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Callum leaned against the stone wall, flipping a dagger between his fingers. His voice dropped. “She’s our key to understanding the Forgotten. Her mother is one of them. Do whatever it takes—she’ll need a friend. Someone she trusts. Especially while she’s marrying that mind reader.”

Ellison winced, whipping his head side to side. “What is that ringing in my head?”

Callum stiffened. “Someone has breached the institute.”

I held my breath, staying as still as possible as the two scanned the corridor. Even Ellison glanced toward the ajar dungeon door before they bolted past me.

I ran down the west wing, heart pounding in my ears. I nearly tripped over a slumped journalist, a quill dangling from his fingers.

I grabbed his shoulder. “Where’s Cully Blanche?”

He blinked blearily, barely conscious, and pointed down the hall. “Three doors down. He’s on rest but I’m on call if— ”

“No. I need Cully.”

The clang of boots echoed behind me, getting closer. I sprinted to the door and shoved it open. “Cully!”

He jolted upright in bed, eyes bleary. “Sev? What the hell—it’s the middle of the night.”

“I need you. We’re leaving.”

He groaned, raking a hand through his sleep-mussed hair. “Leave for where?”

“I’ll explain once you’re up.”

“If I leave, I’m blacklisted from the Serpent Press. I’m already on thin ice.”

“Cully, please.” My voice cracked. “You’re the only one I trust.”

Cully crossed his arms. “Oh no. Not that look.”

“You wrote the truth,” I said, voice low and fast. “And they buried you for it. You uncovered the biggest story of the year, and they shoved you into slush reports. That’s not politics, Cully. That’s punishment.”

He stared at me, the sharpness in his eyes dulling with something closer to resignation. Then, with a sigh, he yanked his cloak off the chair. “Fine. I’ll come with you. But if we get caught, I’m blaming everything on your dramatic ass.”

“You’ll thank me later,” I muttered, already tugging him toward the door.

We crept into the corridor, every footstep absorbed by stone and shadow. The air was thick, heavy with old magic and the risk of being caught. I barely breathed.

Then it came, the hiss of metal unsheathing behind us. I spun around, shoving Cully behind me. Flame surged to my fingertips, pulsing like a second heartbeat.

A figure stepped into view, sword raised, curls spilling like fire down her shoulders.

“Myla,” I whispered, my voice catching. “It’s me. ”

Her blade didn’t drop. “You broke the wards.”

I stilled. Before I could speak, another voice drifted from the darkness, calm and venom-laced. “Well, well,” Callum said, emerging with a lazy saunter. “A lost heir, sneaking through the Institute like a common thief,” said Callum.

Flame coiled higher. I clenched my jaw, forcing it back.

And then Ellison stepped into the light like he’d been waiting. “Why are you here?” he asked.

I swallowed hard. “I came to find Ellison,” I said, pulse hammering. “To apologize for earlier.”

Ellison tilted his head. “You came all this way to apologize?”

“Yes,” I snapped, sharper than I meant. “Because I owed you that much.” I smiled.

Callum’s gaze sharpened. “And what, exactly, are you doing in a journalist’s dorm?”

“He wrote about me. About Archer,” I said. “I needed to make things clear.”

Cully opened his mouth. “Severyn’s my—”

“Friend,” I cut in, too fast. “We’re friends.”

Callum raised a brow. “You risked your life for a midnight apology and a friend?”

“The constant darkness makes me restless.”

He laughed under his breath. “Endearing.” His voice turned sharp. “Still don’t believe you.”

Screw it. Time for chaos. I turned to Ellison. “Funny, I could’ve sworn I heard you talking about seducing me earlier. What was it—something about pretending to be my friend?”

His face drained of color. “What? I would never do that.”

“To be clear,” I said, lifting my chin, “if you don’t let me walk out of here, I’ll tell your lead guard exactly what you’ve been up to. ”

Callum stepped forward, blade raised. But the steel halted midair. He stared down at his own arm, frozen in place. “What the—?”

Myla hadn’t moved. But frost bloomed along the floor beneath her boots, her power humming like winter’s breath.

“Severyn Blanche is free to go,” came Charles’s voice from the shadows, slicing through the silence.

I didn’t wait. I grabbed Cully’s arm and bolted for the exit.

Charles’s voice echoed behind us. “Break our wards again, and we won’t hesitate. Kill first, that’s the rule. It’s kinder than what comes next.”

“I know the rules,” I muttered as the door slammed shut behind us. “You’re the one who lives by them.”

We tore across the courtyard, dew collecting on our boots. By the time we reached the outskirts, Naraic was already waiting.

Cully stopped dead in his tracks. “No. No, no, no. I don’t fly.”

“You’ve read everything there is to know about dragons. Apply it.”

“Reading and riding are not the same!”

“You won’t fall. I promise. Right, Naraic?”

Cully stared at the dragon like he was staring into death itself. “He died. He didn’t die? Then, does that mean Klaus—?”

“Klaus is gone,” I said softly. “But Naraic survived. He’s mine now.”

I stepped closer. “Cully, you believed in me when I couldn’t. Don’t stop now.”

He groaned. “Screw it.”

He took off at a sprint, scrambling up Naraic’s tail like a drunk mountain goat, then face-planted into his spine. Groaning, he lifted one arm like a shaky war hero. “Okay. I’m on. This is happening. I hate this. Let’s go. ”

“Tail first? Really?” Naraic muttered through the bond. “I feel... violated.”

I hoisted myself up in front of Cully. “Hold on. And don’t look down.”

His fingers dug into Naraic’s scales, hands trembling. “This thing is massive. Holy realms.”

“I love being insulted,” Naraic grumbled. “Massive? Not majestic? Not fearsome? Just... massive.”

“Ready?” I asked, ignoring him.

“Absolutely not,” said Cully.

Naraic thundered across the plains and launched into the air. Cully clung to me, nails biting into my sides, his breath coming in short, sharp gasps. Frost-laced wind tore across our faces as we climbed higher into the clouds, and everything became silent.

That was what I appreciated about Cully—he didn’t talk when there was nothing worth saying. Lately, I wasn’t one for talking either.

I glanced back. “You alright?”

He was pale. “Just trying to figure out how my little sister got so... bold.” He exhaled. “The Academy broke you, didn’t it?”

I hesitated. “I thought it did. But it also made me feel more alive than I ever had. Pain, love, friendship... it breaks you. But sometimes in the best way.”

He didn’t answer right away.

“I hope Father’s okay,” he said finally. “Without the sun, rebuilding Colindale will take years.”

My voice dropped. “Father bartered me for marriage, Cully. Did you know?”

“ Ah , yeah, I guess. I found out during my first year at Valscribe,” he admitted. “Every barter is recorded. I wanted to tear the parchment up. Father told me it was handled and to never speak of it again. ”

“Well,” I muttered, “now Damien Lynch has claimed his heir. And I’m supposed to marry him.”

“That’s bullshit. You’re a Serpent, well, an heir, but still. The Night Serpent would have to agree. It’s a union between three.”

“What if the Night Serpent is in prison?” I asked. “Does he still get a say?”

He sighed. “That complicates things... Yeah, that really complicates things. Shit, I’m sorry about that damn article. I only wanted your story to be epic. I saw the way he looked at you and I did what I thought was right.”

“I won’t marry Damien,” I seethed. “I won’t be the sacrifice to save Colindale, not even a single finger.”

“What’s the alternative?” he asked. “Look... I’m not in favor of it, but it’s still your home.”

“I don’t know,” I whispered, wind biting the words away. “But there must be another way. I won’t marry a man who lied to me.”

“You shouldn’t,” he said softly. “But part of me wonders if this is all my fault.”

His words lingered in the cold air like mist. I let out a slow breath. “Yeah, Cully. I won’t lie... but I’m not upset. It was the truth.”

“I’ll fix it,” he said, voice low with resolve. “I swear to it.”

I didn’t think it could be fixed.

We flew in silence for hours, crossing lands both lush and scorched. The sky darkened slowly, until the storm hit without warning. One moment, the horizon was clear. The next, it vanished.

A wall of white swallowed us whole. Wind howled in shrill bursts, slamming into us with ice-laced fury. The temperature plummeted. Every breath scraped through my lungs like shards .

Snow blurred everything, and Naraic’s wings strained to hold. “I can’t see,” I muttered, squinting into the void. “Can we land?”

Black smoke curled from his nostrils as he fought the gusts. “No. But if we don’t, we might not survive this blizzard.”

The wind shrieked louder. I clutched tighter to his spine, fingers numb, limbs aching. The sky screamed like it wanted us gone.

We skimmed a frozen ridge before slamming down and crashing against the slope. I hit the ground with a grunt, frost biting into every inch of skin. My knees stung as I scrambled upright, brushing ice from my sleeves.

“Well,” I muttered, surveying the desolate white stretch, “with a little fire, this could almost be cozy.”

Naraic snorted.

Cully gave him a look. “I can’t read your dragon’s mind, but I’m pretty sure we’re both thinking the same thing—this is completely insane. There’s nothing out here but snow and death.”

“We grew up in snow,” I said, shrugging. “We’ll build a shelter. Like the old explorers.”

He blinked. “A snow shelter? Sev, we grew up in a castle. With servants. What part of that makes you think we can build a snow shelter with bare hands while stranded on a Serpent’s land?”

I turned toward the bleak horizon, eyes scanning for anything that might offer cover. “Whose land is this?”