Page 39 of The Study of Fire
“Ah, Kenda, I didn’t know you’re scared of snakes.”
“I didn’t know either. Not until one popped up in my office and tried to bite me.”
* * *
Valek carried the crate to his office. The clean scent of lemon filled the warm air. Either Brede had kept the brazier burning, or he’d heard Valek had returned from Castletown. He moved a few piles on his conference table, making room for his new acquisition. Once he had more information, he’d inform the Commander of the “gift.”
He grabbed a number of books on wildlife then went to his desk. Mr. Spider and his web were missing. It was the cold season, and the arachnid had lasted longer than he should, but Valek was still sad to see him gone.
Ignoring the stacks of reports on his desk, he sat in his chair and read through the books. After a few hours, he realized the texts focused only on creatures found in Ixia. Then he remembered he had a few more books in his apartment. Valek grabbed the crate.
In his suite, he set the crate onto the floor near the hearth. Brede had finished arranging his books by subject. He found the books in no time and settled onto his couch to read.
The snick of the lock opening sent him to his feet with his dagger in hand. But it was only Brede, who was equally surprised.
“Sorry, I didn’t know you’d returned,” Brede said, pushing his cart into the living area. “Good to see you hale and whole.”
“I got back late last night. What are you doing here?”
“Uh, cleaning like I always do.”
“What’s left to clean? This place is immaculate.”
“Thank you, but the windows need to be washed. Unless you’d rather I come back later?”
“No, that’s okay.” Valek resumed reading until the scent of lavender distracted him. “Brede?”
“Yes?” He paused with his rag on the window and glanced over.
“Why lavender? Why switch from lemon?”
“Oh, it’s a soothing scent. For relaxing and sleeping. I thought it was better than the sharp citrus scent, which is more energizing. Do you not like it? I can find?—”
“It’s fine. I was just curious.”
Valek flipped through the books but found no reference to Sitian snakes. The library might have— An idea sparked. “Brede, can you come here a minute?”
“Sure.” He dropped his rag into a bucket of water. “What do you need?”
“You mentioned that you encountered all manner of critters while cleaning, have you found any snakes?”
“A few. They come in during the cold season, seeking warmth.”
“Any venomous?”
“The Black Rattler is, but it goes dormant during the cold weather.”
Valek might have found an expert. He opened the crate. “Do you know what type of snake this is?”
Brede sucked in a harsh breath. “He’s dead!”
“It was him or me,” Valek said wryly.
“Oh. Sorry.” He pointed. “May I?”
“Go ahead.”
Brede picked up the snake’s head and examined it. Then he set it down and pulled the rest of its body from the crate. “Wow, he’s six feet, at least. And take a look at this pattern on his scales. It’s very distinctive. I know I’ve seen this before.” He tapped a fingernail on his chin. “It’s not native to Ixia.” Then he snapped his fingers. “There’s a book in the library about snakes.”
