Chapter 37 #2
We placed the saddles on our dragons as our flight would be long. And I was the last to get all the buckles in place.
Zander mounted Hein in one fluid motion, no rope, no effort—just raw strength and practiced ease. I couldn’t help but envy how effortlessly he moved. He belonged in the sky, and he knew it.
I swung my leather rope over Kaelith’s neck and hoisted myself up. She didn’t wait for me to settle before her wings flared wide, and she shot skyward, wind whipping my hair back. The others had to scramble to get airborne in time to follow.
You’re showing off now, I scolded.
I am reminding them who leads, Kaelith corrected, her tone smug.
I tried not to laugh as we cut through the sky, wind stinging my cheeks. Hein kept a safe distance behind us, and I swore I saw his shadow dip just a little lower than Kaelith’s—like even he knew better than to push her right now.
That’s right, Kaelith hummed in satisfaction. Let him sulk.
I wasn’t sure if she was talking about Zander or Hein, but I felt free either way and embraced our journey.
The Order wouldn’t know where I was, and that gave me some breathing room to figure out how to smooth things over with my father.
Like it or not, the Order had intel I needed, and Cyran was the best way to get it.
The coastal village of Amdar stretched below us, a patchwork of weathered buildings and narrow dirt streets.
The small port was tucked into the rocky coastline, with ships swaying lazily at their moorings.
Most of the vessels were fishing boats, but a few larger ships sat farther out—likely traders waiting for high tide to dock.
The castle loomed in the distance, high on a bluff overlooking the village.
Its stone walls were weathered by salt and wind, and though it bore the banners of Warriath’s nobility, everyone knew they rarely visited.
The villagers relied more on themselves than on the absent lords who claimed to rule them.
We circled lower, Kaelith’s wings slicing through the air in powerful sweeps. The others stayed close, Hein a shadow at Kaelith’s flank.
When we landed in a clearing near the village’s edge, Zander gave a sharp whistle. “Take a short flight,” he instructed the dragons.
I frowned. That was rude, I told Kaelith.
It’s a recon mission, she answered. We’re scouting for threats while pretending we’re just stretching our wings.
Oh. Okay. I relaxed slightly.
Kaelith flexed her wings, tossing a sharp gust of air over the group before she took off with Hein and the others.
Stay out of trouble, Rider, she warned with a teasing growl before disappearing into the sky.
I had no intention of causing trouble, but it always seemed to find me.
The village magistrate met us at the dirt road that led into town. He was a thin man with sharp features, dressed in a long coat that had seen better days. He greeted us stiffly, glancing at Zander before his gaze locked on me, lingering on my white braided hair.
My pulse quickened. He knew exactly who I was.
“This way,” the magistrate said, voice clipped. He turned abruptly, motioning for us to follow.
He led us to a large warehouse near the docks. The moment we stepped inside, the cold, stale air struck me. The place was practically empty—just a few crates shoved into corners, some sacks of grain leaking their contents onto the floor.
“Who could have gotten away with so many supplies without anyone noticing?” Jax asked, his voice low.
The magistrate’s gaze slid back to me. “That’s the question, isn’t it?” His tone was cold.
Jax shifted closer to me, positioning himself slightly between us. “Could the Order pull this off?” he asked.
I nodded grimly. “Easily,” I said. “But why? They have stockpiles of food, and they take care of their own. Attacking the castle warehouse will force the nobles to lean on the village for more supplies. It’s the last thing they should want.”
The search around the warehouse had turned up nothing. No footprints, no traces of magic, no lingering scent of dragon fire. Whoever had raided this place knew what they were doing—and they’d covered their tracks well.
“Back to the landing grounds,” Zander called out, his voice sharp. “We’ve got incoming.”
I followed his gaze toward the sky and saw five dragons cutting through the air—two red Swifts, a green Clubtail, a brown Swordtail, and an orange Swordtail. They flew in tight formation, seamless and precise, like they’d spent their entire lives together.
The moment they landed, all five riders swung down in perfect unison—efficient and effortless. These weren’t fresh cadets. These were seasoned warriors.
One of the tall, dark-haired men broke away from the others and jogged straight to Tae. Without a word, he extended his arm. Tae grasped it, their forearms locking together in a tight grip.
“Tae, you son of a whore,” the man said with a grin. “What are you doing here?”
Tae barked out a laugh. “If I didn’t know you loved my mother so much, I’d punch you in the mouth, Teren.”
Teren grinned wide, unbothered. “I was talking about your father.”
I couldn’t help but smile at their banter. Teren turned his attention to the rest of us, his gaze sweeping over the squad.
“You’re traveling with some fine-looking ladies,” he drawled, his grin widening. Then his eyes landed on Zander. “Too bad you had to ruin it by bringing him.”
Zander’s expression remained cold. “This is Thrall Squad,” he said flatly. “Show some respect for fellow riders.”
Teren’s face lit up like a child at Yule. “The new commoner squad?” He turned to his own squad, throwing his hands in the air. “Looks like we got a promotion!”
“Hardly,” Tae shot back. “I was assigned to Thrall because I have one commoner parent.”
Teren huffed. “Story of our lives, my man. Lowborn has been assigned to the outer kingdoms for three years.”
“Lowborn?” I asked.
Teren nodded. “Technically, we are Warborn, but once our parentage was discovered, we were assigned here. The royals refer to us as the Lowborn Squad.”
The man who’d ridden the green Clubtail stepped forward, his hand extended toward Zander. “It’s good to see you, Lieutenant Rayne,” he said with the kind of respect that wasn’t forced. “How can we be of assistance?”
“We were sent to inspect the raided warehouse,” Zander explained. “What are you doing here?”
“And who are you, exactly?” Jax asked.
The man with the green Clubtail smiled politely. “I’m Luthias.” He gestured toward his group. “You’ve met Teren. The ladies are Ayda and Kaila.” He pointed to the other tall male. “And that is Camus.”
“We were assigned to patrol the coastal villages,” Teren added. “We’ve been tracking suspicious movement for weeks. Looks like it brought us to the same place as you.”
“Great,” Zander muttered. “More questions, fewer answers.”
“Maybe not,” Teren said. “The tracks in the forest east of here—they aren’t fresh, but someone’s been moving supplies inland.”
“You didn’t think to mention that sooner?” Jax snapped.
Teren’s smile widened, sharp and confident. “We were just about to investigate when we saw your dragons land.”
I didn’t miss the way Teren kept glancing at me, curiosity sparking in his eyes. I forced myself to keep my expression neutral, but deep down, I knew one thing. This mission just got a lot more complicated.
Zander’s voice was firm as he introduced us. “This is Thrall Squad. Ashe, Jax, Eilvin, Riven, Naia, Tae, and Cordelle.” He gestured to each of us as he spoke, his eyes flicking between the lowborn riders. “After we follow the trail, we’ll eat and catch up.”
The petite redhead, Kaila, shot Cordelle a wink, and I didn’t miss the way his ears turned pink. Before Cordelle could even stammer a response, Tae stepped in front of him, blocking Kaila’s view with a grin.
“Honey,” Tae said with a playful smile, “if you need entertainment later, I’m happy to oblige.”
Kaila shrugged, like she wasn’t opposed to the idea. Teren chuckled under his breath and shook his head. “Alright,” he said. “Call your dragons. We should be able to check the trails and get back by nightfall.”
We turned toward the clearing and called to our dragons. They descended from the sky like shadows cutting through the morning light. Kaelith landed with a powerful gust of wind, her scales catching the sun and gleaming with an almost metallic shine.
“No way,” Teren muttered, stepping closer. “Is the Sentinel flying with you?”
“She’s mine,” I said.
“You bonded the Sentinel?” His eyes widened with something close to awe. Then his gaze raked over me, his grin turning lazy and full of confidence. “And I didn’t think you could get any sexier.”
The tip of Zander’s sword pressed against Teren’s throat before I could respond.