Page 120 of Bite The Terror That Feeds

“Not if we work in daylight,” she said. “And not if we’re subtle.”

I approached the table, my heart thumping painfully. “You asked to see me, Father?”

He lifted his eyes from the map and looked at me. “Clear the room.”

Everyone left the throne room and exited the space. It was a tense moment as we stared at each other and waited for everyone to leave. Then it was just us and silence, no footsteps, no rustling of maps.

“Why are you attacking Grayson now?” I asked.

“Because of what you said.”

“What did I say?” I asked, perplexed.

“That Kingsnake and his pet aren’t in Grayson.”

Shit, did I say that? It took a moment for me to recall that bit of information.

“That means his kingdom is vulnerable.”

Fuck. “The Cobra Vampires are stationed there. Cobra is the temporary sovereign.”

“If he has a temporary sovereign, that means he’s vacated his lands for an extended period of time. I’m not sure what he’s doing, but I suspect he’s working with that human to find a cure for her people. He could be far west, to the north, or off the continent entirely. Now is the time to invade.”

This was all my damn fault.

“They won’t expect it. They won’t be prepared for it.” He rolled up the map on the table and tied it with a ribbon. “First, we’ll destroy Grayson. The Originals are very few in number, and without aid, they have no chance of victory. And the Diamondbacks…inconsequential.”

I’d worked toward this moment my whole life, but now…it felt wrong.

“I underestimated you, Clara.”

My attention snapped back to him.

“You were the only assassin to return. And if you hadn’t had the courage to complete this undertaking, we wouldn’t have that vital piece of information, information that will win this war.”

* * *

I waited until darkness.

I left my tree house in the dead of night, and guided by the light of the fireflies, I traveled to the aviary high in the treetops. Most of the birds were asleep, and once they heard me enter, they immediately stirred in the expectation of food.

I went to the owl in the corner, the only nocturnal bird in our possession. I opened the cage, fed him a few treats, and then watched him hop onto my arm. “I need a favor, Ominus.” I carried him toward the window, and he hopped onto his perch. “I need you to deliver this letter for me.” It was a tiny scroll, and I secured it to his leg so it wouldn’t fly off during his journey. “Not to the kingdoms, but to Grayson. This message is for the nightwalkers.” With his big, luminescent eyes, he stared at me, cocked his head from side to side. I gave him another treat. “I need you to do this and return immediately so no one knows you’ve gone.”

He hopped back onto my arm, and I lifted him to the window. “Hurry.” I threw my arm up, and he took flight, disappearing into the night immediately.

23

KINGSNAKE

I was in my study when the door opened.

Viper entered without knocking and headed straight for my desk. “We just received a letter.” He set the capsule on the desk between us. “An owl.”

I glanced out the window, seeing the light of dawn creep across the world. “Who is it from?”

“I don’t know. I don’t recognize the capsule, and I haven’t read it.”

I twisted the metal cap and tilted the tube, the small scroll dropping on top of my map. My fingers flattened the paper and forced it open, seeing the elegant script on the parchment. “It’s for Cobra.”