Page 26 of A Court of Darkness and Dragons

Solei went quiet, her eyes flicking over us, then to the squad behind, then back to me. “If Inderia cast the spell—and the Blood Fae leader arrived after—then the Blood Fae is likely the one who drained the warder.”

I nodded slowly. “That’s possible. But how would a Blood Fae get inside the wards?”

Solei didn’t answer immediately. Instead, her head turned toward the barracks, eyes narrowing in thought.

“Is there any way we could ask your sister?”

The question cut sharper than I expected.

“She may know the answer,” Solei said, her voice quieter now. “She grew up with dark magic. If anyone would know how to slip a Blood Fae past the protections—it’s Veyna.”

I hesitated again, not out of distrust, but… concern.

Still. I turned and spotted Remy approaching from across the courtyard, boots lazy, eyes as focused as ever.

“Remy,” I called out.

He stopped. “Yeah?”

“Will you get Veyna for us?”

He glanced between me, Zander, and Solei, and I saw the flicker of calculation in his gaze.

But he didn’t argue.

He just nodded once. “Sure,” he said, and turned toward the barracks.

And the question now was⁠—

How much did Veyna really know?

As Remy disappeared into the barracks, I turned back to the others, lowering my voice.

“Do we trust him?”

Ferrula raised an eyebrow. Tae tilted his head in thought, but it was Zander who answered first.

“I’m not a fan,” he admitted, folding his arms. “He’s reckless. Arrogant. And far too charming for his own good.” A pause. “But I don’t think he’s a traitor.”

I nodded slowly. “I agree. He may play both sides of the table, but I don’t think he’d flip it.”

“He’d make a scene first,” Naia added dryly, arms crossed. “And he hasn’t.”

That was good enough—for now.

Remy returned a moment later, his gait casual, but his eyes intense. Veyna walked beside him, her face composed, unreadable.

He glanced around the group, then zeroed in on me. “You’re gonna have to explain why I just interrupted your sister reading something about fae history and sweetbreads.”

I gave him the brief version, not sparing the ugliness—Theron poisoned. Inderia involved. Blood Fae potentially behind the warder’s death.

Remy’s eyes flashed. His jaw clenched, but he didn’t argue. “Why did you want Veyna?”

I turned to her gently. “Because you grew up around dark magic. And we need to know if there’s any way—any at all—a Blood Fae could infiltrate Warriath while the wards are still active.”

Veyna didn’t hesitate. “Only if you allow it,” she said. “The wards are designed to repel blood-corrupted magic. They’re old and flawed, yes—but they don’t fail on their own. Someone would have to bypass the ward. And to do that, they’d have to know how. They’d have to invite the fae in.”

I felt the knot in my stomach twist.