to seemingly reckless firing.
As she approached the entry fissure, she trembled with anticipation. Then she heard a rustle in a nearby bush, followed by a familiar hissing sound that froze her in disbelief.
She needed to get the gun, not just to shoot the serpent but to attract Taggert back to the spot. He could save her, or at least be her not-so-silent witness of the event this time. So she forced herself not to panic as she slowly turned while also reaching into her bag.
But there was no snake to be seen, and as she glanced around warily, she wondered if Taggert had been right. Had she honestly imagined that nest of vipers?
“Stay away from this cave,” a raspy voice commanded her.
Spinning back toward the entrance in disbelief, she shrank from the figure standing before her. It was a man, but only in a sense. Dark-haired, medium height and wiry, he wore a gray military uniform that was completely unfamiliar to Brietta. And while he didn’t have a conventional weapon, she noted with unease the whip in his gnarled right hand.
Unable to speak but also unable to run away, she just stared at him, trying not to freak out at the texture of his skin, seemingly covered with tiny micro-scales. His dark eyes were wrong too—too wide, too cold, too dead.
“Stay away from this cave,” he repeated in a creepy monotone. “It is filled with vipers. You were foolish to return to it. Now you have been warned for the last time.”
“Is it yours?”
His chuckle had a vicious edge to it. “ You are mine. And I am protecting you from the vipers. Are you too stupid to comprehend that?” Before she could respond, he continued coolly. “Do not make me come for you before the prescribed time. Do not make me hurt you more than I already have. I long to destroy you—to destroy your entire clan—but I don’t dare. Not yet. Unless of course you give me a reason.” He flashed a malevolent smile, then cracked the whip high in the air, letting the tip strike her cheek, slashing it down to the bone.
Shrieking, she pulled the gun and fired directly at him, but to her horror, the bullet went right through him. Then he gave her a final glare, repeated his command to stay away from “the viper-filled cave,” and dissolved into nothingness.
Stunned, she wiped a stream of blood from her face, then stared at her palm, shocked that she had been wounded so harshly and unexpectedly. Her whole face was throbbing now, as the gash merged with the sinus infection in one hideous burst of destruction. She wanted to run back to Kasha, but the cave was so close and had been such a haven she sprinted toward it instead, instinctively craving its protection.
You must be nuts , she told herself through a haze of panic. What if it’s full of snakes like he said? What if he comes after you again?
Stumbling into the dimly lit interior, she realized immediately that she had made the right choice, at least for the moment. The pain was gone—instantly and completely. And not just the sinus pressure. Even the slash across her tender flesh had stopped stinging, and so she touched it gingerly, hoping that the bleeding had slowed.
But there was no bleeding. No blood at all, not even on the palm that had been smeared with it only moments earlier.
Collapsing in relief, she rested her face on the cool rocky floor of the cavern, trying to understand what was happening. Not that it really mattered. Despite her fear and exhaustion, the absence of pain was a miracle to be savored, and she almost didn’t care if there were vipers in here with her.
“Maybe that’s what happened to the ancient executioner. He buried the silent witnesses in the cemetery, then he came up here, laid down on this floor, and let the vipers sting him to death, knowing it wouldn’t hurt. Because nothing hurts in here.”
It was a comforting thought—that the cavern had magical healing powers, enough to close a gaping wound. But she knew the reality wasn’t so romantic. In fact,
As she approached the entry fissure, she trembled with anticipation. Then she heard a rustle in a nearby bush, followed by a familiar hissing sound that froze her in disbelief.
She needed to get the gun, not just to shoot the serpent but to attract Taggert back to the spot. He could save her, or at least be her not-so-silent witness of the event this time. So she forced herself not to panic as she slowly turned while also reaching into her bag.
But there was no snake to be seen, and as she glanced around warily, she wondered if Taggert had been right. Had she honestly imagined that nest of vipers?
“Stay away from this cave,” a raspy voice commanded her.
Spinning back toward the entrance in disbelief, she shrank from the figure standing before her. It was a man, but only in a sense. Dark-haired, medium height and wiry, he wore a gray military uniform that was completely unfamiliar to Brietta. And while he didn’t have a conventional weapon, she noted with unease the whip in his gnarled right hand.
Unable to speak but also unable to run away, she just stared at him, trying not to freak out at the texture of his skin, seemingly covered with tiny micro-scales. His dark eyes were wrong too—too wide, too cold, too dead.
“Stay away from this cave,” he repeated in a creepy monotone. “It is filled with vipers. You were foolish to return to it. Now you have been warned for the last time.”
“Is it yours?”
His chuckle had a vicious edge to it. “ You are mine. And I am protecting you from the vipers. Are you too stupid to comprehend that?” Before she could respond, he continued coolly. “Do not make me come for you before the prescribed time. Do not make me hurt you more than I already have. I long to destroy you—to destroy your entire clan—but I don’t dare. Not yet. Unless of course you give me a reason.” He flashed a malevolent smile, then cracked the whip high in the air, letting the tip strike her cheek, slashing it down to the bone.
Shrieking, she pulled the gun and fired directly at him, but to her horror, the bullet went right through him. Then he gave her a final glare, repeated his command to stay away from “the viper-filled cave,” and dissolved into nothingness.
Stunned, she wiped a stream of blood from her face, then stared at her palm, shocked that she had been wounded so harshly and unexpectedly. Her whole face was throbbing now, as the gash merged with the sinus infection in one hideous burst of destruction. She wanted to run back to Kasha, but the cave was so close and had been such a haven she sprinted toward it instead, instinctively craving its protection.
You must be nuts , she told herself through a haze of panic. What if it’s full of snakes like he said? What if he comes after you again?
Stumbling into the dimly lit interior, she realized immediately that she had made the right choice, at least for the moment. The pain was gone—instantly and completely. And not just the sinus pressure. Even the slash across her tender flesh had stopped stinging, and so she touched it gingerly, hoping that the bleeding had slowed.
But there was no bleeding. No blood at all, not even on the palm that had been smeared with it only moments earlier.
Collapsing in relief, she rested her face on the cool rocky floor of the cavern, trying to understand what was happening. Not that it really mattered. Despite her fear and exhaustion, the absence of pain was a miracle to be savored, and she almost didn’t care if there were vipers in here with her.
“Maybe that’s what happened to the ancient executioner. He buried the silent witnesses in the cemetery, then he came up here, laid down on this floor, and let the vipers sting him to death, knowing it wouldn’t hurt. Because nothing hurts in here.”
It was a comforting thought—that the cavern had magical healing powers, enough to close a gaping wound. But she knew the reality wasn’t so romantic. In fact,
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