Page 45 of A Court of Darkness and Dragons

The squads shifted instantly, wings beating in unison as we closed ranks. Hein surged forward like a living spearhead, Kaelith angling at his right flank, her purple scales catching the light like amethyst fire.

Then I saw her—Severeth, at the head of the black dragon formation. Her mount was massive, scales so dark they seemed to drink the sunlight, its eyes glowing silver. She leaned low over its neck, and when she spotted us, her dragon’s wings snapped tighter, speed surging.

The two formations collided in the air with a thunder of wings and screeches, the wind tearing at my hair as Kaelith twisted to avoid a bolt of blood-red magic. A black dragon dove at our left flank, claws raking, but Hein intercepted, forcing it into a spin.

Kaelith banked sharply, snapping her head and latching her jaws around the leg of a Blood Fae’s mount. With a violent twist, she tore the rider from the saddle. The Blood Fae screamed, flailing through the air before Kaelith released her grip. The body plummeted, hitting the ground with a crunch that carried even over the chaos above.

The corpse landed among the marching army, crushing several infantry in its fall. The black dragon’s scream tore at the sky—a sound so full of anguish it scraped against my bones. It broke formation, circling once before landing beside its fallen rider.

Is there no way to save them? I asked Kaelith, my throat tight.

Her reply was like a cold wind through my mind. No. There is no way to untangle their souls from the dark ones who have perished.

The sky fractured around me—shadows and steel, the clash of claws on scales, the shrieks of dragons locked in deadly spirals. Kaelith banked hard, throwing me into the curve of the saddle as a Blood Fae rider broke from the chaos and came straight for us.

His dragon was leaner than most of the black-scaled beasts, its wings shaped like knives, each beat cutting through the wind with eerie accuracy. The rider’s armor gleamed with wet crimson sigils, and the moment our eyes met, I felt the chill—cold magic, intense and invasive, sliding into the spaces between my breaths.

Kaelith lunged, snapping at the black dragon’s throat, but the Blood Fae twisted in his saddle and thrust his hand toward me. A surge of dark power slammed into my chest like a hammer. My breath caught, vision swimming as my magic recoiled, retreating deep into my core as if it were afraid.

The world dulled at the edges, my connection to Kaelith flickering. I reached for my own magic, but it was sluggish, as if I were trying to pull light through mud. My fingers tingled; my limbs heavy.

He came at me again, a pulse of black energy lashing out like a whip. It seared through the thin barrier of power I’d managed to summon, tearing it apart in seconds. My head rang, my muscles trembling under the weight of the spell.

Ashe! Kaelith’s voice boomed in my mind, laced with fury. She rolled us hard to the right, breaking the rider’s aim, her claws raking down the black dragon’s side. Hot, tar-like blood sprayed, the stench hitting me even through the wind.

I tried to lift my hand, to summon flame, lightning—anything—but the magic sputtered and died before it even reached my fingertips. My chest felt hollow, my pulse slowing under the oppressive weight of his power.

The Blood Fae smiled, a thin, cruel thing, and I realized with a lurch in my gut—he was draining me.

Chapter

Sixteen

How do we stop him? I pushed the thought toward Kaelith, my breath ragged as his magic continued to strip mine away. Every heartbeat felt slower, heavier, like my body was sinking into some invisible mire.

There is a way, Kaelith’s voice growled through the haze—focused, and utterly unafraid. He is feeding on you directly, drawing your power into himself. If we turn the stream, force it back through him, it may corrupt the connection.

Force it back? My mind stuttered. Wouldn’t that just give him more⁠—

Not if we taint it with yours, she cut in. Dark magic cannot feed on the light without consequence. It will burn him from the inside.

The idea was reckless. Dangerous. Perfect.

Do it, I told her, forcing my stiff, cold fingers to curl into the saddle’s grip.

Kaelith roared, her magic slamming into me like molten steel. My veins lit with heat, every nerve sparking to life as her fire fused with the remnants of my own power. Together, we seized the tether of magic the Blood Fae had hooked into me—and yanked.

The world shuddered. I felt the drain reverse, surging back toward him like a tide turned wild. His triumphant expression faltered, confusion flashing across his face as our magic poured into him, laced with Kaelith’s fire.

He screamed. Not from pain—at least, not at first—but from the sudden loss of control. His dragon’s eyes went wide, and then its body convulsed mid-flight.

Its black scales rippled, shifting, as if something beneath was trying to break through. For the briefest moment, the darkness split—faint streaks of crimson shimmered along its hide, like veins of living flame.

Then, both rider and dragon plummeted.

The dragon’s wings folded, its body twisting in a helpless spiral. The Blood Fae flailed, his magic unraveling in a haze of black smoke as they hit the ground with a bone-shattering impact. The earth cracked under the force, dust and debris billowing outward in a choking cloud.

When it cleared, there was nothing left moving—just the broken sprawl of the dragon’s massive form, its scales still glimmering red before dulling to lifeless black.