Page 119 of A Court of Wings and Shadows

Imoved carefully through the course now, every muscle taut and alert, blood still damp on my arm where Perin’s blade had found its mark. The trees no longer felt like shelter, they were shadows, cover for knives, and I knew better than to assume one ambush was all Iron Fang had planned.

Every so often, I stopped and waited. Listening.

Sure enough, I spotted them, three more Iron Fang riders, sprinting past on the path with blades already out, their eyes scanning the trees, hungry for a target.

They weren’t just running the course. They were hunting.

And I had a damn good guess who they were hunting.

I let them pass, my breath low, feet silent on the forest floor, and kept to the edges of the trail. I didn’t waste energy. I didn’t draw attention. I moved like the assassin I’d been trained to be, the one they always underestimated.

When I saw the red ribbon marking the exit, I didn’t hesitate. I broke into a sprint, pain lancing through my ribs with every step, but I didn’t slow.

The trees broke open into the clearing. Zander was there, standing beside Hein, arms crossed, watching the tree line like he was expecting a war.

The rest of Thrall Squad’s dragons stood nearby, wings tucked, shifting restlessly. I reached out instinctively for Kaelith, only to feel the mental shield still in place. No response. Just that dull emptiness that came from being severed.

Zander’s eyes flicked to the blood on my arm. “You had some trouble, I see.”

I slowed as I approached, pressing a hand over the wound. “Yeah,” I muttered. “But Perin has a broken arm.”

Zander smirked. “Good.”

I stepped closer to him, lowering my voice so the others wouldn’t hear. “Perin didn’t just try to fight me. He tried to kill me.”

Zander’s expression darkened immediately, his lavender eyes turning pitch like storm clouds gathering in real time. “He’sdead.”

Before I could respond, a low growl rumbled across the clearing, deep and menacing.

Kaelith.

I glanced back, startled to see her eyes locked on us, her wings twitching, her tail curling with tension.

She’d heard every word.

Her hearing was sharper than I thought.

“No,” I said quickly, turning back to Zander. “Not yet. I don’t want him dead. Not until I know who he’s working for.”

Zander frowned, jaw tight.

“Others will come for me,” I said. “And he... he inferred one of them is someone I trust.”

Zander’s fists clenched.

“I need to find out who.”

We waited near the edge of the forest, our dragons restless but grounded, tails flicking as the sky above slowly dimmed toward dusk. One by one, the rest of the squad emerged from thetrees, boots crunching on the leaf-strewn path, breath visible in the cooling air.

Each of them was unharmed.

Jax was the first to speak, his tone laced with confusion. “Every member of Iron Fang ran past me. Even when I drew my blade, none of them engaged.”

“Same with me,” Riven said, brushing a twig from her braid. “One looked me over and kept running like I wasn’t even there.”

Cordelle adjusted his gloves, his brows furrowed. “Two of them actually stopped and asked me a question.”

“What?” I asked, already knowing.