Page 32 of Severed Heir

She coughed, pulling her knees to her chest. “The songbirds told me to tell you something. I didn’t go hopeless the other day when I fought the ice-wielder. I needed the light. The wind, to hear them.”

“Songbirds?”

She blinked slowly. “Don’t let your flame burn out. A bird too weak to carry a soldier, but strong enough to carry the wind and the voices within, is dangerous. You are not safe here, Severyn. You are a prisoner.”

“Giesel,” I whispered, leaning in. “I don’t understand.”

“The wind… it whispered your name. That’s why I fought against the ice-wielder. I had to hear it clearer.”

“Whose voice was it?”

She dipped her rag back into the bucket again. “You missed a spot,” she said casually.

“Giesel.” My voice cracked. “What message?”

“If the guards see us talking,” she whispered, still not looking up, “they’ll punish us. I can’t risk hearing them again for you.”

I looked around. The silence was too still. It wasn’t just stone pressing in. “It’s a ward,” I said slowly, the truth blooming like fire in my chest. “This whole dungeon—it’s a ward.”

“My voice calms them,” she said. “The guards. The wind soothes when I sing. That’s why they keep me here. I can hear the secrets in the air. Someone is looking for you… I told them you were safe.”

“Who?”

She paused. “Maybe they keep you here to keep you silent. To keep you weak. Someone with wind in their blood was trying to find you. I don’t know who, but ever since you arrived, the wind has been restless.”

The words settled deep, unsettling something I hadn’t realized was stirring. Could it be Malachi? Oceans away, calling through the veil of wind?

“Where do the songbirds come from?” I asked.

“The Realm of Day,” she said softly. “There were once three bright realms. Two fell. My land was one of them.” Her voice thinned to a thread. “The Garcias took our light. Said our voice power was useless.”

She didn’t sound bitter, only tired. “But I don’t believe them.” Her fingers, trembling, reached toward the sliver of light beneath the door. “I can hear the wind… but not down here.” A ragged breath slipped from her lungs. “It’s always just out of reach.”

I looked at my relic. “Can someone hear through flame?”

“Perhaps someone with inherited power. But you must wield it. Fire is pain, Severyn. To tame it, you must understand where it comes from.”

“My brother,” I said softly.

“Inherited powers carry memory,” she whispered. “Find it, and you could become unstoppable.”

I needed out. I needed Giesel out. And maybe I needed this place to knock some godsdamned fireback into me.

Chapter Five

The next morning came with the sound of keys and cold commands. Three guards escorted us out of the dungeon. Giesel stayed behind, her eyes following that single shaft of light across the floor.

I wanted to ask Giesel more, but I wouldn’t risk getting her in deeper. She’d already taken a beating just to hear the wind for me.

The guards led us into the main hall, but something seemed off when I heard the pained shrieks. “What’s happening?” I whispered to Ellison as the initiates formed a line, stripping off their shirts.

“Branding Day,” he muttered. “We’re officially Malvoria’s property now. Makes it easier to access lands when you don’t have enough rank to wear a badge.”

“Branding?” My breath caught. I’d seen Myla’s. I should’ve known this was coming.

One by one, initiates stepped forward. When it was Ellison’s turn, Rok dipped the metal rod into a pot of embers and pressed the glowing ‘M’ into the back of his neck.

Ellison buckled to his knees, teeth bared. “Shit. I thought I’d be immune to heat.”

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