Page 120 of Savage Crown

A test.

A game.

Nhilian studies me, waiting for the crack in my mask.

I let my lips curl.

I laugh.

Soft. Amused.

I know what he’s doing.

And I won’t let him win.

I push the dagger one inch deeper into the wood.

"She does."

Seraphina meets my eyes.

She says nothing.

Nhilian hums. "If you say so."

Then—he lifts a hand.

And in a single, casual flick of his fingers?—

The guards move.

I react before thought.

A dagger in each hand.

A snarl tearing from my throat.

I know what’s coming.

I always knew.

This was never a negotiation.

This was always a trap.

42

SERAPHINA

The explosion rips through the hall like a beast unleashed.

The walls shudder. The chandeliers swing wildly. The wooden beams above groan, dust and debris raining from the ceiling as the world splits apart.

I barely have time to react before the second blast detonates, fire and smoke rolling through the air in a thick, suffocating wave.

Screams erupt.

Guards stumble, some thrown back by the sheer force, others engulfed in flame.

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