Page 19 of Severed Heir (The Serpent Heir #2)

“Jace is probably off trimming hedges at the school of Horticulture. His father’s some top-tier professor of leaves or whatever.”

Myla sighed. “Why are our love lives cursed?” Her eyes flicked to me. “Your brother hasn’t said a damn word to me since he found out we were friends.”

I kept quiet, but Antonia cocked her head. “We all know Severyn had a rider bond. It’s probably faint now, unless he’s your truemate.”

Myla’s jaw dropped. “You and who?”

“It’s nothing,” I said quickly.

She slapped her hand down on the kitchen table. “Who did you form a rider bond with? That’s against first-year rules. ”

Antonia smiled. “The one and only, Archer Lynch.”

I didn’t acknowledge her assumption. “What is a truemate?”

“Legend says every Serpent ruler has a truemate,” Antonia added. “The one person who guarantees the bloodline will be strong. It’s like an urban legend.”

“And how do you know when it’s them?”

“No one but rulers know. They don’t flaunt their vulnerabilities. But some say that the moment they take the crown, they hear a voice in their mind.”

Antonia yawned with a stretch. “Portals and feelings make me exhausted. I’m going to bed.”

There was no way I was letting her leave after dropping that information on me. I asked, “Wait. Does every Serpent have a truemate?”

She nodded. “Unfortunately for you, a truemate is normally pureblooded from the realm they rule over. But sometimes a Serpent can’t resist those temptations. Now that he’s no longer at the academy, he has all the time to find her if he so desires.”

Archer had a truemate. And now I felt every shade of jealousy. Antonia saw it written across my face.

As she stood, she added, “But between you and me, I heard rumors it was Delair.”

“Delair?” I asked, too quickly. “Why do you say that?”

“She was a strong shadow wielder. They were close. I think they hooked up a few times at the Academy.” She shrugged, smiling faintly. “But who really knows? Legends, right?”

I wondered if I knew Archer at all. Was he grieving Delair? Was he pretending not to be? And then came the guilt. Of course he was upset, she’d been chosen as his lead.

I nodded as she turned for bed, knowing I’d get nothing more from her. Myla stayed behind, her eyes trained on the dark swirl in her mug .

“Fraser’s the only one who gets my tea right,” she murmured. “Cully never steeps it long enough.”

The warmth rising in my chest had nothing to do with the tea. I waited until I heard the door click shut upstairs, then took off Kian’s jacket and draped it over the banister.

“Cully can list every book ever printed and recite the glue formula that binds them,” I said. “But he struggles with the little things. The things that make him feel human instead of just... pages and ink.”

My gaze drifted toward the stairs. “He loves poetry. Always wants a happy ending—even when the story doesn’t deserve one.”

Myla smiled faintly. “And what are you in a story? The flame born within ice. And me?”

“I think we’re both just as lost,” I said quietly.

Silence settled between us. Then, slowly, I let her see me—not the heir, not the outcast. Just the girl buried beneath it all.

She finished her tea with a quiet shake of her head. “I’m sorry I chose Bridger over you. If I could go back..."

I reached out, stopping her gently. “Myla, I have to tell you something.”

Soon, everyone would know. I’d let Cully write it. Tomorrow we’d search the land. And after that... I’d leave for Night.

But I wanted her to hear it first.

Her fingers curled around the mug, her expression wary as firelight painted flickers across her cheeks. “You can tell me anything,” she said softly.

“When Damien died… we were in the Night realm. Near Demetria. The Malvoria guards were there. Do you remember any of that? ”

She tucked a braid behind her ear, brows furrowed. “Sort of. Charles said something happened to me. That I... lost it after arriving in Malvoria. I’m sorry, Sev. I just... I can’t remember.”

“I was there. I saw you... you were under some kind of trance.” I paused, my breath catching. “But the Malvoria army— they were after the lindworm Archer hid on his land. I kept one of the eggs we found in the caves,”

“I don’t understand.”

Slowly, I turned my shoulder, letting the charred scraps of my leather suit fall enough to reveal the fine lines of the serpent that coiled from my spine to my ribs.

The cup slipped from Myla’s grasp, shattering against the floor. She stumbled back a step, wide-eyed. “Severyn…” she gasped. “Are you—are you an heir?”

“The heir of Night,” I whispered, the words burning against my tongue. “But it must stay a secret. I’m not returning to Malvoria. Once we’re done here, I’ll head to Demetria. My new home.”

Myla reached out to touch my mark. “May I?” she asked, her voice soft. I nodded, wincing as she brushed her fingers over the raised mark. “It looks infected,” she said.

I sucked in a breath. “I think it’s rejecting me. I have no true shadow blood.” My voice cracked. “It hurts. Most days.”

She pulled her hand back like she’d been burned. “This is… crazy. You’re Archer’s heir. That’s why all the Night students, and Antonia were sentenced to Malvoria.”

Before I could answer, the front doors slammed open. Two figures staggered through the gust. One was Father, slumped heavily against the second, Charles.

Panic cut through me the moment I saw my father. His skin was ash-pale, his body trembling violently as Charles kicked the door shut behind them .

“Severyn, blankets. Now,” he barked. “Myla—your quell will only worsen his condition. Upstairs.”

Myla flinched but obeyed without a word, darting up the steps. I raced to the closet, grabbing every blanket I could carry, then rushed back.

Father looked... broken. His beard tangled with twigs and frost, his boots half-frozen. His eyes flicked between Charles and me, hollow and barely lucid.

I knelt beside him, wrapping a blanket around his shaking frame. Carefully, I hovered my hand against his cheek, coaxing the faintest bit of warmth from my flame without searing him.

He caught my wrist, squeezing it weakly. “I’m alright, Severyn.”

I didn’t believe he was. “What happened?” I asked, voice hoarse. But Father only moaned, the words lost in his throat.

Charles crouched beside us, voice grim. “What do you think happened, Severyn? Your Serpent’s father came back. He reclaimed his sun.” His gaze dropped to the mark peeking from my torn sleeve. “Your mark is showing. Did you tell Myla?”

I tugged the blanket tighter around my shoulders, feeling the sting of tears pressing behind my eyes. “What can I do? Tell me. I’ll do anything.”

Charles opened his mouth to speak, but Father raised a hand, cutting him off. “Severyn… I need you to find me an heir.”

I stared at him, lost. “I—I don’t understand.”

Charles pressed his thumb against his temple. “Father, she’s exactly like Mother. She can’t be trusted. She needs to be placed under Malvoria’s command.”

Father’s head lifted slightly, his stare clear for the first time. “Severyn was chosen to be a Serpent. It’s in her blood.”

“How?” I rasped. “How can I find you an heir?”

“The final trial. I need to ensure a Winter student wins. ”

I pressed my heated palm to Father’s forehead, panic knotting in my chest. “I don’t understand what you’re asking. I’m not a student at Serpent anymore.”

“Attend the final trial. Wield the snake at the right moment, Severyn. As you did when you claimed your heirship.”

Charles scoffed, voice sharp. “Yes, let’s speak louder of treason. I quite enjoy it.”

I glared at my eldest brother. “Well, I’m being forced into the Malvoria guards. What happens there should be considered torture.”

Charles’s mouth tightened. I caught the flicker of hesitation in his gaze—like maybe, just maybe, he was trying to protect me.

Father leaned heavily against the gray velvet couch, the color bleeding slowly back into his cheeks. I worried how long his strength would last. “Charles has no right to hold a Serpent against their will," he said.

But Charles crossed his arms, not backing down.

“Keeping Severyn under Malvoria’s watch is for her safety.

People are wondering why every Night student was hauled to Malvoria.

It is only a matter of time before the truth comes out.

” He narrowed his eyes at me. “If she declares her title publicly, the power her words could carry…”

A wave of fury lashed through me. “I earned my title. I’ll be damned if anyone believes it was handed to me.”

Charles’s voice dropped, low and cold. “Let me be curt, Severyn. If you leave the Malvoria guards, I won’t protect you when your heirship is challenged. The punishment is prison… or death. Worse than being stripped of your quell, might I add.”

My throat burned. “Your institute is worse than death. The dungeons? It’s barbaric.” I stood, my fists trembling. “In case you’re wondering, I’ve spent every night scrubbing blood and guts from the floor. ”

Charles’s hand shot out, grabbing my wrist. “Perhaps that’s why your title will be questioned. Because you weren’t ready.”

The words sliced deep.

I jerked away, my voice cutting sharper than frost. “At least I made it further than you. You sold yourself and our family for badges. When this land dies, Charles, it’ll be your fault because you gave up.”

Rage flashed across his face. “How dare you,” he spat. “I didn’t have a choice.”

“And neither did I,” I hissed. “But I still fight for this place. I’m here. And I’ll be the one who saves it. So, fuck you, and that institute.”

Without waiting for his answer, I turned and headed for the stairs. I didn’t look back. Not once. Charles never believed in me. It was him all along who was forcing me to attend that institute.

I passed Fraser slumped against the wall, snoring softly. Antonia sprawled across the spare bed, hoarding every blanket. I stifled a laugh, because she’d clearly kicked him out. He seemed like the type to give the shirt off his back, even if someone stole his bed in return.

Upstairs, Myla was curled in the corner of my bed, half-buried beneath the red silk duvet. I slid in beside her, letting the familiar weight of home settle over me like snowfall.

For the first time in weeks, I let my Serpent mark breathe. Archer had wanted me to stay in Malvoria. He’d known I wasn’t ready, that claiming my heirship would turn the world’s gaze toward Night—and him.

But I couldn’t stay hidden while my home withered.

I thought about pleading with Victor, begging him to return the Northern sun. But I knew better now. Father had taught me never barter with a Lynch .

Beside me, Myla stirred, her voice thick with sleep. “My friend’s a Serpent,” she mumbled, like that was the only truth that mattered.

A breath of a smile touched my lips. “You might be the only one who still believes in me,” I whispered, the words barely reaching the dark. Then I let my eyes fall shut, sinking into the familiar shape of my old bed.