The vipers teeth
384 Words
The next morning, the court was summoned.
Calisandra sat at the head of the Hall of Flame, draped in mourning black that hugged her like a second skin. A sapphire serpent coiled around her throat, its jeweled eyes glinting with false sorrow.
Seraphine stepped into the room with her chin lifted, cloak trailing behind her like smoke. Silence rippled through the nobles. They hadn’t seen her in four years. Most had assumed she was dead.
Not this radiant, composed, sharp-edged woman in velvet.
Calisandra smiled—too wide.
“Niece,” she purred. “You’re looking stronger. Health agrees with you.”
Seraphine didn’t bow. “So does survival.”
The room tensed. Somewhere near the council dais, Kain stood beside the king’s chair—his eyes scanning every movement. Watching.
“Would you like to tell the court where you’ve been?” Calisandra asked, voice honeyed and poisonous.
“No,” Seraphine said. “I’d like to ask why the Hollow Crown is no longer mine.”
That landed like a blow.
Whispers exploded. Calisandra’s smile faltered just slightly.
“The crown was never yours,” she replied. “It belongs to the realm. You chose to flee after the war. I had to rule in your stead. You were… unfit.”
Seraphine’s voice dropped to a razor’s edge. “I was exiled.”
“Your father agreed,” Calisandra said softly. “He knew you were dangerous.”
The old rage bubbled in Seraphine’s chest. But she smiled, calm and slow.
“Then he’s not here to defend you. And I am.”
She stepped forward.
“I invoke the Rite of Reckoning.”
Gasps again. Even Kain shifted.
“You want a trial?” Calisandra asked, genuinely startled.
“No,” Seraphine said. “I want blood.”
Silence.
Calisandra stood slowly. Her eyes glittered. “Be careful what you wish for, girl. You may not survive.”
“Then bury me with a sword in my hands,” Seraphine replied. “And may the gods pity the next soul who tries to take my throne.”
From across the room, Kain watched her.
And for the first time in years, he felt something dangerous stir in his blood.
She was coming back.
And this time, she wasn’t going to kneel.
- Writer
