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“I try to make this a home away from home,” he said. “All we ask is your dedication. Your desire to protect. After three years, you’ll be eligible to be stationed across the realms, if you choose to stay with the guards.”

“Three years,” I repeated, barely above a whisper. “Got it.”

I needed to get away from this man before he threw me in solitary confinement. Gods, with how pale I must have looked, he probably thought I was sick.

His gaze flicked to the grandfather clock ticking softly down the hall. “It’s late. Rest tonight and we’ll go over protocols in the morning. ”

He was kind, so kind. And I wished he’d been cruel, because then maybe the guilt wouldn’t be tearing through my ribs like this.

“Thank you,” I murmured.

“If you know anyone else here,” he added, his voice softer now, “we’ll place you in their bunk.”

I latched onto the smallest truth I could find. “Myla Reinhart.”

Recognition lit his face. “She’s advanced to lead border guard. We’re sorted here, like the houses at Serpent. What’s your quell, dear?”

As my palm whirred ash, I fisted the crescent moon on my other hand. “Fire-wielder.”

“A fighter as well,” he said, chuckling with a wink, though the scarred side of his mouth barely closed. “You’ll make ranks fast being a Blanche, but don’t tell anyone I said that.”

“Ranks… got it.” I smiled faintly.

“We have room in her bunk,” he said, leading me down the narrow hallway. “Had a lot of outcasts from Serpent come through in the last week. Most will arrive tomorrow. You came at the perfect time.”

Had I been wrong about Malvoria? The halls felt almost welcoming, warm in a way that went against everything I’d been told.

We stopped at a heavy iron door. He gestured for me to open it. “None of the doors are locked by wards,” he said. “We trust everyone after you pass initiation.”

I cleared my throat. “What’s initiation?”

Klevor gave a tight smile, then placed a heavy hand on my shoulder. “Get some rest. We’ll go over everything in the morning. Normally, you wouldn’t be bunked with others until after passing, but given your tie to Charles… I trust you.” He nodded once and turned away .

I held my breath as I pushed open the door to my assigned room.

Four beds lined each side of the barracks-style space.

Two were already taken. Myla’s familiar curly braids fanned across her pillow on the left.

Across from her, a silver-haired girl slept curled beneath a hunter-green duvet.

I crept toward one of the empty beds. The mattress groaned beneath me as I slid under the stiff covers.

Myla stirred, blinking groggily into the dim light. “Who’s there?” she muttered, rolling onto her back. Her hand reached instinctively for the empty sheath at her thigh.

“It’s me,” I whispered. “Severyn.”

She shot upright, palm pressed to her chest. “What the hell are you doing here?” she hissed.

“I have no idea.”

She lunged from her bed and threw her arms around me, nearly knocking the breath from my lungs. “You got expelled?”

I nodded into her shoulder, breathing in the scent of campfire smoke and ink. But the other girl sat up suddenly, gaze narrowing with a sharpness I recognized instantly—Antonia. She looked so different without the nose rings or heavy eyeliner that I had to do a double take.

“Severyn Blanche has joined Malvoria?” she deadpanned. “Is this a nightmare?”

I nodded again. “I’ll explain everything tomorrow.”

But from the looks they gave me, like I’d dragged a beast into the room, I knew tomorrow wouldn’t be good enough.

They wanted to know where the hell I’d been and why I vanished after the Serpent Bid.

Myla still hadn’t let go, and it seemed like we were back on the frozen trails again. “We’re kept pretty isolated here,” she said. “Antonia arrived two weeks ago. ”

Antonia swept her silver hair back. “The entire Night sector came in then. We thought you were dead.” She hesitated. “Did Archer…” She swallowed. “Is he dead?”

I tucked my hands beneath the scratchy duvet. “Archer is alive, but Damien is dead.”

Myla’s chin trembled. “Severyn,” she whispered, “are you okay?”

I wasn’t. Not even close. My truth was too much: I was Archer’s heir. I’d saved her life—and left Damien’s to fate. I wasn’t okay, but I had to be. I couldn’t fall apart like I did after Klaus died.

“I watched him die,” I said finally. “He opened a glass portal. Maybe the angle was wrong. Maybe he went too far. But it sliced him, then I got expelled for leaving the academy.”

But deep in my chest, I knew the truth. It was Naraic. He’d stirred the shards when he tried to stop me.

She didn’t remember that night. I wasn’t surprised. Whatever compulsion had gripped her back then had erased more than just her actions. The outcome of that night had stayed buried for weeks. And it needed to stay that way, just like Archer wanted.

I had time now. Months until the spring thaw. Time to keep my mark hidden. For once, I hoped the cold would hold. Because the moment it didn’t, someone might see the Serpent mark carved into my spine. And I wasn’t ready for that.

I needed to lie. And I needed to lie well.

Myla gasped. “Shit. They’ll teach us how to portal here—but a glass portal?” She shook her head. “Never use that for travel.”

Antonia flopped back onto her bed, smirking. “Get some sleep, Severyn. Malvoria’s nothing like the academy.”

Myla stood, limping slightly as she crossed to her bed. “Toni’s right. Tomorrow’s guard training is for barren-land rescues. I got bruised up pretty bad last week—I can barely walk. ”

Antonia cackled. “That’s not why you’re sore, Myla. And we both know it.”

Were they friends? When people called me Sev, it always felt personal. Maybe Myla just liked the way Toni made her feel.

Gods. I was actually jealous of Antonia.

I slumped down in my bed, letting the bond crack open just a little . “I made it, just in case you were worried I got eaten by a beast.”

“I know.”

Of course he did. I exhaled slowly. “When will I see you again?”

“Sooner than you think, little heir.”

How long was soon? A week? A month? It didn’t matter. I was here now, and I was just an heir in hiding. But pretending it didn’ t sting was a lie.