Retribution

In the dead of night, Grayson's eyes flew open, and he jolted upright, his senses on high alert to the sound of scales scraping across the earth.

"You hear it too, right?" asked Elyra, peeking out from his hood.

He nodded silently, nudging Katheren and Seraphine awake. Morven, too, had sat up, his eyes searching Grayson's for confirmation.

"Our enemies have come calling!"

No sooner had Grayson uttered these words than he leaped into action. A dagger, sharp as a serpent's tooth, whistled down from the darkness, embedding itself where Grayson had lain just moments before.

"No more rest for the wicked!"

Drawing his sword in a flash, Grayson charged toward the source. A male serpent-man erupted from the forest, brandishing three daggers, with a claw ready to strike.

Grayson dove into combat, dodging two blades and parrying the third with his silver sword. A kick to the serpent-man's left arms sent daggers scattering, followed by a punch that drove the wind from his adversary's chest.

As the serpent-man stumbled back, Grayson readied for the kill, only to be interrupted by a piercing shriek. Another serpent-man sprung from the woods. Morven, quick to respond, brandished his scimitar, its brilliant arc forcing the attacker to recoil.

Seizing a moment of distraction, the first serpent-man swept his tail toward Grayson's legs. Grayson leaped, not away but toward the threat, his sword flashing in the crisp morning air, cleaving off one of the serpent-man's arms. Midair, Grayson gripped the serpent-man's neck, somersaulted over his head to land with lethal grace. A twist and a sickening snap announced the end of the serpent-man's life.

As Grayson dealt the final blow, the second serpent-man, realizing the tide had turned, pushed Morven back and fled into the woods. "We must finish him; he cannot be allowed to escape!" Grayson called out, rushing back to Morven's side.

"Stay here and don't leave!" he commanded Seraphine and Katheren before he and Morven vanished into the forest's embrace.

Left behind, Seraphine and Katheren exchanged uneasy glances, only to be startled by a sudden shadow that plummeted from the canopy into Seraphine's arms.

"Yikes!" they both cried, surprised and alarmed, only to find Elyra, the tiny owl, chuckling in Seraphine's embrace, her black silk-gloved hands clasping her neck.

"How did you just fall from the sky? Weren't you with Grayson?" Seraphine looked up, confused, as Elyra beamed mischievously.

"I'm not fond of serpent-chasing. Far better to snuggle in a cozy embrace!" Elyra snuggled closer, burying her face in Seraphine's chest, her hands clinging tightly.

Seraphine and Katheren shared a resigned look, bemused by the whimsical Elyra.

Meanwhile, Grayson and Morven quickly caught up to the serpent-man. Attacked from both sides, the desperate serpent-man swung his daggers wildly in retreat.

Grayson and Morven dodged the onslaught, and with a fluid motion, Grayson used Morven's momentum to catapult him forward. Morven's blade sliced through the air, aiming for the serpent-man's head.

But it was a feint; as Morven rolled to safety, Grayson emerged from his shadow, thrusting his silver sword straight into the serpent-man's chest. It was over in an instant—the serpent-man crumpled to the ground, a final wail escaping his lips.

"Have we stumbled into a viper's nest?" Grayson mused grimly, eyeing the fallen foe. Morven eyed the corpse and speculated, "Perhaps the serpent-woman you slew wasn't just any creature. Serpent-kin society is matriarchal—their women wield more power. Those males were surely here for revenge."

Their grim conversation was cut short by a scream from the woods—Katheren's voice. Heart pounding, they raced back toward the springs.

Arriving at the lakeside, they discovered only the lifeless bodies of male serpent-men. The staff of Seraphine and Katheren's pistols lay abandoned.

"Indeed, the old adage holds true—actions return to haunt us," Grayson muttered, picking up the pistols and checking the chambers. "Barely any shots fired. They were ambushed by a much larger force."

"We need to find them fast, before the serpents make a meal of them," Morven declared, his tone grim.

"Here, snake tracks," Grayson pointed out, discovering a trail. They followed the serpentine signs, the pistols now strapped to Grayson's waist.

As they pursued the trail, Katheren and Seraphine were brought to the serpent's stronghold deep within the valley, escorted by over twenty serpent-men warriors. They were ushered through the gawking crowd, like lambs to the slaughter, into a dark cavern's maw.

The cavern twisted and turned until they reached a grand chamber entrance, guarded by bare-chested serpent-women. After a brief exchange, they were led inside to behold a massive python statue, bathed in light from above.

Before the stone throne, two rows of young serpent-women stood at attention, and upon the throne reclined a strikingly beautiful serpent queen, her gaze malevolent as she eyed the newcomers.

"We have returned, my queen!"

The serpent captain bowed, and the guards pushed Katheren and Seraphine before the queen. Another soldier stepped forward, presenting Elyra, who bravely faced the serpent monarch.

"Hey, you old, ugly bug, release them now! Or he'll roast you all into a serpent stew!" Elyra threatened, straining against the grip.

The queen flicked an annoyed glance at Elyra, her foreboding gaze sweeping over Katheren and Seraphine before settling on the captain. "Aren't there two more?"

Before the captain could answer, Elyra piped up, "Your stupid underlings won't catch them. When he arrives, you'll all be made into serpent stew, and I want a snake-skin skirt!"

"Impudent little creature, feed her to my offspring!"

The queen's impatience was evident as the soldier holding Elyra turned and strode to a corner of the chamber. He lifted a stone slab, revealing a pit teeming with venomous snakes, and without hesitation, Elyra was dropped into the writhing mass below.