Valerian's fingers tightened almost convulsively around Aurelia, pulling her impossibly closer. "Don't you dare," he growled, his voice low, guttural, and pulsing with a dangerous promise of violence.
Seraphielle's chilling smile returned in full force. "Let me leave this place safely, and I won't be tempted to kill myself and take your queen with me. A simple exchange, wouldn't you say?"
Vera stared at her for several seconds, her expression unblinking, before a slow shake of her head.
"You know," she began, her voice carrying a surprising note of almost wistful disappointment, "you're not at all what I expected."
Seraphielle's eyes narrowed, a flash of annoyance replacing her desperate calm.
"I've heard stories," Vera continued, her gaze sweeping over Seraphielle's bruised and burnt form. "Stories of the powerful High Priestess of the Sisters of the Vale, a formidable sorceress whose wisdom and power were legendary.
