The serpent slithered back to her shoulder as a single tear slipped down her cheek. “Excellent,” Balthazar purred.
His gaze caught mine before he began to walk toward me, menacingly slow. “Our little lowborn,” he tutted. He came close enough that I could feel his breath on my cheek, smell the years he’d seen, like old books bound with dusty leather. “Let’s see if you’re worthy.” He brought his lips to my ear. “If it were up to me, you’d be in the Onyx Pass already, my dear.” I heard Ludovicus laugh so low that I wasn’t sure anyone else did.
Up close, I was able to see the snake’s eyes as he neared me, piercing black...but not empty. No, the black was deep, the candles around the throne room setting them ablaze. The snake was otherworldly beautiful, the fact that this creature with no sense of right and wrong, of life and death was here to decide my fate. As I gazed into those deep eyes that held so much more life than the matching onyx eyes of Ludovicus, a slight peace washed over me.
Its cool scales touched my shoulder and I began to revel in the feeling that this,all of this,may be over for me soon. Maybe revenge wasn’t what I wanted. Maybe I just wanted to die. It would be a lot easier.
It slid against my neck, my heartbeat surprisingly even, my breathing calm. I stared at Balthazar as he watched the snake coil around my throat.
His eyes widened slightly as the snake began to coil around my neck again, though not tight enough to choke me, the scales barely grazing my neck. The cold weight was steady. And then…
It stopped. It simply stopped and rested, its body wrapped around my throat. Balthazar’s head cocked almost imperceptibly, then his eyes narrowed as he inhaled.
I felt the weight of every pair of conscious eyes in the room against me. I heard the near silent slip of the snake’s tongue as its head rested beneath my ear as if relaying the message from Rhedros himself. “You are worthy,” Balthazar said quickly, reaching for the serpent.
It hissed, its tail rattling in warning. He snapped his hand back at the sudden noise. I kept my face straight. He reached for the serpent again and it snapped at his gloved arm, menacing fangs bared, narrowly missing his wrist. Maybe snakes weren’t so bad after all.
I didn’t know what to do and it seemed no one else did either. “How peculiar,” Higgins murmured. I slowly reached my arm up, holding my hand in front of the snake. With a flick of my head, the snake uncoiled itself from around my neck and twisted itself around my forearm, placing its head between my thumb and forefinger. It looked at me again, the black eyes seeming to lighten, expand. I gently clamped down my thumb and forefinger, silently thanking the snake — I was thanking afucking snake —and handed it to Balthazar.
I had made it through.
He said nothing before flinging the snake to the ground and stomping his boot on its head, the crunch of its little skull loud in my ears. The snake rattled frantically until it slowly faded into stillness. The familiar rage bubbled inside of me thinking of the soul I had seen in those eyes. Another soul extinguished. Another death I had witnessed.
The dagger once again burned at my thigh.
“Why?” I whispered through gritted teeth, quiet enough that only he could hear. Balthazar met my gaze but said nothing.
The limp body of the snake remained on the ground as Balthazar silently took his seat, his face slightly drawn.
I kept silent, thinking of the pain I’d inflict upon every one of these weak minded pieces ofshit.