Page 13 of Severed Heir

But from the looks they gave me, like I’d dragged a beast into the room, I knewtomorrowwouldn’t be good enough.

They wanted to know where the hell I’d been and why I vanished after the Serpent Bid.

Myla still hadn’t let go, and it seemed like we were back on the frozen trails again. “We’re kept pretty isolated here,” she said. “Antonia arrived two weeks ago.”

Antonia swept her silver hair back. “The entire Night sector came in then. We thought you were dead.” She hesitated. “Did Archer…” She swallowed. “Is he dead?”

I tucked my hands beneath the scratchy duvet. “Archer is alive, but Damien is dead.”

Myla’s chin trembled. “Severyn,” she whispered, “are you okay?”

I wasn’t. Not even close. My truth was too much: I was Archer’s heir. I’d saved her life—and left Damien’s to fate. I wasn’t okay, but I had to be. I couldn’t fall apart like I did after Klaus died.

“I watched him die,” I said finally. “He opened a glass portal. Maybe the angle was wrong. Maybe he went too far. But it sliced him, then I got expelled for leaving the academy.”

But deep in my chest, I knew the truth. It was Naraic. He’d stirred the shards when he tried to stop me.

She didn’t remember that night. I wasn’t surprised. Whatever compulsion had gripped her back then had erased more than just her actions. The outcome of that night had stayed buried for weeks. And it needed to stay that way, just like Archer wanted.

I had time now. Months until the spring thaw. Time to keep my mark hidden. For once, I hoped the cold would hold. Because the moment it didn’t, someone might see the Serpent mark carved into my spine. And I wasn’t ready for that.

I needed to lie. And I needed to lie well.

Myla gasped. “Shit. They’ll teach us how to portal here—but aglassportal?” She shook her head. “Never use that for travel.”

Antonia flopped back onto her bed, smirking. “Get some sleep, Severyn. Malvoria’s nothing like the academy.”

Myla stood, limping slightly as she crossed to her bed. “Toni’s right. Tomorrow’s guard training is for barren-land rescues. I got bruised up pretty bad last week—I can barely walk.”

Antonia cackled. “That’s not why you’re sore, Myla. And we both know it.”

Were they friends? When people called me Sev, it always felt personal. Maybe Myla just liked the way Toni made her feel.

Gods. I was actually jealous of Antonia.

I slumped down in my bed, letting the bond crack open just a little. “I made it, just in case you were worried I got eaten by a beast.”

“I know.”

Of course he did. I exhaled slowly.“When will I see you again?”

“Sooner than you think, little heir.”

How long was soon? A week? A month? It didn’t matter. I was here now, and I was just an heir in hiding. But pretending it didn’t sting was a lie.

Chapter Three

Shaking hands pulled me from a dreamless sleep. I blinked up at a tumble of dark curls, and it was Myla hovering above me.

“You’re going to be late for quelling,” she said.

I dragged myself upright, slick with sweat. “What’s quelling?”

“Initiation.” Then Myla tossed a pair of combat boots and a fitted uniform onto my bed. “I checked your boot size while you were sleeping. Hope these fit.”

“Thanks,” I murmured, turning away as I dressed. It wasn’t that I didn’t trust her. But with Charles bonded to Lorna, I couldn’t be sure who had access to whose thoughts anymore.

The Malvoria uniform was simple: a deep green leather vest over a black undershirt, the stylized M crest stitched above the heart. It was nothing like the ornate attire Charles wore. Clearly, royal guards were treated differently than recruits.

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