The Serpent Cult (Heroes of Ravenford Book 2)

by F. P. Spirit

  Things moved along now. Dinner would soon be served. Once that was over, there would be a few speeches and then a birthday cake for Andrella. The festivities would wind down after that. If the Serpent Cult was going to make a move, it would have to be soon. Yet it remained a mystery as to how they intended to get inside the castle. Glo silently wondered if the others had seen anything as of yet.

  At that same moment, high above the party, Seth climbed around the roof of the keep. From this vantage point, he had a good view of the courtyard below. He could also see well down the hillside. The performers’ campsite appeared quiet from here. There was no sign of movement amongst the tents and wagons. The town of Ravenford stretched beyond the base of the hill, all the way to the bay. Its streetlights and houses twinkling like jewels in the night. It made Seth think back to that evening when they first laid eyes on the town. Though it had only been a couple of weeks, it felt like ages ago.

  Seth had been roaming the rooftops for almost two hours. The keep was huge, with multiple levels, dormers, and countless chimneys. It was a lot of area to cover. He started by making a sweep of the perimeter. It was just before sunset, so he had gotten a good look at the surrounding countryside. The hillside behind and to either side of the keep was rather steep. It was climbable, but not easily so, and there were guards patrolling the parapets. The only easy access to the castle was the route up the hill from town. Any attack from that direction would require a confrontation with The Boulder. Seth was convinced that the attack would not come as a direct assault. Somehow, the Serpent Cult intended to sneak their way into the castle. He was just not sure how.

  Seth continued to scale the rooftops, searching for anything out of place. It was like a maze up here. There were dozens of corners to hide in. He took it upon himself to check each and every one. He had just finished another circuit. He rounded a dormer near the front of the keep when he suddenly froze. Ahead of him on the rooftop sat a lone figure!

  Seth stayed absolutely still. He observed the figure for a good half minute, but couldn’t make out any details. There was not much light up here, and the form was wrapped in a dark cloak. Even with his keen eyesight, he could tell nothing other than the figure was rather short. It was certainly no giant snake under that hood. The figure remained seated, either unaware of his presence, or not threatened by it. Whoever it was, they appeared engrossed with the proceedings below. Seth carefully scanned the nearby rooftop. There was no one else in sight. Certain that they were alone, he moved forward, stealthily inching his way toward the solitary form. Virtually silent, he approached the figure from an angle outside its field of vision. It neither moved nor made any indication that it knew he was there. Still, he had the strangest feeling it was aware of his presence. As he got closer, the figure shifted slightly. Seth caught a brief glimpse of light colored hair peeking out from underneath the hood. Seth stopped in his tracks. He stood straight up and shook his head. I should have known.

  The solitary figure was none other than Ruka! Where there were two Greymantle sisters, the third would not be very far behind. Seth nonchalantly strode to where she was sitting and unceremoniously plopped himself down on the rooftop next to her. Ruka did not appear startled at all. She sat there unmoving, staring at the party below. Seth said nothing, merely sitting in silence next to the wayward Greymantle sister. After a few minutes, Ruka finally spoke. She did not remove her hood or turn to look at him.

  “You would think they would have better things to do than dress up in such frilly clothing and sit around all night.”

  “Not my thing, either,” Seth agreed.

  Down below, almost all the guests had moved to the tables. The performers were all on stage, led by Elladan and Shalla in a sort of mega finale. Ruka’s arms were wrapped around her knees. She began to rock back and forth.

  “The singing wasn’t bad, though, but the other acts were just silly. And the thought of having to sit around a table and make small talk? What a waste.”

  Seth’s mouth twisted into a half-smirk. “Why do you think I’m up here?”

  Ruka turned to look at him. She regarded him silently then smirked back at him. “You are surprisingly sensible—for a halfling that is.”

  “I could say the same about you,” Seth responded, unperturbed by the offhanded compliment. “You show an amazing amount of common sense for a human.”

  Ruka stared at him intently. It appeared for a moment as if she was going to say something more, but she turned back to watch the party below.

  Seth eyed her carefully. Strange.

  Martan sat atop the tower overlooking the keep. He had an excellent view of the hillside below. He could also see the proceedings inside the courtyard. The archer’s thoughts were elsewhere at the moment though. Why hadn’t Ves met us at Maltar’s? And what was she doing with that older man? Why was she ignoring us? Who was he kidding? Why was she ignoring him?

  He had been lost in contemplation when a sudden movement startled him. A small black form landed on the parapet next to him. He nearly jumped out of his skin! He quickly realized it was Raven. Martan’s keen eyes had spotted the bird flying overhead in the night sky. She had been making a circuit around the castle grounds all evening. Why had she suddenly picked now to land next to him? Maybe the wizard was checking up on him?

  Martan shook his head. I’m just being paranoid.

  These heroes were nothing like the Black Adders. They’d been nothing but kind to him, especially Elladan. Even Seth, the most cynical of them all, had helped to save his life. He owed them a great debt. He had a job to do, and he was not about to let them down. It was no use pining over Ves like some schoolboy. She would do what she wanted. She was a beautiful lady and he was just a common archer.

  Get over it, he told himself harshly.

  Martan turned his gaze toward the campsite down the hill. He peered specifically at the wagons at the far end. That was where Seth had his encounter earlier. He could see no movement there now. In fact, the entire campsite appeared deserted. That only made sense. Every performer was inside the castle at the moment. The archer continued his vigil, scanning the surrounding grounds.

  Wait. That’s strange.

  Martan noticed sections of grass that appeared sunken in. He did not remember seeing that before. He leaned out over the parapets searching the grounds with his keen eyes. Martan now saw that the sunken sections were almost in a straight line—in fact, there were multiple lines. Furthermore, the lines stretched from the campsite all the way to the keep.

  That’s not normal!

  Martan spun around. He considered dropping the smoke bomb Seth had given him, but what if he was wrong? He didn’t want to panic everyone only to find out it was for nothing. As he wrestled with himself, he noted Raven still sitting there on the parapet. The bird was gazing directly at him. Martan stared back at the creature for a few moments. Maybe if he talked to it...

  Martan felt foolish, but it appeared to understand the elf. He pointed at the sunken sections of ground below. “Do you see that? Can you get a closer look?”

  Raven hopped forward and craned its neck toward where he was pointing. After a few seconds, it turned its tiny head toward him and cawed loudly. It then spread its wings and soared away toward the disturbed ground below. Martan’s mouth dropped open. That is one smart bird.

  Pomp and Circumstance

  I am sure she would be taught how to be both rude and snobbish with equal aplomb

  Back down in the courtyard, the grand finale came to a close. The singers all blended in one last harmonic chorus. The acrobats and dancers tumbled and twirled in unison. The rest of the performers lined up behind the others and swayed back and forth to the music. The magicians cast one last set of light and smoke effects, even setting off some pyrotechnics. The combined result was stunning! The audience, now at their respective tables, rose as one. They gave the entertaine
rs a standing ovation. On stage, Elladan, Shalla, and the other performers grabbed hands. They all proceeded to bow in a line. The applause continued for a while. The entertainers graciously bowed once more. Finally, the clapping died down and everyone resumed his or her seats. Back at the head table, Andrella gushed on about the show. Her eyes were wide and her cheeks flushed as she went on about the performers, sets, and costumes.

  “That was spectacular! So many different acts, the costumes, the sets, the dancing, the music. It was so exciting! And that Elladan and Shalla, they were marvelous! I don’t think I’ve ever seen two bards dance like that.”

  “See, I told you, Ves!” a familiar small voice cried. Lloyd turned his head and saw it was Maya who had spoken.

  “Hush, Maya,” Ves scolded. “Don’t speak out of turn.”

  “No, no,” Andrella spun to face them. “It’s quite alright, really. That was truly something special.”

  She spun back to Lloyd. “And they make such a cute couple, don’t they?”

  “Ummm... I guess,” Lloyd replied absently. His mind was elsewhere at the moment. An attack was imminent. He could almost feel it. He abruptly noticed Fafnar across the table whispering into the ear of an older nobleman. Lloyd had been so preoccupied that he hadn’t really paid attention to the man before. Now he took a good long look. The nobleman was tall and thin with black hair, a thin mustache, and a goatee, all showing faint traces of grey. Dressed in a fancy blue outfit, there was a heraldic plastered across the front of his doublet. Lloyd nearly blanched. This was no mere noble he sat across from—it was the Duke of Dunwynn himself!

  The Duke suddenly turned to meet his gaze. Lloyd was momentarily startled, but quickly recovered his composure. He nodded politely to the infamous noble. The Duke, however, did not respond. He merely stared back at him for a short time, then turned away. Lloyd was a bit put off. He supposed it was to be expected though. From everything he had heard, the Duke was an arrogant man. He was always touting the superiority of Dunwynn. He seemed to think it was his sovereign right to spread Dunwynn’s rule to his neighboring cities and towns. This expansionist policy did not sit well with the rest of the east coast, especially not with Penwick. In fact, in the last decade or so, a number of minor skirmishes had broken out between Dunwynn and Penwick ships. Eventually, an accord was reached. It banned either city’s vessels from crossing an imaginary line at Colossus Point, the promontory at the southern end of Merchant’s Bay. This entire time, Sir Fafnar had been whispering into the Duke’s ear. Finally, the Dunwynn noble sat back. The Duke turned his attention toward the Baron. He cleared his throat. Everyone at the head table turned to look at him.

  “Ahem... Baron Gryswold, I am not familiar with this young fellow sitting next to Lady Andrella.”

  Gryswold fixed an eye on the Duke. “Oh, my apologies, Kelvick. This is the young noble Lloyd Stealle of the House of Stealle, one of the paramount families in Penwick. His father is an old friend and the Admiral of the Penwick Navy. His mother, another old friend, is the High Wizard of that fair city.”

  “Really? That is rather fine lineage,” the Duke responded, gazing briefly at Lloyd. He nodded almost imperceptibly to him. Lloyd nodded back. The Duke turned back to the Baron.

  “I must confess that I am surprised. I did not realize that there were very many families of nobility left in Penwick—excepting, of course, for your own Avernos clan.”

  Gryswold was obviously irritated by the Duke’s thinly veiled dig at Penwick nobility. “I assure you, Kelvick, there are numerous families of fine upbringing still in Penwick. “

  The Duke’s reply was rather smug. “Oh, I stand corrected then, but nobility and refinement are not exactly the same thing. This little performance of yours, while novel, was not exactly the kind of culture that someone of Andrella’s stature would be exposed to in Dunwynn. Of that I can assure you.”

  Lloyd’s jaw nearly dropped. Gryswold’s face turned positively scarlet. He opened his mouth to speak, but before he could utter a word, another voice rang out across the table.

  “No, based on our experience with your nobles, I am sure she would be taught how to be both rude and snobbish with equal aplomb.”

  That was Glo! His scathing words caught Lloyd by surprise. The only other time he had heard him talk that way was during their first run in with Sir Fafnar.

  Gryswold coughed violently, raising a hand to cover his mouth. From where he sat, Lloyd could clearly see the Baron trying to suppress his laughter. The Duke regarded Glo disdainfully. When he finally spoke, his tone was filled with contempt.

  “And who is this elf who speaks to me so insolently?” The word elf was said as if it were a disease.

  Gryswold finally managed to contain himself. “Ahem, this is the Wizard Glolindir. He is Maltar’s apprentice. As my good friend could not be here this evening, I asked the mage to stand in for him.”

  “And you couldn’t find someone other than an elf?” the Duke practically sneered.

  “Some would think it an honor to have an elven wizard in their midst,” Glo responded mildly. “I guess it is too much to expect someone so caught up in appearances and propriety to recognize talent—even when it is right in front of their face.”

  Lloyd’s eyes went wide. He had always heard that elves thought themselves superior. He had never seen a hint of that from Glo, Elladan, or Donnie. Not until their run-ins with Dunwynners had Glo shown this side of himself. It was as if the arrogance in humans caused the elves to react haughty in response.

  The Duke stiffened. He regarded Glo for a few moments before responding. “What I recognize when it comes to elves is arrogance and a tendency to look down on all the other races.”

  Lloyd thought for sure Glo would lose his temper at that. The elven wizard, however, surprised them all. He sat back in his seat and laughed.

  The Duke seemed taken aback by his reaction. “Did I say something amusing?”

  Glo continued laughing. “Yes, actually. I was just thinking about how my father used to say the same thing, except from his viewpoint it was about the other races. He would go on and on about how they were only concerned about themselves. How the elves could be damned for all they cared.”

  Glo sat forward in his seat and stared intently at the Duke. “My experience up until now has been the exact opposite. But after meeting you Dunwynn folk, I can see why he thinks that way.”

  Glo must have struck a nerve. The Duke of Dunwynn appeared shocked. His mouth literally hung open as he gaped at the elven wizard. The look quickly faded. His face reddened with anger. He began to reply.

  “Why you insolent...”

  Before he could utter another word, the Baroness Gracelynn interrupted him. “Gentlemen! This is supposed to be a celebration for Andrella’s birthday! Can we please put aside our differences for this one evening?”

  Glo turned to her and bowed his head. “I certainly can, your Ladyship.”

  The Duke, caught in mid-sentence, took a few moments to collect himself. He continued to glare at Glo. The anger finally drained from his face, and he turned his gaze toward his sister. “Yes, yes,” he responded deferentially, “we wouldn’t want to do anything that would mar Andrella’s birthday.” He turned to glare at Glo. “We will save this discussion for another time, elf.”

  Lloyd did his best to hide a smile. He actually wanted to cheer for Glo. These Dunwynn “nobles” were an arrogant lot, and it was nice to see someone stand up to them. His eyes flickered around the table. Nearly everyone had thin smiles on their lips or were covering their mouths. All except for Glo and the Duke, who glared at each other unflinchingly, and Sir Fafnar, who wore an even more sour expression than usual. Abruptly, Glo started in his seat. He bolted upright, his eyes going out of focus.

  “Are you alright...” Gracelynn began.

  Glo ignored her, turning his head from side to si
de, scanning the courtyard intently. Lloyd immediately realized what was going on. Glo must have felt something from his familiar. Lloyd pushed back his own chair and emulated Glo. As far as he could see, though, everything appeared normal.

  “Whatever is that elf doing?” the Duke complained.

  Lloyd paid him little heed.

  “They’re here!” Glo cried.

  Gryswold now rose to his feet as well and joined them in scanning the grounds.

  “Who’s here?” the Duke asked even louder. He spun around in his seat and looked behind him. “Whatever is the elf babbling about?”

  “Where?” Gryswold asked, ignoring the Duke as well.

  Glo pointed in front of them. “Toward the gate! They’re underground!”

  Lloyd started. Underground? Of course! That’s why we can’t see them.

  “Got it!” he yelled, spurring into action. He dashed around the other guests to the end of the table. Rounding the corner, he broke into a run toward the castle gate. “Protect Andrella!” he cried back over his shoulder.

  Behind him he heard the Duke’s plaintive cry. “Protect her from what?

  Party Crashers

  You shall all bow down before us and worship our Serpent God

  Lloyd Stealle rushed across the castle grounds, intent on heading off the enemy. As he ran, he caught a glimpse of someone beside him. It was Donatello speeding along, his rapier drawn and ready. Donnie nodded grimly to him. Lloyd nodded back. The duo continued their sprint toward the castle gate. As they raced along, Lloyd brought his will to bear and his weapons flamed to life.

  “Nice trick there,” Donnie said. “Can you teach it to me sometime?”

  Lloyd opened his mouth to reply but he never got the chance. The ground began to shake all around them. The duo skidded to a halt. The trembling grew worse. Suddenly the earth blew open directly in front of them. Large chunks of dirt and grass went flying in all directions. There was now a large hole in the ground a dozen yards from where they stood. The quaking did not stop though. Off to their right, the earth split open once more. More chunks of dirt and grass went flying through the air. Over to their left, another hole blew open, then another. The eruptions continued all around them until they were surrounded on three sides by large holes in the ground. Finally, the trembling stopped. Lloyd and Donnie stood side by side in defensive positions, scanning the broken earth around them. Something began to rise out of the first hole. It was large, mottled green, and scaly. A pair of huge yellow glowing eyes followed. They fixed themselves coldly on Lloyd and Donnie.