The palace was drowned in silence. Outside, the wind whispered faintly against the stone walls, stirring the embroidered curtains that guarded Jazell's chamber.
Moonlight blends through the tall windows, pale and ghostly, stretching long silver fingers across the floor of polished marble. The scent of roses and burning incense lingered in the air, soft but heavy, like a dream that clung too tightly.
Jazell lies asleep on her bed, a canopy of silk draping overhead. Her breathing was steady, regal even in slumber. The chamber was an ocean of velvet shadows: the gilded furniture loomed quietly. There was a hush—until a ripple of movement broke the silence.
From the window a snake slipped into the room. Its scales glimmered faintly, catching the moonlight like tiny pieces of polished obsidian. Its tongue flickered, tasting the warm air of the chamber. The creature moved without a sound, a dark ribbon winding across the floor. Its body undulated with patient grace, every muscle working in silence.
The snake paused at the foot of Jazell's bed. The pillars stood tall, carved with vines and flowers of gold. It lifted its head, tongue darting again, before pressing its body upward. Slowly, deliberately, the serpent coiled itself around one of the carved pillars.
Round and round it wound, the scales rasping faintly against the wood. The pillar became, and from there Viper watched the sleeping figure beneath the canopy.
Jazell stirred. A shift in the air, some instinct older than thought, pulled her from her dreams. Her eyes opened slowly, adjusting to the dim light. The hush of the night pressed against her ears, heavy, watchful. Then she saw it.
There, in the pale light of the moon, the serpent's body shimmered against the pillar. Its head was lifted, its dark eyes gleaming, its tongue whispering in and out.
Jazell held her breath for a few seconds, her blue eyes not breaking away from Viper's. Her rosy lips parted, a small gasp escaping.
She would be a fool to cry out, so she didn't.She remained still; she didn't clutch her sheets in fear. Instead, she pushed herself upright, her short hair spilling on her shoulders. Her eyes fixed on the creature, calm, bold, and unflinching, as if they were playing little games to see who would break the gaze.
Jazell's breath was steady, her back straight, and her gaze piercing.
Jazell's life looked like it flashed before her; she was waiting for the snake to strike. She was the queen of tactics; in her world the opponent should always strike first, then one can dictate their intentions.
Viper, as though sensing this unyielding presence, held its place without striking
The moonlight touched her cheekbones, carved, sharp, and proud, as she leaned forward and gazed into Viper's eyes. Her lips parted slightly, but no scream, no plea left them.
Viper hissed, his long tongue sticking out.
But before the serpent could linger longer, something stirred in another chamber beyond Jazell's chamber wall.
In the shadows stood a woman. Her beauty was sharp and venomous; her lips curved in a smile too thin to be kind. She was draped in dark silks that clung to her form, and in her presence, the night itself seemed to recoil. Her eyes rolled behind her head, blank white, as blank as polished bone, glowing faintly under the moon.
It was Vashi.
She could see Jazell from where she was, through Viper's eyes. Just when she opened her mouth to tell Viper to strike, something caught her breath.
She felt her body stiffen, her blood draining. Her heartbeatceased for a second.
She crouched on the floor of her chamber, hand on her chest, face carved with pain.
"Come back, Viper! She said in her head, and her pet could hear her.
Viper froze. Its body stiffened, its eyes gleamed strangely—as though another owned him, which of course was the case.
Then, as if some verdict had been passed, the serpent moved. Slowly, it unwound itself from the pillar, its body sliding downward with liquid grace. Jazell could only watch without batting her lashes.
With sinuous precision, Viper slipped across the marble floor, its tail vanishing into shadow as it glided out through the window.
Jazell finally released a breath she didn't know she had been holding, her figure unshaken, her spirit untamed. There was a bead of sweat on her skin; the sleep in her eyes had disappeared completely.
Her throat was patched, and she climbed down from her bed. Her feet touching the cold floor, the nightgowndropping and covering up her legs. She reached out to the jar of wine on a table in the dark chamber illuminated with moonlight.
Her blue eyes flashed at the window for the third time as she kept drinking the wine in the golden cup.
Her index finger tapped on the cup as she held it in her hand, her thoughts running deep. Her skin prickled with heat as she struck a matchstick and lit up a candle in the chamber.
She took out a black cloak and draped it over her head; as quiet as a mouse, she slipped out of her chamber after turning off the candle by pressing her finger on the flames till it kissed the wax.
Her steps were soundless, as the black cape-like cloak swayed behind her. Her shirt, blonde hair covering a side of her face, and pink pushed-out lips. She looked gorgeous even in a nightgown.
She took a secret pathway, not known to many in the households. The pathway was cold, like an underwater system, with drains; water droplets could be heard.
She walked along that path for a while, then came out of an enclosed stone staircase…she was out of the palace. Now as free as a bird, she walked along the streets of Decreash with the disguise of a commoner.
She hopped on a moving cart and sat amongst stinky commoners. Some were poorly dressed with a poor accent…but she endured.
When she finally arrived at her destination, she climbed down from the cart and then tossed three brass coins at the cart rider before walking away, taking the route of a dark alley.
The black cloak grazed the dirty street of the alley she walked through. Dry leaves and stick branches snapping under her feet.
She knocked on a wooden door, taking a fleeting look around her surroundings to see if anyone was coming before focusing her gaze on the door in front of her.
An old lady opened the door, then gazed at her before letting her in. The door led to a ventilated compound with trees.
The warm light of candles arranged in a systematic order greeted her as she stepped in. An old man was seated in the middle of candles arranged in a circle; the dark shadows lingered with moving objects.
Serpents!
Multiple serpents, twirling and wiggling. Cutting across one another, resting on the walls, climbing the trees.
"Greetings, Queen Jazell." The blind old man said, his eyes closed. Jazell was simply disgusted by the creatures she was seeing.
"They don't bite…until I say so." The man reassured Jazell, and she took some steps forward, then stood some distance away from him.
"The night vile they call you; I have come to seek knowledge of these cunning creatures." Jazell said, referring to the serpent.
"They are not just creatures; you disrespect me." The old man had a deep, gruff voice. Jazell shut her eyes, then inhaled; instantly she saw an image of Viper firmly carved in her memory, and she fluttered hers open immediately.
"Forgive my ignorance." She said and then inched closer.
"Not another step! The old man shrilled, body quivering.
Jazell stood erect, the flames from the candle radiating in her blue eyes.
"I know why you are here; in return for my knowledge, what do you offer?
The old man questioned.
Jazell saw this coming; she brought out a small bag of golden coins from under her cloak, then dropped it on the floor, pushing it forward a little.
"That is all I have," Jazell said, raising her gaze. The man was backing her; she couldn't catch a glimpse of his face.
"I am blind physically, but don't test my patience, young blood." The man said, and Jazell smirked as she brought out two more small bags filled with golden coins.
She had wanted to test him, to know if his powers were authentic. She wasn't disappointed. The man's eyes were shut closed, but he fluttered them open when the third bag of gold touched the floor as Jazell dropped it gently.
His moldy eyes were eaten up by years, veins popping on them, with only the white cornea in view.
"Now you are ready to seek knowledge." He said.
It was a few hours to sunrise, very early in the morning; that was the hour Jazell returned from her night journey, and she met her maid, Linn, awaiting her return. A loyal servant like no other.
"Go to bed, Linn; I will give you a day off." Jazell, satisfied with how loyal her servant was, in return gave her a day to rest to make up for the lost night.
"Thank you, my lady. Do you need anything?" Linn still felt the need to ask.
Jazell took off the black cloak, then reached out for her smoking pipe. She pointed the smoking pipe in Linn's direction, and without saying a word, Linn was able to interpret what her mistress wanted.
She reached for a flint and struck it against metal, then ignited the smoking pipe in Jazell's hand. Jazell slowly brought the pipe to her lip.
"You may leave." Jazell said, and Linn walked out.
Jazell sat on an armchair on the terrace in her chamber, watching the sun slowly set. What she had seen last night was just a tip of the iceberg, and she knew it. She shut her eyes as the smoke dwindled from between her lips….
"The countdown begins!