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Chapter 50. Love Like Winter
by Silisk
"Pray tell, Ser Antonio," Silisk hissed, draped around the stoat's shoulders. "Why are we stopping here?"
The miss-matched pair were currently peering down into a trap-door set outside of Sarkleyet's mansion.
"I feel there is more to this red brandy than our fine host is telling us," Antonio breathed. "The cellars might very well hold the answer we see. If you can find any sort of clue about the location of the brandy, or… well… anything about the brandy, really, it would be quite helpful."
The serpent paused, appraising the situation, before swiveling her hard gaze back to Antonio. "Very well. I expect you to come back promptly as soon as your meeting finishes."
Antonio nodded. "Of course."
Taking great care to keep his pristine sleeves a safe distance from the ground, he kneeled and Silisk slithered down his arm. With a curt nod of her head, she turned and was soon swallowed by the dark.
The lack of light and warmth in the cellars was quite disturbing to the adder. Granted, there were times in the jungle that an unusual cold wind forced Silisk into hiding, or when the stars in the sky refused to show themselves (rudeness itself!), but in either case there had always been sort of heat nearby for the snake to use as guidance. This was certainly not the case in these scale-ridden passages.
And Silisk didn't like it one bit.
"As soon as I find any sort of clue," she muttered to herself, "I'll be quick to take leave of this wretched—hsst!"
Several un-regal curses escaped the serpent as her upper body arced back from the solid object that had dared not warn her of its immediate presence in front of her. Flicking her tongue distastefully, she cocked her head; an odd scent emanated from the object, curling about her head tauntingly. "Hmph! How dare you, pitiful Thing."
Taking care, the adder gave the object a gentle headbutt; it was slightly damp, and she felt more than she heard some sort of liquid slosh about inside. I suppose I am passing thirsty. Now, if only she could find its source…
Gripping the surface of the object with her belly-scales, Silisk slithered her way up its rounded sides, coiling about the thing as if ensnaring prey until she had reached the top. Looking down into the Thing's hollowed insides, she could barely make out the dark glimmer of liquid. Satisfied, the serpent dipped her head into the depths for a taste.
Seconds later, she jerked her head back as if she'd been stung. "Pfhaw! What is the meaning of this?" she demanded of nobeast and everybeast all in the same breath. This 'water' was most certainly foul, and she wondered just for a moment whether it was poisoned. Folly. Even the most base of footpads would dare not work in such a sloppy fashion.
And yet, strangely enough, the adder felt compelled to drink more…
Dipping her head once more, Silisk noticed with wonder that the awful taste left a warm glow at the back of her throat. She managed to choke down a few more gulps of the water, and the nastiness lessened with each one. Meanwhile, the warmth was dripping from the inside of her throat like sun-kissed honey, and in a moment of curiosity, she glanced at her belly-scales to ensure they weren't glowing without her permission.
"Well." She glanced down her snout at the liquid. "I suppose you are not a complete waste of my time, Thing." She made her way down the object the same way she had ascended, although she was caught by the word printed on its side, which she read aloud. "Rum."
Silisk gaped. "N-no!" She'd seen that word before.
Panic cleared away with the warmth clouding the adder's mind like a sharp bite from the north wind. Intoxication! She had read about such things in the books she'd lived on as little more than a young hatchling. Only boors and ruffians allowed themselves to fall under the spell of spirits; certainly not something a proper Queen would ever do.
"Perhaps I am still ssssafe." Silisk cursed herself for the verbal hiccup. Clearly, she was going to suffer the next morning. She wasn't exactly sure what would happen; she'd heard it had something to do with hanging, but the page describing the symptoms had been missing. Regardless, she supposed it could only be something quite severe.
I am perfectly in control. Now. Steeling herself, the serpent set off into the darkness.
And smacked head-first into the Thing.
"One day I will be able to burn wood with my mind, Thing." Taking care that her path took her as far away from the deceptive object as possible, Silisk was on her way.
It was not long before Silisk found herself at a set of stairs. This she found out, as she had in the warehouse, when the ground suddenly dropped away from her. If she hadn't been so very cold she would have given the vile architecture a piece of her mind. Earthwalkers… she thought darkly. I shall never understand your obsession with layers in your lairs. It was perfectly silly, but then again, Silisk thought, that was why stairs suited earthwalkers so very well.
The stairs curled down, down, and Silisk was beginning to wonder just when it would end when she noticed a faint light flickering at the bottom. Oh, wondrous light! If you would lend me but a measure of your warmth... She hastened to the end of the stairway, illuminated in dancing shadows.
Once at the bottom, however, the serpent nearly recoiled. The air was so frigid, she felt as if her scales might turn to ice. The torch flickering in the wall sconce had been nothing but an illusion of warmth, and she hissed at it.
Silisk froze; she could see her breath. It whisped and twisted up into the air like… like…
Smoke.
The adder nearly died of pleasure.
The cold all but forgotten, Silisk reveled in her new power. Finally! It's starting! Oh, I knew it would!
Silisk realized that writhing about in circles probably was not the most dignified way of celebrating the beginnings of her transformation and so forced herself to stop and search the room. Only then did she notice the cage at the far end.
The serpent approached the bars. Flickering her tongue out, she picked up heat from the creature's fur, as well as its scent, which she recognized as squirrel. Why is it locked up, I wonder?
Silisk was close enough to the cage to see the creature sleeping inside. It was truly a pitiable thing to be sure; its fur was matted and its body covered in cuts and slashes, its nose nearly broken in from smashing against the bars. Its tail was more like a frayed rag than the great brush of its cousins. Just as Silisk was about to lean in a little closer, the squirrel's eyes snapped open and the adder drew back, shocked; they were clouded with red!
It let out an ear-rending shriek and threw itself against the bars. "K…Kill! Kill!" It snapped rotting and chipped incisors, spittle flying in all directions. "Come… I… Kill! Rip! Tear! Blood, blood!" The squirrel chittered and scolded madly, hopping about inside the cage.
"Poor thing. Completely out of its head. I should know."
A chill sense of dread filled Silisk at the familiar voice and she wished to whirl about and face its owner, but her coils mutinied; it was as if her blood had turned to lead. Painfully, she picked her upper body and turned to face the sable.
Castille smiled. "Surprised to see me?"
"How long have you been stalking me, villain?" Silisk had to force the words out, but once she saw her breath curl out of existence, she didn't feel quite as frightened. "It matters not; I have no will to bandy words with you."
Castille, in the end, was only an earthwalker. And what was an Earthwalker, save a miserable little pile of secrets? "But, enough talk. Have at you!"
The serpent arced her head back, swaying back and forth in preparation to strike. However, she noticed that the sable was doing the same, beady eyes locked on her as if hypnotized.
"Lovely serpent," he chanted. "Lithe, lissome, languid, serpent. And lonely! Slithering off on your own into such… hostile surroundings." He crept closer. "I, too, am lonely. I had been tempted to court Dear Antonio, but, you.." he smiled. "Come... won't you come with me?"
Silisk laughed. "Surely you jest. Come closer, pray, and I ensure you court with naught but poison."
Castile blinked in a caricature of innocence. "Your words are a dagger to my very heart, madam!" As he spoke the words, Silisk was aware of the blade that seemed to have wormed its way into the sable's paw.
Silisk, her upper body still raised, slithered backward, but even that motion was torturous. Her muscles ached with cold; how she longed for sleep! But she couldn't give up. She had tasted a glimpse of her future power, and she would not, could not rest until she had drank her fill.
Castile lunged for her. The serpent struck on impulse, fangs flashing for a moment before sinking deep into the sable's arm. She gulped the hot blood greedily, reveling in the hiss of pain, even as darkness began encroaching upon her vision.
"Your cold blood makes you suffer." The serpent barely saw the blade raised in front of her. "But worry not, I—"
Silisk did not hear the rest.
--
"Finished so soon?"
Silisk drew back with a start, wild-eyed. She saw Antonio peering closely at her.
Her gaze flashing this way and that, the adder was shocked to find herself coiled up at the entrance to the cellars. Was that but a dream?
Silisk noticed a patch of cloth hung about her neck like a makeshift cloak, lending her its warmth, and dismissed that notion. Castille must have only cut off a bit of his own cloak.
But why would he save me?
The serpent's thoughts were interrupted by Antonio clearing his throat. "Excuse me, Silisk, are you quite all right? Where did you find that cloth? Does it have anything to do with the brandy?"
"I'm passing fine," Silisk murmured. "As for what I found about the brandy, there was an earth-walker, a squirrel-beast, locked up in a cage. I do believe yon rodent was tainted by the red brandy. But before I could find out more, I was intercepted by that fiend, Castille."
Antonio's eyes widened. "How did you escape?"
Silisk shook her head. "I don't really understand what happened… it was very cold down there, much too cold for anybeast to retain her senses. He said something about cold blood and then I'm afraid I might have fainted."
The stoat's eye-whiskers furrowed. "That is quite troubling. I suppose he left you with that cloth. Is it some sort of message, I wonder?"
"Perhaps," Silisk mused aloud, twisting her neck to see if there was anything written into the cloak. "But regardless…" she turned her attention back to Antonio. "Let us depart. We can discuss the rest in the safety of that vile she-fox's abode."
Antonio smiled as he kneeled. "Indeed."
Silisk had just taken her perch on the stoat's shoulder when she remembered. Hellgates! She stiffened.
"Is something the matter?" Antonio whispered.
She'd bitten Castille. Which meant he knew. And which meant none of the others could ever know.
"Not at all," Silisk whispered back, suddenly feeling cold again. "just a sudden chill. We mustn't tarry, particularly if Castille is around."
"Yes," Antonio said, picking up the pace. "Do not worry; we will be back shortly."
--
"Silly!"
Silisk picked her head up groggily seconds before being assaulted by a furry bundle. "Grk!"
"Oh, Silly! I was so worried about you."
Struggling to escape, the serpent managed to squeeze her upper body out of the vice-like embrace. "Zula! I implore you, not so tightly"
"Oops! Sorry." Zula giggled and let the snake go, who then looped her coils around the vixen's shoulders, the tip of her tail batting Zula's nose.
The fox turned to face Antonio, who was standing nearby looking as if he'd rather not be there at all. He had just let Silisk down upon entering the building when Zula had come running in.
"Hello, Mister Antonio," Zula said.
"Miss Zula." he responded with a curt nod. "If you don't mind, I must excuse myself."
The vixen nodded, and waved to Antonio before he was on his way. She turned back to Silisk. "I'm so glad to see you again. Where were you just now?"
As nosy as ever. "You must promise not to tell anybeast of this just yet," Silisk started, "but I was on a quest for information about the fabled red brandy in the bowels of Sarkleye's lair."
With her head close one of Zula's tufted ears, the serpent related her tale a whisper. The fox's eyes were wide with wonder, and she interjected with her own comments, punctuating the story with little 'whoah!'s when necessary.
At the point in the story involving the Thing, Zula giggled.
"What?" Silisk asked, somewhat cross at being laughed at.
"T'weren't nothing," the fox said with a grin. "Go on!"
When the adder was finished, Zula clapped her paws to her puzzle. "Goodness!" She blinked. "Castille is the beast who killed Mister Dirano and Miss Sybil?"
Silisk nodded. "Yes. The real problem is why he did not simply kill me as well. Perhaps he meant to leave me some sort of message in this cloak," she said, showing off the bit of cloth. Despite the dubiousness of its origin, Silisk rather liked having her own cloak.
"Hmm..." Zula's ears quirked toward one another, making her thoughtful expression rather comical. "I dunno. We'll have to really put on our thinkin' caps for this one." She smiled. "I'm just glad you're safe."
The serpent smiled back. "'tis a pleasure to find you in good health as well. Particularly amongst those barbarous earthwalkers." Silisk stared pointedly at the faded scratches along the vixen's cheeks. Zula shifted, looking away.
"That weren't nothin'," she muttered. "Anyway, Brull 'n Rekkua 'n Pearl are really good beasts once you get t'know 'em!" She tottered outside. "Come on, Silly, and I'll tell you all about it!"