Page 69 of A Court of Wings and Shadows

“To see the fae prisoner,” I replied honestly. “Zander’s going down in an hour. I’m going to meet him.”

Cordelle blinked, sitting up straighter. “You’re going back into the dungeon?” His voice was hushed, but filled with that familiar flicker of curiosity. “Do you think he knows more about the prophecy? Or why the Blood Fae want you?”

“Maybe,” I said. “But I need more time with him. I just… feel like we haven’t heard the whole story yet.”

“And you want us to cover for you,” Riven guessed.

I nodded. “If anyone comes looking for me, say I went to check on Kaelith. Or that I needed air. Just… something. Please.”

Riven gave a short nod. “I’ll take care of it.”

Cordelle offered a crooked smile. “Hopefully you will come back with some answers.”

I gave them both a grateful look before slipping out the side door that led to the quieter hallway behind the barracks. The stone beneath my boots was cool and uneven, worn down from centuries of dragon riders passing through.

I moved quickly, ducking beneath torchlight and sticking to shadows, heart pounding in quiet rhythm.

At the corridor’s bend, I paused at a seemingly ordinary iron sconce, a wall-mounted fixture with a crystal nested at its center. I reached up, wrapped my fingers around the cool metal, and twisted.

Click.

The stone wall groaned open with a soft shift, revealing the narrow, dark passage Siergen had shown me.

I haven’t seen you in a while,I thought to the courier dragon, wondering where he’d disappeared to. He’d always had a knack for showing up when he was most needed, and vanishing when you least expected it.

I slipped into the narrow passage, the scent of damp stone and ancient dust filling my lungs. Avoiding the guards was easier through these paths, designed for swift exits and secret entrances, and within minutes I emerged in the low corridor near the dungeon wing.

Zander waited at the entrance, cloaked in his usual quiet command, arms crossed, eyes scanning the shadows as if he’d known exactly which direction I’d come from.

He turned to me as I stepped up beside him.

“You made it,” he said quietly.

“I am a better thief than a rider,” I replied.

He smirked. “That is up for debate. Come on.”

The heavy door creaked open with a low groan, revealing the familiar lavish chamber hidden beneath the castle’s bones.It was just as luxurious as the last time I visited with lush violet draperies, intricately carved furniture, and a crystal chandelier that glowed softly with fae light. Alahathrial sat on the velvet couch, legs crossed, a leather-bound book resting open in his lap.

When I stepped inside, his head lifted, a smile already forming. “Ashlyn,” he said warmly. But the moment his gaze shifted past me, that smile faltered.

He stood quickly, the book falling shut in his hands.

“Zander,” he breathed.

Zander inclined his head with slow respect. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Alahathrial. I’m sorry I haven’t had the opportunity before now.”

Alahathrial studied him carefully, the air thickening with the weight of old magic and unspoken truths. “I’m sure your father instructed you to avoid me,” he said at last. “With eyes like those…”

Zander didn’t flinch. His lavender eyes, so rare among humans, so unmistakablyfae, met Alahathrial’s with a calm intensity.

“Every full-blooded fae has that color,” Alahathrial said softly, “before they turn dark.”

Zander let the silence linger before stepping further into the room. “We don’t have much time. I came here for answers. We both did.” His voice hardened. “Can you tell us about the Virelith Crystal? Do you know how tofindit?”

Alahathrial’s expression shifted to something older. Wiser. Heavier.

“It’s in the lost Fae Sanctuary,” he said, voice low, as if the walls themselves might listen. “If it still exists. Every king since the fall of the Light Fae has searched for it. None have found it.”