Page 90 of Embrace the Serpent

Even as a toad, the way his eyes crinkled with laughter was so distinctly Rane.

We moved down hallways, toward the main hall.

Rane shimmered and grew, and he became tall, thin, birdlike. My vision blurred, and the world had shifted, shrunk in some way. I met Rane’s gaze, and I now came up to his nose. I was taller. Rane’s hair had become dark feathers that seemed to defy gravity, like bird’s crest.

A boy was coming in from the gardens, flowers clutched in his hands, muttering, “Jaster, I know you probably have plans already, but in case you don’t, maybe you and I can go to the wedding together? If you want. Or not.” He moaned.

“What’s that?” Rane said.

The boy shrieked in surprise, whirling around.

“You’re not asking Jaster like that, are you?”

“W-well—”

I touched Rane’s arm. The boy looked terrified. Rane said, “My dear, shouldn’t he speak from the heart?”

“Er, yes,” I said, and felt my illusion flicker. Rane recast it instantly, and I wondered how fast he could cast them. The boy’s attention turned to me, hope shining in his eyes. I said, “Say what you feel.”

The boy swallowed. “When Jaster looks at me, I get sweaty, and I think I’m going to die.”

Rane made a soft choked noise.

“That’s lovely,” I said, and I meant it. “That’s how I feel, too.” Rane recast the illusion immediately.

The boy beamed at me. “You think it’ll work? Itisthe truth. You’re right. My thanks to you both,” he said, bowing so suddenly that the flowers in his grip shed a few petals.

“Wait—” Rane called, but the boy was gone. He sighed. “I was thinking something more along the lines ofI find you lovelyorwhen I look in your eyes, I feel like I’m home, and sometimes I get that feeling whenever I see anything that same deep warm brown.”

“Perhaps Jaster’s eyes aren’t brown,” I said, and this time, my illusion fell and stayed gone.

Rane laced our fingers together. “Yours are.”

I ducked my head.

“Tell me,” he said. “Do I make you sweaty and feel like you’re going to die?”

I covered my face.

His laughter rose delighted and bright, and it wrapped around me, a soft, bubbly warmth sinking into my skin.

I felt strangely raw. The night had torn too many emotions out of me.

For some reason, I heard Galen’s voice.Everything comes at a price, and the cost is set by what people want from you. Love? What of it? Love is the fanciful idea of getting something for no price at all, and tell me, have you ever seen that happen? No,loveis another word for being cheated out of what you’re owed, and if you ever feel it, know you’re being played.

It didn’t feel like that, like I was being hoodwinked. It mademe think... what if I stopped running? Could I really have this? Could this happiness be mine?

As we reached the deserted main hall, Rane let himself look like the Rane I first knew, his illusion melting into dark hair, dark eyes, a slender face.

A soft blue-green glow played on the walls, emanating from below. The grand stairs curved down into the greenish depths. The banister was cool to the touch.

We descended together. Water lapped at the tall windows, but the lower we went, the quieter it became. A heavy, thick silence.

Part of the greenish glow came from lanterns that lit the way. The other part came from the creatures outside, swimming past the windows, spots of glowing light dotting their bodies.

The stairs ended in an underwater hall, lined with tall columns and windows.

There were dozens of doors facing the windows. Rane went to one that seemed identical to the others, from the pale white surface to the intricate trim and the large golden lock.