Fangs extending, Fenn leaned down. Jassyn twitched when the sharp canines pierced his skin. Serenna tightened her grip on his hand as the seconds ticked by, Fenn’s bite lingering far longer than she expected.
By the time Fenn pulled away, Jassyn’s fingers had gone slack, his body utterly still. Fenn dashed a claw over his mouth while Serenna quickly wound tendrils of mending, erasing the small punctures left behind.
“I gave him enough to keep him paralyzed for an hour,” Fenn said, glancing between them. “I think. Everyone reacts differently, and with your elf bodies, I don’t dare risk giving him more unless he appears to need it.”
Serenna nodded, her hands trembling uncontrollably as she wove a stream of Essence to assess Jassyn’s condition. His heartbeat slowed beneath the venom’s grip, each breath growing shallower. She worked cautiously, fearful of causing permanent damage to injuries far beyond her skill.
“He saved me with plant magics,” Fenn whispered. His talons hovered over Jassyn’s face, as if he wished he could piece the broken bones back together. “Why would Lykor harm him?”
Unease cradled Serenna’s thoughts as the question lingered unanswered. And when Lykor returned…
The prince’s presence crashed back into Serenna’s mind. She snapped her head toward the portal that had opened as Vesryn burst through, hauling Magister Thalaesyn behind him.
Doubt lanced through her from one look at the disheveled magister. Thalaesyn was but a shadow of the legend she’d heard spoken of in hushed tones—his scholarly prestige tarnished by his vices. She couldn’t shake the thought that Jassyn’s associate, Magus Nelya, might have been the wiser choice. But a flicker ofreassurance settled within her regardless—at least the magister had decades more experience.
Thalaesyn’s gaze locked onto Jassyn’s crumpled form, and with an impatient flick of his arm, he shook the prince off. Serenna released Jassyn’s hand as the magister rushed to her side, dropping to his knees. Essence crackled as he extended his palms over Jassyn’s ruined face, brows furrowing as ribbons of magic unfurled from his fingers, probing Jassyn’s wounds.
Fenn rose and stepped back, silently yielding his place. He caught sight of prying wraith hovering nearby and his demeanor instantly shifted. Joining Kal, he began barking orders, moving swiftly to disperse onlookers that Serenna hadn’t even noticed.
Vesryn slumped down beside her, shoulders curved in. His fingers drummed restlessly against his knee. As he watched Thalaesyn braid numerous lattices of crimson light, he reached out, closing his hand over hers in a tight but unsteady grip.
Serenna tensed, sensing him form a telepathic link—their unaccepted bond unable to fully bridge their thoughts. His question jabbed into her mind.Do you know where that monster took my brother?
Serenna shook her head, staring at the mending light.I don’t have any guesses where Lykor would go,she answered silently,but Kal might.
Kal?Vesryn’s disbelief surged.He’s here?
The prince scoured the chaotic courtyard, landing on Kal herding the wraith out of the square. Vesryn’s features softened—clearly he recognized something familiar in his former captain, who now appeared somewhere between wraith and elf.
Vesryn called out, drawing his attention. Beneath the tension etched into the prince’s face, a glimmer of relief shone through as he locked eyes with Kal.
To the point, no elaborate greeting passed between them beyond a firm clasp of forearms and a nod laden withmutual respect. Their hushed conversation was quick, revolving around Lykor’s suspected whereabouts as they exchanged terse whispers. But Serenna barely caught the words, her concern anchored to the magister’s healing.
She held her breath as mending threads coalesced across Jassyn’s wounds, sinking into the ragged muscle, knitting torn flesh, coaxing his ravaged features back toward something whole. With each pass, the fear cinching her chest loosened, ebbing like a retreating tide.
After driving the others from the courtyard, Fenn returned with a female wraith Serenna didn’t recognize. A black braid trailed down her back, flowing over her soft leathers. Without a word, she knelt beside Jassyn, placing a water basin and towels at Thalaesyn’s side. Silent and efficient, she soaked a linen cloth, wringing it out before passing it to the magister.
Thalaesyn accepted the towel without breaking his focus. Flexing his fingers, the final filaments of crimson light settled on Jassyn’s skin, softer than snowfall. With deliberate care, Thalaesyn wiped away the flakes of blood, each stroke revealing mended skin beneath.
Jassyn’s chest jerked with a shuddering breath, his body convulsing as he swallowed, lashes fluttering open. A jagged scar slashed through his brow, carving down across his left eye before ending at the crest of his cheekbone.
Serenna winced at the healed ridge while Thalaesyn’s expression hardened—a silent acknowledgment that even his mastery couldn’t erase the depth of the wound. He thrust the soiled linens back at the female wraith then clutched Jassyn’s shoulder, a flicker of guilt shadowing his eyes before he spoke. “Can you see?”
Jassyn blinked, his amber eyes darting to his mentor and then the prince.
“He says he can,” Vesryn breathed, his grip on Serenna’s hand finally easing as he let go.
“He won’t be able to move or speak until enough of the venom wears off,” Fenn explained over Serenna’s shoulder. “I’ll remain with him,” he added, lowering himself to the ground. “My life is his.”
Vesryn helped Jassyn sit up, leaning him against one of the few unscathed walls. Meanwhile, Kal collected the magister and the female, leading them toward a smashed fountain across the plaza. Serenna caught a faint flicker of recognition in Thalaesyn’s face as he studied the wraith, followed by an intimate familiarity when they embraced.
Confusion suddenly rippled from Fenn, but he wasn’t watching the exchange. His gaze had latched onto the prince, crimson irises flaring with a curious glow. Tilting his head, Fenn frowned, eyes tracing an unhurried path from Vesryn’s chest to his face, as though measuring a memory against the reality before him.
Realization sparked across the bond before Fenn finally spoke to the prince. “I thought I shot you.”
Serenna’s breath hitched as she mirrored Vesryn’s sudden stillness. His jaw tightened when a dangerous smile crept across Fenn’s face, revealing a flash of fangs.
“It seems the stars have a way of entwining our fates together,” Fenn said as he cackled, his grin widening as Vesryn’s glare darkened. “I assumed you’d perished after yanking that bolt out of your chest—one of my best shots. If my crossbow hadn’t jammed…” Fenn trailed off, muttering a string of curses under his breath. “File my fangs. Do you know what this means? If Koln discovers that I didn’t actually slay the silver-haired—”
