Page 28 of A Court of Wings and Shadows

After Rubin’s fiery death, Zander had been the one to intercept Siergen and me, cold, calm, already spinning the tale to keep us from being court-martialed. According to the official report, Rubin had attacked Tae and me after ambushing a palace guard. Our presence in the lower levels had been passed off asresponding to the threat.

A clean lie. A necessary one.

But Zander hadn’t forgotten what really happened. And he sure as hell hadn’t forgiven it.

Sometimes I wondered if that particular royal could be satisfied with anything or anyone.

The squads stood at attention in two perfect lines. Thrall Squad beside me, our leathers buckled and blades sheathed, the morning light glinting off buckles and steel. Our dragons waited at the far end of the field behind the boundary line, unmoving, solemn.

They weren’t allowed to help us today.

Major Ledor stepped forward, his voice sharp and authoritative. “Today,” he called out, “you will complete theBlackbind Run.”

A ripple of tension passed through the lines.

The Blackbind wasn’t a flight course, it was a ground gauntlet, brutal and infamous.

Squads would race against each other across uneven terrain filled with physical traps, spell-based illusions, and live combat obstacles. No dragons. No powers. Just grit, instinct, and teamwork.

The dragons would wait at the finish line.

And whether we reached them bleeding, broken, or triumphant was entirely up to us.

After Major Ledor’s order, we mounted our dragons in silence. The usual rush of pre-flight adrenaline tempered by something colder. Anticipation. The name Blackbind hung over us like a storm cloud, and no one spoke as we buckled into saddles and tightened straps.

Kaelith shifted beneath me, wings half-unfurled, her tension a mirror of my own.

You will complete the run,she whispered.

Sure,I replied.

With a single signal from Major Ledor, we took to the skies.

The roar of wings split the morning calm as squad after squad rose into the air. The wind bit against my cheeks, but the sight below stole the chill from my breath.

The Hallow.

A stretch of dense forest cloaked in layers of ancient magic and deeper shadows. No one entered it without permission, not even guild officials. Wards woven into the roots and leaves shimmered faintly as we passed overhead, parting just enough to allow our dragons through.

Then we saw it.

The Blackbind Run.

Set in a deep forest basin hidden from the world, the course looked like a battleground sculpted into nature itself. Massive stone combat rings were scattered like islands across the terrain, each one large enough to host full-out melee bouts. Some rings shimmered with defensive enchantments. Others had deep pits around their perimeter, losing meant more than bruises.

Interspersed between the rings were obstacle zones, narrow trench runs flanked by twisting bramble walls, areas rigged with pressure-triggered rune traps, collapsing bridges over rushing water, and open clearings meant to draw squads into direct confrontation.

Illusion fields shimmered across the center of the course, flickering like heat waves. No one knew what lurked within them. That was part of the trial.

It wasn’t just about endurance.

It was about strategy.

It was about survival.

Kaelith growled softly as we circled lower, her wings tightening.

I do not like leaving you alone here,she said.