Chapter 4
Chapter
Four
The wind cut colder on the way back.
Kaelith’s wings moved in steady, powerful beats beneath me, but every muscle in my body felt stretched thin, vibrating with exhaustion.
I leaned low against the saddle, the constant sway and pull of flight lulling me.
My eyes drifted closed once, twice, only to jolt awake as Kaelith shifted sharply, rumbling displeasure deep in her chest.
Stay awake, rider, she murmured in my mind, her tone more stern than usual.
“Sorry,” I mumbled aloud, blinking hard against the rush of cold air.
Another few miles passed, and I slipped again, head sagging forward.
Kaelith snapped her wings mid-flight, sending a jarring tremor through the saddle that made my heart lurch.
Tie yourself in, she ordered, her voice low.
“Right,” I muttered, cheeks burning with embarrassment. I fumbled with the worn leather straps at my thighs, securing myself tighter to the saddle. “Sorry, Kaelith.”
She didn’t answer, but I could feel the way her worry buzzed low against my skin, protective and relentless.
Zander and Hein flew just ahead of us, his silhouette rigid against the dusky sky. He never looked back, but something told me he knew.
By the time we reached the outskirts of the clearing where our squad waited, my entire body ached, my eyelids grit-heavy with sleep.
Kaelith touched down hard enough to rattle my bones, her landing rougher than usual.
I barely swung my leg over before Remy was there, approaching fast, concern written all over his face.
Kaelith dropped her head low and growled, a deep warning rumble that made the ground tremble.
Remy froze a few feet from me, hands half-lifted like he might catch me if I fell.
I blinked, surprised she wasn’t directing that anger toward Zander, considering the truth that the fourth prince was engaged to another.
But no.
Kaelith’s fury wasn’t for him.
I held up my hand to Remy as Kaelith moved toward Hein.
Zander approached first, his boots crunching over the scorched earth, his face drawn with fatigue but still controlled.
“You need rest,” he said, stopping a few paces from me. His voice softened, just enough that it was meant for me alone. “We’ll finish up here. We’ll spend the night in Kruisaan. I need a word with the magistrate there.”
I nodded, too tired to summon the strength to argue. Even Kaelith seemed to approve, the heavy tension in her mind easing slightly.
Before I could turn away, Remy stepped closer. His gaze flicked once toward Zander, then back to me.
“Private word?” he asked, low and tight.
Zander didn’t look thrilled about it, but he nodded once and stepped back toward the others.
Remy tugged me a few paces away, far enough that the others couldn’t overhear, but still within the clearing’s line of sight.
“I caught one,” he said under his breath, his hand resting lightly on the hilt of his sword. “One of the rebels. While the others were burying the dead.”
My eyes narrowed. “Where is he?”
Remy’s face went cold, harder than iron. “He didn’t survive my interrogation.”
A sharp, ugly feeling twisted in my gut.
“How convenient,” I said, my voice colder than the wind slicing through the trees.
His mouth twitched, but he didn’t deny it.
“Someone has emboldened them within court ranks,” Remy continued, his tone clipped. “They weren’t just rebels. They were Varnari.”
I stiffened.
“They’re here to cull the Crimson Sigil,” he said, his voice dropping lower. “Not us.”
He let that settle before finishing, as grim as a death knell.
“And the Order?” I asked, already knowing the answer.
Remy nodded once. “The Order’s helping the Crimson Sigil rise... against them. And against the crown.”
“Pass the information to Zander,” I said, my voice low but firm.
Remy hesitated, his mouth tightening like he had more to say. Maybe more that he wanted me to know.
But before he could open his mouth, Zander’s loud whistle cut through the clearing.
“It’s time to go!” Zander called. “Mount up!”
I turned my back on Remy without another word, Kaelith already moving toward me, her large wings beating dust and ash into the air as she walked.
She hadn’t taken off like the others, knowing somehow that this stop was only temporary.
Thank you, I thought as I reached for her saddle straps.
I swung up into place, Kaelith rumbling deep in her chest, and with a single mighty push, we soared into the sky.
The flight to the Kruisaan Kingdom was mercifully short, the landscape below a blur of rocky shore and twisting roads.
When we reached the castle, it was immediately clear we weren’t in Warriath anymore.
The courtyard was much smaller, barely enough room for three dragons to land at once without risking wing or tail.
Kaelith circled once, wings tucked in tight, before landing with a heavy thud that rattled the cobblestones.
I slid off her back, boots hitting the ground hard as I unsnapped her saddle and tugged the ropes free.
To the left, the stables stood cramped and narrow, packed with nervous horses whose aggressive snorts and whinnies echoed through the courtyard.
I think they’re scared of you, I said silently.
Kaelith grunted in my mind, the sound low and unimpressed. It is not sporting to hunt a caged animal.
And wild horses? I asked, a little wary.
Tasty, she replied without hesitation, her amusement crackling through our bond.
I peeled the saddle from her back, slinging it over one shoulder, and Kaelith took off immediately, giving room for Riven, Jax, and Ferrula to land.
I placed Kaelith’s saddle on the low rail set up near the stables and leaned against it, waiting as the others dismounted and released their dragons.
Once we were all gathered, Zander led us toward the castle’s lower levels, past narrow stone corridors and low archways.
“We each get our own room,” Tae said, glancing back over his shoulder. His mouth twitched like he wanted to smile, but didn’t have the energy left to manage it.
We split up silently, exhaustion dragging at all of us.
I entered my small, bare room, just a simple cot, a table, a washbasin, and began stripping off my armor piece by piece, letting it fall with heavy thuds to the floor.
Finally, too tired to even wash up properly, I crawled into the narrow bed and closed my eyes, letting the weight of the day crush me into sleep.
The creak of the door dragged me from my dreams like a knife through silk.
My eyes snapped open.
The room was dim with early morning light, just enough to outline the figure slipping through the door, quiet, deliberate.
I’d locked it.
My hand shot beneath my pillow out of instinct only to find it empty. Godsdamn it. I’d forgotten to stash a blade.
I moved fast, swinging my legs over the edge of the bed and lunging to my feet. The stone floor burned cold against my skin.
The man held up both hands in surrender, his posture calm but not afraid.
“I mean you no harm,” he said quickly, voice smooth, practiced.
He was dressed in the muted browns and grays of a Kruisaan court courier—nondescript, forgettable. His cloak was worn but finely stitched. His boots were clean. Too clean.
“Excuse me if I don’t believe you,” I said sharply, heart thudding in my throat, “seeing as you just broke into my room.”
He bowed slightly, not apologetic—controlled.
“I waited until morning,” he said. “Your squad will wake soon. I simply came to relay a message… from the Crimson Sigil.”
My spine straightened.
I was still in a tunic, bare-legged, unarmed, but I refused to let that show.
“What is your message?” I asked, my voice like ice.
The man tilted his head. “A warning. And a chance.” He stepped forward, just once, enough that I could see the fine scar down his cheek.
“You are being watched, Ashlyn. The purge is coming, and those tied to the crown will not be spared.”
My fists clenched. “And what? You think I’ll betray them?”
“Not betray. Return,” he said, his eyes flickering. “You are a daughter of the Order. Join his legacy, and you will be spared when the cleansing begins. The Crimson Sigil honors your heritage.”
The silence stretched for a beat.
Then I laughed.
Loud. Bitter.
“He sold me,” I spat, taking a step forward now. “He doesn’t own me. Not then. Not now. Not ever.”
The man’s jaw ticked, but he didn’t argue. He only nodded once, slowly, like he had expected that answer all along.
“Then you’ve made your choice,” he said. “I hope you survive it.”
And just like that, he was gone.
Slipping from my room like a shadow, leaving behind the stench of threats wrapped in silk.
I dressed in silence, my fingers moving through the familiar motions, buckling leathers, tightening bracers, binding my hair back.
But nothing felt right. Not after what had just happened.
The courier’s voice still echoed in my skull like a curse. Join his legacy, and you will be spared when the cleansing begins.
I locked the door behind me.
My squad was already gathering in the hallway, rubbing sleep from their eyes, their exhaustion still clinging to them like soot.
Zander waited at the end of the hall, arms crossed, posture alert despite the weight beneath his eyes.
“This way,” he said simply, and we followed without question.
He led us into a small side room with a stone hearth and a long table. Bread, cheese, and roasted meats had already been laid out, along with a pitcher of watered wine and a single carafe of coffee that Jax claimed like it was sacred.
We sat, grateful for food and quiet.
I waited until the plates were half empty before I spoke.
“I had a visitor this morning,” I said, setting my cup down.
Everyone stilled.
“A man. Dressed like a court courier, but definitely not one of Theron’s. He broke into my room and told me he came on behalf of the Crimson Sigil.”
Naia leaned forward, her eyes narrowing. “Are they connected to the Blood Fae attacks or the missing supplies?”
“I don’t know. He inferred the Crimson Sigil is working with my father and I need to join them or be purged, along with the rest of you.”
Ferrula scoffed and tossed a crust of bread onto her plate. “With the Order tangled up in all of this, you can’t trust either side. They’ve both got agendas, and I doubt either of them ends with us alive.”
As we finished eating, the sound of boots echoed down the hallway.
The door opened, and the Lowborn Squad entered, their presence grounding and solid.
At their front was Teren, focused and calm. He stopped beside Remy and handed him a sealed scroll without a word.
Remy read it, lips tightening. “I must return to Warriath.”
He didn’t glance at me.
He just left.
Teren watched him go, then turned back to us.
“The Order intercepted a message between the Varnari and someone in the court,” he said, voice low. “My friends in the Order are not thrilled with their new allies.”
“What did it say?” I asked.
He looked at me then, something heavier behind his eyes.
“Sanctuaries fall faster when they were never whole to begin with.”
I swallowed hard. “They’re looking for the Fae Sanctuary.”
“Looks like everyone is,” Tae muttered, leaning back in his chair with a sigh. “Which means we’re all in a race.”
Teren nodded. “He who wins rules the Continent.”
We left the small dining room together, boots scuffing over the worn stone as we made our way back to the courtyard.
The morning was cool, the sun just beginning to climb above the castle towers, casting long, dark shadows over the packed dirt.
Kaelith circled lazily in the sky overhead, her shadow sweeping across the courtyard like a living warning.
Zander stopped near the center of the open space, his voice carrying just enough for our squads to hear.
“We’ll investigate any leads in Kruisaan,” he said, his tone thick with command. “Supplies don’t vanish without help. If someone here is aiding the thieves—I want them found.”
The squads murmured their agreement, moving to prepare gear, tighten saddles, and check weapons.
Zander touched my arm lightly. A signal.
“Walk with me,” he said under his breath.
We moved away from the others, around the edge of the courtyard where the broken outline of the stables and the heavy castle wall shielded us from most prying eyes.
He stopped, turning to face me fully.
“Do you know why Remy was recalled so suddenly?” he asked, studying my face like he could read the truth in the lines there.
I met his gaze without flinching. “I have no idea.”
The lie tasted bitter, but I forced it down. I wasn’t sure it had to do with Remy’s fatal interrogation, but I had the feeling my ex hadn’t shared the information when I asked.
Zander searched my eyes for a moment longer, like he didn’t quite believe me but didn’t want to push.
The silence between us stretched thin and aching.
Finally, I spoke, my voice quiet but cutting.
“Did Inderia have anything to do with me being invited to the banquet?”
His mouth opened, then closed.
The hesitation was all the answer I needed.
And it hit harder than any blow.
I turned my head, staring out at the distant line of hills beyond the courtyard walls, willing myself to breathe through the tight, brittle ache wrapping around my ribs.
Kaelith’s presence brushed against my mind. A secure anchor.
But it didn’t ease the hollow cavern growing between Zander and me, silent and widening with every beat of the morning sun.
He moved closer to me. “Ashe, it’s complicated.”