Niveus broke out of the trees and into a small clearing. Forest covered three sides, but the area opposite us was a massive wall of rubble. The stones had fallen from a mountaintop that rose behind the wall, the surface of which was dotted by countless little rock slides from ages past.
A little stream flowed down from the steep slope and wound its way into the woods on our left. Grass and tall reeds grew about its snaky banks, and flowers popped up here and there to add life to the area.
Not that it needed much. The place was alive with dozens of snakes. My cold blood ran colder at the sight of all the slithery creatures. There were cobras, adders, rattlers, bull snakes, and many others I didn’t recognize. Countless species had colorful scales all over their bodies, nature’s way of saying ‘back off.’ That’s all I wanted to do, but my body was so weary and worn that I couldn’t do anything more than shudder.
“Stay on Niveus,” Cassian whispered to me before he slid down.
The largest of the cobra snakes, and indeed the largest of the serpents overall, slithered to the forefront and bowed his hooded head. “It is an honor to rub scales with you, Your Majesty.”
My jaw hit the ground. A talking snake. This world had talking snakes.
Cassian returned the gesture. “The honor is all mine, Lord Skafti.”
The snake’s green eyes flickered over Cassian. “What brings you here to my humble stones in such haste, and with such a look of dishevelment that I have never seen before on you?”
Cassian nodded at me. “My friend here is in dire need of your help. She has consumed the flesh of nethral.”
A chorus of hisses rang out from the slithery audience, and more than one recoiled from me.
The lord lifted his head, and the tip of his tail twitched. “I see. You wish for us to remove the disease?”
Cassian bowed his head. “That is exactly what I desire, Your Lordship.”
Skafti lifted the tip of his tail and rubbed it against the bottom of his long snout as he studied me. “You know as well as I, Your Highness, that such a task is not easy, and your friend here appears to be suffering the ill effects already.”
“She was forced to consume a great deal.”
His sharp eyes darted back to Cassian. “That will make the procedure more difficult and more dangerous. I will have to ask a high price of you, Your Majesty, in compensation for such a task.”
A wisp of a smile slipped onto Cassian’s lips. “How many scales do you desire?”
Skafti shrugged his backbone. “Oh, we would perhaps need four.”
The king lifted an eyebrow. “That is quite a high price.”
The snake used the tip of his tail to point at me. “Well, we would use one on your friend here. That would leave us with only three, and we have use for them against the nethral, as well. The hideous creatures have invaded our territory as of late.”
“What if I were to assure you the attacks will stop before a fortnight has passed?” Cassian offered.
Skafti lifted his snout. “That would be a blessing indeed, but we will not wait that long for payment, and during that time, we would be left with our only defense: to flee.” He slithered around Cassian and the horse, flicking his tongue in the air. “It is humiliating to run from any beast, be they nethral or mortal. With your scales, we would have the protection we need to fend them off.” The snake stopped his slithery pacing in front of Niveus, where he bowed his head to Cassian. “Until that fortnight arrives, of course.”
Cassian pursed his lips, but drew his sleeve up. He brushed his other hand against his arm and retrieved four scales, which he held out to the snakes. Skafti’s tail whipped to and fro as he nodded at a few of the adders. Two of the white snakes slithered forward, and each took two scales in their fang-filled mouths.
Skafti slithered closer to the side of Niveus and caught my eye. “If the beautiful lady would come down, we will begin the process.”
“Will you be doing the procedure?” Cassian questioned him.
Skafti turned his head to a small adder. “I have one who is much more adept at drawing forth a great amount of nethral poison. Come forth, Svana.”
The tiny snake was barely two feet long and slithered over to us with her head bowed. “It would be my pleasure to help His Majesty’s friend. If you would come over here, I will begin the process.”
Oh God. I had to actually get near the things. My face must have shown my terror, because Cassian stretched out his arms to me. “I’ll remain by your side.”
I reluctantly slipped into his grasp, and he set me on my feet. He looped an arm around mine and leaned me against his side. I lowered my voice to a whisper. “That better mean you’ll help me bolt out of here…”
There was a twinkle in his eyes as he winked at me. “Should the need arise.”
Cassian helped me over to the small adder, who lay beside a boulder with a flat top. Several of the other snakes dusted off the rock, and Cassian eased me onto my hard seat. The sun bore directly down on me, and I shrank beneath its burning glare. My skin itched, and my stomach grumbled, but not for the meat in Cassian’s pack. No, I had a sneaking suspicion it hungered for another kind of food. One more fleshy. Even the snake looked a little tasty to me as she slithered onto the rock, so she sat beside me. I shrank away from the feel of her cold, scaly flesh against mine.
