Page 139 of Savage Crown

Too much sense.

My real father.

The forbidden magic.

The reason he was killed.

The reason my family was destroyed.

The reason why Marchellion killed him.

Nhilian doesn’t just want the treasure.

He wants what my father left behind.

Lartina laughs softly, blood slipping from her lips.

"You always underestimated me, Rylan," she murmurs.

I watch as the light begins to fade from her eyes.

"Goodbye, Lartina," I whisper.

Then I drive my dagger into her throat.

She gasps—a sharp, wet sound.

Her body goes slack.

She crumples.

And finally, Lartina is dead.

Silence. There’s no more noise. It’s the finality of Lartina’s life.

Her body lies still on the cavern floor, her blood pooling into the cracks of the stone.

I watch it spread, a part of me waiting for her to rise again.

For her to laugh, to whisper one last taunt.

But she doesn’t.

She is gone.

And yet, the taste of victory is bitter.

Now, I know the truth.

This was never about gold.

It was never about power or land or wealth.

It was about magic.

My father’s magic.

And Nhilian is one step ahead of us.

---