Thane’s jaw flexes again, a silent warning. The tension in the room thickens, pressing in like a storm about to break.
He doesn’t believe me. He doesn’t say it. Doesn’t argue. But the way he stands—rigid, unyielding—the way his hands drop to his sides, fingers curling into fists like he’s battling something unseen—tells me everything.
Silence stretches between us. Thane is the first to break it. And when he speaks, his voice is low, edged with steel.
“You don’t fly alone again.”
I freeze.
I was expecting anger, maybe even a reprimand, but not acommand. Not this stripped-down demand that makes my stomach twist.
I push myself up onto my elbows, wincing sharply as the movement pulls at my ribs. “Thane—”
“No.” His voice cuts through the space between us. “You don’t fly alone. Not now. Not ever.”
I clench my teeth, forcing myself to sit up fully. The effort leaves me breathless, my limbs sluggish, the ache spreading deeper.
Calryx shifts in the back of my mind, her voice rumbles through me, sharp and indignant.
“The Warlord does not tell dragons what they can and cannot do. If I choose to fly with my rider alone, I will.”Her irritation flares, curling around my thoughts like smoke.“He may command armies, but he does not command me.”
I press a hand to my side, steadying myself before I speak. “That’s not your decision to make—for either of us.”
His eyes flash, darkening. “The hell it isn’t.”
His words are sharp, biting.
“You don’t control me, Thane.”
“I control what keeps this realm from falling apart,” he snaps. “If you fall, the rest follows. Don’t you get that? If you die—if they take you—I will not be able to stop what comes next.
My breath hitches, but I square my shoulders, pushing past the deep, throbbing ache, past the exhaustion weighing me down like iron. I force my voice to stay steady.
“I’m still here, Thane.”
Thane’s expression darkens, his fingers tensing at his sides, flexing like he’s barely holding something back. “You think you didn’t almost die?”
The sharpness of his voice knocks the breath from my lungs. I hesitate, thrown by the rawness of it.
“You weren’t there.” The words slip out before I can stop them.
I shouldn’t have said it. But it’s already in the air, and I can’t take it back.
His entire body goes rigid. For a moment—just a moment—I think I’ve won. Then, he moves.
His hand grips my arm—not painfully, but firm enough that I feel the heat of his skin through the blanket covering me.
“I wasn’t there,” he says, voice dangerously quiet.“But I felt it.”
I stop breathing. Felt what? Felt the fight? The magics? The moment the winged creatures surrounded me?
What in the gods’ name?!
Thane’s jaw clenches, his grip loosening, like he realizes he’s too close—losing this fight; losing himself.
He exhales sharply, dropping my arm and stepping back.
The outpost buzzes with movement outside—soldiers moving, steel clashing, voices barking orders.
