Struck by Amanda Carlson

Author:Amanda Carlson
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

18

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Fen’s head wrenched toward where I was gesturing, and he yelled, “Did you not send scouts up ahead?” He turned to a towering serpent. “If you are double-crossing me, our bargain ends now. In death.”

The snake appeared furious. It slithered up to another one of its brethren and began to hiss at it in a language I couldn’t come close to understanding.

Immediately, two snakes took off in the direction I’d seen movement.

Fen pulled me aside. “The Jondi are notorious for ill dealing. We must be on our guard.”

“Then why would you choose to trust them in the first place?” I had trouble keeping my voice lowered.

“Because I had no other choice. We must get you to the sacred tree. There are too many demons on this plane—literally thousands—and they are all mind-controlled by Surtr. They are not strong on their own, but if enough swarm at once out in the open, they have the potential to overpower us. The serpents are the only other creatures that inhabit this plane, and they have a long-standing truce with the demons. If Surtr attacks the snakes, he runs the risk of breaking their alliance, which will cause him hundreds of years of aggravation and a possible eventual extinction of his race.”

“If the snakes can help you, why have you waited this long to form an alliance with them?”

Fen’s face darkened. “I had a previous alliance with them long ago, when I was new here. In the end, the deal turned disastrous. They tried to take me prisoner instead of honoring the deal we had agreed upon. They intended to ransom me for their release.”

Why would anyone think Fen wouldn’t retaliate? “Exactly how disastrous are we talking?”

“When they crossed me, I decimated them. I left a few females and some young males alive and told them to remember what had happened that day and to pass the story on. If I ever came calling again, they were to honor our dealings or face my wrath. I have not needed them until now. These serpents remember.” He gestured to where the snakes were congregated, still hissing and huffing. “They will think twice before crossing me, but I must remain vigilant.”

“What’s in it for them? Why are they helping us?” I asked.

“They crave freedom. This is not their realm of origin. They were cast here, as I was, and seek their homeland above all else.”

That was an interesting tidbit. “Which realm are they from?”

“Jotunheim, land of the giants. Their natural habitat is mountainous and green, nothing like this wasteland here.” He swept his arm out. “This landscape pains them as much as it does us.”

“Wow,” I said. “They must have done something really bad to be sent here.”

Fen shrugged. “Not really. Mimir, the seer who guards the sacred well on Jotunheim, foresaw an uprising between the serpents and the giants. To ensure it never happened, the giants cast them here.”

I couldn’t even begin to understand the logic of these worlds. It all seemed counterintuitive. “That goes against the whole destiny thing you keep bringing up.

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