Remy’s face paled instantly. Zander straightened, all the heat from the argument bleeding into cold, focused dread.
Kaelith’s voice whispered again.
The ones who never swore the oath. The ones who vanished when the skies turned black. They return now. Not for crown. Not for war. For me. For you.
And in the distance, somewhere beyond the boundaries of magic and realm…
They were flying.
Chapter
Twelve
“We have to get to the Ascension Grounds,” Remy said sharply, already moving toward the door. “Now.”
“Kaelith is…” I started, but her thoughts were a maelstrom in my mind—half-formed words, images of fire and sky, roars layered over whispered names I didn’t recognize. It was like trying to hold on to a storm with bare hands.
I reached for her—Kaelith, what’s wrong?—but there was no answer, only the chaotic echo of her voice tumbling over itself.
Zander was already at my side, his hand at my back as we raced through the castle halls. Torches blurred past, and every step closer made my chest tighten further. Something was wrong. Deeply, anciently wrong.
We burst onto the Ascension Grounds, the air heavy with heat and energy. The other riders were already there—Riven, Naia, Jax, Ferrula, even Tae and members of Warborn and Crownwatch—all standing in silence, staring.
At her.
Kaelith.
She was on the far side of the field, wings spread wide, claws sunk into the stone as if anchoring herself to the earth. Her head was thrown back, her throat rumbling with a low, guttural hum that vibrated through the ground itself.
Her scales shimmered wildly, shifting between purple, obsidian, and silver-gold—changing too quickly, too violently, like she couldn’t hold her shape. Magic crackled around her like heat lightning, arcs of it leaping from her tail to her wings, striking the air.
And her eyes…
Her eyes were rolled back, showing only burning gold.
“She’s in a trance,” I whispered, heart pounding. “Or—something’s taken hold of her.”
No one moved.
No one dared.
Even the other dragons kept their distance—watching, waiting.
Because whatever this was, whatever was happening…
It wasn’t just a vision.
It was a summons.
Hein moved before anyone else could even breathe.
The moment Major Ledor took a hesitant step forward, Hein dropped from the low sky like a shadow falling over the sun. His great wings slammed into the earth beside Kaelith, shaking the stone with the impact as dust spiraled around them both.
Ledor froze.
Hein’s silver scales caught the dying light, and his eyes—Stormlight and fury—locked on the major. The deep, growling rumble that left his throat was not a warning.
It was a promise.
