Page 90 of A Court of Wings and Shadows

What is that?I screamed the thought into the bond, eyes locked on the thing as it hurtled toward us.

Kaelith’s voice answered before Zander could.

It is a Blood Wraith. A creature born of death and dark magic. They once guarded a dark temple but were thought destroyed. Its touch will kill a human instantly. Even dragon flame cannot destroy it. We must leave.

Panic surged through my chest.

Zander’s voice roared in my mind.Go! Dive right—now!

Kaelith didn’t wait. She spun midair, folding her wings into a dive so steep the world tilted and vanished again. Behind us, the wraith’s shriek followed, louder now.

We were falling through the storm, fleeing the sky.

And I had a horrible feeling that thing wasn’t the only one waiting.

Kaelith’s wings snapped tight against her body as we dove, slicing through the dense black mist like a blade through silk. The howl of the storm roared in my ears, my heart pounding in rhythm with every beat of her massive wings.

The moment we cleared the lowest layer of cloud, the world below came into view, and my breath caught.

It was dead.

No trees. No grass. Not even moss clinging to the crags. Just gray, cracked earth stretching in all directions, as though the land itself had been scorched clean of life. Barren. Soulless. The sun couldn’t reach here, and whatever light existed bent around the darkness like it didn’t dare touch the Blood Isle.

Kaelith pulled up sharply, leveling out as we flew low over the terrain. I could feel her revulsion like an echo in my own chest.

Ahead, the jagged outline of a ruined village came into view, just shattered beams and crumbling stone walls, half-swallowed by dust and shadow. It was a ghost of what it had once been, if it had ever trulylivedat all.

What happened here?I asked Kaelith, but she gave no answer, just a low growl that vibrated through my legs.

Zander’s power surged suddenly, bright and violent through the bond, and I watched as a thread of Dark Fire lanced toward the edge of the ward. The air shuddered as it struck, tearing through the invisible barrier just long enough?—

And then Remy was there.

Hold on,I will use my power to get us out, he motioned with his fingers

Katama swept low beneath us and Remy reached with that eerie pull of his magic. The mist blurred and we were outside, flying through the wind and rain. The ferocity had died off since it was no longer fed by my power.

There was a roar behind us, that was unmistakably made by a dragon. It just wasn’t one of ours.

We urged our mounts to go as fast as they could but Jax’s Palisade was struggling to keep up. With his bulky armor he wasn’t made for stealth.

Remy motioned for Jax, Riven, Ferrula and Tae to fly closer to him. They all did as instructed, and a few seconds later they appeared to vanish.

Kaelith banked hard as something growled behind us, deep and unnatural. I turned just in time to see a black-scaled dragon burst from the clouds, eyes glowing red, mouth stretching wide as it let out a shriek of rage.

Kaelith didn’t hesitate. She pushed harder, wings snapping like thunder as we raced through the dying edges of the storm.

Then, with no warning, Remy appeared again, his fingers signing his instructions.Grab the saddle horn. Now.

The other dragons took up a position beside me before the world blurred.

The storm twisted around us, colors bleeding, light bending, until everything snapped back?—

—and Warriath stretched before us, the familiar skyline rising on the horizon.

We were home.

But the Blood Isle had seen us. And we had overplayed our hand.