Page 1 of Savage Crown

1

SERAPHINA

The scent of blood and smoke clings to the air as I run.

The city is alive tonight, a beast of stone and shadow, watching me with hungry eyes as I weave through its streets. The moons hang bloated and heavy overhead, their silver glow licking at the black spires of the dark elf capital.

My breath is ragged, each inhale burning my lungs as I duck beneath an archway, pressing myself into the alcove’s damp stone.

I count the seconds between my heartbeats. One. Two. Three. Footsteps echo in the alley behind me, slow and deliberate.

They know.

I press a hand against the satchel strapped across my chest, feeling the stolen parchment crinkle beneath my touch. This piece of paper—it’s nothing and everything. A scrap of ink and vellum, yet it might be the key to my freedom… if I can live long enough to use it.

A voice cuts through the night, sharp as a blade.

“She was here. Find her.”

I recognize that voice. Kiernan. One of Lartina’s dogs. If he catches me, I won’t make it to sunrise.

I slip further into the shadows, pressing my body against the wall. My clothes are damp with sweat, my skin raw from the chase. My heart slams against my rib cage as I listen to the patter of boots on stone, the whispered hisses of dark elves speaking in their guttural tongue.

“Check the rooftops,” another voice growls.

Shit.

I don’t have the luxury to hesitate. As soon as the footsteps retreat, I bolt. My boots slap against the uneven ground as I sprint toward the nearest stack of crates. I leap, catching the lip of a sagging awning, and haul myself up just as a patrol turns the corner.

A sliver of moonlight betrays me.

“There!”

The shout rips through the night, and then they’re after me—three, maybe four dark elves. Their armor doesn’t clank; their movements are swift and deadly, but I’ve lived my entire life outrunning monsters. My legs burn as I propel myself higher, scaling the side of a crumbling building, my fingers scrabbling against the slick, moss-slicked stone.

Arrows snap against the rooftop as I vault over the ledge, rolling to absorb the impact. My vision tilts, the world spinning for a beat before I push back onto my feet and run.

I won’t make it to the outer gates.

They’ll expect that route. Every exit from the city will be guarded, and I’ll be dead before I even make it past the checkpoints. I need a different way out. I need a ghost.

Rylan.

His name slithers through my mind like a whispered incantation, a promise and a curse. He’s not a man you find—hefinds you. But I have something he wants, and for once, I might have enough leverage to make him listen.

A shadow moves in my periphery. Too late.

A hand snags my wrist, yanking me back so fast my vision explodes with stars.

“Got you, little thief.”

I wrench free and spin, driving my knee into my attacker’s stomach. Kiernan grunts, but his grip tightens like an iron vice. I snarl, twisting, trying to break free, but he’s stronger, his dark elven strength coiling around me like a serpent.

“You made a mistake,” he breathes against my ear, his fingers digging into my arms. “Lady Lartina is eager to speak with you.”

My stomach clenches. I would rather die than be dragged back.

Kiernan doesn’t expect me to smile.

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