SERPENT
1388 Words
The sun was beginning to set on the homogeneously golden landscape, casting violet shades all over the contrasting group of people that marched lining up behind the blue-haired man, who kept advancing in quite a peculiar pattern… Crouching and pressing his ear onto the ground every few yards, then standing on his feet again after a minute or two and resuming his trek.
-So, did you end up eating your own siblings when they died? – Phomeryka whispered at the newly added member of their crew, arching an inquisitive eyebrow.
-Princess! – Finjël scolded her in a muffled reprimanding tone – That is not very polite of you to ask!
-Well, I was not the one who referred to the deceased as a tasty chunk of meat, was I? – She replied, rolling her eyes at him, redirecting her attention to the tribesman – Look, I don't mean to be rude or anything, I just find your traditions fascinating, and I want to know what applies in this case? Did you honor your relatives by burying their corpses or by feasting on them?
-I didn't get to do neither – The Kephian grimaced, shaking his head – I don't think you understand, girl… There was nothing of them left.
-Shhh! Quiet! – The blue-haired boy grunted, interrupting their exchange – I can't hear a thing over all that pointless blabbering!
A solemn silence would eventually set among them once again, as they all watched the youngster creep through the terrain with an extended arm, murmuring some unintelligible chant.
-I don't get why anyone would want to live in this desolated place – Skhana commented pensively after a while – Why do the tribes keep trying to inhabit these savage lands?
-Because we like our freedom – Balkah proudly replied – And that always comes at a cost.
-But is it worth it though? – The Lowlander girl insisted – Living freely in such an abominable spot?
-It is as long we don't have to answer to an entitled monarch – The tribesman responded as he gingerly approached the tall, masked warrior that walked at the front of the row and gently tapped his shoulder twice, his voice shifting into a shy intonation – Hey… May I have my spear back now?
-That depends – The Yahurian responded, sizing him up and down as he towered over him – Are you any good with it?
-Is that a trick question? – The Kephian frowned doubtfully at the soldier – If I said yes, would that be a bad thing?
-Let me put it this way, kid – The masked man sighed. Leaning slightly towards the youngster and rolling his eyes a bit when he saw him instinctively flinch – Will you be of any help slaying that serpent if I give you back the spear?
-Nobody is doing any slaying, Akoh – Axe announced in a severe tone as he mindlessly kept walking with squinted eyes – Now, please, shut up!
-What do you mean, boy? – The Cahenean soldier asked – It was you who first suggested that we should hunt that beast and bring it to Alesh as an appeasing gift!
-But I never said I wanted to kill it – The blue-haired youngster retorted, grinning ephemerally at him, then composing a serious stare and wordlessly rushing ahead.
-Axe, you said it was enough to feed a whole tribe – Skhana pointed out with an equally confused expression – So…
-No. No, I didn't – The young man responded, mildly annoyed – Balkah did… I was just repeating his words. Now, would you all please shut your mouths!
A loud sudden uproar followed by the most terrifying tremor swallowed the last bit of his phrase and shook everyone's bones to the core as they witnessed the ground split open and a monstrous, dark reptile erupt from its inner depths, rising at least thirty-five feet above them while sending a pile of sand raining all over their bewildered faces.
-What the hell! – Phomeryka tried to yell, but her voice was swiftly carried away by the thunderous quaking that kept them all stumbling in place, unable to get themselves out of the way or even stand up still.
Their mesmerized eyes helplessly glued to the glimmer of the mythical creature's iridescent scales, that continued to slither endlessly upwards as they emerged from the earth's entrails.
The incessant storm of dirt engulfing her blurred Phomeryka's senses to the point that it was almost impossible to discern anything ahead, as little pieces of rock and debris mercilessly collided repeatedly against her eyes, blinding her.
And then, at the edge of her obscured sight, she saw it. Axe… Standing serenely in the center of the turbulent scene with a blank expression and widespread arms.
His body was turning towards her, yes, but his eyes were clearly focused on something else. And as she warily followed them upwards, she was violently confronted with the dreadful image of the massive reptilian head, which made her instinctively recoil in fear for a second, until she realized that the critter's attention was completely fixated on the blue-haired man's frame.
Somehow, the humongous snake appeared to be frozen in the middle of that maddening chaos. The menacing glimpse of its impossibly sharp fangs glinting from its agape mandible, as its dark, beady eyes zeroed in on Axe.
Feeling a strange shiver running down her spine, she peeked back towards the immobile youngster and found him now slightly suspended in the air with closed eyelids. His lips parting almost imperceptibly and a bright blaze emerging from his open mouth for what seemed only the blink of an eye.
And then it stopped. Just as suddenly as it had all started.
There was an eerie buzz persistently ringing in her ears when she finally summoned the strength to stand up on her still wobbly knees and rub the dirt off her inflamed eyes.
The haze of her justified stupor slowly fading and giving way to a state of absolute wonder as the surreal picture of the mythical creature materialized ahead while the last particles of powder set.
Victim of an irrepressible cough fit triggered by the cloud of grime that she had just involuntarily inhaled, the Xoltunian hawked and retched till her lungs ached. Dominated by fright, she thrashed and staggered backwards, fueled by an impending urge to run away, until she became aware that there was no real need for it once she noticed that the menacing Tanghum's demeanor had changed.
Against all odds and against all logic, she spotted Axe sitting crossed-legged on the golden sand with the broadest of smiles and a small portion of the humongous head of the beast that he had just managed to turn into a docile pet now resting on his relaxed lap.
The thought of getting on her feet had barely crossed her mind when she sensed a rippling movement at her right and she hurriedly turned around, finding the Yahurian and the Kephian with their spears in hand.
-He said no slaying, Akoh – She reminded him, aiming an arrow firmly at the warrior's heart.
-That thing killed my brothers! – Balkah heatedly protested, still trying to advance – It is my right!
-And you were all trying to kill it first, boy – The Cahenean solider remarked, getting in the way and extending his open palm – Now, give me that.
No one could really blame the guards at the top of the Aleshian fortress that morning for being petrified. It was, after all, the most unexpected event that any of them had witnessed in their lives.
Seeing the ridiculous assortment of people and animals calmly approaching the gates, Fhia, the experienced captain of the sentinels, had initially thought that she had surely overdrunk that day.
Yet, as the colossal reptile inched towards them, mounted by the blue-haired man and closely followed by a handful of strangers, she had already collected herself enough to have every weapon in the building aimed at their heads.
So, the gentle tip on her shoulder had certainly startled her. But the words that she had heard next made her do a double take.
-Let them in, Fhia – She was inexplicably ordered – The Librarian has been long waiting for them.
- Writer
