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“Who’s buying nevals?” My voice shook, and I struggled to choke down the tears threatening to spill. “It’s just a birthmark—it means nothing!”

But the truth clawed at my chest. My mother was bartered like a trinket.

Detria’s voice dropped, edged with disdain.

“The neval mark comes from a single bloodline, much like our scorpion enigmas. If someone wants all the nevals, it’s not our concern what they do after we catch one.

” His gaze slid to Archer. “I couldn’t care less whether Severyn lives or dies, but I’d watch yourself, Serpent.

Being bonded to something like that could stain your reputation.

Anything worth hunting is only good for food… or gold.”

Another scavenger, his dirt-caked fingers curling like talons, sneered. “We’ll gladly take her off your hands, sir. We know plenty of places to bury her bones.”

The Bribers vanished, their spheres cracking against the ground, and the scavengers spread out, muttering strange chants under their breath. Panic rose in my throat as my knees gave out, the weight of my silk gown folding beneath me.

Kian reached me first, his hand steady on my shoulder. “Bastards,” he spat. “They’ve got no dignity. Don’t let them get to you. My father’s probably already tracking them. They won’t get far. For the record, I think your neval mark is badass. ”

I could barely hear him over the pounding in my ears. “Did you know?” I asked Archer. “Did you know my bloodline was hunted?”

Archer’s expression remained unreadable. “All marks mean something,” he said carefully. “We don’t know much about nevals. Klaus had the mark, but we never left the academy. Your mother has it too—” He broke off, flicking his wrist.

In a blink, we stood in the shadow of his estate near the gardens.

“A scavenger either found your mother or stole her,” he said at last, his voice low. “It’s hard to believe Lynwood’s claim that she was born among scavengers. It’s unheard of for them to have quells. Whoever her parents were, they didn’t want to be found.”

I clutched my arms to still their trembling. “Or they were killed. They said their buyer already has me.” My voice cracked, my vision swimming with the blur of Archer’s blue eyes as he leaned closer.

I needed answers, but I couldn’t risk the academy’s expulsion by leaving to find my mother. My mother had hidden me, locked me away in North Colindale. She knew. She must have known.

Had she married my father, hoping his blood would suppress hers? Had she hoped the griffin riders’ weaker bloodline would shield me from whatever curse I carried?

Archer’s voice pulled me from my spiraling thoughts. “I’m with you, Severyn. I will… protect you with my life. I swear it.”

His words carried an unfamiliar softness that sent a shiver down my spine, though I wasn’t sure if it was fear or something else. Before I could respond, Kian’s voice broke through the tension, his steps hurried as he jogged toward us.

“You could’ve portaled me too, ass. I am your brother.”

Archer turned, his irritation flickering as he pointed a hand at Kian, showering him in faint starlight. “Not now, Kian. ”

I pressed a hand to my stomach, nausea twisting with the weight of everything. As I doubled over, Archer’s cool shadow grazed my forehead, soothing the worst of it.

“Who uses Bribers?” I asked, my voice strained.

Archer’s composure held firm. “The Bribers cause trouble across the realms. Serpents sometimes pay them to settle debts or failed bids.” He hesitated, as though choosing his next words carefully.

“Are you warded from speaking about it?” I pressed. “I deserve to know. I’m not weak, Archer.” His hand, steady and deliberate, moved to the small of my back.

His darkness was still—so still it felt as though even the air dared not stir around him.

“We’ve been fighting a century-long war for Verdonia’s lands,” he said finally.

“The Forgotten Children want to reclaim what they believe is theirs. Centuries ago, when settlers arrived in Verdonia, they gained quells from the lands they were born into. But not everyone fit neatly into a realm. Some bonded with creatures—scorpions, snakes, spiders. They were outcasted, shoved into any realm that would take them.”

His voice grew quieter, darker. “The outcasts’ power frightened the king.

When Cleminore took the throne, she turned on her own children, deeming them too dangerous.

Most fled before they could be killed. The Forgotten have returned for revenge.

But before that, they cursed the lands, severing them between seasons, light, and darkness.

The original six God’s blood created the borders of the realms.”

“And my birthmark?” I asked.

Archer’s gaze bore into mine, unyielding. “Most nevals carry forbidden power. That’s why they’re after you.”

I bit my lip, tasting blood. “So the Bribers are working with the Forgotten? ”

He shook his head. “I think the king is behind this. He found your mother and stripped her of her power. And now, he’s singled you out. Damien might be involved—”

“No,” I said sharply. “He wouldn’t betray me.”

Archer sighed, pressing his fingers to his temples. “I need you to keep being his friend. He can’t know we suspect him.”

I clenched my fists. “You’ve warded our conversations, but I can’t stop him from reading my thoughts.”

“You’re safe with me,” he said softly.

The unspoken tension between us lingered like a live wire. I dared to wonder—what were we? Allies? Enemies? Something in between?

Kian crossed his arms. “If you’re done conspiring, can we eat? I’m starving.”

Archer rolled his eyes but nodded. “Then we shall eat.”

Dinner was roasted chicken, steamed broccoli, and some southern delicacy of spiced peaches.

I’d helped myself to seconds, even reaching for thirds of the peaches.

The food at the academy was nothing compared to this, and the North never had any spices imported, at least not a large enough variety to be considered a delicacy.

I wondered how the second harvest went back home—if Sivil had planted a lush garden, if her daughters’ eyes lit up when they saw the basket of cabbage, knowing their bellies would be full that night. Today was a celebration for every land, and the Summer borders didn’t seem starved for food.

The aide joined us for dinner as if she were part of the Lynch family, and that told me everything I needed to know about them.

Kian was polite, even offering to take care of the dishes so the aide could have the rest of the night off.

I’d learned her name was Della, and she was a refuge from a barren Spring realm.

She’d lost her quell when the Forgotten raided her village.

After dinner, I sat in the bath for an hour, soothing my sore legs. The bruises and welts from Skyfall had dulled to a light brown. Slowly, I was healing, inside and out.

Archer had left a shirt of his for me to wear to bed. After my bath, I noticed the flicker of light under his doorway. The floorboards creaked as I went to the spare room and crawled into the unfamiliar bed, believing I had never touched such soft sheets as I sank into them.

I tried not to think of Damien and how wrong and na?ve I was to believe he wanted to help me.

Power. He had chosen power. He was too kind for a cruel world, and I was too accepting of a friend—for anything he wanted to be. I would have taken those silent walks to class and believed I had found worth. I knew I deserved more, and maybe I found myself along the way.

I tugged those white sheets over my chest and glanced out the darkened windows.

Glass . He was everywhere. Everywhere, I did not want him to exist. He was my cup at dinner that held my water, the reflection in the mirror.

Could he see me now? Could my anger reach him from this far away, across the ocean?

“I’m pissed at you,” I huffed under my breath.

Pissed didn’t do my rage justice. I was done, but I still had to be his friend. I had to keep it up until I knew why, and this wasn’t because Archer had told me. It was because nothing would soothe my restless mind besides an answer I was satisfied with.

Sleep pulled me under its heavy wing, but nightmares held me there, clawing at my mind. I dreamt of a scorpion, its claws sinking into Klaus’s chest, its venom stealing the life from him. I woke screaming, my heart racing as shadows danced along the room’s edges .

The door slammed open, and Archer strode in, shirtless, a dagger clenched tightly in his hand—the same one he’d confiscated from under my dress earlier. His chest rose and fell with sharp breaths, his gaze sweeping every corner of the room.

“Why are you screaming?” he demanded, his voice edged with panic. His eyes darted from shadow to shadow, seeking danger.

With a hand over my heart, I managed, “Nightmare.”

His shoulders relaxed, and he lowered the blade, though his knuckles remained white around the hilt. “You scared me. I thought someone had broken in.”

I sat up, running trembling fingers through my hair. “I dreamt… a scorpion killed Klaus. It felt real, like it was my enigma that did it.” The words tumbled from my lips, disjointed and raw.

Archer moved closer, the tension in his frame slowly unwinding. “You’re safe,” he murmured. “I’ve warded the entire estate.” He gestured to the bed, where faint shadows curled protectively along the edges, almost alive.

I watched him, his silhouette stark against the dim light. “Tell me your nightmares,” I said softly, the vulnerability in my voice surprising even me. “Tell me something that makes me believe you feel anything at all.”

His throat bobbed as he swallowed, and for a moment, I thought he wouldn’t answer.

“I don’t like bats,” he admitted, his voice quieter now.

“They swarm my entire realm. Sometimes, I dream they’re destroying my village while I’m away.

And…” His voice faltered before he continued.

“Losing Klaus nearly killed me. For months, I couldn’t find a reason to smile.

But yesterday…” His eyes softened, meeting mine.

“Yesterday was the first time I smiled, truly smiled, since his death. And it was because of you. That’s selfish to admit, I know, because his death led me to you. But it’s the truth. ”

The words left me stunned, a knot tightening in my chest. “I’ll never be happy Klaus died,” I whispered, my voice breaking. “Knowing me… it wasn’t worth his life.”

Archer leaned against the doorframe as though it was the only thing keeping him upright. “You asked for real, Severyn.”

“I know.” My voice wavered. “Did Klaus… want us to be friends?”

His hesitation was brief, but telling. “Yes,” he said, stepping into the room, as though the very act required courage. “He did.”

I exhaled slowly, the shadows above me seeming to shift and settle. “And if we became… more than friends?”

His gaze didn’t waver, the weight of it pinning me to the bed. “He’d suspect the possibility.”

“Klaus was a Seeker, wasn’t he?” I asked, the question tentative. Naraic’s cryptic words echoed in my mind, and I wondered if Archer carried the burden of knowing my brother had been touched by a forbidden power.

Archer’s expression darkened. “They burned everything he wrote,” he said, his voice tight.

My eyes drifted to his ribs, where Klaus’s name was etched in delicate script beneath his heart. “Not everything.”

For a moment, neither of us spoke. The silence was heavy, the weight of unspoken fears pressing against my chest. I thought of my own life—a tangle of secrets and shadows, of broken dreams that never seemed to hold their shape. Would they burn my belongings too, when I was gone?

Archer stood beside my bed, the shadows clinging to his form like ink painted onto muscle. It was as though the darkness itself had sculpted him, every line and contour sharpened by its embrace.

“You should go back to sleep,” he said, his voice low, almost a plea. “Before I lose the will to leave you alone.”

I hesitated for only a heartbeat. “Then don’t leave. ”

The words hung in the air between us, daring, vulnerable.

Archer sank to his knees beside the bed, as though the weight of everything tethering him to this moment was too much to bear.

His voice was barely above a whisper when he said, “You are my only warmth, Severyn Blanche. The only warmth I desire.” His breath shuddered as he closed his eyes, his hand brushing the edge of the mattress. “And I am desperately lost.”

For the rest of the night, his shield of darkness lingered over me, a silent protector. He slept on the floor, his presence steady, unyielding. And for the first time, I wondered if he was the only shadow I would ever welcome.

The last piece of Klaus was written on his body, etched into his skin, a memory he carried for both of us.