Page 30 of Daughter of the Serpent

“I only heard the screams, when the music came to an end.” She said softly, hardly more than a whisper. Her eyes looked back down to the floor, emotion overcoming her. “I came rushing with everyone else to find her passed out, and the others…limp and unmoving.” She sobbed, tears leaking out her eyes glistening in her cheeks. “I can’t believe she would do this my lord, she is my friend…” Her voice trembled.

“It is not your fault, child. You are too innocent for your own good - you were clearly manipulated!” One of the elders, Farga, known for his white gleaming hair, rose from their fur - covered seat, his own polished goblet in hand. “It is clear she is a victim of Lafar’sdeception! He uses Sylvie now only to weaken our clan, and our most pure!”

“She is just a child!” Another voice rose from the cluster of elders, a man dressed in red stood up into the light. Her eyes met his familiar face, the long white beard, the thin creases that framed his wise blue eyes, and his hooked nose. Godvik - her tutor, her friend. Sylvie’s heart leaped in her chest.

“I can attest to her character, high priest Rederick. She has been my most promising student.”

She held her breath, her stomach a bundle of nerves.Would they listen to him?

“Can anyone truly know the depths, the inner workings of one’s own deceitful heart?” Farga hissed. “There is evidence here that suggests you may not know your student as well as you think, skald.”

Godvick’s eyes met hers, a glimmer of sorrow lurking in their depths. She offered him a small, reassuring nod, hoping to convey her gratitude from his efforts.

“Besides, what would a skald know of magic and blood?” Farga asked, his dark eyes sharp. “You are simply a keeper of the old ways, the stories of our past. Your nose is in a scroll, rather than in reality!” Turning back to face Sylvie, his words ripped into her. “She denies she has no part in their deaths, and yet the evidence is there. She was the only one found with the bodies. She was the only one seen using magic. She was the only one able to commit such heinous acts to her own people.”

Many of the elders nodded in agreement.

“She has been corrupt from the start.” Elder Farga continued. “We should have known better than to be merciful. The gods now reveal to us our mistake.” His eyes met hers shining with dangerous glint. “None who have been touched by such impurity, should live.”

The crowd murmured, some cheering in response.

Sylvie chewed at her bottom lip, her body stiffening as if the words were aphysical blow.

“That is all.” Rederick waved his hand, dismissing Tara, letting the guards once more lead her away. Sylvie’s breath left her body.

Would this be the last time she would see her friend?

There was no time to think about it.

Rederick addressed Sylvie, his hands folding in his lap.“So, you got angry didn’t you, girl? You finally snapped. Took your revenge upon those who have spited you your whole life - ”

“Yet Baldr has healed your reverence,” Godvick interrupted, remaining standing. “By her own hand! Why would she do that if she felt that way?”

“Yet five others are dead.” Rederick hissed, “Maybe she was simply saving him for last, healing him only so she could inflict more suffering.”

“And where is Baldr now?” Godvik asked.“Bring him forward, so we may hear it from his own mouth.”

The crowd rippled, parting to reveal Baldr as he emerged from the throng. “I am here, my lords.” He stepped forward, just a few feet from Sylvie, his eyes darting nervously around the room.

She noticed the way his hands fidgeted at his sides, betraying his unease. Nearby, Molly stood with her hands clasped tightly over belly, a slight tremble in her lips. Her shoulders tensed, and her gaze was locked on Sylvie, a mix of fear and apprehension etched into her features.

“Baldr.” Rederick addressed him. “Tell us what happened.”

“Yes my lord.” He nodded, his eyes downcast as he thought to himself. Silence enveloped the space around them, everyone anxious to hear every word. “I found her in the crowd that night. I was angry at her appearance. I knew she shouldn’t be there, that she was of the light, but also of darkness. I…I hated her for her lineage, her eye. I took her. I pulled her from the crowd into the forest. My comrades, they met me there. We planned to teach her a lesson, to show her that she would never be one of us. That she should know her place.” He paused, his features withdrawn, his voice low. “She lashed out before we could be successful. I was injured momentarily before I realized what she had done. Then next thing I knew was she was suspended - floating before us. A white light pulsed around her, her eyes - they were like stars in midheaven. I thought she was the devil, Lafar himself inhabiting her until - ”

“Until what?” Rederick probed, impatient.

“Until something happened, I cannot explain…” He trailed off, trying to find the right words. “She saw me -into me- and the next thing I knew I was being suspended in light. Her hand was on my heart and the weight, this weight that I had carried my whole life - just melted away. I cannot explain it.”

“Then what happened?”

“I passed out.” He shrugged his shoulders, his eyes clear. “I remember nothing else. It was only when I awoke again I saw the rest of my brethren, my own brother, dead among them.”

Rederick stroked the hairs of his chin, considering. “And do you think she was the one who killed them?”

All in attendance shifted uncomfortably as they awaited his answer.

“I do not know.” Baldr said wearily. “All were trained fighters, skilled workers - I doubt a young girl could easily overcome them, yet what I saw, and felt - that power was absolute.”