Page 144 of Severed Heir

Archer’s hand caught my wrist. “It only gets worse the longer we stay,” he murmured. “The Serpent lifestyle… it can be cruel.”

My stomach knotted. “What else happens?”

He didn’t answer. Just nodded toward the corridor beyond the torchlit hall. “There’s a brothel down that hallway.”

A short, bitter laugh escaped me. “Have you been?”

“No.”

A side gate groaned open behind us. I turned as a procession of figures stepped through. They moved slowly, hunched and trembling. Their clothes were torn. Eyes blank. Faces pale like they hadn’t seen daylight in weeks.

“What’s happening to them?” I whispered.

Archer moved closer, guiding me gently out of the way. “Barren civilians,” he said, voice low. “They’re either offered sanctuary here… or sold to Serpents. To scrub floors, tend land, maintain estates.”

A slow burn crawled beneath my skin. “That’s wrong. They’ve already lost everything, and now they’re being sold?”

“I told you about the Autumn realm that went barren when we were at the academy,” Archer said quietly. “Hundreds of thousands were displaced. This… this is all they have now, unless they choose to live as powerless scavengers. Some survive long enough to earn gold and reclaim land. Their grandchildren might awaken magic again. The younger they are, the stronger the chance it holds.”

One of the women who couldn’t have been barely more than a girl, let out a strangled sob and crumpled to her knees. A nearby guard turned sharply, yanking her upright by the arm.

“Archer, I can’t—” My voice cracked. “I need to help her.”

“Stay here.”

Before I could protest, he was already moving.

Archer stepped between the girl and the guard. “I’ll take her.”

The guard narrowed his eyes. “She goes straight to the bidding room.”

Archer didn’t blink. “How much do you want?”

“You can bid like the rest,” the guard said.

“No.” Archer’s voice dropped to a lethal whisper. “Name your godsdamn price.”

The guard muttered something too low for me to catch. Then he looked around once, cautiously. “She’s yours,” he said. “But if you breathe a word about this, I’ll find you.”

Archer returned, his expression grim. The girl clung to herself, arms locked around her narrow frame, eyes darting toward him like a wounded animal.

I stared at him, heart hammering. “What the hell is happening?” I whispered. “Does the king know this goes on at Serpent gatherings?”

“There’s nothing he can do,” Archer said tightly. “It’s sanctioned within realm borders. Legal, by their laws. These people—” he exhaled, jaw tense, “—they’re displaced. I’ll make sure she has a home in Demetria. If she wants it.”

She thought he’d bought herfor himself.

If North Colindale had fallen sooner, if my father hadn’t rationed what little we had, maybeI’dbe the one standing there in threadbare cloth, waiting for a coin to decide my worth.

“Where did my father’s civilians go?” My voice was barely audible. “How many of my people were sold?”

Archer’s voice dropped. “I tried to shield you from this. I wanted to. Most of North Colindale has made it home by now… but some are still missing.”

My throat tightened. “This is wrong.”

A slow, mocking voice cut through the air. Lasar stepped into view, smirking as he nudged Archer’s shoulder. “Taking after your grandfather, are you?” he drawled. “Didn’t think you were the type to buy servants.”

Archer’s jaw tensed. “I don’t condone my grandfather’s past. That Spring realm we allowed entry into Demetria? It will never suffer like this again. I made sure of it.”

---