Galen Vesa

“That is not necessary,”

The serpent’s voice cut in thru silence.

“She is but a misguided child, one of few my sister employs to do her bidding.”

Nahira slithered between her guards and stopped beside me. Her hands undoing the dark cloth from my captive’s head.

To my surprise, the girl’s ears went boink, flap, flap, just like mine do when I keep them constrained for far too long. I say girl since she appeared hardly a day after sixteen although, for all I knew she could be my grandmother. One never knows with those treehumpers.

“Tell my sister this, it doesn’t matter if I live or die, the veil is upon us. The wheels of fate are in motion and shall grind all that try to interfere.”

Whatever language the serpent used it made the elf tremble.

“Karin, be so kind and release her. She shan’t cause any more trouble.”

Well, that is something I did not expect to hear. It made me study her face. There was a bit of fear in it. Perhaps my body was again leaking some killing intent.

“You’re letting her go?”

I asked and took me a moment to calm the flame in my blood.

“Yes, dead she is of no use to me. Alive she may at least convey my message. Oh, and do not follow her. There is no need. Come, we have much to discuss.”

She turned and slide out of the room followed by baffled stares. The elf I held eyed her discarded dagger but dared not to move. I brought her closer to my face.

“An advice for you. Go home and pass on the message. If you happen to die here, I might be forced to visit your master. Then your friends and family. Well, if you have none, I’m sure I can find some random bystanders to murder in horrible, horrible ways.”

That made her eyes grew large but surprisingly she acknowledged me with a nod. With that done, I tossed her out of the balcony. Even with a broken foot, this high should not be an issue for her.

She proved my assumption correct, doing a somersault in the air that pointed her feet first at the ground and gracefully landed in the grass below. After one last look in my direction, she vanished in a distance.

I wonder if she bought that bluff.

I don’t think that was a bluff, master.

A certain twiggy seemed to be snooping around in my noggin. First a lizard, now her. Eh.

Come to think of it, my fists were clenched so tight my bones were creaking, although, a few deep breaths took care of that. For now at least.

Well, since you’re here, let us go and enjoy the show.

As you wish, master.

I caught up with the serpent and hitched a ride on her tail. She paused for a moment to look at me and continued along the corridor, my weight on her tail apparently making no difference. In silence we slid through her temple.

“It still impresses me how you can see through that blindfold.”

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

Not the most brilliant thing one could say but I had to start somewhere.

“There is nothing impressive in it since I can’t see a thing.”

And I got an answer one would expect of such question. Though, it seemed to calm her. The color of fear my eyes saw around her, abated somewhat.

“Then how? Magic?”

That made her chuckle.

“Am I not a snake lady? I have other senses at my disposal although,”

She again turned her head towards me.

“With you, that is a whole different story. If it were not for that musk you carry about yourself and your weight on my tail, I would not notice. For an elf you do have quite dense bones.”

“So impolite of me to be heavy. Anyway, where are we going?”

“To a place better suited for our conversation. I do hope your visit this time does not include violence?”

“Mmm, who knows? Should it? I did come to beat some answers out of you.”

A powerful shiver shook her tail but she did not stop.

“Perhaps it should perhaps it shouldn’t. There are those that desire my words and those plotting my eternal silence.”

She slithered up a spiraling staircase and into a chamber hidden at the top of her temple.

“Would you be so kind?”

She gestured at a set of double doors of heavy wood plated in iron. I slid off her tail and waited for her entire body to enter the room before I've pulled and shut the door behind us. And that was that. The entire space was barred of any furniture, rugs or, well, anything. Just the door, cold stones and four large, open arches aimed at different sides of the world. The seer stopped beside one and gazed into distance. I think. With her eyes covered one could not tell.

“Could you give me a moment?”

Her hands were trembling.

“For the past hundred years I have dreamed of this day, felt the dagger rip open my heart. My blood rushing out. My body growing cold on that stone floor.”

Her voice shook no less than her hands. She hugged herself.

“It is not often for one to survive their own fated death.”

Well darn, dolt did mess up big time this time. More fate mumbo-jumbo. Maybe there still was a way to un… who am I kidding?

“If you are unsatisfied with the outcome, I can fetch her for you.”

“I… I thank you for the offer, but I am not keen on getting stabbed, burned, hanged or… punched in the face. All of which people tried on me.”

“O venerable seer, if you are fishing for an apology, I will offer you none. I think you deserved it.”

And then probably some more.

“Ah, that is only natural for mortals to rage against their fate. Only fool blindly accepts his destiny. Those who dare, shape their own path or die trying.”

There was something in her voice, something…

“How many of those have you sent to battle against their fake fate?”

My mouth chose this moment to run its own way. Ever since that weird song Rooth sang to me, it felt as if my mouth had the life of its own.

“How much blood did you spill to acquire those fake eyes?”

Another accusation left my lips.

“what… are you?”

Fear spread out of her body. Fear so strong it left an unpleasant tang in my mouth however, this time my lips did not move so I answered based on what Logic told me.

“A result of your meddling, I suppose. Although, in your place I wouldn’t try to claim all the praise since several others also made their contributions.”

Her tail coiled itself around her in a protective manner.

“Whenever I went, one way or another your name came up to pester me. Is there a reason why?”

“Now, now mista whabbit, do not break my toys.”

The world froze around me, and a familiar voice resounded in my ears.

“Your toy?”

“She did what she was shown to do. Pushed the pawns around the board until they were ready to be played. That is her value and nothing beyond it besides, were you not the one who called her eyes fake?”

I turned to face the woman standing behind the seer. Her face seemed familiar yet different every time I saw her.

“And here I thought mine was the only life you played with.”

“Don’t be silly mista whabbit. I have much grander plans ahead of you. Although, you have outgrown my expectations. For saving one of my favorite toys, I’ll give you a hint. This world is destined to drown in blood. One way or another.”

She wrapped her arms around the serpent’s rigid torso and sealed her mouth with her own lips. Although one-sided, their kiss was long and deep.

“Why me?”

I asked after a while that seemed to stretch forever. She looked my way before she withdrew her tongue from the serpent’s mouth.

“No particular reason. There’s not much skill involved in blowing stuff up. You light a fuse and boom. Any pawn can do that… Do not take it personally mista whabbit. It is but fate of a pawn to be used and well, I care for my pawns. Most of the time. Well sometimes.”

She gave the snake one more peck on her cheek and turned toward me.

“Go home mista whabbit. There are no answers here for you. A pawn is best played when it has no knowledge of the game. As for you my dear, a warning.”

The odd one whispered and vanished while time return to its rightful track and with it my ears were filled with scream. Nahira screamed as an invisible blade carved shapes in her flesh. A rune. A single word.

Blood. Blood. Blood.