Page 88 of A Court of Wings and Shadows

I want you to be careful.

Only if you promise to be careful too.

Does that mean you will?he asked.

Unlikely,I admitted.

He chuckled through the bond, and something in my chest eased. But the moment was broken by another voice, deeper, ancient.

How much longer must we endure this?Hein’s voice echoed like distant thunder.

They are younglings,Kaelith replied with lazy amusement.It is to be expected.

Younglings?I said, surprised Hein was now a part of our mental group chat.

I believe you use the wordtoddler,Hein rumbled.

Oh, for fuck’s sake, Hein. Could you be more condescending?Zander snapped.

Of course I can,Hein replied.Humans are unpredictable, weak in form, and overburdened by emotion. We, however,are crafted by the ancient stars. Our strength is inherent. Our purpose eternal. Yours… debatable.

I rolled my eyes so hard I was surprised Kaelith didn’t feel it.Does he always do this?

Unfortunately,Zander answered, tone dry.

It is endearing,Kaelith added, voice laced with mirth.In the way that thunder is endearing to a tree about to be struck.

I laughed softly, even as the shadow of the Blood Isle crept closer in the distance.

The rocky outcropping jutted from the sea like a jagged fang, battered by wind and mist. We landed one by one, our dragons circling before settling on the narrow ledge. It was barely wide enough for all of them, and the tension was instant.

Katama’s wings brushed Narvea’s, prompting a deep-chested growl. Ferrula’s green dragon snapped its teeth at Jax’s blue Palisade, while Naia’s orange Swordtail hunched protectively, her tail twitching like a cat ready to strike.

But at the far end, Kaelith landed with the grace of a god, her purple scales catching the moonlight. Hein stepped aside, actually stepped aside, allowing her a full wing’s breadth of space, which the other dragons immediately noticed.

Of course he gave her the room. The others shifted uneasily, snapping at the air, tails coiling tighter.

We dismounted and scrambled over the rocks until we reached the edge, where black stone gave way to open sea. And there, beyond the foaming water, the Blood Isle rose like a bruise against the horizon.

A massive storm cloud churned above it, thick and unnatural. Not quite lightning. Not quite mist. More like the sky had been torn open and left to fester.

Riven crouched beside me. “That looks ominous.”

“Like the sky’s rotting,” Naia muttered.

Cordelle adjusted his glasses, his face pale in the low light. “That’s not a natural formation. The air’s wrong. It’s… heavy.”

Jax gave a low whistle. “Like it’s waiting.”

“Or watching,” Ferrula added.

Remy turned to Zander, his expression unreadable in the dim light. “When do you want to start?”

Zander’s eyes slid to me, silver glinting faintly. “As soon as Ashlyn is ready.”

I took a slow breath, the ocean wind cold against my face.

“She has to create the storm,” Zander continued, “before I can latch onto her magic.”