Page 86 of A Court of Wings and Shadows

Jax groaned from his seat on the bed, arms draped over the headboard. “This new dynamic is going to get us killed.”

Ferrula snorted. “No kidding. At least before, they hated each other quietly.”

Naia shook her head. “Not anymore.”

Zander and Remy were still glaring, breaths sharp, but they backed off, just enough.

I exhaled, my hands still planted on the edge of the table.

“Let’s start with what we know. If Dark Fire can break the wards, we may need it. But we have to find a way in without alerting the whole damn isle. Maybe there’s another path. A weakness in the outer wards.”

Cordelle nodded, already flipping open a smaller book he’d tucked into his belt. “I might have something.”

And just like that, we returned to the map, to the mission, to the sanctuary hidden in shadow.

But the tension?

It didn’t go anywhere.

The room had grown still again, less from tension, and more from the collective burden of too many dead ends. Everyone sat hunched forward, eyes flicking between the map and each other, searching for a way into the Blood Isle that wouldn’t leave us bleeding on the shore.

Then Cordelle’s voice cut through the silence, steady and precise.

“I have an idea. It’s… unconventional.”

Zander arched a brow. “Go on.”

Cordelle glanced between the two of us, me and Zander, his gaze a little too sharp, a little too knowing. “We combine your powers.”

Zander straightened. “My Dark Fire and her Storm?”

Cordelle nodded. “Just enough to make it look like anaturalevent. A tempest. Something wild and violent enough to fracture the outer layer of the ward. Something that doesn’t immediately scream infiltration.”

I leaned in. “And then what?”

“Then,” Cordelle said, “Remy Phantom Steps the three of you inside.”

The room tensed.

Ferrula let out a low whistle. “That’s bold.”

Jax looked intrigued. “And dangerous.”

Naia crossed her arms. “How does that keep them safe?”

“We’ll create a diversion outside the wards,” Cordelle explained. “A second strike, flashy enough that they think we’re all still out there. Meanwhile, you three are already inside.”

Remy narrowed his eyes. “You’re awfully confident in my abilities.”

Cordelle smiled faintly, flipping shut the book in his lap. “I know what everyone’s abilities are. And I only mentioned yours because we need it for this to work.”

Remy’s jaw ticked.

Cordelle glanced at him. “Can you move all three of you and your dragons?”

A heavy pause followed.

Then he looked straight at me.