The Serpent Cult (Heroes of Ravenford Book 2)

by F. P. Spirit

  “No, they don’t,” Glo affirmed. Internally, he was still struggling with the waves of happiness from his familiar coupled with his own bewilderment.

  Seth peered up at the sky. “Why don’t you three go check it out? Martan and I had better get going. We have a long walk ahead, and it’s already midday.”

  Glo followed his gaze. The sun was now directly overhead.

  “Right,” Aksel agreed. “Good luck. We’ll meet you back here by sundown.”

  “Come on, Martan.” Seth motioned the archer to follow, then trotted down the beach. Martan nodded to the others, then quickly took off after him. From where they had landed, it was only a few hundred yards to the base of the trail up the cliff side.

  Lloyd gazed up the beach. “Okay, I’m real curious to see who Raven found.”

  He began to march northward through the soft white sand. Aksel and Glo were right behind him.

  A short while later, they reached their destination. Large boulders loomed ahead, blocking their view of the shoreline to the north. Glo felt the nearby presence of his familiar. “We are almost there.”

  They’d just reached the first outcropping when a small figure stepped out from behind it. Glo started, but immediately saw it was only a little girl. She appeared to be human, probably not more than eight years old. A cute little thing, she had long, golden blonde hair, bright blue eyes, and big dimples on either side of her mouth. The girl did not appear startled at all. She wore a wide grin and spoke rather nonchalantly. “Oh, there you are.” Her voice sounded childlike, but there was something strangely melodic about it. The young girl stopped where she was and called back over her shoulder, “Ves, they’re here!”

  Aksel sounded puzzled. “You were expecting us?”

  The girl fixed him with a stare, her hands going to her small hips. “Of course, silly. Raven said you would be coming to find us.”

  This time Glo was baffled. “Raven told you that?”

  A frown crossed the young girl’s face, but it was quickly replaced with a cute smile that accentuated her dimples. “Oh, that’s right. I forget that other folks don’t talk to animals like us. I can speak to her in her own tongue, though Ves says she speaks perfect elvish.”

  Glo did not know what to make of this strange little girl who apparently could talk to animals. He was about to ask who this Ves was when another figure appeared from behind the rocks. The question died on his lips. A young woman, perhaps in her late teens, strode into view. She had a well-tanned complexion, with long golden-blonde hair framing an oval-shaped face, a thin upturned nose and slim cheeks, but Glo was immediately draw to her vivid blue-green eyes. The woman was garbed in a shimmering bronze dress that clung to her shapely figure as she walked barefoot through the white sand. She came up and stopped just behind the young girl. Although only perhaps a foot taller than the girl, this woman had a magnetic presence about her that made her appear larger. Glo was further amazed to see Raven perched comfortably on the young woman’s shoulder. That was not something she normally did with anyone but him.

  The young woman addressed the little girl first. “Maya, where are your manners?” She gazed up then at the others, each in turn. “Children, what is one to do?” She said with a slight shake of her head. Aksel, Lloyd, and Glo all stood there speechless. When no one responded, a bemused smile crossed her lips. “I am Ves, and this is my sister, Maya. We were just having a picnic lunch on the beach. Would you care to join us?”

  Her speech was casual, but she had a refined air about her. It was almost as if she were some sort of nobility. Still, what kind of noble went barefoot at the beach hiding among the rocks? Glo found himself quite intrigued by this Ves.

  “I am rather hungry,” Lloyd admitted.

  “You’re always hungry,” Aksel said without missing a beat.

  Glo tore his eyes away from Ves and shifted his gaze toward the gnome after that rather Seth-like response. The corners of Aksel’s lips were slightly upturned—he was obviously joking. Perhaps Seth was indeed rubbing off on him. The hint of a smile disappeared off Aksel’s face as he turned to Ves. He replied to her in a formal tone, “We would be honored to accept your gracious invitation.”

  Ves clasped her hands together. “Wonderful. Right this way.” She spun around and strode back the way she came.

  Aksel and Glo exchanged glances. The former merely shrugged and followed after the young lady. Lloyd was already moving as well—the offer of food obviously more than enough for him. Glo raised an eyebrow but trailed after the others, Maya falling in next to him.

  As they followed Ves through a maze of tall boulders, Maya spoke to Glo in a very serious tone. “I really like your bird.”

  Glo could not help smiling at the delightful young girl, but he responded in an equally serious tone. “Thank you.”

  Maya grinned back at him. “What I like the most is that you actually named her Raven!” She ended her statement in a fit of giggles.

  “Maya! Behave yourself,” Ves called back over her shoulder.

  “It’s okay,” Glo called forward. “I still find it amusing myself.”

  “Raven,” Maya gasped, now giggling uncontrollably.

  The maze of boulders gave way to a large, flat area ringed in on both sides by the large boulders. They ran from the shoreline all the way to the cliff face some thirty yards back. The area was thus effectively sheltered from view on three sides. In the very center sat a fire pit with a makeshift rack standing over it. Tongues of flame reached up from the pit, licking the fish that sizzled on the rack. The smell reached Glo’s nose, instantly revealing that he was hungrier than he had thought.

  Ves strode over toward the fire pit, calling back over her shoulder, “Lunch should be ready in a little bit. In the meantime, please make yourselves comfortable.”

  Glo, Lloyd and Aksel all exchanged glances. The three of them shrugged, then the elf and the tall warrior followed Ves over to the fire pit. Aksel, however, remained behind.

  The Three Sisters

  You see, our family has some special—talents

  While Lloyd and Glo followed Ves up toward the fire pit, Aksel stayed with Maya down by the water. The young girl picked up a rock and began skipping stones. She had managed to skim the water three times before the small stone finally sank beneath the surface.

  “Nice one,” Aksel complemented her.

  Maya grinned back at him with that infectious smile. “Thanks.”

  She immediately bent down to search for another stone. Aksel did likewise. Searching the sand, he swiftly found his own small rock. Maya picked a small flat stone as well.

  “Do you and your sister come out here often to the beach?”

  She eyed him as if he was crazy. “Of course not. We don’t live around here, silly. We are on a trip. We only just got here a day or two ago.”

  Interesting. That’s about when the Lucky Coin sank, Aksel thought.

  The two of them pulled back their arms and let go of their stones simultaneously. Maya’s only skipped twice this time while Aksel’s skimmed the water four times and landed quite far out.

  The young girl looked at him admiringly. “Wow! You’re really good at this.”

  Aksel responded with a wry smile. “I grew up by the sea. Trust me, there are folks far better than I am back home.”

  Maya bend down to search for another rock. “That’s okay. We are all best at something,” she recited. “That’s what Ves always says, anyway.”

  Aksel shook his head, and his smile widened. The young girl was positively delightful. He reached down to pick up another rock himself.

  “So where are you headed?”

  Maya kept her eyes on the stone she had just sent skimming across the waves. “Oh, we don’t know exactly, just yet.”

  Aksel was amused by the girl’s nonchalant at
titude. “How will you find out then?”

  “Oh, Ves will take care of it. She’s good at that kind of thing.”

  Aksel found Maya’s implicit faith in her older sister intriguing. Having no siblings of his own, he never had anyone to look up to or depend on. He was about to ask her another question when a strange feeling came over him. It was as if he were being watched. The little cleric peered around until his eyes fell on a black cat. The creature sat atop a large boulder a few yards away. Its bright green eyes appeared to glow as the creature watched him intently. Aksel found himself fascinated with the strange feline. Where did you come from? Do you belong to the girls?

  He turned to ask Maya about the cat but found she was no longer standing next to him. He quickly spied her heading up the beach toward the others. Aksel shook his head. The girl was still rather young and her attention span probably not that great. He turned back toward the boulder with the mysterious cat, but the creature was no longer there. Aksel searched all around but saw no trace of the black feline.

  “That’s weird,” he murmured.

  He was just about to give up when a movement caught his eye. About half a dozen yards out in the water, a figure rose out of the sea! It was another girl! Now where had she come from? There had been no sign of a swimmer out in the surf moments ago. Aksel briefly scanned the horizon but saw no boats in the area either. He turned his attention back to the girl. She was blonde like Ves and Maya, but her hair was a few shades darker and also cut rather short. As she waded toward him, more of her appeared out of the water. She wore a black leather tunic, her outfit glistening from the beads of water that stuck to it as she exited the surf. Her eyes, an emerald green, were fixed on him with a strange intensity. Aksel felt mesmerized, as if she were trying to look into his soul. She finally turned her head and the feeling quickly passed.

  Minor differences aside, this girl bore a striking resemblance to Ves and Maya. Aksel was not very good at guessing human ages, but he placed her somewhere between the two in years. The girl stopped briefly to shake herself off, then strode up the beach right past him without so much as a nod. She moved with feline grace as she stepped lithely through the white sands. Shrugging his shoulders, Aksel followed her. He briefly peered around, wondering if any more young blonde girls would be popping up to join them.

  Up ahead, Ves stood next to the fire pit. She held a stick in one hand and used it to poke the fish as they sizzled over the open fire. When she spied him and the new girl, she placed the stick down, wiped off her hands and gave introductions all around. “Everyone, this is my sister, Ruka. Ruka, this is Lloyd, Glolindir, and Aksel. They are here to investigate the ships that disappeared.”

  Maya was dancing around the outskirts of the campfire. “You mean the sunken ones down by the reef? There are four of them, you know,” she added, as if trying to impress everyone.

  Glo eyed the young girl curiously. “That’s right. Just how did you know that?”

  Maya continued to dance around as she answered him. “Oh, we’ve seen them—while swimming with our dolphin friends. They told us where to find them.”

  “Maya!” Ruka growled. The girl had sat down on the sand somewhat apart from the others.

  The little girl stopped dancing and whirled toward her sister. “What?”

  Aksel watched both girls. Ruka glared at her younger sister. Maya’s expression changed to a pouty one, her hands going to her small hips defiantly. He really felt Ruka was overreacting. After all, Maya probably just had a vivid imagination. Her statement about the four ships was most likely a lucky guess. Still, something about the exchange nagged at the back of his mind.

  Ves interrupted the staring contest, her voice was calm and even. “It’s fine, Ruka.” The oldest sister now stood in front of the fire pit, her arms folded across her chest as she stared at her middle sister.

  Ruka turned to glare at her older sister. “Sure, it’s fine. Go ahead. Give away the family secrets. See how far it gets us.”

  Ruka stood up and stormed away down the beach, everyone there staring after her. Ves quickly tried to smooth things over. “You’ll have to forgive her. Ruka is not very trusting of strangers. Give her time to get to know you. She’ll come around.”

  Aksel gave her a strained smile but otherwise did not respond. Just what did she mean by family secrets? There was definitely something strange about these sisters. Still, he did not feel threatened by them. Instead he was intrigued. Aksel shifted his gaze to Glo. The corners of the elf ’s mouth were slightly upturned, and his eyes danced with amusement. Glo nodded back almost imperceptibly. Aksel took that to mean that he agreed with his assessment. The situation was strange but not dangerous.

  “We have a companion like that,” Lloyd was telling Ves.

  The young woman nodded, as she circled back around the fire. “Yes, Raven had said there were five of you.” She picked the stick and poked the sizzling fish once more. “Where are the others?”

  “They went looking for the signal fire, north of here.”

  A puzzled expression crossing Ves’s face. “Signal fire?”

  “It’s a long story,” Glo interjected.

  Ves’ eyes shifted to the elf, her expression still perplexed.

  “We can get into it after lunch if you would like,” he added.

  “Very well,” she agreed. Ves gazed back down and poked at the fish once more. A moment later, she glanced back up, her eyes sweeping around the small group. “Now then, lunch is ready.”

  Aksel, Lloyd and Glo seated themselves around the fire pit. Ves picked up a few short sticks she had stacked neatly on the ground and proceeded to skewer each fish. She gave them one at a time to Maya who walked around and handed them out. Aksel was somewhat hesitant but graciously accepted the skewered fish. He had grown up by the sea, but had never eaten fish this way before. Still, he did not want to offend their hosts. He slowly raised the stick to his mouth and carefully took a bite. It was delicious! The fish was cooked to perfection. Aksel quickly devoured the rest of it and found himself asking for seconds. Ruka came over and grabbed a skewer but then stalked away, back to her original spot.

  When lunch was over, Ves dumped a collection of seashells in front of her youngest sister. The little girl now sat quietly playing with them. Ves sat down next to her and bade Glo to fulfill his promise. Glo obliged. He began with the story they had heard from the sailors of the Lucky Coin. Ves appeared quite interested through the entire narration. Ruka did not move from her spot. She stared at the surf, apparently disinterested in the story, but Aksel had the feeling that she was listening carefully.

  When Glo reached the portion about the lighthouse, Ves interrupted him. “That’s strange. We’ve been here a couple of nights, and the lighthouse has never been lit.”

  Aksel found that strange. “Hmmm, that confirms a theory we have been developing.”

  “What’s that?” Ruka called from her solitary perch.

  She was listening after all, Aksel noted wryly.

  “That someone has been making a false lighthouse signal north of here,” Lloyd said to her.

  “Interesting idea,” Ruka replied. She got up and slowly sauntered over toward them.

  Meanwhile, Ves pondered the implications of what they had just told them. “If the ships saw the false signal, thinking it was the lighthouse...”

  “...then it would draw them off course and into the reef,” Aksel finished for her.

  “Guess you aren’t as dumb as you look,” Ruka commented. She now stood right behind them, a slight smirk on her lips.

  “Ruka!” Ves cried, her face turning red with embarrassment.

  Aksel, Lloyd, and Glo all exchanged glances, then the three of them began to laugh.

  Ruka stared at the trio curiously. “Was it something I said?”

  Glo wore a bemused grin. “It’s l
ike Seth never left us.”

  Lloyd continued to chuckle. “They could be twins.”

  Ruka’s smirk faded. She pursed her lips then murmured, “Hmmm. I think I’ll have to meet this Seth.”

  Glo resumed the story of the Lucky Coin. When he reached the part about the sea monster, Maya began coughing violently. Lloyd reached down and gently patted her on the back. “Easy there, little girl.”

  Maya glanced up from her shells and began to giggle. Ves fixed her sister with a hard stare. Maya clamped her hands over her mouth, but some giggles still managed to escape. Ves shook her head in exasperation. “Anyway, please continue, Glolindir.”

  A thin smile crossed Glo’s lips, but he went on with the story. This time he finished without any interruptions. Aksel did notice one other peculiar thing during the course of it. When Glo described the angel, Maya cast a sidelong glance at Ves. The young woman ignored her sister, her eyes locked firmly on Glo. Still, Ves’s face appeared slightly flushed.

  Once Glo had finished, Ves cleared her throat. “That is a very interesting story, but we have been here on this beach for the last few nights and have not seen anything like that at all.”

  “But have you seen the sunken ships,” Aksel asked.

  Ves hesitated, mixed emotions playing across her face. Her eyes flickered toward Ruka, but the younger girl looked away, her expression indifferent. Ves sighed, her eyes shifting back toward Aksel. When she spoke, it was tentative at best. “Yes, we have seen the sunken ships. You see, our family has some special—talents. Our father is Rodric Greymantle.”

  Aksel eyed her curiously. Rodric Greymantle? One of the greatest wizards of all time?

  Glo mirrored his thoughts. “Rodric Greymantle? The great wizard from the Thrall Wars?”

  “That’s our dad!” Maya cried exuberantly. She dropped her seashells, stood up, and began to dance around the seated group.