A Court of Darkness and Dragons Chapter 2
The wind shifted.
Kaelith snarled beneath me, and in the same breath, I saw him gliding low through the clouds, a streak of obsidian wings and curved silver blades.
A Blood Fae rider, his dragon sleek and predatory, its black scales flickering like oil over flame.
Shadows clung to the beast’s underbelly as if the night refused to let it go.
Incoming, I snapped through the bond.
Zander wheeled Hein around in an instant. “Form up!” he called aloud, voice slicing through the air. Ferrula drew her spear. Naia shifted her stance. Tae cursed and tightened his rope.
But Zander didn’t wait for the squad to act.
Hein launched forward, wings folding briefly to gain speed, then flaring open with such precision it stole my breath. The dark dragon surged to meet them, jaws open, magic pulsing black and sickly around its throat.
And then—
Steel met flesh in the sky.
Hein spun midair, claws raking the enemy’s flank while Zander rose from his saddle just enough to bring his blade across the Blood Fae’s chest. The enemy screamed as blood arced through the air like a comet’s tail.
The black dragon shrieked, twisting away, but Hein followed like vengeance given form, his tail whipping up and catching the beast under the chin.
They vanished into the clouds in a tumbling fury of fire and wings.
Seconds later, Hein emerged alone, blood on his talons, Zander’s jaw clenched, eyes sweeping the skies.
“Return to Warriath,” he commanded. “Now.”
We didn’t argue. Kaelith pivoted, her body coiling with tension as we banked hard toward Warriath. The rest of the squad followed, streaks of silver, green, and blue slashing through the darkening sky.
I reached for Zander through the bond. How are we going to beat them? The Blood Fae…
We find the traitor in the castle; he replied instantly, his voice a low burn. They’re feeding the enemy our movements. That’s how they keep ahead of us. That’s how they got to Lady Belana. And it’s how they’ll win if we don’t stop them.
And save your father, I added quietly.
A pause.
And Dorian, he said. If possible.
I glanced sideways as we soared through the cloud bank.
Zander rode Hein as if he were born to it, one hand loose on the rope, the other resting on his hip where his blade waited.
Hein flew like a storm god, every motion fluid, dangerous, and impossibly precise.
Zander didn’t grip tightly. He didn’t need to. The dragon knew his rider.
They moved as one.
I know you won’t like this, I said, but we need to speak with Cade.
A heartbeat of hesitation.
Agreed, Zander said, voice grim.
Below us, Warriath’s towers crept into view, the city cloaked in torchlight and tension.
Let’s hope he’s not a traitor.
We landed hard, hooves and talons striking the stone with finality that echoed through the Ascension Grounds.
The guards scattered as Kaelith skidded into her place beside Hein, wings still partially unfurled, her gold eyes scanning the darkened skies as if she hadn’t yet decided if the fight were truly over.
I swung down from her saddle, my legs sore and trembling from the long flight, and unfastened the straps with practiced hands. Beside me, Jax was already helping Ferrula down from Narvea, while Tae swayed in his.
“Hold still,” Naia muttered as she untied his rope. “You’re gonna face-plant.”
“I live dangerously,” Tae mumbled, swaying just enough to prove her point.
“What happened?” I asked.
“I may have used some mind control on that rider to ensure he didn’t blast Hein with a spell.”
“Thank you,” I said.
Tae shrugged as I placed my saddle on the rail.
The moment Kaelith’s saddle was removed, she turned without waiting.
One powerful beat of her wings sent a gust of dust spiraling around me as she launched into the night.
The others followed without a glance back—Koddos, Temil, Kieren, Kasstovian—dragons fading like ghosts into the clouds as they returned to the Dragon Isle.
Too long among mortals and politics, Kaelith whispered. We need the wind and the stone beneath us. We’ll return when you call.
I watched her vanish until only the ache in my chest remained.
Zander strode past me, his boots striking hard against the stone. He didn’t slow until he reached the edge of the grounds, where a member of Iron Fang stood just outside the torchlight, arms folded across a chest weighed down with medals he probably didn’t earn.
Zander didn’t hesitate. “Find Cade. Tell him to meet me in my quarters. Now.”
The Iron Fang’s lips thinned, jaw tightening as if he had a retort on the tip of his tongue, but one glance at Hein still lingering high above the castle silenced whatever pride he was about to spit.
He gave a curt nod. “Yes, Prince Rayne.” Then, he turned on his heel and stalked toward the Iron Fang wing of the fortress.
Zander exhaled once, the sound barely audible over the wind.
We’re running out of time, I thought, watching him with my heart pounding like a war drum. Let’s hope Cade’s worth the risk.
We made our way to Zander’s room, nodding silently to the guards we passed.
Kaelith was gone. But even now, standing in Zander’s quarters with the scent of fire and leather still clinging to my clothes, the bond thrummed beneath my skin.
She should’ve been silent.
Instead, her magic surged through the tether like a sudden tide, crashing into me with a force that drove me to my knees.
I gasped, clutching the edge of the stone table, but I wasn’t here anymore.
The room dissolved.
In its place—burning towers.
Ash choked the skies. Warriath’s silhouette stood fractured, its spires consumed by flame. The Ascension Grounds were cracked open like a fault line, dragon bones scattered, their wings charred, their eyes dark.
Smoke swallowed everything… and from that smoke, something moved.
Not a dragon.
Its wings were wrong. Too long. Too thin. They hissed when they moved, like fabric soaked in venom. Its body shimmered with a twisted sheen—not scales, but something softer, deceptive. Half-shadow, half-flesh.
Not a fae either.
Its eyes burned like twin suns. And when it turned its head toward me, I couldn’t breathe. I knew—whatever it was, it saw me.
And it smiled.
Kaelith’s voice pierced through the nightmare, low and ancient and furious.
The traitor hides in plain sight.
A roar sounded behind me, hers, but deeper, older. It shook the stones beneath my feet.
But their dragon does not.
The monstrous thing reared back, wings arcing like a crescent moon ready to strike.
Look for the beast who doesn’t bleed.
Then it lunged, and I snapped back into my body, chest heaving, sweat sliding down my spine like ice.
The room was still. Too still.
The fire crackled in the hearth. My hands were shaking.
Kaelith was silent now.
But the echo of her warning coiled in my ribs like a curse.
The beast who doesn’t bleed.
Zander’s hands gripped my shoulders, shaking me hard enough to rattle the air from my lungs. “Ashe—what just happened?”
I blinked, the firelight behind him flickering as if it were still catching up to reality. My mouth was dry, and my heartbeat hadn’t stopped pounding since the vision ended. “Kaelith,” I breathed. “She—she shared a vision.”
His expression darkened. “What kind of vision?”
I swallowed. “There were no people. No soldiers. No riders. Just… burning towers. Warriath was shattered. And this—this thing moving through the smoke. It may have been a dragon once, but…” My voice faltered.
“But it wasn’t anymore. It was something else.
Something corrupted. It smiled at me, Zander. ”
His brows drew tight. “Visions only show possible futures,” he said firmly, though the tension in his jaw said he wasn’t as confident as he sounded.
“Yeah, well, this one pretty much predicted the end of dragons and humanity.” I wrapped my arms around myself, trying to suppress the tremble still rolling through my limbs. “Kaelith said the traitor hides in plain sight. But their dragon doesn’t. She said—‘Look for the beast who doesn’t bleed.’”
Zander’s grip on my arms eased, but he didn’t let go. “We’ll make sure it doesn’t come to pass,” he promised, eyes burning with something severe. Resolve. Fear. Fury. All of it. “We always do.”
I nodded, trying to calm my mind, slow my breathing. Breathe, Ashe. Just breathe. But the memory of that creature’s eyes—those twin suns of ruin—was still etched behind my lids like a scar.
And then—
A knock.
Sharp. Twice. Then silence.
I flinched so hard I nearly stumbled.
Zander glanced at the door, then at me. “That’ll be Cade.”
I wasn’t ready. But it didn’t matter.
Whatever was coming… was already here.
The door creaked open, and Cade strolled in as if he had nowhere better to be, cool, collected, irritatingly unfazed. His tunic was half-unbuttoned, his shoulder plates still dusted from a recent ride, and he moved with that lazy arrogance that made my fists twitch.
He barely glanced at me. “You’re still alive. Good to see.”
I stared at him, silent.
Kaelith’s vision burned behind my eyes, the blackened skies, the dragons twisted into something monstrous. I couldn’t shake the image, and now here was Cade, swaggering in with his charming smirk and unreadable eyes.
I didn’t blink. “Cade,” I said evenly. “How were you able to betray Zander and not have Voth barbecue your ass?”
His eyes flicked to Zander, and my favorite prince, traitor that he was, smiled.
My jaw dropped.
“You didn’t betray him.” The words tumbled out of me like ash. “You faked it?”
Zander raised a brow. “We needed your reaction to be authentic enough to convince the entire guild. And you don’t fake your anger.”
“Fuck,” I breathed, pacing a tight circle before pointing at Cade. “You do realize the entire Thrall Squad wants to murder you, right? Ferrula’s got at least three inventive ways planned, and I’m sure one of them involves poison and a ballista.”
Cade’s grin spread. “I’d expect nothing less from her. But it was necessary.”
My hands dropped to my hips. “Necessary?”
He gave me a half-shrug. “And before you start throwing daggers, it was my idea. Zander wanted to loop you in, but I told him not to. Nobody would’ve believed it unless it looked like you and Thrall Squad genuinely wanted me dead.”
I let out a huff. “Smart. I hope it was worth it.”
“Oh, trust me,” he said dryly. “Having to pretend I share the same views as Perin is punishment enough.”
Zander snorted behind me, but I stepped forward. “Then what have you learned?”
Cade’s expression sobered in an instant. “Iron Fang is fractured,” he said. “Without Theron issuing orders directly, the command structure’s eroding from within. Half the riders are loyal to Remy, a third want Dorian back, and the rest are just waiting to see who dies first.”
I folded my arms. “And Perin?”
Cade’s mouth curled, but there was no humor this time. “Ambitious. He’s been pushing his own doctrine. Says Iron Fang needs to ‘return to its roots’—less diplomacy, more domination. He’s got a few nobles eating out of his palm. Some of them have questionable political ties.”
A chill danced down my spine.
“You think he’s the traitor?” I asked.
“No.” Cade’s gaze darkened. “I think he’s a symptom. Not the disease.”
Kaelith’s words echoed in my skull like thunder.
Look for the beast who doesn’t bleed.
And suddenly, I wasn’t sure if we were looking for a human traitor… or something far worse.
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