Page 140 of A Court of Wings and Shadows

“They’re not,” Riven muttered, and Ayda smirked in agreement.

Zander didn’t smile, but his voice lowered slightly. “Have you heard anything new from your sources in the Outer Kingdoms?”

I blinked, surprised at the question.He’s been gathering intel?My respect for him deepened.

“Yeah,” Teren said, eyes flicking around. “More than a few of the outlying villages have been approached by some mysterious sect. No uniforms. No symbols. Just a voice claiming they represent the ‘True Heirs of Warriath.’”

I glanced at Zander, then the others. “That’s the same wording used in the whispers from Warriath.”

“And Meri said some of the reassigned healers went missing around those villages,” I added.

Cordelle’s brow furrowed. “So it’s not just here. It’s spreading. This sect… they’re forming across the kingdoms.”

“Which means this isn’t a rebellion anymore,” Zander said darkly. “It’s a movement.”

“And one backed by power,” Teren added. “They’re not just gathering commoners, they’re targeting magical bloodlines.”

“Warders,” I said slowly. “Healers. Maybe even riders.”

We stood in silence, the implications threading through us like ice.

It wasn’t just an uprising.

It was a claim.

And someone was preparing to make it.

We stood in a loose half-circle within our assigned ring, the morning sun now fully risen and glinting off blades and armor as if nothing had changed. But everything had. The moment Teren mentioned the “True Heirs of Warriath,” something shifted.

Luthias, quiet until now, stepped forward, his arms crossed over his broad chest, eyes sharp beneath his shorn scalp.

“I’ve got some additional intel,” he said, his voice low. “The sect, this group claiming to represent the ‘True Heirs’—they’re actively recruiting. Healers. Infantry. Warders. Anyone with magic, mostly from common bloodlines.”

“We figured that much,” I said, eyeing him carefully. “But?”

“They have a different view when it comes to dragon riders.”

“What do you mean?” I asked, my stomach already twisting.

He hesitated. “They’re spreading the belief that dragon riders are privileged tyrants. Elitists. That we serve the throne, not the people. That our dragons seek to hoard power instead of being protectors bound by oath.”

I stared at him. “That’s a lie.”

“Of course it is,” Riven snapped. “But it doesn’t matter if it’s true, it only matters if people believe it.”

“They’re using it to stir rebellion among the commoners,” Luthias continued. “Spreading stories of riders burning villages for sport. Claiming we’re trained to protect the royal bloodlines and only them. That common-born riders are just token symbols used to lull the rest of the people into silence.”

“They’re trying to fracture us,” Cordelle murmured, eyes dark. “Create division between commoners and the very riders who could defend them.”

Jax’s lip curled. “Typical. Turn the only weapon they can’t control into something feared.”

“That’s not all,” Luthias said grimly. “They’re organizing quiet resistance in places where the Fourth Guild doesn’t patrol. Blocking supply lines. Sabotaging patrols.”

“They’re building a network,” Zander said softly, almost to himself.

“They’re building an army,” I corrected. “And if they convince the people that dragon riders are the enemy… then the horde isn’t their salvation.”

“It’s their target,” Naia finished grimly.