But it wasn’t her voice that halted him. She had help.
Across the room, Jassyn pressed a firm hand on Vesryn’s shoulder to prevent him from standing. But he wasn’t paying any attention to the prince’s struggle—his eyes were locked with Lykor’s.
No words passed between them. Just the faintest shake of Jassyn’s head.
Lykor’s eyes flicked back to Serenna and the flail creaked under the strain of his grasp. For a moment, he didn’t move.
Then, with a grudging sigh and a muttered curse, he rolled his neck and stepped back to her side.
A weighted pause settled over the chamber, the guild masters remaining prostrated, wings still spread in submission.
Kaedryn swallowed, a delicate swirl of scales undulating along her throat. Slowly, she lifted her head.
“But we are ready to sacrifice our wings,” she whispered, her voice laced with quiet dread. The taloned tips shivered as if they sensed their fate. “Once severed, we’ll be denied the wind and sky, grounded in our shadow walker forms forever.” She bowed low, her forehead brushing the floor. “Death in the Sunforge would be a kinder mercy.”
“Shadow walker?” Fenn echoed. His eyes flared with interest as he studied the surrounding servants—some partially shifted between wraith and druid, others fully scaled, some showing none. “That is what you call the wraith?”
Hesitating, Kaedryn glanced up at Serenna, seeking approval.
Serenna held her gaze before providing a measured nod.
“Shadow walkers,” Kaedyrn repeated. “Aelfyn who have no starlight.”
Her reptilian eyes narrowed to vertical slits as they drifted toward the prince. Jassyn had finally coaxed Vesryn into reclining on the couch, though he was far from settled. Hand hovering over his face, the prince’s fingers flexed while he mumbled under his breath, frowning as he traced each digit.
Kaedryn’s wings shuddered as she refocused on Serenna.
“I have a different penance in mind,” Serenna said.
Lykor’s jaw clenched and unclenched, but he kept his glare locked on the druids. A little thrill bolted through her. He wasn’t just letting her do this—he was standing beside her, reinforcing her authority with his silent menace.
“We want to see more of Asharyn,” Serenna continued. Kaedryn’s wings stilled mid-tremor. “In the morning. After we’ve rested. We have questions about your city and your people, as I’m sure you have about us. And please,” she motioned to the five on the ground, “there’s no need to kneel.”
The druids exchanged wary glances before obedience won out. They rose in staggered succession, some of them shifting—scales dissolving, wings dispersing with a quiet rustle.
Serenna’s mind whirled with a cautious curiosity.Zealots will bow today and burn us tomorrow.She hoped Lykor was wrong.
Beside her, Lykor’s shadows pulsed, a storm gathering. “Our armor,” he growled, slinging the flail over his shoulder.
For stars’ sake.Serenna rolled her eyes to the vaulted ceiling before collecting herself.
Addressing Kaedryn, she gestured toward the males beside her. “Would your artisans tour Lykor and Fenn through your armory? Fenn has an interest in your venom-forged weapons and Lykor…” She defied his flaming glower when their eyes met, smothering the urge to smirk. “He’d be far more at ease in his leathers. I’m sure he’d be curious to see how your gear accommodates shifting.”
Lykor’s nostrils flared and Serenna nearly batted her lashes at him just to watch his irritation boil over.
Fenn inched closer to her as Kaedryn hesitantly introduced Lykor to another druid—the artisan guild master.
Someone needs to make sure Lykor stays on his best behavior,Serenna told Fenn, her mouth twitching at the thought.I’ll be fine here.
Just say the word and I’ll return.Fenn inclined his head, attention snagging on something across the room.
Serenna followed the flicker of his rekindled amusement—straight to where Jassyn had just lost his battle to keep the prince seated. Clearly determined to move around the quarters, Vesryn lurched to his feet, shrugging Jassyn off as he staggered toward a druid bearing a platter laden with food.
Pursing her lips, Serenna nearly asked Fenn to bite the prince again and knock him out entirely. Better that than letting him stumble around as the venom’s effects wore off.
But she sighed, dismissing the thought. It was pointless. She couldn’t prevent the group from offending the druids forever—it was only a matter of time.
As Lykor and Fenn disappeared with the guild masters, Serenna gathered her courage to continue with Kaedryn. She approached the pedestal where the surrendered Starshard lay sparkling in sunlight.
