Ferrula had already strapped on her gauntlets, the rest of the squad tense and half-armored, waiting for the clock to run down on the hour we’d agreed to give Cordelle. No one said it, but we were all thinking the same thing—if something had happened, if Iron Fang had done something...
I reached out instinctively.
Siergen?
The connection was instant, calm like a still lake in the middle of my storm.
Kass and Cordelle are fine,he said gently.I’ve been tracking them. You have no reason to fear.
Relief poured through me. I exhaled and turned to the others. “He’s okay. Siergen said Kass is with him.”
The shift in the room was immediate. Shoulders loosened, weapons lowered slightly, even Ferrula paused mid-buckle.
And then the door creaked open.
Cordelle stepped inside, calm as ever, as if he hadn’t just nearly sent Thrall Squad into a coordinated castle sweep.
His robes were slightly dusty, his usual orderliness a bit disheveled, but his expression was measured, thoughtful.
Riven crossed her arms. “Where the hell were you?”
Cordelle lifted a brow, like he’d just come from the archives. “An errand. For my father.”
Ferrula blinked. “That’s it?”
“It was about the lorekeeper lineage,” he explained, his voice quiet but steady. “I’m next in line. And Theron… he’s made itclear he won’t excuse my upcoming responsibilities just because I’m a bonded rider.”
I stared at him. “Wait… what does that mean?”
Jax shifted from his cot, voice low. “Are we going to lose you?”
Cordelle met my eyes. Then nodded once, solemnly. “When my father dies… yes.”
No one spoke.
Because there was no anger in his voice.
Just inevitability.
Chapter
Twenty-Seven
The morning sun filtered through the high windows of the mess hall, casting golden light across our table as we shoveled down breakfast. The scent of bread and roasted root vegetables clung to the air, but none of us were really focused on the food.
We ate in a slow, tired silence, still picking through the pieces of the night before.
Riven finally spoke first, breaking apart her bread. “Ferr, you think Jax is gonna keep sleeping with one eye open?”
Ferrula didn’t even look up. “He should.”
That earned a few chuckles around the table, even from Jax himself, who was nursing what he claimed wasn’t a bruise but very muchlookedlike one.
But before I could contribute, Tae slipped into the seat beside Naia, noticeably later than usual. He dropped his tray with a clatter and leaned forward, his voice low.
“Did you hear about the assassination?”
My heart skipped. I straightened in my seat. “No. Who was it?”
