Page 188 of Severed Heir

He pursed his lips. “No blood of mine would surrender so willingly.”

More ice slammed into me, driving me to my knees. I could feel it creeping up my throat, beginning to crystallize every breath.

“He’s my land’s last hope,” I forced out through clenched teeth. “I can’t fight him. He’s my father’s heir. If he dies... my father won’t be strong enough to hold the shields.”

The embers in Caius’s hands flickered and dimmed as Myla joined her ice with Bridger’s. A brutal wind tore through the air, sharp and cold, slamming us both onto our backs. I clutched my throat, gasping against the burn of freezing air in my lungs.

“For fuck’s sake,” Caius rasped, struggling to breathe. “Front line, Severyn. You and me,” he choked, voice tight with desperation.

I forced my head to turn, vision blurring until it locked on Kian. “Lose,” I whispered. “You need to lose.”

I could handle Callum for one night. But I couldn’t survive losing Kian.

Without warning, shadows burst from Kian’s palm, slamming into Callum with such force that he dropped to his knees.

But then I saw it. Rok’s outstretched hand wasn’t aimed at Callum. It was aimed at Kian.

And in a single breath, the shadows snapped back. They recoiled from Kian’s grasp and surged into mine instead, flooding through me in a rush I hadn’t summoned.

Rok had siphoned my quell to help Kian win.

Kian stepped forward, planting his boot squarely against Callum’s chest. “I beat you,” he said, voice steady but cold. “And I’ll keep beating you until you learn to stay down.”

Callum coughed, then smiled. “So you did,” he said. “Looks like you two will be the first to face the Forgotten.”

Then he shoved Kian’s leg away and climbed to his feet without another word. He didn’t look back. “Sleep well.”

I pushed through the circle and stormed up to Rok, jabbing a finger into his chest. “Why would you do that? Next time, ask before you steal my quell.”

He caught my wrists before I could shove him again, dragging me away from the others. “If he lost, you’d be locked in with Callum,” he said through clenched teeth. “I saved you from death.”

“Don’t youdaresiphon from me again,” I hissed. “Or better yet, maybe I’ll go have a nice long chat with your stepfather.”

His grip tightened. “If you intentionally lose another battle, I’m sending you to the dungeons. Maybe a week without sunlight will smarten you up.”

Wrath simmered in my veins, hot and bitter. His forgiveness was nothing but leverage. And I was done bartering for survival.

Chapter Thirty-Four

We trained for days, grinding our bodies to the edge of collapse. My fingers were raw, blistered from endless sword drills, the skin stretched taut over the swelling.

But I could finally run a mile without tasting blood in my lungs. Progress.

A week had passed since the heirs arrived. Still no word from Archer, which was rather unfortunate, because I knew he wouldn’t send me here to die.

The shield I’d forced up around Demetria still held, but barely. Its weight clung to every step I took, like dragging myself through a dream that wanted me dead.

Today, we pushed through the Iron Waste Mountains. The last time I’d come this way, Archer and Damien had been with me. I kept wondering if that beast hadn’t attacked us, where would we be now?

Steam burned in my lungs, thick and sharp. The air stank of scorched iron and old fire. I had never truly known what lay beyond the edge of the Continent. The history lessons of Verdonia had been carefully curated, most of the past buried beneath fear or silence of the Forgotten. But I’d always wondered what kind of powers waited beyond the maps.

And just how big the world really was.

Before the wedding, Charles had mentioned I had family near the border. Maybe he knew something. Maybe he knew what was coming.

We reached a desolate valley by dusk, the sky bruised with the last scraps of light. The other heirs looked drained, their steps heavy with each mile. I hoped we’d be stopping soon. The metallic burn of blood lingered at the back of my throat after hours of hiking, and every breath tasted like exhaustion.

Then, as we walked in silence, I felt a knock against my mental shield.

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