Page 58 of Sonnets and Serpents
The guard took a threatening step forward. “Are you a captain? Do you command the kuveti? There has been no arrest in the outer market in a week. Shall I arrange for yours?”
In response, Silas bared his fangs, both because he was scaredand because, in Pravusat, it was better to be aggressive than afraid.
The guard’s predatory eyes crinkled approvingly in response, and he waved them on their way.
With no other option, Silas turned away. He would have to think of a different approach, though he couldn’t imagine—
“Don’t lie!” Eliza burst out. “You took her! Tell us why!”
If her accent wasn’t bad enough, she used the noun form oflieinstead of the verb form, meaning she’d shouteddon’t liar.
Silas clutched her hand, trying to pull her away before she could do any more damage. But he saw a whisper pass between the guards at the gate, the pointed attention on Eliza.
Clothes could only do so much. She was too pale for Pravusat, her hair too light, and she’d just revealed the voice of a foreigner.
“For future reference,” he snarled quietly, “it’syalanforlie. And, here in a moment, you’ll want to knowgravmak.”
The shortened form ofgravdan kazmak, which meantoutrun the strike. Run faster than the snake could bite.
“Stop them!” barked one of the guards. “That’s the island’s runaway princess!”
Eliza paled. But she broke into a run, and Silas ran with her, ducking beneath the iron portcullis before it could be dropped. Shouts of pursuit came from behind as they spilled into Izili’s main thoroughfare. No one parted for the kuveti, choosing instead to pretend they saw nothing. Of course, no one parted for Silas and Eliza either.
Eliza kept surging ahead, dragging his hand, then slowing her pace, looking back. Silas almost suggested splitting up, then bit his tongue on the impossibility. Had she been on her own, she would have lost the guards as quickly as she had in the market, winding between houses and people in a mousy flash until she’d scurried away entirely. Silas wasn’t a runner, and his tall buildwasn’t meant for slipping between people. He was going to get her captured.
He thought of calling for snakes, but that worked best if he could corner an enemy, not while he was on the run from one. If he’d laid a trap, maybe, but he couldn’t manage that now.
So he focused on the roads that led toward the university. If they could get back on campus, they’d be safe. The kuveti wouldn’t cross the campus guard.
“This way!” Eliza yanked him the opposite direction, ducking into the narrow opening between two buildings. Silas hissed as he scraped the skin off his elbow. The moment they burst into open air again, she found another narrow alley and dragged him through that one, too, until finally stopping in a sheltered alcove where they stood with thundering hearts, listening as the shouts of the kuveti faded away.
Sagging in relief, Eliza released his hand and doubled over, gasping in air. Silas wiped the sweat from his brow and prodded at his bloodied elbow.
“You were worried about drawing attention bycowering,” he snapped. “Then you go and—”
“Youwere about to walk away!” she shot back. “You hadn’t even asked about Henry or the girl!”
“Because I was threatened with arrest! You don’t poke a cobra with its hood flared.”
“It was just blustering. Like all the merchants.”
“One of those merchants actually made good on her threat, and prison is a lot more dangerous than a shoe.”
“You still should have taken the risk.”
“If I didn’t havethis”—he shook his wrist at her—“there wouldn’t have been a risk at all! I could have slithered into the guardhouse and looked at their records myself.”
“Of course. No matter how you look at it,I’mthe problem.” She gave a dry laugh.
“I didn’t say that.” Though he basically had. “I said—”
“I heard you. And thanks tothis”—she shook her wrist at him—“I understand the venom in any language.”
Silas clenched his jaw.
“You know what? I’m tired of your sanctimonious attitude.” Eliza stepped closer, though there was hardly any space in their shadowed hollow, and she jabbed a finger in his chest. “You think you’re so smart, Silas Bennett, with your magic and your linguistics and your grand university education, but you don’t know anything about the most important things!”
“What,” he drawled, “like love sonnets?”
