The Serpent's Tower: A Retelling of Medusa and Rapunzel (The Fairmyth Chronicles Book 2) by Abigail Manning

Author:Abigail Manning [Manning, Abigail]
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Published: 2023-10-26T00:00:00+00:00

chapter twenty

The sun set quickly this time of year, dimming the light in the tower with each passing moment. Since the tower was initially intended to be a beacon, Ranessa never dared to light a lamp or cook in the stove past dark, out of fear that it would draw attention to the supposedly abandoned lighthouse. This meant that she spent her evenings in darkness, often without even a starry sky, since the surrounding seas always filled the sky with puffy clouds.

When the sun went down, her snakes became her eyes. They couldn’t necessarily see in the dark, but they had explained to her that they could see heat sources that came from living creatures. It didn’t always keep her from stubbing her toes in the dark, but it did help her feel safe to know they could alert her if another creature approached the tower... Well, they could if she was awake. Her magic slept with her. She couldn’t control or hear the snakes when her mind wasn’t conscious.

Ranessa fiddled nervously with the tail of her braid as she watched the prince create a makeshift bed out of the pillow and blanket she’d given him. It had been easy to remain stiff and commanding in the light of day, but now that it was growing dark, she could only hope her intimidation tactics had worked enough to keep the prince from trying something in the night.

I can’t get nervous now... He’s right here, and his father is on the way. He wouldn’t be cruel enough to stab me in my sleep, would he?

Anxiously, Ranessa looked at her bed, longing for a chance to rest her head but also feeling her nerves tense at the idea of leaving herself defenseless. Just like how her magic had been paralyzed with her body earlier, her control also diminished the weaker she became. Gorgon magic acted like an extra muscle or nerve that benefitted from being trained, but also suffered from being overused. If she stayed up all night to watch her back, her control would slip and leave her in a dangerous spot.

She glanced over at the Oceanic brown snake sleeping in the corner, wondering if just controlling one serpent would truly be enough. Her magic should be able to handle a single snake without any rest, but what if she needed the others to defend her? She promised not to use more than one snake to attack, but that didn’t mean the others couldn’t lend her aid.

She needed to sleep, at least a little, but there was no guarantee that the prince would permit her to do so.

“Is it too much to ask for your friends to stay away from my little corner of the floor?” Phillip asked as he nudged a rattlesnake away from his pillow with his foot.

Ranessa shrugged. “I warned you that they like to cuddle.”

Phillip glared at her, his green eyes appearing darker in the fading light. “Well, I’m afraid I’m not much of a cuddler...”

“Awe, your future bride will be so disappointed.

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