Page 201 of Daughter of the Serpent

The guilt had lived in her quietly for so long, she hadn’t noticedhow deeply it had burrowed - festering like a wound left untended, raw at the edges. Not just for what happened that night at the rebirth, but for how her choices had rippled outward, reshaping Hjalmarr’s life in ways she could never take back. She had harbored so much shame for her actions - and now, somehow Axel had liberated her from them all.

She turned back to Axel, blinking hard.

He didn’t look at her, as he made himself useful, as if he had no idea how much this had meant. As if he had no comprehension of what he had just done.

He hadn’t just taught her to fight.

He hadn’t just prepared her for the trials.

He had given her something so much more.

A way to let go.

Of the guilt. Of her mistakes. Of everything.

Despite herself - despite the armor she’d built to hold the anger - her heart cracked open.

She took a breath. Stepped forward -

But a hand caught her arm.

“Don’t.” Haldor said, his voice low, threading into her thoughts like an unwelcome guest. “Take your place at my side. You’re not safe with him.”

Hjalmarr tensed, jaw tightening, but Sylvie placed a hand lightly on his arm - a silent reassurance. After a pause, he gave her a look of reluctant trust and stepped aside, granting her space.

She turned back to Haldor and met his gaze - burning, intense, possessive.

Was he right?

Was she safe with Axel- with anyone?

Her heart, traitorous and defiant, didn’t know what to believe. It ached with too many truths. Too many emotions, clouding her judgement.

But with the fierceness of Haldors eyes, realitycame crashing back.

Despite Axel’s actions, it didn’t erase the betrayal. The lies. The wound he’d carved into her heart.

He had only wished to use her to gain what he seeked.

And Haldor - he had hurt her too. In his silence. In his betrayal. In his failure to support her when it mattered most.

They were both guilty of deception, deceit - shadows stitched into her bones, not easily abandoned.

She met Haldor’s gaze, her voice cool and steady. “And am I safe with you?”

He didn’t answer.

The horn’s call shattered the moment. A deep, ancient sound, rolling across the bay like thunder. It echoed through her bones, pulling her back to the present.

They were leaving.

As the warriors assembled, Sylvie moved to the helm, leaving Haldor, Hjalmarr, and Axel behind her. Her fingers curled around the worn wood, rough with age, sacred with history. Her heart thundered. Her eyes found the shoreline - perhaps for the last time.

The village glowed in the pale morning light. Fishing nets strung along wooden poles. Thatched rooftops weathered by time. The cobbled paths where she once ran barefoot as a child. The market square where Sonya sold her wares. Every corner was stitched with memory.

It had been her home - even in its cruelty, in its severity, even when it broke her.

And still, it tugged at her. Called her name.