Page 106 of Severed Heir

“Why?”

He didn’t look away from Lasar. “I think our mother killed his youngest brother. Back when they were students.”

“…Oh.”

“Yeah. This is about to get awkward.”

We followed Lasar through a ring of frostbitten pillars. “Your dragon can rest beneath the trees. I’ll have warm water prepared for his wings,” he said.

He pressed a hand to what looked like solid ice, and a hidden door folded open in the side of the mountain.

The corridor inside was dimly lit, lined with furs and polished stone. Golden columns rose like frost-forged spires, holding up a vaulted ceiling etched with constellations. Which was strange, because I hadn’t seen a single star outside.

A draft whispered through the space, brushing the windows as hail tapped against the glass like claws trying to get in.

There was no turning back now.

“You would’ve flown through that storm?” Lasar asked, not looking back. “Foolish. They’re worse this time of year. Sit.”

An elderly aide entered with a tray of lemon tea and a pair of worn slippers. Her eyes snagged on our soaked, half-frozen socks. I hadn’t bathed in two days. I probably looked like a runaway scavenger who’d lost a bet with a snowstorm.

I forced a smile as Lasar tied back his long white hair. “This is my brother, Cully. And we’re both grateful for your hospitality.”

Lasar’s gaze lingered on Cully’s hands. A soft, knowing smile tugged at his mouth. “I know writer’s knuckles when I see them. My late wife kept an ointment in the drawer. It helped her.”

Cully raised his teacup, shifting. “Didn’t your wife pass… eight years ago?”

Lasar nodded, eyes drifting. “I couldn’t bring myself to throw her things away. She loved that lotion. Said it was the only thing that kept her joints working.”

Cully shifted again. “Right. Uh… thank you, but no. My skin’s… sensitive.”

I nudged him. “Be nice. Lasar is offering you lotion.” Archer always said any gift from a Serpent was sacred.

“You know I have a delicate skin barrier,” he muttered under his breath. “I’m not risking eight-year-old lotion. I’ll break out in hives.”

“So what? He’s being nice.”

Lasar chuckled. “Do not accept anything you do not want. That is my first lesson, Severyn.”

“Thank you. We’ve got a long flight ahead,” I said, turning to Lasar. “Your hospitality means a great deal, but we’ll be gone before sunrise.”

He moved to the window, where snow spun in a mad, spiraling vortex. “Not in this weather. There’s a reason dragons don’t live in Winter realms. Their scales weren’t built for it. One wrong gust and you’ll slide straight off the cliffs.”

“We will wait the storm out.” I tightened my grip on the warm mug and suddenly my body felt like liquid. “Your home is beautiful.”

“Does it remind you of yours?” he asked, head tilting slightly.

“Yes,” I said. “My former home.”

Lasar’s eyes narrowed. “I assume your journey east relates to the prison.”

I stiffened. “How did you—?”

“No one travels this far without purpose.” He sipped his tea. “You plan to free Archer Lynch, don’t you?”

“I plan to break him out,” I said evenly. “He’s innocent.”

Lasar tilted his head. “Did he not harbor a lindworm, hoping you’d become his heir?”

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