Page 33 of A Court of Wings and Shadows

But interference from someone outside the ring? That was an unspoken line.

And Zander had crossed it forme.

Remy stood silent, unreadable, jaw tight as he watched the tension simmer around us. No one would confront us. Not while he was nearby. But I knew the second we were out of his shadow, Warborn’s patience would be gone.

Still, when the horn sounded and we were released from the course, I didn’t linger.

I turned and walked toward Kaelith.

She stood tall at the edge of the ridge, regal and unbothered, the late light casting violet gleams along her scales. She lowered her head slightly as I approached, her golden eyes meeting mine like a question, and an answer.

I climbed into the saddle and settled against her spine, my breath still ragged from the fight.

How did you do it?I asked silently.The wards were supposed to stop magic. I shouldn’t have been able to summon anything.

Her answer was immediate.

I decide when you die.

Chapter

Seven

The sun had just dipped behind the towers when we returned to the Ascension Grounds, our dragons peeling off to their respective nests as we landed in silence. No cheers. No pride. Just the reality of a fractured victory and too many eyes.

Dinner in the hall was a quiet, uncomfortable thing.

Warborn sat clustered around their end of the table, sullen and cold, pushing food around like it was ash. Remy didn’t look at me once, though I couldfeelhim behind the silence, like static in the air. Stormforge didn’t speak much either, clearly still licking their wounds from Crownwatch’s sweep.

Iron Fang, on the other hand, seemed unbothered by the tension, casually laughing and clapping Perin on the back like he was some kind of hero. Perin nodded to their praise, always the performer, but his gaze kept cutting toward me—sharp, dark, burning.

I didn’t look back.

I didn’t look at Zander. Didn’t look at Remy. I was too tired to care, too wrung out to manage the weight of whatever they were carrying.

We returned to the barracks as a squad, quiet and stripped of pretense. One by one, we took turns in the washroom, passing the warmth of steam and silence between us. The kind of quiet only earned after a battle.

A knock came at the door just as I was toweling off my hair.

Jax answered, as always.

He came back a moment later, holding out a sealed scroll with a resigned look on his face. “Here we go again.”

I took the summons and cracked the seal. The parchment rustled faintly in the dim light.

“The king wants to see me.”

Naia whistled low from her bunk. “He didn’t waste any time.”

“I expected this one,” I said, folding the letter. “I’m sure he wants to know how I summoned Kaelith’s magic through the wards.”

Jax leaned against the wall, arms crossed. “What are you going to tell him?”

“That I have no idea.” I smirked. “And that if he really wants answers, he should askher.”

Jax snorted. “I’d pay good money to see a Flame-Broiled King.”

Naia burst into laughter, and even Riven cracked a grin.