Page 14 of A Court of Darkness and Dragons

I stepped forward, placing my hand against the smoky surface without hesitation.

The magic surged.

Silver lightning crackled from my palm, merging with Zander’s Dark Fire, coiling together like twin snakes. Kaelith roared, and Hein’s magic thundered like distant drums.

The barrier hissed like a wounded snake. Then snapped open—violently.

A blast of pressure threw us backward, Zander catching me with one arm as we skidded across the earth. Dust rose. Light flickered.

And then⁠—

Siergen emerged.

He stepped through the smoking tear like a nightmare given form—massive, radiant, his scales gleaming crimson-gold in the morning sun. No longer the lean, streamlined Courier form he favored. This was his true size. Towering. Fearsome. Ancient.

His wings flared wide, and the earth shook with the force of it.

He is pissed, Kaelith muttered.

Siergen’s eyes blazed as they found mine, his fury undeniable, though aimed at those who imprisoned him.

But I smiled anyway.

Because he was alive.

The world tilted sharply.

Zander’s voice came from far away—panicked. “Ashe!”

Then the sky spun.

And everything went dark.

Chapter

Five

Iwoke to the sensation of warmth—Zander’s arms wrapped tightly around me, his heartbeat thudding strong and steady against my cheek. My head rested against his chest, his hand tangled in my hair as if he hadn’t been able to let go, even in sleep.

Or maybe… he hadn’t slept at all.

My body ached, raw and heavy with the afterburn of magic, but I was alive.

Barely.

I blinked slowly, the morning sun streaking through the clouds above. The sky was pale-blue; the air charged—but calm.

Zander leaned over me, eyes rimmed with worry. “You’re awake,” he whispered, voice hoarse with relief.

“Unfortunately,” I croaked, and tried to sit up. His arms tightened briefly before he let me move, steadying me with one hand at my waist.

Siergen was standing a few feet away, staring at me with those familiar gold eyes. He had returned to his smaller form—the lean, elegant size he wore when delivering messages and pretending not to be the most dangerous creature in any room.

But the intensity in his gaze said that the power was still there. Just tightly leashed.

“How did you end up in that… whatever that was?” I asked, my voice still scratchy.

Siergen didn’t answer aloud. His voice echoed surely through my mind. I sensed a darkness festering in the Hollow. A wrongness. And while I’ve known dark magic to live in those roots, this was different.