Page 171 of Crowned In Venom

VARKOS

The tunnels are dark and narrow, the cloying smell ofdamp earth and old magic pressing against my lungs. My boots echo against the stone, each step too loud in the silence.

Anya is still in my arms, her weight unfamiliar—not a burden, never that—but a reminder. Of what I almost lost.

She does not stir.

Not when the tunnel shifts around us, the walls lined with glowing runes, flickering weakly like dying embers. Not when the Ghost walks ahead, his pace unhurried, as if he is taking us somewhere familiar.

And certainly not when my chest tightens at the realization that I am following him blindly, because I have no other choice.

"Where are we going?" I demand, my voice low, sharp.

"To a friend."

A friend.

The word is bitter in my mouth.

"I don’t have friends."

The Ghost chuckles under his breath. "No, you don’t. But this one has hated the Matriarch long before you ever did. That’s enough."

I don’t like this.

I don’t like walking into something unprepared, exposed.

Especially with Anya unconscious, vulnerable.

The tunnel slants downward before opening into a wide chamber. Flickering torches line the walls, the scent of incense curling through the stale air.

At the center of the room, a figure waits.

Tall. Wrapped in deep red robes, dark steel visible beneath the folds of expensive fabric. Eyes like molten gold, flickering with intelligence and cruelty.

And a smile that does not reach his eyes.

"Varkos," the dark elf drawls. "I have been waiting."

I stiffen.

I know him.

Or rather, I know his reputation.

Lord Kareth. A warlord, a noble, a monster in his own right.

The Matriarch tried to have him executed once, but he slipped through her grasp. He has spent years gathering strength in the shadows, waiting.

I had not expected him.

"Kareth." I keep my voice measured. Unreadable. "I wasn’t aware you were still breathing."

His chuckle is smooth, amused. "You wound me, Lord Varkos. But you should know by now—I am not so easily killed."

His gaze flickers to Anya.

I shift slightly, my grip tightening around her.

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