Chapter 26
Chapter
Twenty-Six
The dining hall buzzed with the usual morning noise, clinking plates, low chatter, the occasional burst of laughter from Iron Fang’s table.
But I wasn’t listening to any of it. My eyes drifted toward the far corner where Perin sat hunched over his food, and sure enough, he was glaring at me like I’d personally shattered his favorite sword.
I met his gaze for a heartbeat, unbothered, then turned away.
Not worth it.
I focused back on my squad, their voices drawing me in like warmth after a long night.
“We need to know what the Inquisitor asked Crownwatch,” Riven muttered around a mouthful of bread. “It would be a good comparison.”
“We don’t need to ask,” Tae said smoothly, lifting his mug. “He only questioned them about the mission to retrieve Dorian. That was it.”
Naia narrowed her eyes. “And how exactly do you know that?”
Jax didn’t even look up from his food. “Because Tae snuck out this morning for a rendezvous with a Crownwatch rider.”
Tae coughed into his drink, eyes darting around. “That is entirely unconfirmed.”
“Sure it is,” Riven smirked.
I raised a brow. “Look, Tae’s sex life isn’t our concern. But the fact we were asked about our families, our pasts, even our dreams… and Crownwatch wasn’t? That is interesting.”
“That’s not the word I’d use,” Ferrula muttered, stabbing a piece of sausage. “But yeah.”
“Huh,” I said, more to myself than anyone. “Makes you wonder if they were looking for something specific, in a commoner.”
Before anyone could speculate further, a familiar voice cut through the buzz of the hall.
“Finish up,” Zander said, his voice calm but firm as he stepped up to our table, eyes sweeping the group. “We’re heading to the Ascension Grounds. You’re flying out first.”
My squad dropped their forks almost in sync.
And just like that, breakfast was over.
We filed out of the dining hall into the courtyard, our boots echoing off the stone as we stepped into the morning sun. The air was crisp, with just enough wind to tug at the corners of our cloaks. The skies above were already alive with movement, dragons circling, stretching, and roaring overhead.
Thrall Squad took our place on the Ascension Grounds first, falling into line. The other squads emerged behind us in practiced formation, each one taking position behind their banners, a sea of discipline and tension stretched across the field.
Major Ledor stood tall at the raised podium near the front, his green Catalan perched like a silent sentinel behind him, watching us all. He waited until the last footstep stilled and the final dragon shadow passed overhead before he spoke.
“Today,” he began, voice ringing clear over the courtyard, “you will train without your dragons.”
A quiet murmur rippled through the ranks, but no one spoke aloud.
“You will be cut off from them,” he continued. “They will remain in flight above the forest. You, however, will navigate the terrain below. This exercise will test your resourcefulness when magic is not an option, when your bond is out of reach, and when your dragon cannot save you.”
Kaelith’s voice brushed against my mind, quiet but sharp. I do not like this.
Neither do I, I admitted.
Major Ledor pressed on, unmoved. “There are places in this world where magic is unstable. Where dragons cannot assist you. If we are to defend this continent, you must learn to adapt.”
He glanced down at the scroll in his hand before nodding once. “We will fly to a designated section of the forest.”
He raised his hand toward us.
“Iron Fang and Thrall Squad will go first. You will be dropped off at opposite ends of the route. You are to navigate the path set by your squad leader. Work together. Survive.”
I swallowed, straightened my shoulders, and glanced at the others.
This wasn’t just about resourcefulness.
This was about trust.
And we were about to find out who still had it.
Kaelith, I called through the bond as the last of the banners were raised.
I am already here, she replied, her tone dry, sharp with disapproval. Circling like some ornamental hawk while that human toad drones on.
I coughed to stop from laughing.
A beat later, her massive form cut through the sky and descended, her wings folding neatly as she landed with a low, echoing growl. The ground shook slightly beneath her claws.
We didn’t need saddles for a short flight. I tossed the single rope around her neck more out of habit than necessity, swinging up onto her back in one fluid motion.
The rest of Thrall Squad followed suit. Riven grinned as she vaulted onto Lola, Jax with a grunt as he pulled himself onto Koddos. Ferrula, Naia, Cordelle, and Tae, all moving with a rhythm we’d built in blood and training.
Within a minute, we were airborne.
Iron Fang lifted behind us, their larger formation more rigid, but efficient. Their hair whipped against the wind as they caught up, then surged past us, each rider trailing after their squad leader with precise, almost mechanical unity.
Zander led us in a tight descent, Hein’s wings slicing through the trees until we reached a wide, grassy clearing along the forest’s edge. Kaelith landed with a softer thud this time, letting me slide from her back before nudging my shoulder gently.
I will remain close, she said. If you so much as bleed, I’ll know.
I know, I thought back, pressing a hand against her side briefly before turning.
Zander dismounted and strode to the front of our line, gesturing toward the looming trees.
“The path is marked,” he said, his voice even but edged with tension. “You’ll enter five minutes apart. Your goal is to exit the far side of the forest alone.”
He looked at each of us. “The major has placed a field over this section, no telepathy, no magic. Communication with your dragons will be completely severed while inside.”
Kaelith’s snarl rumbled low behind me, but she said nothing.
Zander’s gaze landed on me. “Who wants to go first?”
“I will,” I said, stepping forward without hesitation.
Zander nodded once, his expression unreadable.
Behind me, Kaelith’s growl deepened, not in protest, but in warning.
She didn’t like being cut off.
Neither did I.
But this was the test.
And I intended to pass.
The forest swallowed me whole after only a few steps.
The moment I crossed the threshold of trees, the air shifted, cooler, quieter, like the woods themselves were holding their breath.
The bond with Kaelith went silent. I knew it would, but the absence of her in my mind still sent a strange ache through my chest. It was like losing a limb and trying not to limp.
I found the first ribbon fluttering from a low branch, a simple red strip of cloth catching the breeze like a heartbeat. I jogged toward it, scanning the woods for movement, magic, anything.
The next ribbon came into view quickly, tied higher this time. I kept moving, boots light on the packed dirt, every sense sharp. I expected traps, illusions, maybe even some conjured creature, but the path remained clear.
Until I saw him.
Perin.
Jogging toward me, his face slick with sweat and satisfaction.
Great, I thought. I moved to pass him without a word, hoping naively, that this was some random crossing.
But when he was ten feet away, he smiled.
And pulled a knife.
“I prayed to Charrem that you would go first,” he said, his tone far too casual for a blade so sharp.
I stopped cold, eyes narrowing. “So this is the test, huh? Get past your opponents?”
“Exactly,” he said, tossing the blade between his fingers with practiced ease. “They don’t tell you that part, but members of Iron Fang who’ve run this course before… they told us how to prepare.”
My stomach tightened. “You can’t kill me. They’ll know.”
He laughed. Laughed.
“You think I’d be here if I didn’t have help? You’re a liability, Ashlyn. They all see it, except Zander, who is too blind to admit it.”
I drew my own dagger, the feel of it grounding me.
“You were sent to kill me.”
His grin widened. “No. I volunteered.”
Figures.
Iron Fang always did like their blades bloody.
And now I had one more test to pass.
Survive.
We began to circle each other, slow, deliberate.
The trees above swayed with the wind, indifferent to the violence brewing beneath their branches. I kept my blade ready, eyes locked on Perin’s, reading the tension in his shoulders, the cocky tilt of his smirk like he already believed this was over.
“Still following orders?” I asked, my voice low, sharp.
He chuckled, the sound smug and hollow. “Still acting like you’re above them?”
“I don’t need to act,” I shot back. “I earned my place.”
His eyes narrowed. “You were given your place. And you paraded around like the crown’s favorite pet because you ride the Sentinel. It’s sad that such a magnificent beast has such poor judgment.”
“Jealousy’s not a good look, Perin.”
He bared his teeth. “Neither is betrayal. The rest of us trained our entire lives to be riders. You got handed a squad and a dragon.”
“You want my dragon?” I lifted my chin. “Try asking her.”
He lunged.
The blade flashed in his hand, a quick, precise strike aimed for my ribs. I twisted just in time, the edge slicing along my arm instead of plunging deep. The sting lit up my nerves, but I didn’t cry out.
I twirled back, boots grinding against the dirt, blood seeping through the sleeve of my flight armor. I reset my stance, crouched low.
Perin straightened, the knife gleaming red in his hand.
He smirked.
“Let’s end this.”
The moment he finished speaking I launched forward.
Steel clashed against steel with a screech that rang through the trees. I feinted left, then drove hard toward his shoulder, catching him off-guard just long enough to twist my wrist and slam the hilt of my dagger against his.
His knife went flying, flipping end over end before thudding into the dirt several feet away.
But before I could smile, his elbow rammed into my forearm, and my dagger spun from my hand, disappearing into the underbrush.
We stood there, breathing hard, blades lost, and he grinned like he had already won.
“I have no problem breaking your neck,” he sneered. “Hell, it may even look like an accident.”
I cracked my knuckles. “Stop blabbering and try me.”
He moved first, fast, brutish. His punches were controlled, meant to drive me back, and I gave ground as needed, but not without returning blows of my own. My knuckles connected with his jaw, and he growled low in his throat.
He caught me hard in the ribs, once, twice, again, and pain shot through me like fire. I staggered but stayed on my feet.
He grinned wider. “Not so indestructible now, are you?”
I didn’t answer. I waited for the next strike.
When it came, I ducked under his swing, caught his wrist mid-motion, and twisted.
There was a wet, audible pop followed by his scream.
He dropped to one knee, clutching his shattered arm, teeth bared in agony.
“Still think it’ll look like an accident?” I asked coldly, stepping closer, blood from my own wound trailing down my arm.
His breath came in ragged bursts.
And I wasn’t done yet.
I stood over him, my breath steadying even as my ribs ached with every inhale.
The trees around us were still, as if the forest itself was waiting to see how this would end.
Perin clutched his broken arm, eyes burning with hate, but the smug confidence from earlier had bled out of him, replaced with something more honest—fear.
I leaned down, just enough so he could see the fire in my eyes.
“There won’t be mercy next time,” I said, my voice low and sharp. “I was raised in a family of assassins, Perin. Did you really think I don’t know how to fight?”
He sneered up at me, sweat beading across his brow. “You think that makes you invincible?”
“No,” I said. “It makes me prepared. You should’ve remembered that before pulling a blade on me. There are rules when we fight in the ring. Like don’t kill your opponent. Those don’t apply anywhere else.”
He gave a weak laugh, though it cracked through clenched teeth. “You have more enemies than you can imagine, Ashlyn. Your days are numbered. Even if I’m not the one to kill you.”
I straightened, not flinching, not blinking.
“Get in line,” I said flatly.
Then I turned from him, blood trickling down my arm, pain blooming in my ribs—
But my spine stayed straight.
Because I’d survived worse than Perin.
As I walked down the path, Perin called out to me.
“Sleep with one eye open, Ashlyn. The identity of the next attacker will surprise you.”