Page 54 of Severed Heir

Below us, the land blurred into half-melted fields and splintered trees, with no hostel in sight. “We’ll rest for an hour,” I muttered. “Then we fly again before dusk.”

We landed in a field of ferns. My legs trembled as I dismounted, exhaustion grinding through every step. “We can keep going,” I muttered. “There’s nothing here besides grass.”

Naraic gave a low growl.“You wouldn’t be the first rider to collapse in a field. Lie down for one hour.”

I gave a shallow nod and turned toward the grass, too worn to argue. Just a moment. That was all I needed.

Suddenly, the air split with a hiss—an arrow tore through the dusk and buried itself in my shoulder. Agony lit me up like a fire. “Naraic!”

I staggered toward him, legs barely holding. His wings flared in a violent snap, a snarl building in his throat. Then the second arrow came and punctured something on his body.

A cold, leaden weight curled through my limbs, dragging me beneath a rising wave of nausea. Poison.

I’d never been poisoned before, but I knew it in my bones—the spreading numbness, the slow shiver beneath my skin.

I was on my hands and knees crawling through the ferns and grass.

Shit, this was bad. “Naraic... I feel sick,”I whispered.

A third arrow tore through the sky and buried itself in his wing with a sickening crack. He roared and lunged, throwing himself over me.

“Run,”he gritted.“Shield.”

I tried. I clawed at the ground, dragging myself forward. But a rough hand caught my cloak, yanking me onto my back.

The world spun.

A shadow staggered into focus, all scraggly beard and threadbare overalls. His voice was grit and drawl. An accent I hadn’t heard before. “Well, well. A strangler where she shouldn’t be.”

“Get up!”the strange bond screamed in my mind.“He’ll kill you!”

I couldn’t move. I was a prisoner inside my own body as the man crouched low. I struck with the last of my strength, flame lashing across his throat. He grunted and ripped my hood back.

“A neval girl,” he sneered. “Oh my. You really are lost.”

The poison surged. My mind slammed shut.

And the world went black.

Chapter Eleven

Oh shit.This was bad. Like I actually might die bad. Apparently, Cully had read me way too many horror stories, because I was living one now.

“Don’t take my organs,” I croaked.

Somewhere above me, a second voice drifted through the haze—soft, curious, and unmistakably childlike. “What’s an organ?” a small voice asked.

A woman chuckled. “They’re things that keep you alive. Like your heart and lungs.”

The child leaned in closer, warm breath brushing my skin. “Her heart sounds okay, Mum. It’s ticking really loud.”

It was definitely a child’s voice, which somehow made it worse.

“She’s breathing,” the woman murmured. “I just hope whoever’s heir she is, we’ve got an alliance with. That Serpent mark is fresh... poor thing. It’s infected.”

Something cold pressed against my spine. I tried to move, to fight through the weight pinning me down, but my limbs were stone.

“She’s moving!” the child trilled, voice high and eager right beside my ear.

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