Page 66 of Daughter of the Serpent

His eyes dimmed, the gleam in them fading. “Why?”

“Runa warned me not to raise further suspicion,” she murmured. “The elders are looking for any excuse to expel me from the trials - to disprove my innocence. If they see me showing favor to a man, ordoing anything out of line with my commissions it could lead to me in the temple dungeons rather than the trials.”

He frowned. “But we grew up together, have been friends since our dedication - what could they possibly suspect?”

She gnawed at her lip at his response. Even though she knew it would be unlikely that the gods would choose them to be divine counterparts - was the idea of a deeper connection between them so unthinkable?

“Perhaps I am a fool to believe you are capable of looking at me in such a light, but Runa gave warning. The elders could mistake our closeness for something more - something forbidden. I cannot give space for chance.”

His eyes darkened. “And what of the Hazier warrior? Are they to separate you from him, as well?”

“That’s different, and you know it.” She said quickly.

“Is it?” He scoffed, his jaw tightening.

Her eyes met his. “He is to train me - prepare me for what’s ahead.”

“I don’t trust him, Sylvie, and neither should you. You’d be wise to keep your distance.”

Haldor began to pace, his movements tight, restrained. Even the mention of Axel seemed to harden his stance, his shoulders drawn taut like a bowstring. “It’s too convenient,” he continued, his voice edged with suspicion. “That he should arrive here, right in your hour of need. That he hails from a clan long extinct - one with no witnesses to confirm or deny his identity, let alone his motives.” He exhaled sharply, shaking his head. “For your sake, I hope I’m wrong. But if I’m right, you cannot trust anything he says. Stay watchful. Stay alert.”

Sylvie nodded, turning his words over in her mind.

“Is this really why you came to find me?” she asked, weariness pressing into her bones. “To air more of your suspicions? To remind me yet again how little control I have over any of this?”

He turned to her, his expression dark. “I say these things to keep you safe.”

“I know.” Her voice softened, though the frustration still lingered beneath. “But there’s nothing I can do to change it.”

His lips parted as if to argue, but he only clenched his jaw. A muscle ticked in his cheek. “If he tries anything - ”

“I will find you.” She lifted a hand before he could finish, cutting him off with a knowing look. For all her irritation with Haldor, she couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling curling in her gut. Because,gods help her, what if he was right?

What if this warrior from the north had not just crossed her path by chance - but was bound to her fate in ways she had yet to understand?

Chapter Twelve

That night when Sylvie’s head hit the pillow, she found herself somewhere else entirely. Instead of the usual blissful darkness that awaited within the thick of her exhaustion, she found herself in a vast, open field bathed in warm light. Yet it was not normal sunlight that kissed her skin. The air shimmered with an iridescent quality that seemed to pulse with its own heartbeat - each beam, its own essence, emanating music and laughter. She could sense the magic in this place, sending a tingling sensation across her soul. Her feet cushioned into plush earth, the ground covered in lush emerald grass that seemed to sparkle and gleam.

She felt him before she saw him, the uncomfortable pin pricks that assaulted her scalp and traveled down her spine announcing his presence. In the center of the field he stood, his demeanor commanding, and yet somewhat changed. His usual scowl curved into amusement, his shoulders less ridgid. His cloak billowed around him in the breeze, and his eyes glimmered, irises full of fire. She had expected to see him with sword in hand, ax at his side - yet his hands were empty.

"Welcome.” Axel's voice was deep, carrying a warmth that made her feel both at ease and alert.

“What is this place?” Sylvie asked, her eyes rovering around in fascination.

"The dreamtime.” He stated simply, his hand outstretched to showcase the beauty. “And this is our new training ground. We will meet here each night, in your dreamstate to train not your body, but your magic. It is the only way I can prepare you in time for what awaits you.”

“You’re in mymind?” Sylvie’s eyes widened in sudden horror. She didn’t know how she felt about such vulnerability - such a barrier crossed.

Could he read her thoughts, see her memories?

“Do not fear, I can only access your dreams.” He reaffirmed. “Nothing else.”

“You can enter my dreams?”

“Yes, but that is not where we are.” He told her. “I accessed your energy and created an opening to your subconscious mind. I was able to create the foothold for the dream - and magic did the rest. It is what many of my people of old used to do so we could train and learn even in our sleeping hours - it’s how many of us got to become as skilled as we were.”

“That is…”