Lykor turned. Fenn stood there, absently spinning a ring in his brow.
“Kaedryn is here with Asharyn’s guild masters.” He hesitated, eyes darting between them. “It might just be better if you come see for yourselves.”
CHAPTER 49
SERENNA
Serenna stepped into the atrium with Fenn and Lykor, halting at the sight before her.
Sunlight poured through the high archways, gilding Kaedryn and four other druids. They knelt in a crescent with their heads bowed and wings tucked in tight. Their attire—fighting leathers, vibrant sunweave, and richly dyed robes—was as varied and striking as the scale patterns flecked across their skin.
Along the chamber’s perimeter, at least twenty servants stood in silent formation, each presenting a weapon—blades, axes, scythes, spears, and even something that looked like a meat cleaver. While the druids’ faces remained impassive, Serenna noted the slight quiver of the talons roosted on their wing tips.
Finished with healing Vesryn, Jassyn now sat next to him on the couch, placing a steadying hand on the prince’s shoulder. But his positioning looked more like a calculated effort to keep Vesryn anchored in place than anything else.
Clutching the lip of the sofa, Vesryn teetered as he leaned forward, eyes glassy while he squinted and glared at each of the druids in turn.
The bond with the prince blurred, and Serenna realized that he’d been dosed with more venom than necessary to numb his injuries—enough to send him drifting beyond reality. She pursed her lips and cast a glance up at Fenn.
But whatever amusement Fenn had shown earlier had vanished, replaced by the sharp attention of a warrior as he focused on Kaedryn.
On Serenna’s other side, Lykor sneered at those kneeling, restless shadows writhing around him. His shoulders twitched as he folded his arms across his robe, shifting his blazing eyes to scan each presented weapon.
Serenna inhaled a stabilizing breath. If she let Lykor act on his simmering fury, they would be strung back up on the pillars before the sun set.
Stepping forward, her voice rang through the silence. “What is the meaning of this?”
Kaedryn pressed her claws over her heart, downcast eyes fixed on the hem of Serenna’s robe. Sunlight glimmered over the scales dusting her cheeks, each ridge reflecting the light like polished onyx.
“We offer ourselves as punishment for what you endured in the Sunforge,” Kaedryn replied solemnly. In a leathery rustle, she spread her wings, the druids flanking her unfolding theirs in turn. “With whatever weapon you deem fit—or if you wish to use earth and starlight.”
Serenna’s knees locked when Essence pulsed beside her.
Lykor extended his claw. A flail wrenched free from a servant’s grasp, flying toward him with a whip of force. The wooden handle slapped into his palm, the three spiked balls clanging together in metallic thuds as they swung.
Testing the weapon, his arm flexed as he hefted it.
Serenna’s pulse quickened when Lykor stalked forward, a predator closing in on prey. The druids didn’t flinch as he circled them. They had accepted this.
She pointedly cleared her throat. When Lykor glanced back at her, she raised her brows. His eyes burned with the fires of retribution, lip curling to bare his fangs.
Scowling at his challenge, Serenna jerked her head to her side, unsure if he’d abandon the vengeance he clearly believed he was owed—despite claiming thatsheshould be the one to handle the druids.
Lykor’s knuckles cracked as he tightened his grip on the flail’s handle.
An unhinged laugh spilled across the room—Vesryn, cackling wildly.
Lykor’s head snapped toward the prince. Leg raised, Vesryn waved his foot in the air, pointing at the empty space between his toes.
Jassyn waged a silent battle, grappling with his cousin in a valiant effort to subdue him, fingers digging into Vesryn’s knee to pin his foot back to the floor.
Why didn’t you dose him properly?Serenna hissed into Fenn’s mind.
Fenn’s mouth twitched as he thumbed a lip ring and shrugged.I must’ve misjudged what he required.
Obviously.
“This…offering isn’t necessary,” Serenna said, her words meant to be the chain that yanked Lykor back before the spikes on his weapon hacked into scales.
