The Serpent Kings

by James Somers

PARTURE

  The old Elder Mother, Helda, watched us as one of her servants brought in a tray of tea in three cups, placing it on the table between us. The servant looked at Helda, and then departed as she waved her away. “Thank you, Vernice,” she said. She retrieved one of the teacups, indicating that Agnes and I should do the same. We each took up a cup and sipped at the warm tea. There was a hint of lemon, but more mint than anything. It was good, but my mind was already on the mission. Helda was supposed to brief Agnes and myself on exactly how to find our quarry.

  “The other pair may do better than you,” Helda said, totally out of the blue.

  I almost choked on my tea. “Excuse me, Elder Mother?”

  She was sitting in an elegant chair inside the elegant parlor of her elegant home. A private home. I had not even realized that there were private homes owned by Belial’s priestesses. Immediately, I had been fascinated. Helda held her tea cup poised before her wrinkled lips, observing us. “You may be friends, but you have not worked together before,” she said.

  I cast a sidelong glance at Agnes, and then met Helda’s eyes. “No, we’ve not,” I began. “Agnes has been serving in the High Guard longer.”

  “And you have only just graduated your apprenticeship,” Helda said.

  “You were told?”

  “No,” she said, taking a sip of her tea before returning it to the saucer on the little table between us. “But you carry yourself differently. You may have great skill for a young wraith dancer, but you lack experience. With experience comes wisdom—vital qualities, I think—especially when you’ve been given the task of assassinating one of the most dangerous men in the entire kingdom.”

  Admittedly, my confidence began to dwindle under Helda’s scrutiny. Perhaps, the fanfare of my audience with Belial and my appointment to the High Guard had made me unrealistic about who I was and my ability to carry out this mission. Still, I had been chosen by Belial himself.

  Feeling a little wounded, I found myself speaking. “I trust Belial has not chosen me for this mission in vain.” I tried to make it sound as a humble as possible.

  Helda grinned for a moment, her old eyes bright and knowing. “You feel I’ve insulted you.” It had not been a question. “Be careful of your pride, child,” she warned. “It’s exactly that sort of emotionalism that can get you killed on an assignment like this. Still, it may also be one of your greatest strengths.” She grinned again. “I’m sure Belial knows best.”

  She took up her cup to sip at the tea again, leaving an awkward silence hanging between us. Agnes hadn’t commented yet, but her eyes darted between me and the Elder Mother. I couldn’t help but wonder if Agnes’ silence, in contrast to my lack thereof, had been the reason why Helda had characterized me the way she had. Feeling the older woman’s gaze fall upon me again, I tried to change the subject.

  “You mentioned Rachel and Rebecca…they were here?”

  “I met with them and have sent them on their way already,” Helda said. “As I said, the sisters have an advantage. Their manners complement one another well: one leads, the other follows without question. I have heard that they fight in similar fashion, knowing exactly where the other is at any given moment, knowing precisely what move the other will make. Perhaps the two of you should have a similar arrangement—at least one leading and the other following.”

  “Pardon me, Elder Mother, but couldn’t that sort of predictability be read by the enemy as well…making it a distinct disadvantage?” I’d opened my mouth again.

  Helda grinned again and sipped before replacing her cup on the saucer. “You don’t like to lose, do you, child?” she asked.

  I looked her in the eye then. “No, Elder Mother, I do not.” I said it respectfully, but honestly. It felt good to speak my mind. But I wasn’t sure if I had been baited into expressing my true self, or if Helda had merely stumbled upon it innocently. I averted my eyes to the floor, feeling suddenly naked before her.

  Helda stood and began a winding track around the elegantly decorated room. A light blue marble bust of Belial adorned a pedestal where she stopped before turning back to us. Agnes still hadn’t commented on any of this, which secretly infuriated me. I didn’t mistake her silence for timidity. Silence was a precious commodity for a warrior. Agnes had the experience I lacked, and here I was making that fact plain for all to see.

  “I have been training wraith dancers for several centuries,” Helda said. I sank deeper into my seat. I suddenly longed to draw all of the furniture in the room around myself to hide from her.

  “You’re enthusiasm is an asset to you, Gwen, but it must be tempered by the wisdom that can only come from experience,” Helda continued. “I am not only to provide you with horses for departure, but to evaluate you as a team working to accomplish the desires of Belial. To that end, I feel that Agnes should be the one leading your team.”

  I caught the slightest hint of a smile already fading from Agnes’ lips.

  “Gwen, even though you have recently engaged in battle with the enemy forces and been brought into the private chambers of our High Serpent King, he has deferred to my wisdom in this matter,” Helda said. “You will obey Agnes on this mission. Allow her judgment to determine when it is best to strike the enemy down. Do you understand?”

  I nodded. “I understand, Elder Mother.”

  “Now, you will go with my servant, Sarah, to the stables and prepare your equipment and supplies for departure. I will speak a moment more with Agnes before she joins you.”

  Helda’s younger servant had already appeared in the hall, waiting for me to join her. I bowed at the waist, and then turned to follow Sarah down the stairs beyond. I couldn’t hold this against Agnes. She had done nothing wrong; only behaved as I should have before the Elder Mother. I whispered a prayer to Belial as I left the room, hoping that I would not make a fool of myself on this mission as I had just done in Helda’s living room.