Chapter 166 Seraphine
“Serpent sages….”
No one spoke at first.
Even Lucian didn’t crack a joke.
That was how I knew this was bad.
Rhevik was the first to break the silence, his voice quieter than before. “What… is that?”
Lukas exhaled slowly, like he didn’t particularly enjoy having to explain this.
“Serpent sages are… old,” he said. “Older than witches. Older than most recorded dragon history.”
Lucian frowned. “That’s not reassuring.”
“They are tied to forbidden magic,” Lukas continued. “Not just dark magic—forbidden magic. The kind that predates the structure we use today.”
Valin straightened slightly. “Before elemental binding?”
“Yes.”
“Before written law?”
“Yes.”
The room shifted again.
“They were among the first to use structured magic through language,” Lukas said. “Ancient languages. Not English. Not anything modern. Linguistic magic that alters reality itself.”
Amara blinked. “I’m sorry—linguistic reality?”
Lukas nodded.
“They don’t just cast spells. They speak them into existence.”
Dante’s voice dropped. “Meaning their words become law.”
“Exactly.”
A chill ran down my spine.
“They build wards using that same principle,” Lukas continued. “Not barriers made of energy—barriers made of meaning.”
Lucian frowned. “Okay, I’m going to need that explained like I’m not a scholar.”
Lukas glanced at him.
“If you don’t know the correct words… the correct phrasing… the correct intent behind those words—”
“You’re not getting through,” Dante finished.
“Yes.”
Lucian let out a low breath. “So brute force doesn’t work.”
“No.”
“Elemental pressure?”
“No.”
“Breaking it?”
“Not unless you understand the language it was built with.”
Lucian leaned back slightly. “That’s… deeply annoying.”
“They are also highly skilled in binding magic,” Lukas added. “Contracts. Oaths. Soul-binding. Territory binding.”
Valin’s expression darkened. “That would explain the wards.”
“Yes.”
Rhevik swallowed slightly. “What else can they do?”
Lukas didn’t hesitate.
“Everything.”
That wasn’t comforting.
“They are not limited to a single element,” he said. “They can use fire, water, storm, shadow—”
“Death?” I asked.
Lukas looked at me.
“Yes.”
The word settled heavily.
“They draw from all forms of magic,” he continued. “Because they predate the separation of those elements.”
Amara made a face. “So basically… they’re overpowered.”
“That would be an accurate assessment.”
Lucian crossed his arms. “Great. Love that for us.”
Dante stepped forward slightly. “Weaknesses.”
Lukas went still.
“There have to be weaknesses.”
Lukas didn’t answer right away.
“That hesitation is not comforting,” Lucian said.
“They are not invincible,” Lukas said carefully. “But they are… difficult.”
“Define difficult,” Dante pressed.
“They are bound by knowledge,” Lukas said. “Everything they do is tied to understanding. Language. Meaning. Intent.”
Amara frowned. “So if they don’t know something—”
“They cannot act on it as effectively.”
Lucian tilted his head. “So we confuse them?”
“No,” Lukas said flatly. “You don’t confuse something that has been collecting knowledge for centuries.”
“Worth a shot,” Lucian muttered.
Valin spoke next. “Would they align with Thane?”
“That is the real question,” Lukas said.
“They don’t care about power,” he continued. “Not in the way we do. Not territory. Not gold. Not politics.”
“Then what do they care about?” Rhevik asked.
Lukas looked at him.
“Knowledge.”
Silence.
“They value knowledge above everything,” Lukas said. “More than wealth. More than power. More than their own lives.”
Lucian frowned. “That’s… unsettling.”
“It should be.”
Dante’s gaze sharpened. “So what does Thane have that would interest them?”
That was when I spoke.
“Data.”
Every eye turned to me.
“The last eight years,” I said slowly, the words forming clearly in my mind now. “Thane abducted women. Experimented on them. Forced awakenings.”
My jaw tightened.
“He collected everything. Pain thresholds. dragon triggers. failure rates. survival rates.”
Amara’s expression darkened.
“That kind of information…” I continued, my voice steady, colder now, “that kind of knowledge is exactly what they would want.”
Lukas nodded slowly.
“Yes.”
Lucian let out a low whistle. “So Thane offers them knowledge…”
“And in return,” Dante said, finishing the thought, “they give him protection.”
Valin’s jaw clenched. “And access.”
Rhevik’s voice came out tight. “So they’re working together.”
I shook my head slightly. “No.”
Everyone looked at me again.
“They’re using each other,” I said.
My dragon stirred beneath my skin.
Cold.
Certain.
“Thane thinks he’s using them to rebuild power,” I continued. “To rewrite laws. To take back his throne.”
I leaned forward slightly, fingers pressing into the table.
“And they’re using him as a source.”
Lukas nodded once.
“That would be the most accurate interpretation.”
Lucian rubbed his face. “So we’re dealing with a necromancer, an undead army, a two-hundred-year-old witch—maybe—and now possibly a serpent sage.”
I shook my head. "No."
I leaned forward slightly, my fingers pressing into the table as everything started to line up in my mind.
“There is no necromancer.”
The room stilled.
“No two-hundred-year-old witch,” I continued.
Amara blinked. “Then what the hell—”
“It’s the same person.”
That landed.
Hard.
Lukas went very still.
Valin’s expression shifted into something sharper, more focused.
Lucian let out a quiet, “You’re kidding.”
I shook my head again.
“No.”
My dragon stirred beneath my skin, cold and certain, feeding the clarity that was settling over me.
“If serpent sages can use all forms of magic…” I said slowly, “…then they’re not working with Thane.”
Dante’s voice dropped beside me. “They are Thane’s advantage.”
“Yes.” I nodded once. “They’re the ones raising the dead.” My eyes flicked briefly toward the direction of the basement. “The skeleton wasn’t just necromancy. It wasn’t just a puppet. It was controlled. Directed. Observing. It wasn't Thane listening in, it was the Serpent Sage.”
Lucian ran a hand down his face slowly.
“…shit.”
Amara shook her head slightly. “So what? This serpent sage just… walked into Shadow territory and decided to build an undead army?”
I didn’t answer immediately.
Because that wasn’t the right question.
“They didn’t just walk in,” I said finally. My dragon stirred again, something darker threading through her voice. “They were invited.”
The room went dead silent.
Dante’s voice came out low. “By Kael.”
Rhevik shifted again, unease turning into something closer to dread. “So Kael didn’t just harbor Thane…”
“He opened the door,” I said.
Lukas exhaled slowly. “And let something far worse in.”
The truth settled in all at once.
Heavy. Unavoidable.
This wasn’t just Thane anymore. This wasn’t just betrayal. This was something older.
Smarter.
More dangerous than anything we had prepared for.