Page 18 of A Court of Darkness and Dragons

I stared at the rising sun, my chest tight. I have no idea what powers Veralin possesses, Zander. For all I know, he could control her without her knowledge.

That’s unlikely while the wards are up, he said after a pause. He’d have to be inside them to affect her like that.

Then let’s just keep an eye out, I said, quieter now. Please.

Agreed, he replied. Always.

I looked back at the squad—my squad. Laughing. Loud. Alive.

But the shadow Veralin cast… I could feel it stretching, even now.

Chapter

Six

The laughter had barely faded from the air when the courier arrived.

A court uniform, crisp and spotless. The young man moved fast, weaving through the grounds with urgency until he reached Zander. He leaned close and whispered something, low enough that I couldn’t catch it⁠—

But I didn’t need to.

Zander’s posture shifted immediately, his jaw locking tight as he turned toward me and motioned with two fingers. “Another warder was killed.”

My heart dropped into my stomach. “Is it Quinn?”

“I don’t know,” he said, already moving. “Let’s go to the tower and find out.”

We didn’t run, but it was close. The courtyard blurred around us, stone and shadow flashing past as we climbed the narrow, spiraling stairs of the warders’ tower. Each step made my pulse thrum louder. The pool couldn’t take another loss. We couldn’t.

When we reached the second level, a guard stood outside the chamber door, pale-faced and stiff-backed.

He nodded once and let us pass.

The moment we stepped inside, I saw him.

“Quinn,” I breathed.

He stood near the far window, alive—whole—but drawn as tight as a bowstring. His eyes lifted when he saw me, and I didn’t think—I just moved.

I threw my arms around him, hugging him so fiercely that he staggered back a step.

“I’m so glad it wasn’t you,” I whispered into his shoulder.

He chuckled, low and wry. “You’re kind. But there are only two warders left in Warriath now. The pool…”

“That’s okay,” I said quickly, pulling back just enough to meet his eyes. “You’re safe. That’s what matters right now.”

Zander didn’t speak. He stood near the center of the room, his eyes locked on the figure lying still on the floor.

The warder.

A man I didn’t recognize. Mid-forties maybe. Thin, with graying hair and a stillness that was too final. No blood. No obvious wounds.

Zander crouched beside the body. His voice was quiet. Cold. “How did he die?”

Quinn’s expression faltered. “I don’t know. There were no signs of a struggle. No alarm was triggered. He was… just gone. I found him like this when I came to check the binding stones.”

Zander’s gaze didn’t leave the body.