Page 50 of A Court of Darkness and Dragons

No. No, we don’t leave each other. My hands tightened on the rope, even as Kaelith’s muscles bunched for landing. The ache in my chest was worse than fear—it was the hollow emptiness of losing a part of my soul.

And the earth was rushing up to meet us.

Chapter

Eighteen

Ashe!

Zander’s voice crashed into my mind like a breaking wave, startling me so hard I almost loosened my grip on the saddle.

How are you still able to speak with me? I shot back, breathless.

I think it’s because we have a blood oath, he said quickly, his mental tone piercing but steady. Our connection isn’t solely because our dragons are mated.

My heart pounded as the ground loomed closer. What do we do?

Do you have any idea what that spell was?

I grit my teeth, still trying to push even a flicker of magic toward Kaelith. Some kind of disruption spell. I’m sure it’s temporary, and it took a lot out of Severeth, or she would have done another to take the rest of the squad. It had limits.

I felt him thinking fast on the other end of the bond. Ferrula and most of Warborn were outside its radius, Zander said. I noticed that too.

Yeah, but more riders were hit than weren’t.

Any idea how we can disrupt its effects? he asked.

I swallowed, wishing I had an answer that didn’t feel like a gamble. I’m unsure… but Severeth doesn’t want me dead. She saved me up there.

A pause—suspicious. Why?

The question twisted in my gut because I had no answer. Not one I wanted to give voice to. I don’t know, I admitted, my eyes scanning the sky for her dark silhouette. But it’s never for anything good.

Any theories? We’re running out of time, Zander’s voice pressed into my mind, tight with urgency.

The wind tore through my hair as I forced my thoughts into some kind of order. Severeth says she needs me… she wants to overthrow Veralin. I know he wants me because he thinks I can make the black dragons fertile again, but I don’t see how that’s even possible.

The ground surged up beneath us, and Kaelith’s talons hit dirt with a jarring thud. Zander and Hein landed beside us almost instantly, their wings folding as the other dragons, dozens of them, settled in around us.

It was unsettling. The air was thick with the low, continuous growl of dragons, a sound that vibrated through the ground beneath my boots. Their tails lashed, eyes flashing like molten stone, but none of them moved to take off.

Zander… I glanced at the rows of scaled bodies, the uneasy shift of claws. I don’t think the dragons can communicate with each other either.

Zander swung down from Hein’s saddle in one fluid motion, striding to the big silver Clubtail’s head. He murmured something low, his palm pressed between the dragon’s eyes. Hein’s massive pupils contracted, then he nodded once… and shook his head.

Zander’s jaw was hard when he came back to me. “Hein is able to communicate with Kaelith, but not the others. He assumes it’s because of the mate bond.”

“So… we can talk to them, but they can’t answer us?”

“Only yes or no,” he said grimly, “with a nod or a head shake. So… yeah. That’s not great.”

I swallowed against the knot forming in my chest. “What do we do?”

Zander’s eyes swept the field, scanning the restless dragons and the riders who were looking to him for answers. “We figure out a way to break this spell before Severeth decides to come finish what she started.”

Cordelle, Naia, and Riven joined me as I slipped to the ground, the dirt crunching under my boots. The air smelled of dust, sweat, and the tang of dragon fire—though none of them dared unleash it now.

We formed a tight circle, voices low but urgent.