Page 47 of A Court of Darkness and Dragons

Zander’s jaw tightened. “And you’re just telling us this now?”

“I wasn’t sure,” Remy countered, his voice low but steady, “not until my contact messaged me.”

Zander’s eyes narrowed. “Messaged you? In the air? While we were in formation?”

Remy shrugged one shoulder. “I have ways.”

“That’s not an answer,” Zander snapped, stepping closer.

They stood nearly chest-to-chest now, the tension between them prickling the air. Remy’s smirk was minimal, almost taunting, while Zander’s disbelief sharpened into something colder.

“You’re asking me to believe a contact got you critical intel mid-flight without anyone else noticing,” Zander said.

“I’m not asking you to believe anything,” Remy shot back. “I’m telling you so we can act before they use it on us.”

Zander’s tone was still razor-sharp as he pressed, “How long does this disruption last? Is it a spell or a brewed poison? Does it hit the rider, the dragon, or both?”

Remy’s mouth tightened. “It’s more of an alchemical curse—crafted, not purely magical. It latches onto the bond, fraying it. I don’t know the exact duration yet.”

I cut in before Zander could fire another question. “Then what made you think they were using it on us now?”

Remy’s gaze flicked to me. “Because… I thought you were the target.”

That pulled me up short. “You thought—? Remy, I was drained. A Blood Fae rider used magic on me that nearly gutted my own power. I couldn’t even hold my connection to Kaelith for a moment.”

Zander’s eyes snapped to me. “You didn’t say it was that bad.”

“I didn’t realize what it was until now,” I admitted. “And Severeth… she mentioned doing the same thing to the warders before she killed them. Are they feeding off us?”

Ferrula’s brow furrowed. “If that’s the case… how did we stop it?”

I explained quickly—Kaelith’s plan to reverse the flow, fusing her fire into the tether until the Blood Fae’s bond with his dragon shattered. “But there is no alchemy involved. That is a dark spell. One I’m guessing any fae can master.”

But as I finished, I caught Remy’s expression—tight, unreadable. My stomach knotted. “You knew. Before we left. You had this information and didn’t share it. Why?”

“I wasn’t sure,” Remy said, but there was something too practiced in the way he said it.

Ferrula’s lip curled. “More like you were hoping Zander would fall prey to it. He’s their prime target. You are so jealous of our king you’d risk the entire continent falling to the fae just to keep Ashe from him.”

That was the spark.

Remy’s face hardened, his hand dropping instinctively to the hilt of his blade. “Say that again.”

Ferrula stepped forward, her green eyes glittering like a predator’s. “Gladly.”

The next moment they were on each other—Ferrula shoving him back, Remy twisting to drive her off-balance. Steel hissed free, and their blades clashed with a sound that rattled through the empty outpost.

Zander swore and moved in, but neither of them seemed willing to back down, the tension between them exploding into raw, ugly fury.

I shoved myself between them, Kaelith’s presence pressing hot and heavy in my mind like she was ready to physically drag us all apart if she had to.

“Enough!” My voice cracked like a whip. “Katama would never let Remy put Zander in jeopardy. The bond to our dragons is stronger than we think.”

Remy’s jaw clenched, but he was the first to step back. He slid his blade into its sheath with a controlled motion. “My disrespect for Zander has nothing to do with Ashe or the crown. We had different beliefs growing up. But I would never put him in danger, or risk the continent.”

Ferrula huffed, muttering something under her breath, but she backed off a pace.

I took the pause to glance at the sky; the clouds stretched like torn silk above us. “If it is a spell they learned, then we can learn how to counteract it. Severeth called them back earlier, maybe it’s because the fae who attacked me failed. Maybe she has to tweak her spell before trying again.”