Chapter 42
Chapter Forty-Two
Theron spun on his heel, his regal cloak snapping behind him like a final insult. The moment he disappeared into the castle, I stepped closer to Zander, brushing my fingers gently against his wrist.
His skin was hot—searing, and black tendrils of Dark Fire curled lazily over the backs of his hands and along his forearms like living smoke. His eyes, twin voids of night, locked on where Theron had stood only moments before.
“Zander,” I whispered.
His gaze dropped to me, and something shifted. The storm behind his eyes began to ease, Dark Fire retreating into his skin like it had never been there. He exhaled, long and slow, like he’d been holding his breath since the confrontation began.
“Thanks,” he murmured, the tension bleeding from his shoulders.
Around us, Hein was still growling, the sound low and furious like distant thunder.
My eyes swept the field, and I noticed the palace guards had all but disappeared, having retreated to the outer edge of the Ascension Grounds.
Most of them looked anywhere but at the still-glowing piles of ash, brooms and buckets untouched in their hands.
Zander turned to Hein and nodded once.
With a beat of those massive wings, the silver dragon launched into the air, cutting a spiral into the sky as he rose to join Kaelith. The two dragons circled each other above, silent but ever-watchful.
Zander turned back to the major, his tone dry. “So, what did you have planned before all this unpleasantness?”
Major Ledor looked rattled, like he’d aged a few years in the last hour. His lips pressed into a thin line before he cleared his throat. “A new trial,” he admitted. “We were going to begin today.”
Zander arched a brow. “Let’s hope it’s not as dramatic as the last one.”
The major didn’t respond. He didn’t have to. His eyes lifted to the sky, and I got the distinct feeling that whatever was coming next… would be worse.
The major raised one hand and whistled—short and commanding. The sound pierced the thick air, cutting through the lingering tension like a blade. The remaining guards finally moved from the edges of the Ascension Grounds, stepping forward in formation. They weren’t here to clean.
They were here for us.
“This trial,” Major Ledor called, his voice projecting to every corner of the grounds, “will focus on your ability to defend against multiple enemies in unpredictable combat scenarios.”
Zander’s arms crossed as his eyes narrowed. “Unpredictable?”
The major smirked, not answering directly. “You will face mock attacks from our most elite palace guards. Blunted weapons. No killing. But I expect you to defend yourselves without your dragons.”
Kaelith sent a wave of irritation through the bond. Mock battles? They wouldn’t survive a real one.
Stay where you are, I warned her silently. This is our fight.
The guards moved into position with military precision, splitting into smaller strike teams and surrounding our squads.
I could already see Crownwatch Squad’s apprehension across the field, and Jax cracking his knuckles with barely restrained eagerness.
Ferrula spun one of her short blades with a grin like she’d just been handed a challenge worthy of her boredom.
“Begin,” the major barked.
They came fast.
A group of three rushed me from the left. I dropped low, wind rising around me in a swirling vortex. My hand sliced upward, and the vortex shot forward, knocking two of them off their feet before they reached me. The third lunged, only to be yanked backward by a tendril of power—Jax’s doing.
Tae’s laugh rang out from the other side of the field. “Try harder!” he yelled, just before one of the guards dropped to his knees, clutching his head. Tae’s power of influence shimmered through the air like heat waves.
Naia pulsed with kinetic energy, her fingertips glowing as she absorbed the force of an incoming strike.
She spun and released it, sending the soldier flying with amplified force.
Cordelle had his palms flat against the ground, vines and thorned tendrils erupting from the dirt to trip and bind guards who moved too fast.
Zander was a storm on his own. Dark Fire coiled from his arms, his movements sleek and efficient. He didn’t attack to hurt—just to control. Disarming. Disabling. Dominating.
Remy moved like a ghost, blurring from one side of the field to the other. His blades were unsheathed, but never cut deeper than they had to. His magic left streaks of fog and shadow in his wake, unsettling the guards who couldn’t predict where he’d strike next.
I caught my breath and turned, just in time to see Jax and Ferrula back-to-back. He deflected a blow from a heavy baton while Ferrula ducked under the swing and swept the attacker’s legs out from under him. Jax grinned down at the man. “Told you she was faster.”
The grounds were chaos, coordinated chaos, but I could feel something shift beneath the surface.
They’re testing us, I thought. Not just how we fight, but how we work together.
And we were winning. Not flawlessly. But with purpose. With precision. With unity.
The palace guards started falling back one by one, panting, bruised, and clearly shaken.
Major Ledor raised his hand again, and a whistle cut through the air once more.
“Enough,” he commanded.
Silence fell, broken only by the heavy breathing of both guards and riders.
He looked across the grounds, his eyes focused. “That is what I wanted to see. Your strengths. Your weaknesses. Your cohesion.”
He paused. Then added, “And your loyalty.”
Zander’s expression darkened beside me. Because that last word—that wasn’t about the trial.
That was about Theron.
The major raised his arm. “All guards return to the castle.”
They filed out one by one, but two stopped near Ferrula as if they had dropped something.
Her head snapped to the side.
The first guard’s blade sliced through the air where her skull had been a breath before. She twisted away, her body dropped down, instinct and reflex saving her from the killing blow. But none of us had seen the second guard.
He was behind her.
Sword drawn. Intent clear.
I opened my mouth to scream, but I didn’t have to.
Tae’s hand shot out like a strike of lightning, fingers spread wide, eyes glowing with a golden hue I’d only ever seen when he was fighting for his life.
“No!” His power screamed through the air.
And the guard obeyed.
His knees hit the ground with a violent thud, the sword tumbling from his fingers as his body collapsed into the dirt—unmoving, unconscious, maybe worse.
Tae’s eyes rolled back, and he dropped a heartbeat later.
“Tae!” Ferrula caught his body before it slammed into the stone. She cradled him against her chest as we all rushed toward them, our boots echoing across the scorched grounds.
“Shit,” Jax muttered, falling to his knees beside them, one hand resting lightly on Tae’s shoulder. “You idiot. You beautiful idiot.”
Ferrula’s face was pale, freckles stark against her skin. “He saved me. He just—gods, he saved me.”
Meri was already moving, her hand glowing with that soft healer’s light. “He’ll be okay,” she said quickly, checking Tae’s pulse. “He just burned too hot, too fast. His magic pulled everything he had.”
“He stopped a man mid-strike,” Naia whispered behind me, her voice shaking. “He didn’t even hesitate.”
I looked at the man still lying face down in the dirt, not dead, but barely breathing. That hadn’t been simple influence. Tae hadn’t just whispered into his mind.
He had crushed it.
Major Ledor stood frozen at the edge of the grounds, jaw tight, his hands balled into fists. He turned sharply, stalking toward the fallen guards. His voice was like iron as he barked, “Arrest them. Both of them.”
“But sir,” one of the remaining guards said quietly.
“They tried to assassinate one of our own.” Ledor’s voice grew cold enough to chill bone. “Find out who gave that order.”
Zander knelt beside Tae as he stirred feebly, his lashes fluttering. “You alright?” he asked.
Tae gave a weak grin. “I told you I was terrifying.”
“You’re also an idiot,” Ferrula said, but her voice cracked and her fingers didn’t stop brushing his cheek.
I looked down at the unconscious attacker, my fists clenched.
“They are part of the Crimson Sigil.”
Ferrula nodded. “And if it weren’t for Tae, I would be dead. I should have known better.”
Jax glanced at the unconscious guard being carried from the field. “What did you do to him, Tae?”
Tae sighed as Meri’s hand rested on his forehead. “I blew his mind.”
“I thought you were into girls,” Jax said
Tae grunted and held one hand with his middle finger extended.
Jax smiled. “If I don’t joke with you right now, I might kiss you.”
“I know I’m sexy, but it’s not gonna happen, big guy,” Tae said as Meri smiled.
“We will question him after he wakes up. The other man seemed to be following his lead.”
Tae shook his head slightly. “When I say I blew his mind, I mean that if he lives, he will spend the rest of his days a turnip.”
“Then I guess we question the other one.”
“No need. I saw into his mind before I snuffed it out. He was given an order from a person in a hooded cloak; he doesn’t know who it was, only that it was a woman.”
“What woman would do that?”
Riven was staring upward. “I can think of one.”
My gaze followed hers. Standing on a balcony was Theron.
Lady Belana was at his side. She looked like a queen in her golden dress as her hand rested on Theron’s arm.