Lucian stood frozen among the suspended icicles, each shard glinting dangerously in the cold air. The ringing silence left by Elyndra's last words pressed against his skull, heavy and suffocating as if even the chamber itself dared not move.
Both.
Both.
The word clawed through him like cold steel.
Elyndra's lips curved into a slow, satisfied smirk as she nodded, "You definitely heard that right… I mean, both."
Her tone was almost playful as she reached for one of the hovering icicles and plucked it delicately from the air, examining it like a toy.
She tapped the icicle lightly against Seraphina's own head.
"First, this stupid woman," she said with a careless flick, "and second… ah, the little creature that was just beginning to form in her womb."
The icicle slipped from her fingers and shattered against the floor.
But Lucian didn't hear the sound. His entire world tilted. His breath almost stopped and his hands went numb.
