Page 91 of Burning Heir

“And is that life so wrong? Perhaps she didn’t want that.” I stabbed a pork loin, cutting into the meat as the king took another gulp of wine, spilling it down his speckled grey beard.

“Your mother could have been a Serpent. She gave up her life to raise Charles. And when he joined the academy, I closely watched him. To ensure he would not turn into the weapon that was your mother. Then, when he bonded with a griffin, I let my guard down. He was weak, weaker than Fallon. But when Klaus came along and took after his mother’s dragon rider days, he started showing signs of a forbidden quell. I knew I was a fool to believe her blood would not taint her children.”

His shoulders rolled back, placing a leg over his knee. “I knew Naraic and Ciaran from when I was a young boy, and I was devastated to hear about Naraic’s passing, but it seems those emotions were for nothing because a dead dragon has risen.” His stained lips quivered. “Dare to explain, my dear?”

“I found him alive, sir. He bonded with me.” Liquid lies coursed through my veins. I was committing an act of treason.

“Do not lie to me, Blanche. How did you revive the dragon? Tell me, or I will kill it again and force you to necromancy the creature.” He straightened his head, fists slamming onto the wooden table. Those green eyes whirred, and I swore he’d stolen them from my mother and shoved them into his eye sockets.

I had to calm my breathing.

“I want to ensure you will not kill Naraic or Ciaran if I tell you the truth.” I swallowed hard as I mentioned his name. “That includes Archer.”

A wicked smile curved his lips. “You have my word.”

“Ciaran led me to Naraic. He was wounded for two years. He—he wasn’t dead,” I stuttered. “That is the honest truth, your Highness.” I forced a smile, trying to control my breathing amidst my lie.

“I don’t think I quite believe you.” His eyes narrowed, then a cold mask slicked over his features like the dead of winter.

Someone screamed torturously behind the wooden door before it groaned open, and Knox fell to his knees, gagged with a cloth. “Severyn!” he cried. “Turn around.”

It all happened so fast. The sound of his neck snapping—his body lying lifeless as he took his last breath. My scream set every curtain on fire. The table was ablaze, cindering whatever food touched my wrath. I went rigid, forgetting how to walk, even how to crawl, as I moved toward Knox’s body on my hands and knees.

A leash of light bound me in place. “How—how could you?” I screamed at the king with such hatred that it took everything in me not to set him on fire and cinder that golden cloak to ash. I wanted this to all be a nightmare.

Pain and guilt were all I felt. All I would ever feel again.

“One less Blanche to fight for the title. Will you allow your brother to die, or will you save him?” The king’s voice was so venomous I thought I would need a second cure.

Knox was dead, and only I could save him.

Chapter Nineteen

I pressed my palm against Knox’s pale cheek, knowing that action would cost me my life.

Live, damn it. I willed every ounce of strength and hope in my veins for Knox to breathe again. Myla didn’t take this long to wake up, and neither did Everett. Something was wrong. My hands trembled as I pressed them against Knox’s chest.

Live. Please. The thought surged through me like a desperate prayer, my breath catching as I conjured up death’s waxing, boiling presence through my lungs. I would never forgive the king if Knox didn’t survive. How would I write to Mother and Father, telling them that two of their sons had died on the same day, two years apart?

The king chuckled, a sound more akin to a desperate scoff. “And to think I believed you were something extraordinary.”

Seconds felt like hours as I held Knox’s cheek. My tears blurred his face, and I barely registered the soft claps from the king as he leaned back in his chair, whispering my mother’s name. “Fallon Blanche’s daughter can wake the dead, considering she wields death.”

Knox shot forward, his eyes blazing with confusion. Relief crashed over me, and I sobbed uncontrollably. The king, amused, sipped from his goblet, his green eyes glowing. “You are just like your brother, Knox. You saw a forbidden quell and did the right thing by bringing it to the headmaster’s attention. Honesty has its rewards at the academy.”

Betrayal crashed over me like a tidal wave. My heart sank as the truth hit me, boiling in my gut like venom, curdling every ounce of trust I had in Knox.

He wouldn’t meet my gaze, his lips pressed tight, chin lowered. The troublemaking brother who never cared for curfew, who seemed carefree and loyal, had betrayed me.

“What are you going to do with me?” I hissed at the king, the fire in my voice barely masking my fear.

“Nothing, for now,” he replied. “I’ll let the Serpents deal with you at the Bid. No one likes knowing their neighbor is more powerful.” He waved dismissively, and three guards stepped forward, flanking him as he turned toward the door. Before he left, he glanced back, his green eyes sharp. “Oh, and you should know—every rider of Naraic’s has died. He will always choose Ciaran.”

I shuddered, rage and exhaustion clashing within me. The king’s words gnawed at my composure, and I leaned against the table, my fiery gaze locked on Knox.

“Have you nothing to say to me?” I demanded. “I trusted you.”

Knox’s voice broke, his words shaky. “Nothing that would make sense. I noticed a change in Everett. He seemed withdrawn, and I assumed it was because he was homesick. Then you toldme how you saved him, and I felt sick. It seemed unnatural, Sev. I didn’t know what to do. The headmaster promised he wouldn’t expel you until he discovered the truth. I didn’t know it would lead to this.”

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