Slinking from the shadows of the bar, Adrian quickly snapped a picture of the amulet with his phone. Unnoticed, he slithered onto a bar stool as the preoccupied Warrior hauled Billy away.
He e-mailed the image to his father. Snatching a full glass from the flustered waitress, he gulped down the beer in a silent toast to himself. The old man would probably offer him a hefty reward for finding the amulet. After all, they'd been searching every inch of the earth for centuries to find that stupid heirloom. Except the poles, of course, serpents didn't function well in the cold after all.
His phone's sinister hiss echoed through the quiet bar. Adrian snatched it up. He never kept his father waiting. He'd suffered too many bruises for such actions as a child. As an adult, he knew better than to annoy an old viper.
"Sir," he answered, signaling the bartender for another beer. After centuries with his father, Adrian didn't bother to answer the phone with anything else. John didn't do pleasantries.
"They will want to verify the artifact's origins, so they'll take it to the local antiquities expert. Give Dr. Miller a visit, and GET ME THAT AMULET!" John hung up as soon as his gruff voice barked the orders at Adrian.
"Yeah, nice talking to you, too, Dad," Adrian snarled as he pushed the end button. Hissing, he swiped a burly arm along the bar. Bottles and glasses crashed to the wooden floor, shattering on impact. Glaring the irate waitress into silence, he grabbed another glass, and retreated to a booth in the shadowy corner. The waitress scurried to clean up the mess. The air around her reeked with the terror she felt at being near the enraged Adrian. He ignored her, instead staring into his beer, and railing at his father's injustice.
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Him again! It was always about him! Adrian forced his clenched hand to relax around his phone. No need to destroy a nice piece of equipment just because Dr. Miller entered the conversation... again. Will I never be free of that pompous professor my father favors? He wondered, unconsciously squeezing the cell once more. A loud pop jerked him from his reverie. A long crack graced the phone's screen.
Putting the damaged phone in his pocket, he took a slow, calming breath. He brought the tankard to his lips, enjoying the draft of fine Irish Guinness. Few pubs in the States knew how to build a proper Guinness. He noted the name of the bar. He’d have to return the next time he was in the area. Taking another long pull of the brew, he thought about the constant thorn beneath his scales.
Maybe Dr. Miller would have a little accident during his meeting with the Warriors. Household accidents occurred frequently and quite often killed the victims...
Screw household accident. He would probably forget to do...whatever I needed him to do in order for the 'accident' to work. No, better just send some snakes to do the job for me. He thought, recalling how daft the foolish scholar could be. No one would question the death of an absentminded professor at the fangs of an old viper or two. The Council wouldn't complain if others were caught in the crossfire. Hell, they'd rejoice if the Regina fell prey to their venom. They'd been waiting for the opportunity to act for far too long.
Adrian leaned back; absorbed in the various venomous fantasies crossing his mind's eye.