Page 82 of Embrace the Serpent

“In my kingdom, I must be what they need me to be,” he said.

I dropped my gaze. “Where’s—”

“Your loyal squire?” Rane nodded to my side.

Grimney was riding a very small water horse, clutching my bag of tools, looking very proper and dashing.

“Where did he—how—the horse?”

“I was—ah—distracted and left him behind. He caught up, and I did not dare ask for specifics.”

Grimney saluted me.

“Look,” Rane said. “This is one of my favorite views.”

We cleared the trees, and light fell on him like a dusting of palest gold, and for a moment, as his lips quirked, it was like I could see through his illusion like a veil, to the man beneath.

“You aren’t looking,” he said.

“Huh?”

“The view,” he said, his eyes dancing. He lifted his gaze, and I followed it.

The first light of dawn poured into a valley surrounded by rising cliffs. A vast lake shimmered in the pink glow of morning, ripples rising as the wind raked its fingers across it.

A palace rose from the depths, half-submerged. Its walls were a luminous white, aglow with dewdrops that caught the sunlight. Grand stairs led straight into the water, and waves lapped at the walls and windows.

A town clung to the lake’s edge, pale and gleaming like a clusterof pearls. Delicate white bridges arched over canals, their reflections merging with their corporeal forms to create an illusion of endless loops and spirals. Lanterns hung from delicate brackets, their golden light fading in the dawn, casting dancing shadows on streets that gleamed like mother-of-pearl. A short and frog-like figure yawned as they maneuvered a long pole to put out a streetlamp.

A horn sounded. It came from the direction of a tall white spire—a watchtower.

“We have been spotted,” Rane said. His genuine smile felt out of place on the Serpent King’s face.

“I can walk,” I said, pushing at his chest. He set me on my feet. My legs were unsteady, and there was a white fuzz creeping along the edges of my thoughts.

“Easy,” he said, taking my arm.

“I’m fine.”

“My venom is potent,” he said with an apologetic air.

His embarrassment embarrassed me. “Is it? I didn’t feel anything.”

He raised a brow. “You swooned into my arms.”

“I needed rest. It’s been a long and trying few days.”

“Oh, I see. You’re doing that peculiar thing, where you pretend you never feel anything.”

“I feel things,” I said.

“But you hide it.”

“You hide your entire face.”

Amusement danced in his eyes. “We understand each other so well.”

It seemed unwise to flaunt Grimney to our audience, as he wasa creature born of jewelsmithing. With only a little convincing, he gifted a seashell to his horse and settled into my pocket. The horse dissolved into mist as Grimney waved goodbye. Despite my protests, Rane slung my bag over his shoulder.

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