Page 104 of Crowned In Venom

I do not let my expression shift.

"Do you know what you’ve done?" My voice is quiet. Dangerous.

He exhales, tilting his head.

"I know exactly what I’ve done."

His eyes gleam.

And I realize something, something worse than the carnage around me.

Anya did not just release a prisoner.

She released a leader.

Not a dark elf broken by my rule. Or the Matriarch.

A being who will burn everything down to build his own.

And now, he is looking at me.

Not with fear.

Not with desperation.

But with recognition.

And I know—this is only the beginning.

32

VARKOS

The clang of steel against steel reverberates through the ruined halls, a wicked symphony of death and fury. My muscles burn, but I do not falter.

He fights like a dark elf who was born for war. Sharp. Ruthless. Calculated.

Each strike forces me back, each step pushing me closer to the edge of something I do not understand yet.

"You're better than I expected," the man smirks, parrying my blade with ease. "But then again, you were bred for this, weren't you? A warrior."

I narrow my eyes, slamming my weight into him. He barely budges.

Bred for this.

The words sink into my bones, but there is no time to dissect them.

I drive forward, my blade a blur as I feint left, then slash across his ribs.

He twists at the last second, avoiding a fatal wound, but my steel bites into his side.

His grin never falters, even as blood stains his torn shirt.

"Touchy, aren't we?" he taunts, stepping back. "Does it bother you, Varkos? That you don’t even know who you really are?"

Something cold settles in my gut.

I move on instinct, striking hard, our swords locking in a brutal clash that sends sparks flying into the darkened hall.

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