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But he was already stepping forward. Her hand brushed his cheek, and he jolted like he’d been struck by lightning.

“Write her name,” the Seeker said again. “As I told you.”

Cully’s voice cracked, hoarse and hollow. “The third tower leads out. My stories… they’re under the bed.” His eyes flicked up for just a second. “I think I love your best friend.”

“What?” I choked. “Cully, what are you saying?”

He still wouldn’t look at me. “I forged the scripture,” he muttered. “I thought it would protect our family. I didn’t think it would end like this, or get Charles expelled.”

“Cully,” I hissed. “What scripture? ”

Shame crawled over his features like frost spreading across glass. He turned away, as if even facing me was too much. Then, with a trembling hand, he bent down and scrawled a name into the floor.

The Commander leaned in to read and froze. His hand flew to his chest like he’d been stabbed. “It can’t be,” he whispered. “Her?”

The silver-masked guard peered over his shoulder. “That one?” His head tilted. “Phew. She’s a stunner.”

“She braided my griffin’s mane once,” the Commander murmured, his voice unraveling. “Her mother never let her near the guards.”

“You’re crying,” the other guard said quietly.

“I’m not,” the Commander barked, but he dabbed beneath his mask, fingers trembling.

An awkward, almost absurd beat passed before the commander straightened and barked, “You may leave. The boy stays.”

“No!” I surged forward. “He’s coming with me!”

“He’s been touched by a Seeker’s Sight,” the commander growled. “You want him prophesying mid-dinner? He’s not leaving.”

Fury surged behind my ribs. I reached for flame, but the prison’s wards smothered it the instant it sparked, like a breath stolen mid-scream. The magic died in my chest, leaving only rage.

The cell door groaned open. A broad-shouldered figure was shoved through—dark hair, torn coat, boots streaked with ash and blood. It was Archer. And he looked like hell.

His bloodshot eyes burned with something between desperation and disbelief. He looked like a man who had clawed his way out of one nightmare only to step into another. Mine .

Then he moved, fast. Three strides and he was there, arms wrapping around me with a force that knocked the breath from my chest. One hand cradled the back of my head. The other held firm at my spine, as if letting go would break him.

“We need to go,” he murmured, breath harsh against my temple. “Now.”

“No.” I shoved at him, panic crashing through my chest. “Cully is not staying here!”

Archer scooped me into his arms, pulling me flush against his chest. “You leave me no choice,” he said, voice low against my ear. “So, I’ll carry you. Even if it ruins me.”

I kicked and thrashed against his strong hold. “Put me down! I’m not leaving without him!”

“He made a choice,” Archer said, his voice low, breath cool against my temple.

Inside the cell, Cully sank to his knees. His eyes were vacant, his hands limp in his lap. “I did this,” he whispered. “I’m the reason Archer was thrown in here. This is how I fix it. My apology.”

“No.” My voice broke. “No, please, don’t do this—”

But Archer was already moving. Carrying me down the corridor as the cell door slammed behind us with a final, echoing thud.

He set me down just past the next archway. “Why did the Seeker want us out?” I asked, trembling. “Why us?”

“She’s a Seeker,” Archer murmured. “Maybe she knew we needed to be.”

We passed through one final chamber. Chains hung from the ceiling. Screams echoed off wet stone. I nearly sank to my knees again, the weight in my chest unbearable. Archer dropped beside me, one hand steady on my back, as if holding me together.

“We’ll get him out. I swear to it,” he said.

Then I saw his palm. “Your relic,” I breathed. “It’s gone. ”

He stood slowly. “I’ll bond again.”

“What?”

“I severed my bond with Ciaran.”

The words struck like ice water. “You severed it? Why would you do that?”

“It was the only choice.”

“But, I heard you,” I said. “When I nearly drowned.”

“I severed it after that,” he replied quietly. “You won’t hear me again in your mind.”

My thoughts swarmed with Cully, the prison, the Seeker, and now this. It was all too much.

We stumbled out into the cold, and I screamed the only name I had left in me. “Naraic!”

A moment later he landed before us, wings battered, violet eyes locked on Archer with a fury that simmered quiet and deep.

“We’re going to find Ciaran,” I said, clutching Archer’s hand. “And she’s going to take you back. I don’t care what it costs. Now, let’s fly.”

Archer didn’t look at me. His gaze stayed on Naraic. “He doesn’t trust me. Because I betrayed Ciaran.”

“I do,” I whispered. “That has to be enough.”

But Naraic growled low in his throat.

“I severed our bond,” Archer said. “Ciaran won’t take me back. She can’t.”

I stepped forward. “Then trust me, Naraic. Let him ride. We need to go home so we can figure out how to get Cully out.”

The dragon’s wings unfurled, snow swirling in the updraft. “No,” Naraic rumbled. “He broke the tether. If I let him ride, it could shatter what we have left. He couldn’t shield himself—so he did the unthinkable.”

My breath caught. “Tell her to take him back.”

“She won’t.” Naraic’s voice dropped. “Archer made his choice. And when you chose that glass-wielder boy and his dragon, our bond nearly snapped. A bond can only bend so far before it breaks.”

I stared at the frozen ground, my pulse thudding in my ears. “Why did you sever it?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper. I couldn’t bring myself to look at him. My fingers tightened around his. “Why would you do that?”

He didn’t answer. Just a twitch of his hand in mine. The silence said more than he ever had. I looked up at him. “Tell me.”

His jaw tightened. “It’s complicated.”

“Then explain it to me,” I said, stepping closer. “Because I don’t understand what could possibly—”

“I said I don’t want to talk about it.”

The coldness in his voice hit harder than the wind. “Then when will we talk about it?” I asked.

“Drop it,” he said. “It’s done.”

Silence fell between us, thick and uneven. I paced, dragging a hand through my hair.

“Fine,” I muttered. “Then let’s focus on what matters. We need to get out of here. Do you trust me to portal us back to Demetria?”

Archer exhaled. “No. You’re not trained on portals. If the flame collapses, it’ll kill you.”

“Why don’t you trust me?” My voice cracked. “Gods, it’s like you think I’m weak or something.”

“I do trust you,” he said sharply. “But there’s no flame strong enough to channel in Demetria. Your portal won’t hold.”

A slow smile tugged at my lips. “You’re going to be shocked.”

His brow furrowed. “What are you talking about?”

“Trust me,” I whispered. I reached out, pinky extended. “Please."

He hesitated. Then, slowly, he hooked his finger around mine. “With my life. ”

The flame came fast.

The fire surged around us in a spiral of ash, wrapping our bodies in searing heat. Flame licked down my arms, through my veins like molten gold, devouring every breath and replacing it with smoke. I gritted my teeth, a scream caught behind them, never making it out.

I clung to the memory of Demetria, remembering the lavender sky, the lanterns, the moths with their painted wings. I held that vision like a lifeline as the portal opened, heat roaring like a storm.

And then we vanished—together.

Home. My reign. My heirship.

“Meet us in Demetria,” I told Naraic.

His voice hissed through the bond. “Severyn, I feel your pain. Stop!”

“I’m fine,” I said, one hand gripping Archer’s shoulder, the other cupping his cheek. “I can handle it.”

“You’re burning up,” Archer said, panic sharp in his voice. “Sev, stop the portal—”

“No.” The flames howled around us. “You need to understand that I can handle more than you think.”

We tore through the fire and the ash. Then came the pain. The moment we hit solid ground, my knees buckled. I collapsed onto scorched earth, my palms sinking into the heat-soaked dirt as smoke rose around us in dizzying spirals.

Archer caught me before I could fall further. His arms closed around me, strong and steady, anchoring me while his eyes scanned the land ahead.

The shadows that once lined the borders were gone. In their place, embers glowed. The heat still radiated outward, warm enough that nearby homes had opened their windows to let it in.

“Sev,” Archer said softly. “You never told me you were shielding Demetria. You could’ve surged yourself. ”

“Your wards were failing,” I whispered. “I couldn’t let the realm fall or beasts attack it.”

He dropped to his knees beside me. “There’s nothing you could do that would ever let me down. Nothing.”

I couldn’t look at him. “Cully’s still trapped. Estella’s petrified. Bridger is my father’s heir. I feel like I’ve failed everyone.”

I pressed a trembling hand to his chest, my voice heavy. “And Malachi—”

Archer stilled. “What about Malachi?”

“I can’t… I can’t say it.” My voice cracked as the tears finally came. “Because if I do, it becomes real.”

His voice lowered. “She didn’t make it.”

“No. Don’t say it.” I shook my head, swallowing the grief like it might suffocate me. “I can’t, Archer. I’m not strong enough to mourn her right now.”

“Look at me,” Archer whispered. “I gave everything to keep those guards from knowing I loved you. I kept them from seeing your true power. I failed because I let you in.” His hand found mine, steady and firm. “And I’d do it again.”

“I’m not worth severing your bond.”

“Yes, you were.” His voice cracked. He touched my jaw, lifting my chin. “You are.”

He helped me up, his eyes tracing over the raw blisters on my hands. “Come on. We need to run those burns under cool water.”

Inside the estate, the scent of ash and scorched paper still hung in the air. Amria met us at the entrance with a worried glance, stepping aside as Archer guided me toward the washroom.