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VAHZIRYN

I sweep through the corridors of my estate, tail swishing across the polished floors in a subdued rhythm.

Outside, the sky broods under a cloak of storm clouds, casting the halls in a pale gray light.

The atmosphere inside my domain hasn’t improved since the council’s scouts departed.

If anything, I sense a building tension, like a string pulled taut and ready to snap.

Despite the reprieve from immediate scrutiny, rumors linger, stirring distrust among my staff.

It’s a fragile calm, one I scarcely trust.

I pass a pair of naga guards near the main entrance.

They bow their heads, but I see wariness in their slitted eyes, as though they still expect trouble to emerge from the jungled horizon.

My own wariness hasn’t subsided either—at night, I sleep lightly, half expecting a midnight raid from council zealots.

Yet the push of daily duties forces me to keep functioning, to maintain the facade of normalcy even while I steel myself for the next blow.

I catch fleeting glimpses of Mira throughout the day.

She maintains her calm mask, quietly doing her tasks and avoiding direct confrontation with the staff, but I notice the subtle lines of strain around her eyes.

Whenever we pass in a corridor or courtyard, a pang flares in my chest—guilt, longing, the fierce drive to protect her.

With the council’s departure, we gained a sliver of breathing room, but the knowledge that they might return with evidence or new charges hangs over us like a blade.

This uneasy routine holds until midday, when Sahrine finds me in the eastern wing. Her cane taps against the stone floor, guiding her unseeing eyes with uncanny precision. “My lord,” she says softly, voice taut with concern. “There’s a carriage at the gates. Someone demands to speak with you.”

My tail stills, a flicker of dread sparking along my spine. “A council messenger?”

Her expression twists in uncertainty. “Not quite. The visitor gave a name. Lady Velna.”

A jolt runs through me, every muscle seizing.

My tail lashes the ground in a reflexive, abrupt snap.

Velna. Of all the possibilities, I never expected her to show up unannounced, not after what she did.

My tongue feels thick in my mouth. “Tell the guards to let her in,” I murmur, though fury and old wounds simmer behind each word.

Sahrine tilts her head. “Are you certain? We could deny her?—”

“No,” I interrupt. My voice emerges low, almost a growl. “If she’s come this far, it’s because she knows I won’t ignore her. Let her in. Escort her to the main reception chamber. I’ll deal with her.”

Sahrine’s grip on her cane tightens, but she nods. “As you command.” She pivots to deliver my instructions, leaving me alone in the corridor with my heart pounding and my mind boiling with half-buried memories.

I turn, tail lashing, and make my way to the reception chamber—a modestly grand room I rarely use, lined with tapestries depicting old naga battles.

My arms tense as I cross to the center. A cold weight settles in my chest. Lady Velna was once my betrothed back in the High Nest, a match arranged by families seeking to merge power.

We had grown close in a brittle, careful way, until I refused to carry out certain cruelties against a human servant.

In Velna’s eyes, that small kindness made me weak.

She conspired with assassins to remove me and seize my inheritance.

I barely escaped with my life, the scar near my ribs a permanent reminder of her betrayal.

Now she dares to appear at my door. I rake my claws over my arm bracers, adjusting them to hide the slight tremor in my fingertips. On the outside, I must remain implacable, a warlord in control.

The door swings open, and Sahrine announces Velna’s arrival before stepping back into the shadows.

Velna strides in with regal poise. She’s tall, with shining emerald scales across her forearms and a hood that accentuates the sharp angles of her face.

Her hair—midnight black streaked with faint gold—coils down her back in an elaborate style.

She wears a finely embroidered robe, the insignia of her lineage glinting at her collar.

She pauses, letting her gaze flick around the reception chamber before settling on me. A thin smile curls her lips. “Vahziryn.” The syllables roll off her tongue with a practiced drawl, laced with condescension. “It’s been too long.”

I hold her stare, voice tight. “Long enough. You should have stayed gone.”

Her brow arches, feigning hurt. “Now, now. Is that how you greet an old friend?” She glides closer, each step measured. “Your estate is... simpler than I expected. An exile’s retreat, I suppose.”

My tail coils in a dangerous arc behind me. “State your purpose, Velna. I doubt you traveled across the jungles to admire my walls.”

She laughs quietly, a sound as cold as frosted glass. “Direct. I appreciate that. Yes, I came for reasons more pressing than polite conversation. Word reached me that you’ve been consorting with a human. The council grows curious, or so I’ve heard.”

My heart pounds. The memory of Mira’s warm presence surges in my mind, intensifying my resentment of Velna’s intrusion. “If you rely on rumors,” I say, voice low, “then you waste your time. My domain is free of the council’s meddling.”

She lifts a claw-tipped hand in a dismissive gesture.

“Perhaps for now. But I suspect the rumors ring true.” She prowls around the chamber’s perimeter, brushing her fingers across an old tapestry.

“You’ve always had a soft spot for lesser creatures, haven’t you?

That servant girl in the High Nest, the one you spared.

Then your father’s illusions for your future, which you also betrayed.

” She smirks. “Oh, my apologies—did that sting?”

Rage flares, hot and potent. I step forward, tail snapping against the floor. “I recall your involvement in that fias—” I cut myself off, remembering a vow not to use that word. My lip curls in frustration. “That plot. You tried to kill me after I refused to butcher an innocent.”

Velna’s smile tightens. “You forget, I was following your father’s wishes. He believed mercy a weakness. I merely did what had to be done to preserve our family lines.”

I exhale sharply, chest seizing with old pain. “That attempt forced me into exile, stripped me of the High Nest. We could have resolved matters without blood.”

She shrugs, gaze steely. “I see you still cling to your righteous illusions. Compassion for humans will ruin you. It’s already begun, hasn’t it?

” She inspects her manicured claws, feigning boredom.

“Anyway, I digress. This domain of yours is rumored to host a human you treat with unwarranted favor. Perhaps you even share a bed.”

My breath hisses between parted fangs. “Spread your rumors if you like. The council’s scouts found no proof.”

She stops wandering, meeting my gaze with predatory delight. “And yet you look like a cornered beast. Because you know if I confirm your transgression to the council, they’ll have all the excuse they need to devour what’s left of your reputation. Possibly your domain too.”

Hatred churns in my gut. “What do you want, Velna?”

She smiles, revealing pointed incisors. “Simple. I want your compliance. Offer me your political support in the upcoming nest faction dispute, or I’ll present proof that you’re indulging in a forbidden liaison with a human.

The council is hungry for scandal these days, especially if it means toppling a renegade warlord. ”

A tremor runs down my spine. She’s blackmailing me, threatening to deliver my greatest vulnerability on a platter.

The memory of Mira’s fear, her determination to stand by me, floods my mind.

I can’t let Velna destroy that. Yet the idea of betraying my own moral code or letting this vile woman manipulate me stirs revulsion.

I force a semblance of calm, crossing my arms over my broad chest. “And if I refuse?”

Her emerald scales catch the lamplight as she shifts.

“You know the answer. The council hates you enough. I simply hand them the proof: that you bed a human, that you treat her as something more. They’d descend on your estate, tear your domain from you, and punish your ‘pet’ as well.

” She arches her brow. “Is that what you desire?”

My tail flicks, a cold sweat gathering at the base of my neck. “You have no real proof.”

She laughs, a brittle sound. “We both know how these things work. Enough whispers, a few well-placed testimonies from staff or your father’s old allies, and the council won’t need physical evidence.

They’ll convict you on principle.” Her expression darkens with triumph.

“Your staff’s loyalty is suspect. Some of them remember how you treat humans with too much leniency.

Give me time, and I’ll find a traitor willing to spill everything. ”

A thousand curses burn my tongue, but I keep them locked behind clenched teeth. My posture stiffens. “So you want me to endorse your position in the nest faction dispute. In return, you remain silent about my personal affairs.”

She spreads her hands, mocking innocence. “You see how neatly it can be resolved? Ensure I gain the seat of power I seek in the High Nest, and I’ll keep your little secret.”

I weigh my options in a frantic swirl. If I yield, I become her puppet, endorsing a vile figure who tried to kill me once. If I refuse, she has the means to ruin me and endanger Mira’s life. My tail thrashes in frustration, mind spinning. Velna’s smirk reveals how she basks in my turmoil.

A memory surfaces of the time I found Mira shaking after a nightmare, the raw trust in her eyes when she turned to me for comfort. The power of that moment intensifies my resolve. I will not let Velna’s blackmail tear me from what I cherish now. Perhaps I can stall or outmaneuver her.