Chapter 136

Serena’s POV The palace halls were quiet when we arrived and the weight of our mission was still hanging over us. The antidote, carefully wrapped in protective leaves, felt like the most precious cargo I’d ever carried. Rachel led the way to the medical wing, where Zone lay pale and motionless. His breathing was shallow, his chest barely rising with each breath. My heart clenched at the sight of him. He’d always been so strong, so unyielding, and seeing him like this felt like a blow to the gut. “We need to act fast,” Rachel said with her voice clipped as she began preparing the antidote. Ardan stood beside her with his jaw tight as he watched her every move. “How long before we know if it works?” he asked. Rachel didn’t answer immediately, her focus on carefully grinding the petals into a paste. “It depends,” she said finally. “If the poison hasn’t spread too far, we should see improvement within a few hours. If it has…” She trailed off, not needing to finish the thought. I swallowed