Chapter 34

Moving through a silent village toward the temple, Zevander watches over Maevyth and Aleysia while Raivox circles above. Unease draws Zevander to a darkened chandlery, and he sends the sisters ahead to the cathedral. Inside, a cloaked assailant ambushes him—Theron—triggering a fierce exchange of steel and barbs.

Theron taunts Zevander with threats against Maevyth and crude boasts, probing Zevander’s wounds and shame. He needles Zevander about his aversion to touch, his past failure with Vaelora, and claims Zevander cannot protect his mate. The taunts stoke Zevander’s rage as their duel spills through the shop and out a shattered window into icy rain.

Cornered on the street and invoking the general’s “pets,” Theron presses the fight until Zevander’s bonded scorpion bursts from his back and strikes, burying its stinger in Theron’s chest. As Theron chokes on blood, he hisses that Loyce will come and that Zevander doesn’t deserve his mortal or the forced bond.

Breathing hard, Zevander resists finishing Theron with his blade. Instead, remorse hits: Theron’s death closes a risky option—forcing a bond between Aleysia and Theron to help her cross the Umbravale. Calling the kill a waste, Zevander recalls the scorpion, then heads for the temple to rejoin Maevyth and Aleysia.