Page 21 of A Court of Darkness and Dragons

I was at her side in seconds.

And froze.

Theron lay crumpled on the far side of the bed, his body half-curled against the wall like he’d tried to crawl away. His normally sun-kissed complexion was ashen, lips tinged with blue, sweat beading across his brow. His eyes were closed, barely fluttering beneath the lids, and his chest rose in slow, shallow breaths.

He looked like death waiting for the final bell.

“Go get Meri. Fast.” My voice cracked like a whip. Ferrula didn’t argue. She just spun on her heel and bolted from the room.

I dropped to my knees beside him, my shaking fingers pressing to the side of his throat. Faint pulse. Weak.

Too weak.

I lowered my ear to his chest, straining for every whisper of breath, every faltering beat of his heart.

He was alive, but barely clinging to it.

If Theron was a victim…

My stomach twisted. My mind spun.

Then who was the true mastermind?

Zander. My voice echoed through the bond, laced with panic. We found Theron. He’s unconscious—barely clinging to life. Meri’s on her way.

The response came immediately. Where?

North end of the castle, second level.

I’m coming.

Barely a minute passed before Zander burst through the door, his boots skidding slightly on the polished floor. His eyes locked onto Theron’s crumpled form, then to me, kneeling beside him, and his entire body tensed.

He crossed the room in two strides, dropping to one knee across from me. “What happened?”

“I don’t know,” I said, shaking my head. “He was like this when we found him. I was so sure it was him behind the deaths. Behind everything.”

Zander stared at his brother’s pale face, jaw clenched. “He always craved power. If someone offered it⁠—”

He didn’t finish the sentence. He didn’t have to.

I exhaled shakily. “He conspired against his own, but… I guess he outlived his usefulness.”

Zander’s expression flickered—grief, rage, guilt. I didn’t know how to reassure him. I wasn’t sure there was a way. Not with this.

The door opened again, and Meri swept in, skirts pulled high, a satchel slung over her shoulder. She dropped beside us without a word and pressed her fingers to Theron’s neck. Her eyes fluttered shut, her magic already flowing into him in soft waves.

After a moment, she opened them. “He was poisoned.”

Zander’s voice was like steel. “Heal him. We need to know who did this.”

Meri gave a short nod. “It won’t be easy. The toxin is complex. He may not fully recover.”

“Do what you can to get him conscious,” I said, watching the flicker of magic dancing across her fingertips. “We need answers. And fast.”

If Theron wasn’t the one pulling the strings…

Then someone still was.