Rise of the Serpent (Serpent's War Book 2) Read online

  “Well, it’s a shame to let it go to waste. I’ll be sure to take care of it,” he offered. “Good day to you both.”

  “Why were you staring at us?” the girl asked.

  Amra shifted in her seat, uncomfortable with the question. Namitus glanced at the angry warrior and said, “Two elves with two humans. Unusual company, that’s all.”

  “What about you?” the girl asked. “Did your father leave you behind?”

  Amra gasped and Namitus let his rips rise in a slow smile. “It takes a babe to know a babe.”

  “I’m seventeen,” she rose to his taunt. “I’ve been tested in battle and I’ve seen things that would haunt your dreams for ages.”

  Namitus smirked. “Perhaps you have. Tell me, mighty warrior maiden, what is your name so I may sing ballads of your exploits?”

  She stiffened and then said, “Allisandra.”

  Namitus nodded. “Allisandra the warrior maiden.”

  “I’m not—”

  Namitus shook his head. “Too late, I’ve already got the song in mind.”

  “What?”

  He reached into his pack and pulled out his pipes. “Would you like me to show you?”

  Allie’s eyes widened. “You—you’re a minstrel?”

  Namitus noticed her interest and the way the two elves stiffened at the table. There was something going on he didn’t understand. “I dabble,” he said. “My talents are varied.”

  “Who are you?” Gor asked.

  Namitus glanced at Amra, hoping that was enough to share she should stay quiet. “Namitus,” he said while he tucked his pipes back in his pack. He moved to tie the satchel to his waist, securing everything in case trouble was brewing.

  The two stared at him for a long moment before Gor turned to Allie and asked, “We done here?”

  Allie frowned and glanced back at the table they’d come from. She turned back to Namitus. “Are you two married?”

  Namitus snorted. “I’m escorting this young lady on a journey. Should I ask the same of you?”

  Gor laughed and nodded. “I like him.”

  Allie’s cheeks flushed. “I’m sorry. We were looking for somebody.”

  Namitus lifted an inquiring eyebrow. “Oh? Maybe I can help.”

  She glanced at the elves and back again. “No, I’ve made a fool of myself already. I’m sorry. I…I’ll leave you be.”

  Namitus and Amra watched her turn and leave. Gor shrugged and followed her.

  “That was…odd,” Amra said.

  “The elves never came over,” Namitus observed.

  “Is that unusual?”

  Namitus shrugged. “Believe it or not, I don’t know much about elves.”

  Amra frowned. “Why? Should you?”

  He chuckled and shook his head. “Some people think that way. There are strange events afoot. Unlikely powers at play guiding us, I think.”

  “Guiding us? Where…and why?”

  Namitus considered her question and decided he didn’t have time enough to answer it. He finished his drink and grabbed the spare ale. “Let’s go ask them.”

  Amra watched him stand and move around her towards the other table. “Ask them what?” she wondered. When she realized he wasn’t slowing to answer her, she jumped to her feet and followed. Her ale was untouched.

  “Pardon me,” Namitus said as he came to stand between Gor and the elven man. “You mentioned you were tested in battle. Might I ask what you’ve fought? For the song, of course.”

  Allie’s face clouded at his question. Gor and the elven man turned to face him, dour expressions on their faces. They began to rise when Allisandra spoke up and said, “Splisskin. They attacked my home.”

  Namitus smiled. “I’m not surprised.”

  “Excuse me?”

  The rogue held his hands up. “My apologies; I misspoke. I’ve been searching for news of the splisskin, and it seems I might have stumbled across it. Today has been a day of days.”

  “Why?” the elven man asked. “What interest do you have?”

  Namitus smiled at him. “Let’s just say I’ve run afoul of their tender mercies in the past and would like nothing more than to make sure no one ever falls prey to such a thing again.”

  Allie nodded. “Well then, I’ll tell you this: they burned my grandfather’s village, Almont, to the ground and are planning some great conquest. They’re searching for people now. People who may pose a threat to them.”

  “Sounds like you may be one of them, if you’ve fought them and lived to tell the tale,” Namitus complimented.

  Allie smiled. “Perhaps. We seek the same people as they do; we want to warn them and help them stay alive.”

  “Noble,” Namitus said. “Tell me, what sort of people are you after? You must have some idea?”

  “Half—”

  “Half a minute,” the elf snapped. “We know nothing about this boy! He might be a spy, for all we know.”

  “I’m not,” Namitus said. “If you need proof, just ask me, I’ll tell you again.”

  Gor snorted and Allie cracked a grin. The elf looked ready to draw the dagger at his side.

  Namitus noticed his ire and offered a disarming smile. “How may I allay your concerns?”

  “I doubt you possibly could,” he said with a twitch of his lip that nearly left him sneering.

  “He’s a knight!”

  Namitus closed his eyes and let out a short sigh. When he opened them again, he saw everyone staring at him. He turned to Amra and smiled without showing his teeth. She shrugged and smiled back.

  The elf chuckled. “A knight? Rather young to be a knight, aren’t you? And…scrawny?”

  “I’m not much for the heavy armor,” Namitus admitted. “It pinches and chafes. But yes, my companion’s claim is true. I am a knight of the Kingdom of Altonia.”

  “I’ve never heard of such a realm,” the elf challenged.

  “My friend, Alto, is the king. It’s not surprising; elves are quite distant from the lands we’ve settled and reclaimed after we defeated the dragon-queen and her armies.”

  “The dragon-queen?” Allie gasped.

  Corian rose to his feet. “Her armies destroyed our cousins. An entire race of our sylvan kin fought and fell against her.”

  “And we killed her,” Namitus repeated. “That kind of makes us the good guys. Besides, I thought wild elves were kind of out there, even for elves.”

  The elf bristled but the elven woman beside him reached up and placed her hand on his arm. He calmed at her touch like a torch being doused in cool water.

  “So, who are you after?” Namitus asked. “Because we’re headed south in search of a man named Lariki. I’m told he may be of help in finding whatever half-blooded individual the splisskin are after.”

  Allie stiffened in her chair. “You know of the prophecy?”

  Namitus shook his head. “No, but it sounds like you do. Care to share?”

  Corian turned to stare at Allie. He shook his head but she ignored him.

  “We’re coming with you. The grumpy elf next to you is Corian. His sister is Jillystria.”

  “And my charge is Amra,” Namitus said while letting his eyes dance over Corian and Jillystria. He turned and smiled to Allie. “The sooner we can be off, the better.”

  Allie frowned. “We were waiting for somebody.”

  “You’re in luck,” Namitus said. “You’ve found somebody.”

  Gor snorted into the cup Namitus had slipped him in exchange for the water-filled one that Namitus now held.

  “So we have,” Jillystria said. “I agree with Sir Namitus. We should be off.”

  Namitus winced and shook his head. “Just Namitus, please.”

  “He’s modest,” Amra offered.

  “Humility is the mark of a knight,” Jillystria stated.

  Namitus smirked and asked, “Is not wanting to draw attention in a place filled with people who might remember you less than fondly an admirable trait?”

  Jillystr
ia nodded in deference to him.

  “Then let’s be off,” Allie said. She glanced at the table and frowned. “Do we have enough to pay for these?”

  “I’ve been sold snake oil,” Namitus cried as he reached into his pouch so he could toss a few gold on the table. “I’ll meet you outside. We need to tend to our table.”

  Amra tilted her head and followed him back to their table. Namitus fished around in his pouch for a few seconds before tossing a gold on the table.

  “You keep looking at the elf, Jillystria,” Amra whispered. “Should I be worried about something?”

  Namitus raised an eyebrow, surprised at her perception. “Not worried, I don’t think.”

  “Then what is it?”

  Namitus glanced at the door as the others walked through it. He sighed and said, “She’s my grandmother.”

  Chapter 4

  “We have to ride this beast for how long?” Amra whined from her seat behind Namitus.

  Namitus grinned. “Until we get there—a week, maybe two? Could be longer. I have no idea where he is...just south.”

  “My back will be broken into a hundred pieces,” she moaned. “And my bottom—I’ve never been so sore! Even as a child when I was paddled for misbehaving.”

  “I have a feeling you were paddled often.”

  “Hey!” she yelped. A few seconds of silence passed before she grunted as Namitus’s horse stepped down hard. “Fine, I was. Are you happy?”

  “I didn’t make him do that,” Namitus said. He turned and winked at her. “But yes, I am.”

  She harrumphed again and tried to wrap her arms around herself. The horse’s swaying motion made her return her hands to his sides. “This is miserable.”

  “You’ll get used to it. The ache will take a few days, but that will get better too.”

  “I’ll not last a few days!”

  “When we stop, I could rub the sore spots for you?”

  Amra’s breath whistled through her lips. “That’s hardly appropriate! If you’d accepted my father’s offer of a dowry...well, then that would be different.”

  Namitus chuckled and shook his head. “I’ll not take your bait and match wits with you. I know better than to fight unarmed.”

  Amra chuckled until another awkward step made her hiss. She fell quiet and turned, studying the four people behind them. Allisandra and Gor rode horses. The elves walked, but even with their shorter heights, they moved with them without showing signs of tiring.

  She turned back and leaned closer to Namitus. “Jillystria is an elf...how can she be your grandmother?”

  Namitus lowered his voice. “Elves have excellent hearing, be careful.”

  “Okay,” she whispered. “So how?”

  “Her daughter is my mother,” he said. “It works the same way with elves as it does with humans. Your parents did teach you where babies come from?”

  “Ha ha,” she mocked him. “Yes, they did.”

  “Then what’s the problem?”

  “Well, you’re a human and they’re...not.”

  Namitus glanced back at her and smirked. “My mother was half elf, making me quarter. As I understand it, any part is considered the same as half.”

  Amra let the horse carry them several dozen paces before she said, “I didn’t know that was possible.”

  “It is,” he said. “You’ve got proof under your fingertips.”

  Amra gasped and jerked her hands back. She returned them a heartbeat later as the horse continued on.

  A clicking sound behind them was followed by the thuds of shod hooves striking the ground faster. They grew closer until Allisandra rode up beside them. She looked over and smiled. “You ride well,” she said to Namitus.

  Namitus smiled. “Thank you. You’ve spent a fair bit of time in the saddle yourself. I recognize a skilled rider when I see one.”

  Allisandra grinned. “I’ve spent my whole life around Brownie.”

  “Brownie?” Amra asked.

  Allisandra patted her horse’s neck. “Brownie’s always been mine. Patches is...was my father’s. Gor is riding him now. I feel sorry for the horse.”

  Namitus glanced back and winced. Gor looked miserable. The horse wasn’t complaining, but he didn’t have a spring in his step with the large man on his back either.

  “I’m sorry about your father,” Namitus said.

  Allisandra’s eyes narrowed. “I didn’t say anything about my father.”

  “No, you didn’t. And that’s saying something,” he said. “All the more when a large man who you seem to have wrapped around your finger is riding the horse that was your father’s.”

  She stared at him for a few paces and then stared ahead at the dusty road and the distant wagons ahead of them. The muscles in her cheek twitched a few times before she blinked her eyes and let out a deep breath.

  “I lost my mother to a sickness that stole her breath when I was ten years old,” Amra offered.

  Allisandra lifted her head and glanced at her. She tried to smile but it faded almost as soon as her lips crept upwards. “I never knew my mother,” she said. “She died in a fire…when the splisskin raided and burned Assurion’s Crossing to the ground. I would have too if my father hadn’t saved me. I was a baby.”

  “I’m sorry,” Amra said. “I can’t imagine not having her at all.”

  “It’s not so hard,” Namitus said. He glanced around, using the excuse of checking their surroundings to look back at Jillystria.

  “You were an orphan?” Allisandra asked.

  Namitus smiled and ignored her question. “You remind me of someone, a dear friend of mine, though you’re not quite as temperamental.”

  “Is that a good thing?” Allie asked.

  “I think so; she’s the queen of Altonia.”

  “The Kelgryn princess?” Allie gasped.

  “The same,” he said.

  “You’ve either got a silver tongue or…”

  “He doesn’t,” Amra said. “He paid a king’s ransom to help the merchants of Mira rally against the thieves and cutthroats in the Shadows District.”

  “The Shadows District?”

  “Sewers and tunnels beneath the city,” Namitus said. “They use them for smuggling and escaping the city watch mostly.”

  “They call that a district?”

  The rogue shrugged.

  They rode on for several minutes, with Allisandra sneaking glances at him time and again. Finally Namitus turned and caught her doing it. “Go ahead, ask.”

  “Ask what?”

  “What it is that’s eating away at you.”

  She blushed and looked to Amra for help. Amra shrugged. “All right, do you really know King Alto?”

  “I’ve saved his life,” Namitus boasted. “And more than once.”

  Allie’s eyes widened. “You’re messing with me!”

  Namitus shook his head. “I’m not. To be fair, he’s probably saved mine twice as many times. One time, Patrina and I had escaped a band of goblins and followers of Sarya but got ourselves lost in a silver mine. Alto heard me playing my pipes and climbed down a chimney to rescue us. Except the rope didn’t hold.”

  “How did you escape?”

  “We went through the mines and fought our way free. Although I’m not sure who fought more, the goblins or Patrina and Alto.”

  “Patrina…the queen?”

  Namitus nodded. “The same.”

  “And they fought?”

  He chuckled. “They loved each other from the first,” he pointed out. “Took them a few years and a lot of blood and tears to realize it, though.”

  Allie shook her head. “I can’t believe…I mean, I’ve heard stories, but to meet someone who knows them. Patrina and…isn’t there another woman warrior? A paladin?”

  Namitus snorted. “Aleena?”

  “That’s her!”

  “She’s something, all right,” Namitus agreed. “First female Paladin of Leander in hundreds of years, if I remember right.”


  “Amazing,” Allisandra whispered. “That’s what I always wanted—not to be a paladin, but to make a difference. To find adventure and do something meaningful. I would read my books and pine away for lost opportunities stuck tending to our farm.”

  “Alto and Patrina used to complain of the same sort of thing. I expect they’ve had adventure enough to last ten lifetimes now.”

  Allisandra had a sad smile on her face as she said, “I understand, I’d give up all my dreams to be safe at home with my father again.”

  Namitus kept his silence and let the conversation lapse. Amra’s hands squeezed his side for a moment and then relaxed.

  “What comes next?” Corian asked. His legs stretched out into longer strides until he fell in between Allisandra and Namitus. “This Lariki person, what do you know of him?”

  “Absolutely nothing,” Namitus admitted with a smile he was sure would infuriate the elf. “I know he has a company of mercenaries by the name of the Vultures and that he’s rumored to be in the south.”

  “I know nothing of the human lands to the south,” Corian said.

  “Lots of fighting,” Gor called from behind them. “Goblins, splisskin, humans, ratkin, and last I heard, a few small colonies of minotaurs. And none of them get along worth a damn, even among different villages between the same races.”

  “Sounds lovely.” Namitus turned as much in his saddle as he could with risking his or Amra’s safety and asked, “Have you heard of Lariki?”

  “Not by name. I’ve heard of the Vultures,” he said. “Merciless and the best that money can buy.”

  “How far are they?” Corian asked.

  “My horse, a couple weeks. With you walking, longer,” Gor said. “Could try a boat along the coast—never tried that before. Might be faster.”

  Namitus grimaced. “My luck with boats hasn’t been the best. I was captured by Kelgryn once. Another time we dared to take a ship to the abandoned Island of Britanley. Giant monsters though, magic gone awry that either killed or drove away the island-nation’s people. What remained was a tropical paradise for giant apes taller than most towers. I saved Alto that time, too; he’d been captured and hurt by the apes and needed me to keep him alive until we were rescued.”