Page 8 of Severed Heir

“Well, in that case, I’ll rest easy, knowing I have the comfort of the stars.”

“You sound restless.”

I sighed through the bond.“I’m just nervous.”

“Don’t be.”Archer’s voice came gently.“Malvoria is stricter than the Academy, but you’ll rise quickly. I don’t doubt that.”

At the king’s estate, he’d been furious when Charles suggested sending me there. Now, it felt like he’d given up the fight.

“Good night, Archer.”

“Good night, heir.”

I woke the next morning with a sore neck, nearly tumbling out of bed when a loud clatter jolted through the room. “Shit,” Sabitha cursed. “Sorry to wake you.”

I couldn’t help but wonder if the noise had been intentional. “So… how far until Malvoria?” I asked, stretching my arms after what barely counted as rest.

Sabitha buckled her blades into place, adjusting the leather straps over her shoulders. “About three hours west,” she said, nodding toward the woods. “But the trail’s laced with poison. We’ll save two hours if we cut through.”

I stepped out into the soft wind of Harlynn, met by the gentle glow of dusk brushing the treetops.

I didn’t want to admit I had absolutely no idea which way was west.

So I stuck a finger in the air like I knew what I was doing. I’d read somewhere that the wind could tell direction—or maybe that was the sun. Either way, I was guessing.

“Ah. West,” I declared, confidently taking a step in the completely wrong direction.

“That’s east,” Sabitha said flatly. “Have you ever looked at a map before?”

“I’m not great with directions,” I muttered, brushing hair from my face. “Why are we taking the deadly, venomous trail again? Aren’t you supposed to deliver me there alive?”

Sabitha adjusted her blades without blinking. “I have plans after I drop you off. I take the fastest routes. Always. Now get on Nevia.”

Not the scorpion again. I stepped toward her just as Nevia reared back, hissing low and guttural.

“I’m happy to walk,” I offered, hands raised.

“You’ll be fine.”

“Getting on this thing felt easier yesterday.”

Before I could bolt, Sabitha grabbed me like a sack of potatoes and flung me into the saddle. “Has anyone ever told you how insufferable you are?” she asked. “It’s just a giant scorpion.”

I scoffed. “Sorry to offend, but riding a giant scorpion wasn’t exactly my childhood dream.”

She didn’t miss a beat. “Neither was being an heir. But here we are.”

I rolled my eyes. “You’ll have to try harder if you’re trying to get under my skin.”

“Please,” she muttered, flicking the reins. “If that was my goal, you’d already be in tears. You won’t last a day at the institute if you bruise that easily.”

I scoffed. “Has anyone ever told you that you’re extremely hostile?”

“Thank you. And yes.”

We trudged for hours through a bleak wasteland. The sun clung to my back, baking my skin in slow, peeling layers, while a cold wind sliced through the valley—not relief, just another cruelty, stirring the sweat already slicking my brow. I couldn’t wait to reach the next realm, one with a colder climate and mercy in its wind.

In front of me, Sabitha hummed a tune I was half-convinced was a mating call for beasts. I swore she was actually trying to kill me.

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