Page 127 of Burning Heir

Her eyes raked over me. “I don’t take kindly to winks and pretty smiles, girl. Take your place behind me before I call in a favor to Malvoria and have you escorted out.”

Humiliated, I moved behind Damien.

“There’s an empty room beside mine,” Damien whispered. “I’ll help you move.”

I nodded quickly. Malachi joined Tydon’s Autumn group without hesitation. Everett followed Jenessa, his expression blank, as if still processing the shift.

Damien voiced my thoughts. “The day before the bid, and you’re switching students around?”

Saani clicked her tongue. “Orders from the king himself. He believes students should be mentored by the Serpent of their chosen realms. Do you disagree?”

My throat dried. Archer finally met my gaze, his expression unreadable. His silence told me everything. Saani had already decided I was unfit to be an heir. My fate was in her hands now… and Damien’s.

“Did you know?”I asked Archer.

“Yes.”

“Saani is going to send me to Malvoria… Myla is gone.”

“I won’t allow it,”he said softly.

Saani’s whip cracked again. “The ship will arrive at noon tomorrow. If you’re late, consider it a one-way ticket to Malvoria. Your attire has been chosen and placed in your dorm.”

Charles’s words echoed in my mind—the hidden threat to keep Damien in my good graces gnawed at my gut as I raised my shield. Could I trust him after everything he’d done and lied about?

Saani smiled at Monty, who nodded quickly. “Combat is canceled today. I suggest spending the afternoon projecting your quell. The king is eager to see what powers lie within the new students.”

Damien walked with me, and I couldn’t help but notice his slight nod toward Saani. He’d be just one door down from me, close enough to hear my thoughts anytime he wanted.

I shot a desperate glare at Archer, but he walked away before I could shout his name down our bond.

I followed Damien silently to the Summer dorms, where an empty room two doors down from his awaited me. “Does this happen often?” I asked when we were out of sight.

“I’m sure it will over the next few years. Our parents all came from various regions. Normally, the mark you got on your palm sorts you correctly.”

Damien opened the door. “I figured it was your quell, but Knox hasn’t shown any unexpected powers since the trial.”

A few hours had passed. Aides had delivered attire for the bid tomorrow. The Summer dorms were hotter than the shadows of Night I’d called home. Every corner of the room seemed lit, even under the pressing sunset streaming through oval windows. A red gown lay on the bed, its flowing skirt embroidered with lace flowers. It reminded me of the one Archer had given me in Ravensla.

Damien caught my stare. “What do the gowns represent?” I asked.

“Sometimes, the king handpicks the attire. That gown is vintage, passed down for new students. The lace bodice shows it was created by a quell.”

“What did Saani mean by projecting our quell?”

“We’ll get a chance to show off our quells to the Serpents.”

I glanced at the tapestries on the walls. “I probably shouldn’t burn the Summer halls down my first night.” I forced a nervous laugh, hoping he’d leave so I could find Archer.

He chuckled but didn’t smile. “The walls are thin, Severyn. I’ll know exactly when you visit those Serpents’ beds.” But Damien wasn’t staring at the walls; his gaze fixed on the mirror nailed to the door. A faint smirk curved his lips. “Goodnight, Severyn.”

As the door clicked shut, I sank onto the bed, my breath shallow and uneven. Somewhere down the hall, another door closed softly. My heart thundered as I reached for the dagger strapped to my thigh.

In one swift motion, I hurled it at the mirror. The glass shattered, shards cascading to the floor in a glittering storm. Silence followed, broken only by the erratic rhythm of my breathing.

He was watching my every move.

I needed to find Archer. I bolted for the stairs but barely reached the fourth step when hands gripped my mouth, stifling my frozen scream as I was shoved against the wall—an elbow pressing into my chest, pinning me in place.

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