Page 55 of Craving His Venom

Crick’s jaw clenches. “We’ll be near, no matter what.” He exchanges a nod with Talli, who mutters a cryptic blessing in the old tongues.

I gather my courage, ascending the stone steps. Each step echoes in my mind, a countdown to confrontation. My heart thunders. Beneath my hood, sweat beads at my temples. The guards glance at me, perplexed by a lone human in a crowd ofnaga aristocrats, but they don’t stop me. Perhaps they assume I’m someone’s servant.

Inside, the hall is even grander—a circular space with tall columns shaped like coiled serpents. Light filters through stained glass high overhead, casting dancing colors on the polished floor. Rows of seated naga line the perimeter, with a raised dais at the center where the council sits in judgment. My gaze sweeps the dais, searching for Vahziryn among the throng. I spot him near the side, not on the dais but in a section reserved for exiled warlords forced to appear. He stands tall yet looks hollowed out, tension radiating from his black-scaled arms and coiled tail. My breath catches. He’s more beautiful than I remembered, but heartbreak shadows his golden eyes.

At the dais, the councilors preside. Velna perches near them, coiled in a seat of honor, wearing a triumphant expression. The hush of official proceedings thrums in the air as a robed herald announces, “The council now hears the final reading of the resolution on Warlord Vahziryn’s estate and his exile?—”

I push forward through the crowd, ignoring the startled murmurs from naga nobles. My hood slips back, revealing my human features. A ripple of shock spreads—some recoil, others gawk at the audacity of a human stepping into the council’s chamber uninvited. But I keep going until I reach the open center of the hall.

A guard tries to bar my path. “Stop,” he hisses. “No humans allowed in the sacred hearing.”

I force my voice to ring across the hush. “I come with the most crucial testimony regarding Vahziryn’s fate.” My heart pounds as I turn to the dais, lifting my chin. “I will speak, or this tribunal will remain a farce.”

Velna rises, eyes flaring in anger. “How dare a human interrupt?”

Vahziryn steps forward, alarm etched in every line of his face. “Mira!” he breathes, tail twitching violently. “You shouldn’t be here.”

But it’s too late to retreat. I face the dais, letting the entire hall see my determined stance. “The council condemns him for defying your laws with me. But you must know the truth: I carry his child, a half-naga who is no crime. We stand here to break your illusions of purity. We will not be cast aside as abominations.”

A stunned silence envelops the chamber. Some councilors lean forward in shock, others recoil. Velna’s expression darkens with fury. Then an uproar erupts—shouting, hisses, cries of outrage. The presiding councilor slams a staff on the dais, demanding order. My heart races, but I stand firm.

Vahziryn tries to edge closer, but two guards block him. His gaze locks onto mine, fear and pride mingling in his eyes. I give him a small, resolute nod, chest tight with so many emotions. The next wave of council condemnation hits.

One councilor snarls, “This cannot stand. A half-breed is an affront to naga heritage!”

Another councilor demands, “Seize the human at once!”

I stiffen, dread surging, but I hold my ground. “If you label me a criminal, let all watch as you punish a pregnant mother. Show your true face, council, to every naga in this hall.” I sweep my gaze across the assembled watchers, many of whom shift uncomfortably. “A child, half-naga, half-human, is not a threat. The real threat is your refusal to evolve beyond archaic cruelty.”

Velna slithers from her seat, robes sweeping the floor. “Archaic cruelty? Our laws preserve naga strength. You’d birth a bastard that weakens our entire race.”

“Or strengthens it,” I counter, chest heaving. “You fear what you cannot control. I say it’s time to break your cycle of fear.”

The chamber erupts again. Guards approach, but Vahziryn roars, venom lacing his fangs, halting them. He spins to face the dais, voice booming. “Enough of your hypocrisy. I’ve offered my entire territory to keep her safe, yet you refuse reason. Now she stands before you, unafraid.”

Silver-Scaled Councilor slams his staff. “You dare defy our final verdict?”

Vahziryn stands tall, black scales glittering. “I do. Because you refuse to see beyond your rigid laws.”

Velna sneers. “Spare us your grand speeches. This half-breed fiasco—” She cuts off, searching for a better term. “—this travesty undermines all we hold dear.”

My fury ignites. “What you hold dear is power, not the well-being of your people. You cling to illusions of purity while ignoring the potential for compassion, for unity beyond bloodlines.”

A hush crashes over the hall, weighted with tension. The councilors exchange glances, uncertain how to proceed in the face of such open defiance. Some seem rattled, others incensed. Outside the ring of watchers, I catch sight of Talli and Crick, both hovering near an archway. Talli’s staff glints, as if ready to cast illusions or spells if the guards attack. Crick’s posture is coiled for a fight.

Silver-Scaled Councilor raps his staff again. “This is unacceptable. Guards, remove her?—”

But I step forward, voice rising over the commotion. “Remove me, and your entire system stands exposed as a farce. I ask all naga here to witness: is this truly the justice you uphold? To imprison or kill a mother and unborn child for daring to exist outside your precious lines?”

Murmuring ripples through the crowd. Some appear horrified or fascinated, uncertain whether to side with me orobey the council’s iron tradition. Jade-Scaled Councilor glowers. “We do this for the race’s survival.”

I fix my stare on her. “Does survival require stamping out every difference? Would you kill the child now, in front of everyone, to prove your point?” I lay a hand on my abdomen. “Let them see the truth.”

Silence, broken only by scattered gasps. The guards hesitate, unsure whether to drag me away in front of so many onlookers. Vahziryn edges closer, tail lashing. “I claimed exile to save her,” he says, voice trembling with anger. “But even that wasn’t enough. Now you see we will not yield. If you want to crush us, do it here, in public view.”

The presiding councilor’s eyes flick over the hall. The crowd of nobles shifts, an undercurrent of tension building. Perhaps the council fears open scandal if they physically seize a pregnant woman. Maybe they sense the watchers’ growing discomfort. Lady Velna hisses, but she holds back, uncertain.

I press on, heart thudding. “Your laws call me a taint, an abomination. But if your race is so strong, why fear a single woman and child? If your traditions are so just, why conceal them behind closed doors?”

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