Serpent by Kathryn Le Veque Page A

be quite caught up in the man and his thoroughly magnetic pull . Those invisible fingers were pulling at her again.
    “I do not know,” she said honestly. “I would be lying if I did not expr ess some fear at all of this.”
    His smile was back. “Fear?” he replied. “I do not believe it. You do not seem as if you have ever been fearful of anything in your life. The courage you displayed earlier this evening when you fought the beast was more than I have seen in most men . It was both impressive and astonishing.”
    Penelope thought back to that terrifying moment and the reflection unsettled her. “You saw that?”
    “I saw it all.”
    Her confidence, so strong during their entire encounter, began to waver . Perhaps it was her guard coming down, just a little.
    “What was that creature?” she asked, as if he could supply all of the answers,
    Bhrodi gestured in the direction of the keep. “It is much warmer inside,” he said. “If you will come inside, I should be happy to tell you what I know.”
    “I do not believe I should.”
    “Please?”
    It was a very polite request, one she could have easily denied. But for some reason, she couldn’t bring herself to do it. Something about his expression stilled her tongue. Perhaps she wanted to speak with him, just a little. Perhaps it was nothing more than pure, insatiable curiosity. In any case, she found herself agreeing.
    In silence, she followed de Shera into the keep.
     
    ⌘
     
     

     

     

CHAPTER SIX
     
     
                  Penelope and Bhrodi ended up in the small hall of Rhydilian’s keep, a half-rounded room that occupied the entire second floor of the structure. At this late hour, it was dark and still, with the fire burning low in the very tall hearth and a haze of smoke from the malfunctioning chimney lingering up near the ceiling. It was very quiet, quiet enough for two people to have an uninterrupted conversation, which Bhrodi very much wanted to have. Penelope, however, was not so sure.
                  Seated at the small table near the hearth with a few dogs sleeping at their feet, Penelope sat across from Bhrodi because he had tried to sit next to her, twice, but she had moved away both times. Therefore, he was content to gaze at her from across the table. Like a beautiful, skittish mare, she would not let him come any closer. As long as she wasn’t running away he was satisfied, but now came the important part; keeping her engaged in the conversation so she wouldn’t grow bored and leave. Bhrodi immediately lapsed into tales of the beast from the marsh.
                  “When I was a child, I was not allowed to go near the marshes at all because of the beast you saw this evening,” he said as they settled down in their seats. “My mother would forbid it. Of course, when you are a child and your mother forbids you anything, it is imperative that you disobey her. Am I not correct in that assumption?”
                  Penelope fought off a smile. “In my house, it was the opposite,” she replied. “If we disobeyed my mother, then we were in for a row.”
                  Bhrodi smiled faintly. “And you have a large family?”
                  She nodded. “There are nine of us,” she said. “I am the youngest.”
                  Bhrodi pondered the information. “I would imagine having a large family makes you feel as if you belong to something,” he said. “As if you are a part of something big.”
                  Penelope shrugged. “It does, I suppose,” she said. “But my siblings were all so much older than I was that sometimes I felt like an only child.”
              Bhrodi lifted his eyebrows in understanding. “I have no brothers, although I have a younger sister,” he said. “Many times I wished for more siblings, but it was not to be.”
                  “Why