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Authors: Marilyn Haddrill
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now centered on the two who remained oblivious to all but the playful
bantering they now exchanged as they strolled closer.
Immediately
beside her next to the main trail, Adalginza noticed the clean knife cut in the
fiber webbing that helped provide screening against incursions from snakes. She
realized then that Bruna had disobeyed orders to go to her sleep room after the
"whipping."
Instead, the
wretched woman must have slipped through the front door to furtively prowl the
grounds.
Seeing that
Lady Redolo and Zartos had gone off by themselves to the stables, Bruna must
have stopped long enough to cut the screen behind them.
The area
also had been baited with fresh, uncooked red meat from the kitchen. Adalginza
saw some of the remnants, where the snake had been feeding.
Waves of
fury pounded at Adalginza, fueling her frustration. But a reckoning with Bruna,
along with demands for an explanation, must wait for later.
For now,
Adalginza stepped back onto the main trail and steeled herself to slowly
approach her two distracted guests.
As she
gripped the metal rod, her eyes darted back and forth.
The monster
could be anywhere.
Snakes were
masters of camouflage, with their reptilian ability to change the color and
patterns of skin to blend perfectly with the green of grass or the mottled,
rocky patterns of an arroyo bottom.
The presence
of this one would be known only when it moved.
Adalginza
felt a startled awareness from the creature, as it finally spotted her. But it
was not alarmed. It had not killed in days, and had plenty of venom to spare.
Adalginza
guessed the snake must be huge if it regarded all three of the humans in its
vicinity as viable meals to be eaten in one session.
Desperately
she tried forcing her eyes to see in more detail, hoping to detect where it was
hidden. At the same time, she felt the monster's growing anticipation.
After one
quick strike, its prey would become slowly paralyzed while squirming in
unspeakable pain. The snake would then take the meal into its open mouth,
holding the squirming victim in place with its fangs while waiting for the
final death throes.
The snake
would swallow only after it was assured there would be no internal damage from
a last, frantic kick.
Adalginza
had once happened upon a snake that was holding its human prey in such a way.
Ordinarily,
she could never detect the thoughts of humans because of the complexity and
subtleties of the higher functioning of their brains.
But, in that
instant when the snake had swallowed, she was pierced with the primal horror
and agony emanating from the human victim as it began to dissolve within the
snake's stomach acids.
There was
nothing she could do, except kill the snake in a surprise attack from behind.
It was far too late to save the victim, a tribesman who had chosen to walk the
wrong trail that day.
She would
wish such a fate on no one, not even a hated member of a Crescent House.
Adalginza thrust
aside the memory and stood helplessly as she watched Redolo and Zartos
approach.
Redolo was
smiling indulgently at her only grandchild. In doing so, the older woman had
allowed the mask of formality to slip away to erase many of the lines of her
age.
Her unguarded
expression was lit with joy and pride, as Zartos exclaimed with the thrill of
the visit to the stables filled with fine sturmons.
"If the
Lady Adalginza chose those sturmons for her stables, grandmother, then she has
an eye far better than any of the knights. Never have I seen such a collection
of animals. And cared for so well."
Lady Redolo
merely shrugged.
"I'm
sure they were selected by the men of her clan, before their deaths. But I will
give credit to the Lady Adalginza for their care. Their coats were shining so
bright one would have thought a polish had been applied."
"Look!"
Finally,
Zartos had taken notice of Adalginza.
Adalginza
raised her hand in a slow greeting and tried to force a smile.
No need to
startle these two. Otherwise, if they
bantering they now exchanged as they strolled closer.
Immediately
beside her next to the main trail, Adalginza noticed the clean knife cut in the
fiber webbing that helped provide screening against incursions from snakes. She
realized then that Bruna had disobeyed orders to go to her sleep room after the
"whipping."
Instead, the
wretched woman must have slipped through the front door to furtively prowl the
grounds.
Seeing that
Lady Redolo and Zartos had gone off by themselves to the stables, Bruna must
have stopped long enough to cut the screen behind them.
The area
also had been baited with fresh, uncooked red meat from the kitchen. Adalginza
saw some of the remnants, where the snake had been feeding.
Waves of
fury pounded at Adalginza, fueling her frustration. But a reckoning with Bruna,
along with demands for an explanation, must wait for later.
For now,
Adalginza stepped back onto the main trail and steeled herself to slowly
approach her two distracted guests.
As she
gripped the metal rod, her eyes darted back and forth.
The monster
could be anywhere.
Snakes were
masters of camouflage, with their reptilian ability to change the color and
patterns of skin to blend perfectly with the green of grass or the mottled,
rocky patterns of an arroyo bottom.
The presence
of this one would be known only when it moved.
Adalginza
felt a startled awareness from the creature, as it finally spotted her. But it
was not alarmed. It had not killed in days, and had plenty of venom to spare.
Adalginza
guessed the snake must be huge if it regarded all three of the humans in its
vicinity as viable meals to be eaten in one session.
Desperately
she tried forcing her eyes to see in more detail, hoping to detect where it was
hidden. At the same time, she felt the monster's growing anticipation.
After one
quick strike, its prey would become slowly paralyzed while squirming in
unspeakable pain. The snake would then take the meal into its open mouth,
holding the squirming victim in place with its fangs while waiting for the
final death throes.
The snake
would swallow only after it was assured there would be no internal damage from
a last, frantic kick.
Adalginza
had once happened upon a snake that was holding its human prey in such a way.
Ordinarily,
she could never detect the thoughts of humans because of the complexity and
subtleties of the higher functioning of their brains.
But, in that
instant when the snake had swallowed, she was pierced with the primal horror
and agony emanating from the human victim as it began to dissolve within the
snake's stomach acids.
There was
nothing she could do, except kill the snake in a surprise attack from behind.
It was far too late to save the victim, a tribesman who had chosen to walk the
wrong trail that day.
She would
wish such a fate on no one, not even a hated member of a Crescent House.
Adalginza thrust
aside the memory and stood helplessly as she watched Redolo and Zartos
approach.
Redolo was
smiling indulgently at her only grandchild. In doing so, the older woman had
allowed the mask of formality to slip away to erase many of the lines of her
age.
Her unguarded
expression was lit with joy and pride, as Zartos exclaimed with the thrill of
the visit to the stables filled with fine sturmons.
"If the
Lady Adalginza chose those sturmons for her stables, grandmother, then she has
an eye far better than any of the knights. Never have I seen such a collection
of animals. And cared for so well."
Lady Redolo
merely shrugged.
"I'm
sure they were selected by the men of her clan, before their deaths. But I will
give credit to the Lady Adalginza for their care. Their coats were shining so
bright one would have thought a polish had been applied."
"Look!"
Finally,
Zartos had taken notice of Adalginza.
Adalginza
raised her hand in a slow greeting and tried to force a smile.
No need to
startle these two. Otherwise, if they
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