Page 41 of The Fae Menagerie
"In theory, it only dies when it's turned to stone."
Parker quickly assessed our situation. "Do you think it's long enough to make it through the four outer rooms?"
"No." I glanced toward the library. "You could tangle it around some bookcases, though.
Parker sighed. "I'll be bait." He took a few deep breaths.
The snake lunged at me again, and we both yelped as it almost latched onto my finger.
Parker swiped the flute off the table where I'd left it and blew a tuneless sound. It was the most grating noise I'd ever heard from a musical instrument, but the basilisk immediately followed him.
"Thank you," I called after him as he ran into the library.
I hopped up on the counter and watched the snake's progress from above. I was afraid I would miss the tail if I waited too long. Once the snake no longer felt the constriction on its body, it would grow until it felt constricted again, which would be the size of the cupboard, and then the door frame through which Parker had led it.
Parker was already on his way back with the basilisk trailing behind him. I shook my head to let him know it was still too soon, and he darted around the bookcase again, looping the snake around too tight for it to continue progress through the hole in the wall. Basilisks weren't the smartest creatures. What it lacked in brains it made up in brawn, expanding its body and crushing the bookshelf until it could move freely again. Thankfully, it shrank back down to its smaller size to slither between the rungs of the cane chair Parker had knocked over in his haste. The snake slipped through the bars with ease.
The creature's tail entered the tunnel between our rooms, the stone tip twitching. We would only get one chance. I dug around in the silverware drawer, hoping against hope something I'd stashed ages ago was still there.
The snake's head was twisted the wrong way, toward Parker in the other room.
"Parker, now!"
Instead of trying to lull us into complacency, the basilisk took advantage of our distress. It raised its tail, curving so it was no longer inside the cupboard. Before it could shoot its stone ray, I slipped a silver napkin ring over it. When it tried to expand past it, its skin smoked, and the creature hissed. Parker dodged,and it lunged. Once more, the tail rose into position, aiming for Parker's eyes.
I couldn't tell what he tripped over, the snake or the kitchen chair, but he fell beneath the ray just as the basilisk's head rose to attack. The creature paused, and I flinched away, not wanting to watch the snake bite Parker.
I should have known. My oath to the fae luck coin would have forced me to act, if Parker were in any danger.
The basilisk stayed frozen in place as it turned to stone from the inside out. After a minute of creaking and crumbling, its skin turned an ashy gray and then solidified into jade. In a one-in-a-million shot, the creature paralyzed itself with its own stone ray.
Parker turned over onto his back and yelled when he saw the snake looming over him, ready to strike. His knee hit the underside of its chin, and the head toppled to the floor.
Right. Once the basilisk was incapacitated, the next step was to remove its head.
The fae luck coin must have been somewhere in the menagerie with us, to pull off a stunt like this. If it wasn't inside my enclosure, it had to be nearby.
A few minutes later, Horace tapped on the glass, startling both of us.
"I thought he was dead!" Parker shouted.
"The stone spell only lasts a few minutes."
"That would have been good to know before I accidentally broke the basilisk." Parker bowed his head and folded his hands together. "I'm so sorry I killed it."
"We didn't have a choice." Aidan and the other prison staff wouldn't have arrived in time to destroy the basilisk before the stone spell wore off. "It would have killed everyone in the menagerie if you hadn't killed it first."
I hopped to my feet and kicked another chunk off the statue's neck for good measure. Then, I patted Parker down, checkinghim for bites, scratches, or even a bruised knee from when he fell.
"I'm all right," he said. "Clumsy, but fine."
I shook my head. "I thought I was going to lose you." I hugged him close, not caring that he was sweaty and still out of breath.
He slipped his arms around my neck, both hands finding their way into my hair as he held me. He sniffed. "I don't want to die here."
"I won't let you."
He pulled back enough to glare at me with his ocean-dark eyes. "You won't have a choice. I'm human, remember?"
