Page 191 of Severed Heir

Rok stilled. His hand drifted toward the hilt at his hip, his voice turning to ice. “And how exactly did you come to that conclusion? Has a mind been feeding you secrets?”

The realization struck like a blade to the chest. I turned on Damien, heart pounding. “You. You’re the one feeding them information.”

But Rok didn’t move to stop him. He didn’t lash out or shout. He stood completely still. The nod he gave wasn’t just agreement, it was understanding. As if Damien’s words hadn’t just been said out loud, but pulled straight from his mind.

Then, in one swift, practiced motion, Rok drew his blade and turned. Not on Damien, but on Kian.

Gasps echoed across the line. A few guards reached for their weapons, but Rok’s snarl froze them in place.

“Not him,” Rok said, his voice flat and lethal. “But your little shadow’s been consorting with the enemy.”

Kian didn’t flinch. He just exhaled, slow and tired, like a man who had been waiting for this moment to come. He lifted his hands with a forced smirk, cracked his neck, and muttered, “Shit. You caught me.”

Then the mist shifted.

Shapes formed. Dozens at first. Then hundreds. Cloaked figures emerged in perfect silence, their hoods low, their weapons sheathed but ready. The Forgotten had come.

And we were outnumbered.

A woman with blood-red hair and dark roots stepped through the line of cloaked figures, her violet eyes glowing like glass catching firelight.

“My boy,” she said, her voice rich and unmistakably proud. “You’ve done so well.”

Kian bowed his head, shame tugging at the corners of his mouth. “You made me betray them,” he said hoarsely. “Don’t hurt them, Mum. Please.”

Mum?

Rok’s blade wavered. “Reina Lynch,” he breathed. “You’re supposed to be dead.”

She smiled—and gods, she was the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen. Not in a mortal way, but in the way starlight looked just before it vanished.

“I haven’t heard that name in years,” she said softly. “Most call me Octavia now. After my maiden name. Octavion.”

Archer’s mother had been alive this entire time.

Damien staggered a step back, like the ground beneath him had shifted. His voice cracked as he spoke. “I saw Father’s memory. He killed you. I watched it happen.”

Reina tilted her head, and her expression was unreadable. “You’re a powerful mind-reader, Damien. But power without clarity is dangerous.” For a heartbeat, her gaze softened. “You are your father’s son… and for that, I’m sorry.”

“Quells up,” Rok barked, snapping us back into formation.

My heart slammed against my ribs. “Wait,” I said, lifting a hand. “We should hear them out.”

But Rok didn’t hesitate. He stepped forward and extended his palm in a rigid, trained motion. “No. We give you the heirs. In return, you leave Verdonia untouched.”

Reina didn’t blink. “That isn’t what we asked for.” She moved closer, her voice level and unshaken. “We want only onething, that Malvoria stops killing those born with forbidden quells. Nothing more.”

Rok let out a bitter laugh. “That’s not a request we can honor. Forbidden powers are unstable. They destroy everything they touch.”

Reina raised a hand. “Then you will watch your borders crumble. You will see barren lands rise through the valleys. And all the rot you’ve sown will return to you.”

Rok’s tone turned to stone. “Forbidden powers tarnish us. To know the future is to unravel it.”

She didn’t flinch. “One thousand Seekers were slaughtered in cold blood throughout the last century. Some never even carried the power of foresight. Your institute assumed guilt before proof. You speak of destruction? You are the source. And now, you try to barter us their heirs in hopes of saving your own skin.”

I glanced at Damien, my stomach sinking. “They sent us here to die,”I thought through our bond.

“And your leader has conveniently severed the bond that ties you together.”Damien’s voice shook in my mind.“I was never your enemy, Severyn. He was.”

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