Page 97 of A Court of Wings and Shadows

We were getting set to take off when a voice rang out.

“Zander!”

Cade was sprinting across the grounds, armor half-fastened and determination written all over his face. He reached us just as Hein gave a low rumble of impatience, his wings flexing.

Zander turned, already halfway into the saddle. “I have to go.”

“Not without Crownwatch,” Cade said, breathless but unwavering. “I understand you need to protect them”—he motioned toward me and the others—“but Dorian is the future king. We’re going.”

Zander’s lip twitched, the barest glimmer of something between pride and exasperation.

“And Remy?” he asked, arching a brow.

“He gets to maintain castle security.”

“Oh, he’lllovethat,” Zander chuckled as he spoke.

Cade grinned and gave a theatrical wink.

A roar split the air, and I turned to see five massive dragons slicing through the sky, Crownwatch, in full formation, descending with military precision. Their scales shimmered in the sun, blues and bronzes gleaming like the blades they carried.

Zander gave Cade a short nod, all hesitation gone.

We took to the skies, dragons surging upward as one unit.

And for a heartbeat, with the wind on our faces and war in our blood, we were unstoppable.

The coast of the Earendall continent unfurled beneath us like a jagged ribbon of slate and foam, cliffs rising sharp from the sea, wind carving paths through the ancient stone. Waves crashed against the rocks below, spraying salt into the air even this high up. Forests hugged the inland side, but the sea was a silver shimmer to our left, endless and open.

And above it all—us.

We flew in a formation unlike anything I’d experienced before. Thrall Squad, small but fierce, held tight near Zander and Crownwatch. But Crownwatch… gods. Over thirty riderssoared around us, their dragons painted in hues of green, silver, and midnight-blue. Wingspans blocked the sun, and their presence was a thunder that echoed across the sky.

It felt like a force the Blood Fae would fear.

Zander’s voice slid into my mind, calm and commanding as always.

Hein says the skies ahead are clear, but he can smell the blood on the wind.

What else are they saying?I asked, focusing on Kaelith’s breathing beneath me.

Foran is still alive. He’s injured, but moving. The other dragon, they lost was a blue striker, like Foran.

I swallowed hard.

Hein… he’s angry, isn’t he?

Zander’s response came with the weight of flame and fury behind it.

He’s livid. That dragon was from his den. One of the few clutch mates he had left. Hein says this is a blood oath now. He wants Dorian and Foran back alive. He wants the price paid in fire.

My stomach coiled, part fear, part exhilaration.We’re going to find them,I said, more to myself than to Zander.

We will,he replied.The dragons are already closing in on the last known coordinates. We’re almost there.

Kaelith rumbled beneath me, her mind pressing against mine in silent agreement.

And with dozens of dragons streaking through the sky, a prince in danger, and the smell of war on the wind?—