “They don’t tell you that part, but members of Iron Fang who’ve run this course before… they told us how to prepare.”

My stomach tightened. “You can’t kill me. They’ll know.”

He laughed.Laughed.

“You think I’d be here if I didn’t have help? You’re a liability, Ashlyn. They all see it, except Zander, who is too blind to admit it.”

I drew my own dagger, the feel of it grounding me.

“You were sent to kill me.”

His grin widened. “No. I volunteered.”

Figures.

Iron Fang always did like their blades bloody.

And now I had one more test to pass.

Survive.

We began to circle each other, slow, deliberate.

The trees above swayed with the wind, indifferent to the violence brewing beneath their branches. I kept my blade ready, eyes locked on Perin’s, reading the tension in his shoulders, the cocky tilt of his smirk like he already believed this was over.

“Still following orders?” I asked, my voice low, sharp.

He chuckled, the sound smug and hollow. “Still acting like you’re above them?”

“I don’t need to act,” I shot back. “I earned my place.”

His eyes narrowed. “You were given your place. And you paraded around like the crown’s favorite pet because you ride the Sentinel. It’s sad that such a magnificent beast has such poor judgment.”

“Jealousy’s not a good look, Perin.”

He bared his teeth. “Neither is betrayal. The rest of us trained our entire lives to be riders. You got handed a squad and a dragon.”

“You want my dragon?” I lifted my chin. “Try asking her.”

He lunged.

The blade flashed in his hand, a quick, precise strike aimed for my ribs. I twisted just in time, the edge slicing along my arm instead of plunging deep. The sting lit up my nerves, but I didn’t cry out.

I twirled back, boots grinding against the dirt, blood seeping through the sleeve of my flight armor. I reset my stance, crouched low.

Perin straightened, the knife gleaming red in his hand.

He smirked.

“Let’s end this.”

The moment he finished speaking I launched forward.

Steel clashed against steel with a screech that rang through the trees. I feinted left, then drove hard toward his shoulder, catching him off-guard just long enough to twist my wrist and slam the hilt of my dagger against his.