Page 145 of Daughter of the Serpent

But suddenly, violently - heat slammed into her, searing her skin and forcing her to stumble back, shielding her face with trembling hands. A fire erupted from within the shadows, a scorching inferno that roared to life with untamed fury. The flames were alive, fierce and unyielding, consuming the shadows in a burst of light. The oppressive darkness dissolved into nothingness, banished by the relentless blaze.

Sylvie gasped, her vision clearing as the flames flickered and died, leaving the room eerily still. Her gaze darted toward Axel, her chest tight with dread, only to find him standing unharmed, his axe still resting casually at his side, as though nothing had happened at all.

Her breath hitched, the raw shock of the moment etched into her features.

Rederick’s eyes flashed with fascination. For a moment the two men stared at each other across the room, each staring each other down, yet revealing nothing.

Finally, Rederick broke the silence. His voice was smooth,measured - too calm. “You reveal yourself too openly,Axel of the Hazier.”

The air in the chamber tightened. The elders exchanged wary, unreadable glances, their expressions shifting between shock and fury.

“But since you aresoadamant to prove your student’s worth,” Rederick mused, his lips curving in something that was not quite a smile, “I shall allow her one last chance.”

The room erupted. The elders shot to their feet in protest, voices rising in outrage. Rederick lifted a single hand, and the room fell silent at once.

“I will allow her to enter the trials,” he continued, his voice turning cold,cutting, “not because of your threats, but because I want to watch your face when shefalls.”

Sylvie stiffened as the words cut through her. Rederick’s eyes gleamed, dark as the abyss.

“Because shewillfall.”

The certainty in his tone sent a chill straight through her bones.

Rederick took a slow, deliberate step forward, his hatred thick in the air between them, tangible as a blade pressed against her throat.

“So do not assume you’ve won anything here today,” His gaze flicked to Axel, his wicked grin deepening. “That you’ve bought her freedom.” He leaned in just slightly. “All you have done is made yourself vulnerable. All you’ve done isoffered her up- for the slaughter.”

The floor beneath Sylvie seemed to disappear, swallowing her up whole.

Rederick’s knowing smile curled like smoke. He tilted his head, savoring the moment before delivering the final blow.

“And when shescreamsfor you…” His eyes flickered. “I will relish watching you suffer her death, knowing there is nothing you can do about it.”

The words landed like a strike of lightning.

Axel’s jaw tightened, his silence more dangerous than any retort.His eyes never left Rederick’s, burning with a fury so raw, so absolute, Sylvie swore she couldfeelit thrumming in her bones.

If there had been any doubt of how Rederick felt about her now, it had been extinguished. His motives were clear - Rederick wasn’t just letting her enter the trials. He was simplywaitingfor her to die in them.

“So know this,” Rederick sneered.“You’ve only delayed the inevitable.”

He smiled in her direction then, his eyes black. She could feel his poison dip in and spread through her veins.

“Let’s go,” Axel said, his voice firm, the steel beneath his tone leaving no room for argument. His hand brushed her elbow as he guided her toward the exit.

Sylvie hesitated, her feet faltering as she turned for one last glance.

Her gaze sought Haldor amidst the throng, drawn to him despite herself.

There he stood, still at Rederick’s side, his broad shoulders rigid, his expression carved from stone. Yet when their eyes met, the mask faltered. A flicker of something unspoken passed between them - a shadow of regret, a glimpse of the boy she used to know before the world had hardened them both. It was fleeting, gone as quickly as it appeared, but it struck her like a blow.

Axel tugged her gently but insistently, steering her out of the suffocating heat of the hall. The air outside was cool, a sharp contrast to the fire raging within her. Her heart twisted painfully, each step away from Haldor feeling like a thread being severed.

Things had changed.

She could feel it in her bones, in the way the air between them had thickened, the way he looked at her now. The weight of it pressed on her chest as she followed Axel, her thoughts a tumult of what had just come to pass and what was now irreparably lost.

Chapter Twenty-Three