Page 27 of Severed Heir

“There are things I’ve kept from you,” he said. “To protect you.”

“No.” My voice broke. “No more secrets. Please.”

A slow clap broke the moment in half. Rok’s laughter slid in like oil. “The Serpent falls for his student. Now that’s a classic forbidden tale.”

I pulled away from Archer’s touch. “Ellison unfroze me,” I said sharply. “I’m cleared to sleep.”

Rok circled like a predator. “The rest of the losers already started dungeon duty. You’ll be bunking in the cellar tonight. And if you’re lucky…” he grinned, all teeth, “maybe tomorrow you’ll win something.”

“She’s freezing,” Archer snapped. “Let her rest.”

Rok shrugged. “Maybe if your beast hadn’t clawed her, she wouldn’t be behind. But here we are.”

I looked back at Archer, just once. “I’ll be fine,” I said, swallowing every word I couldn’t say.

“I’ll burn this place down.”

And I meant it.

“Where are you taking me?” I asked, trailing behind Rok through the darkened halls. Then we passed a western wing marked as theJournalist Dorms, and I silently hoped Cully was safe inside.

We descended the narrow staircase behind a thick iron door. It was ten steps of absolute darkness—no torches, no flicker of flame, just the echo of our boots and the sound of my own breath. When we reached the bottom, the space opened into a wide chamber. No windows. No exits I could see. Just stone and silence and a horrible copper smell.

“To become a royal guard,” Rok said without turning, “one must clean the blood of their losses.”

There were already six initiates down there. Two were on their knees, scrubbing at a crimson stain. One girl rushed into a side room, arms full of bandages. I barely had time to process it before Rok kicked my legs out from under me, and I hit the stone hard.

“I expect this room clean in under an hour,” Rok barked. “I’m in a terrible mood, so don’t piss me off.”

I blinked, nausea curling in my gut. “You want us to clean the... blood?”

“I saved you a clean one,” came a familiar voice. Ellison was crouched nearby, tossing me a sponge. “Welcome to the royal life.”

“I will not—” I stammered. “This is—”

“I’m sure your servants cleaned worse,” Rok sneered behind him. “Scrub. Or I’ll drag Myla down here to take your place.”

I dropped to my hands and knees.

The stone tore through my slacks, scraping my skin raw. The soap reeked of vinegar, stinging my nose and eyes. But it couldn’t cover the scent of old blood making my stomach twist.

“Why are we even doing this?” I hissed under my breath. “Why is thereso much blood?”

The girl beside me didn’t answer. Her hands were pruned and shaking. Further down the corridor, another hunched figure looked like she hadn’t seen sunlight in weeks.

Ellison shifted closer, grimacing. “From what I’ve heard... they duel for mission slots.”

“That’s barbaric.”

Then he gagged. Hard.

“Please don’t,” I whispered. “Don’t gag—”

“Oh gods,” he choked, turning pale. “I found a tooth, Severyn.”

And that was it. We both doubled over, retching into the blood-slicked floor.

“This is our punishment for losing?” I croaked.

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