I sat in horror for a moment, thinking about the slavers I’d fought near Soron, and the man I’d fought. He’d called himself White Darkness, which to this day was the stupidest name I’d ever heard. What if he’d had true-demons? I rubbed a shoulder when I thought of him, though—he’d hurt me badly.
The woman behind me spoke again, her voice swelling with pride. “Karen has helped take care of them so far, most anyway.”
I’d heard that name twice now. “Karen?”
“Karen Abebe. She’s our only orb-Bonded,” said Cat. I raised my eyebrows in surprise, and she continued. “A month ago, she was able to snuff one of the cultist ‘Bonded with a lucky shot, and got a box with an orb in it later, from Dolos I guess. Now she’s ‘Bonded, which is lucky for us because she can help protect our new base. It’s too bad she can’t go with us on raids, she’s too important. We always have to creep around like roaches—the rotting cultists have at least five orb-Bonded or mages. We’ve gotten good at picking off the normies, but in a straight fight, we’d get rotting destroyed.”
“If they had five before, they have four now,” I said absently. “Mages or orb-Bonded or whatever. I splattered one of them before you lot found me. Left about ten of the cultists in pieces too.”
All the whispered conversations and creaking of oars stopped, and I looked up to see Cat, and the other Serpents within earshot staring at me. Cat slowly said, “I heard you were a bad bitch, and you did escape that trap, but you were only there for like...a minute or two, right?”
“Well, they were shooting at me.” I shrugged uncomfortably. “If things had been different, I would have killed them all, but honestly, they almost put me in the rotting ground.”
Cat shook her head, and I saw the woman behind her doing the same thing. I thought about how all of this might seem to them and thought I might understand. Since I’d left Bittertown, I’d gotten into one scrap after another, growing in power and experience the entire time. Then I’d just spent a few years as a professional soldier, paid to take down powerful monsters and orb-Bonded enemies.
The Serpents were probably on a similar path, but not as far along. These women had been growing accustomed to a completely insane world, one full of cultists and true-demons, but they were still not used to orb-Bonded, or mages fighting. The Serpents were still gangers, after all. They were tough, but not yet able to imagine fighting multiple orb-Bonded opponents at once.
I thought about what to say, and decided on something vaguely encouraging. But when I opened my mouth to speak, one of the gangers in the other longboat rang a bell. The Serpents all stilled, and I instinctively got the message too, shutting my mouth to listen. The ganger holding the bell said in a quiet, but carrying voice, “Something is coming!” I strained my eyes, trying to see through the fog, and noticed she had her hand in the water.
Must be one of the water mages, I thought. Then her role plus what she’d just said hit me. I prepared to restore Eneus to a weapon, and also brought my Flight power to the forefront of my mind, preparing to take off at maximum speed if I felt so much as a bump on the boat.
“It’s big,” said the mage.
“Ningen?” someone hissed.
“No. The ningen have gone deeper. This is different...and bigger.” There was a pause before the mage said, “It’s almost here!”
Suddenly, the water bulged to one side of my boat. It kept growing larger, and as it did, I called Eneus into my hand. The light from the longboat’s lantern reflected eerily as the water foamed, eventually breaking as an enormous head on a sinuous neck crested the waves.
Giant yellow eyes with slitted pupils towered above us, and a huge fanged mouth opened. I cocked my spear back to throw, even as a booming voice said, “Stop! Please!”
A few of the Serpents ignored the order, throwing knives and even whirling slings to launch deadly stones. All of the projectiles bounced uselessly off the creature’s thick scales. I hesitated further, feeling a strange sense of familiarity. The creature spoke again, “Nora! I found you!”
“Jadanak?”
“Yes! Please tell them to stop attacking me. I’m trying very hard to be polite but I’m having a hard time resisting an urge to smash them all to bits. It’s a little embarrassing but I’m also hungry right now and some of them look tasty.”
Now I could clearly recognize the drake in the dim light. When I’d first met him, I’d been a new orb-Bonded, weak and terrified. Things were different now. I had grown—changed—and now I knew the huge, intimidating beast was actually a lovesick pervert. “You’d better act polite or I’ll put a rotting hole in your head,” I growled.
The drake narrowed his eyes at me, and his reptilian lips moved for a moment over his enormous dagger-like teeth. Finally he said, “I am acting polite, and I will stay this way as long as nobody attacks me further. Please put that...weapon away. This is humiliating, you know?”
“Humiliating?” I asked. “Sort of like taking baths in front of someone who is watching?”
He turned his head, looking down. “The past is the past, right? I’m here now...just an old friend. Friends should be welcoming.”
“You threatened to eat me before, you giant lizard.”
“That’s hurtful.” Jadanak’s eyes glinted. “You are lucky we are friends.”
“No, I’m lucky I have a really powerful spear aimed at your head.”
“Well, that too,” the drake admitted.
“Nora,” whispered Cat, voice strangled. “What do we do? You know a dragon?” The gangers were all pushed against the side of each longboat away from Jadanak. The vessel I sat in was tipping more than I liked.
“He’s not a dragon, he’s a drake,” I said loudly, then sighed. “Do you all mind if I handle this,” I said, turning to look at all the Serpents. After they all nodded, motions jerky, I turned my full attention back to the drake. “Jadanak, I don’t know why you’re here, but—”
“I came to find you,” he said quickly. “When I got to the beach, you were already in the water, though, and—”
“You came to find me,” I asked, skeptical.
“Yes, and I—”
“How did you find me. Why aren’t you in Dingeramat?”
The drake’s face seemed pained, at least I thought so. Spending so much time with him in the past had given me some practice reading his expressions. “We can talk about Dingeramat later. I...smelled you.”
“Did you smell me before or after you were looking for me?” I still hadn’t lowered Eneus, and I shook the spear’s tip at him.
“A little bit of both?” he muttered. “This water is cold, Nora.”
“Fine, fine.” I eyed the drake again and wondered how this night had become so bizarre. Meeting Reesi again, fighting the cultists, meeting the Serpents, winding up on the Berber Sea, and meeting Jadanak...I felt like I was getting emotional whiplash. “Follow the rotting boats please, Jadanak.”
He cocked his head at me. “Agreed, but if these powerless ones attack me again, I am within rights to rip them to shreds.”
I considered the huge, dangerous reptile in the water. The drake might be quirky and strange, but he was still proud and powerful. He could have easily smashed either longboat, but he really didn’t seem to want a fight. “Alright, deal.”
“Good,” he said, and the giant head dipped below the surface of the water again with barely a ripple.
To the Serpents I said, “Let’s get to this base of yours so I can sort this all out, alright? Don’t attack Jadanak again. If you do, you will probably die.”
The gangers all nodded, wide eyed, and oars began moving again. I could hear the drake behind us, but I would have missed the splashes if I hadn’t been listening for them. For having such a huge body, Jadanak could move very quietly, a fact that was somewhat disturbing. I was probably quick enough now that he’d have a hard time surprising me, but the thought didn’t help much.
Cat seemed too shocked to talk for a while, so I minimized my spear,
put my hands behind my head, and looked at the stars. A sudden flash pulled my eyes back down, and I immediately noticed the wooden box at my feet. It hadn’t been there before.
The scout was still facing me, and she stammered, “Is that—” She didn’t finish her question.
“Oh,” I said. “I guess that cultist I killed was orb-Bonded after all.” As I pocketed the box, something in me finally cracked and I began laughing. I’d had longer days before than this one, but probably never as strange. Drakes, orbs, cultists, gangers, true-demons, what was next?
My chuckles faded as the glow from the lanterns pushed far enough past the fog to see a small beach. The older Serpent behind me softly said, “We’re here.”
Cat glanced behind her before nodding and said, “Welcome to the Serpents’ base, Nora.”
As we grew closer, I could see figures on the beach. At some unknown signal, they uncovered their own lanterns. A group of heavily armed people stood in a loose formation, and one of them held a truly massive bow.
I’d had enough surprises for one night, and I really didn’t want anything to go piss-ways with Jadanak, so I silently lifted off my seat and flew forward. Some of the party waiting on the beach took a step back in surprise, but they held their ground.
With nothing more than a faint crunch of sand, I landed on the beach. “I’m Nora,” I announced. “Who’s in charge around here? Also, I’m hungry. Plus, there’s a huge drake in the water back there, he looks like a dragon. Don’t shoot at him or he will probably eat you, well, unless he thinks you’re a shiner.” I ran a hand through my hair. “This has been a really long day, and issues with the drake will make it longer. Please don’t annoy me.”
The Serpents stared back at me for a moment before the one with the huge bow, a man, replied, “Nice to meet you too.” He turned to one of his companions and said, “Wow, all those letters were really accurate, weren’t they?”
I felt my eye twitch.
Seat at the Table
I’m starting to wonder if this night is ever going to end, I thought. At least now I was sitting in the Serpents’ planning room, taking a load off my feet. The magelight lamps set around the large room lit the space up well enough, but still cast deep shadows at the edges. Jadanak was outside. He’d grumbled before I’d entered this building, but I’d told him he needed to wait before telling me what he wanted.
The table I sat at with the Serpents’ leaders was circular, but with a hole in the middle and a narrow gap to reach it. The edges and the chairs had been accented in gold, a cheap metal, but still very attractive, glinting in the magelight. Cat was currently standing in the middle of the table, giving her report of everything that had happened since she’d left the island to find me.
The Jackals never had anything like this, I thought, looking around. These Serpents even had a mini bar and a mag-freeze box. Then I corrected myself, No, Lisa and some of the other leaders had some luxuries, they just didn’t share them. I didn’t like thinking about that, so I studied the Serpent leaders who were likely going to politely interrogate me.
My eyes landed on the man I’d met on the beach with the huge bow. His name was Trevor Young, and he was the body mage that the Serpents had mentioned while we were on the water. As a body mage, he had studied and practiced his control enough to increase his strength in bursts, so he could launch truly impressive-sized arrows with this massive bow, or regular-sized arrows with fire bombs attached.
He wore light clothing, and his brown sash complemented his dusky features and dark hair. From what I’d seen he was one of a tiny handful of men on the island, far outnumbered by women. Now I could definitely imagine how some of the Serpents might fight over the man, although he was too pretty for my tastes. I preferred men with lashes shorter than mine.
It was lucky that the Serpents had Trevor with them, even if he caused a few lovesick weasels to fight sometimes. As a body mage, or a life mage as some called them, he would be able to greatly speed up recovery from injury, or even save lives. His inclusion in this room was proof of his importance.
The next person was Karen Abebe, the Serpent orb-Bonded. When I’d first met her, I’d seen text scroll over my left eye.
Karen Abebe, Terran, Berban
Dolos Orb, Specialist Type, Generation 1
First Rank
I wasn’t sure what kind of orb powers she had yet, but on the walk to this building, Cat had said something about armor and light. From what I understood, Karen had been important in surviving the true-demon attacks, and had helped keep everyone alive.
She didn’t wear any armor, not even the usual Serpents leathers. Other than a knife at her belt, I didn’t see any weapons, either. She was tall and thin, with a tangled mess of dark hair. Her eyes were sharp, and her clothing pressed.
The next person at the table seemed to be there more as a courtesy than anything else. He was an older man named Frederick. I never caught his last name. He wore plain but serviceable clothing, and from what I understood, he ran logistics and spoke for all the noncombatants on the island. Other than his age, nothing stood out about him at all, and I could immediately tell he was a quiet sort of person.
Next was the oldest woman in the room, Anippe Diallo Okafor. Her lined, dark skin and white hair contrasted sharply with the leathers she wore—she’d attached spikes to her shoulders and arms. I could tell she’d been a shiner once, but she hadn’t aged gracefully. Every uncovered area of her body was scarred. Some people on Ludus who didn’t know the gang system might have thought she looked ridiculous, but I knew better. In a world where most women die young, the old ones shouldn’t be underestimated.
When I’d been introduced to Anippe, she’d been described as the gang’s problem solver and strategist. I knew what that meant. She was likely the Serpents’ spymaster, and had probably planned their raids before Bittertown had gone to rot.
That last person at the table other than myself was the leader of the Serpents, Beem Tee. I’d been surprised when I’d first met her. She barely came up to my chest, and her dark hair had some sort of strange, crystal decorations in it. Beem was also Areva.
I really didn’t like Areva much. It seemed like most of the ones I’d met always acted smug, like they knew something everyone else didn’t. When I’d talked to Vistvis about Areva arrogance, which had been a mistake, she’d said I just felt inferior, and for good reason. She’d gone on to say that if I were not orb-Bonded, I could never hope to learn half of what she knew. I’d stopped talking to her for a while after that, and we hadn’t brought up the subject again.
Beem seemed less punchable than most other Areva I’d met, but her eyes still glinted. I decided to interpret that as savagery. Normal Areva didn’t hang around Bittertown, and anyone sane wouldn’t be the leader of the rotting Serpents. The petite woman was dressed similar to the other gangers, but her armor was thicker in places, and I could bet she had enchanted weapons.
The Jackals’ leaders had all had hidden surprises like that too, especially Lisa.
“...and now the drake is standing outside the building,” finished Cat.
“And it’s behaving?” asked Beem. Her upward-slanting Areva eyes seemed to bore into everything they touched.
Cat bobbed her head. “He’s being civil, something he seems to remind everyone about every minute. Nora threatened him and I think he’s taking it seriously. Good thing, too. I would not want to fight that...drake—no way, no how.”
“I didn’t ask for your opinion, Cat,” said Beem with a sigh. The scout bobbed her head again but instead of displaying nervousness, she hid a little smile.
Then Beem turned to me. “Nora Hazard. The infamous. Forgive my lack of surprise, but I used up most of that between mysterious letters describing my home quadrant childhood then being attacked by true-demons.”
If this meeting had happened a few years in the past, I might have been intimidated. Not anymore. I’d fought, befriended, and even slept with scarier people than Beem. I looked he
r in the eye. “Good. Because I don’t want to waste time by holding anyone’s hand. I need to know what you know, and what you have planned. You obviously didn’t bring me here to play cards, and I have places to be. There are a couple Jackals in Bittertown that need to die before I can leave.”
Cat still hadn’t left the room, and stood very still, head swiveling between me and her gang’s leader. An outsider might have played this differently, but I’d been a Jackal, and I knew how Bittertown worked. I’d also scuffled with enough Serpents to know that pretty words were meaningless. Only facts and strength would matter.
“You seem to be mistaking your position here, girl.” The Serpent leader openly studied me. “My fighters saved your ass. What makes you think you can come into the middle of a war like this with stakes so high, be surrounded by old enemies, and still make demands?”
I met her eyes without blinking. “Because you need my help, and because all of you together aren’t a serious threat to me, especially not with Jadanak outside. I have no idea how many adventurers he’s killed. The old lizard has probably only been listening to me because we lived together for a while and he’s afraid of my crazy patron demigoddess.”
There was a pause after I said that. Cat mouthed, “drake lived together,” and “crazy demigoddess.”
The way the scout was silently repeating what I’d said was a little distracting, so I added, “And your Serpents didn’t save me. I chose to come along.”
Beem turned to Anippe and said, “I can’t believe this.” Then she gave me the full force of her glare. “I’ve been alive longer than four generations of your family, and—”
“And?” I tried my very best to sound as unimpressed as possible.
“So? You think that—”
“I’ve had my fill of snotty Areva talking down to me.” I remembered my first conversation with Vistvis with some help from my Mind ability. “Now are you going to tell me about using modern machines to perform gene therapy, or plotting fold-space courses between stars in different quadrants?”
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