Vicious Serpents & Deceitful Poisons

Chapter Four

Kauvara knew something was wrong as soon as she opened her eyes.

Outside she could hear the faint sounds of clacking.In one movement she had swiftly plucked a dagger from where she had hidden it under her pillow and swung out of bed soundlessy.She would never have let her handmaids in this late, and they knew not to come in without her permission. So it had to be an intruder, either to come steal from her or attack her at her most vulnerable.That's what they think, she thought as she silently creaked open the door.Either way, this intruder has made a foolish mistake.She slipped into the common room of her chambers and saw immediately what was off.Though there was a full bright moon just outside her window, it couldn't even pierce the gloom that hanged over the room.Magic. A darkening and concealing spell at that, she thought as she crouched low to the floor, just in time to hear the defining clack of dress shoes. A thief would have no reason to wear those.An attack then."Oh Ary, how far you have fallen."Kauvara froze at the nickname and the familiar voice above her that had said it."Father would be so disappointed if he saw you like this. Has it been so long since the last time you've needed to use your instincts, so long that dare I say, you've gotten soft," the voice is farther away now, a few paces to her left."At least I do not hide behind shadows and words," smoothly, she transitions from her crouch on the carpet floor to a defensive stance, "Come out, and face me. It's no use trying to hide."A soft laugh. "Ah, this is why your my favorite sibling. Bold and straight to the point. "The shadows roiled and shifted until it revealed a young man similar in height to Kauvara. Similar in almost everything that if they wore the same clothes and if he had grown out his hair, they would be identical.His lips tilted into an upward smirk, his eyes gleaming in a malicious fashion, a face Kauvra herself often wore."Hello sister.""Daemious, how thoughtful of you to pay me a visit. Though, I don't think I'd be wrong to believe this isn't out of courtesy to congratulate your sister, now would I," she said, as she scanned the room for the sorcerer. She turned her attention back to Daemious who had already drawn out a sword from its scabbard.No matter. This wouldn't be the first time she's had to fight someone dagger to sword.She could face him in combat easily. At least long enough to get help.But the sorcerer... the sorcerer would be a problem."Do you plan to kill me dear brother," she purred softly and began to circle her twin, as was customary whenever the twins sparred.Daemious followed suit a smile on his face."No, how could I kill my twin,"Kauvara narrowed her eyes and stepped ever so slightly closer to Daemious, "You've done much worse in your short lifetime." He chuckles."So have you, if I recall correctly. Wasn't it a little bo-," Taking the opportunity in her created distraction, Kauvara lunged at her brother-.Only to be rebounded by an invisible wall.She fell back to the ground, landing on her feet. What in the- there!The shadows moved once more to reveal a pale hand just past her brother. Knowing she wouldn't be able to do anything to her brother until the sorcerer was gone, she took a gamble and threw the knife where she had last seen the hand.Hearing a wet thump and a blood-curdling scream, she didn't hesitate before leaping at her now defenseless brother.He thrust at her and she dodged, sidestepping him to grab a candelabra that had fallen to the ground before blocking his next attack."Give up Kauvara, even with my sorcerer down, there's no guarantee you'd win against me," he smiled, enjoying the thrill of the fight, "After all, we've never exactly had a clear winner in our little duels."It was true but, same as Daemious, she was enjoying this way too much to now simply stop."You dare sneak into the room in the middle of the night and tell me to stand down," She sneers, making a lethal blow to his skull that he blocked, "Its like you don't know me at all,""Oh I do, which is why I know I can't kill you," he leaps back out of her range and Kauvara stopped her attack, confused.Until he called out, "Now!"She turned just in time feel a hard knock against her forehead.She had only had time to think, There was another person, before she crumpled to the ground.And then, only darkness.She awoke, her vision blurry and a feeling as if her very bones were turning to ash inside her.She screamed voice hoarse and her throat like sandpaper and she felt something, a hand, fall over her mouth. Horrified, she could feel something wet leaking from her eyes.Tears.Indistinct sounds sounded above her. She tried to move, but it was as if she was paralyzed. But instead of only numbness in her limbs, it was a fiery fire.I-it hurts.The pain was too much. She screamed, one last time, and fell, back into inky darkness."They call you the Wicked Serpent don't they. Lets see how true that is."She could hear her brothers voice somewhere above her, though she couldn't make out his face that well. It was like looking through a hazy curtain.What did you do Daemious, she tried to say but when she did, only a low hiss escaped her throat.She couldn't talk, she could barely see, and now that she thought about it, she couldn't even feel her limbs."How long can you survive, I wonder. It matters not. As long as you're out of the running long enough for me to win, it doesn't concern me whether you live or not.""Good luck sister. And hopefully, goodbye."She could see his slightly hazy for retreating. When she tried raging at her brother, all she could do was hiss and flop on the spiky ground.Where even am I?She tried rising onto her feet but was only successful in sliding along the grass on her stomach.Why is that blade of grass so big? And why can I still not feel my limbs. Why can I feel everything? Did Daemious have me stripped to humiliate me further?To her left, she could hear the steady stream of a creak. Perhaps she was in the woods behind the palace. Quarry's Creek winded through it for a ways. She slid towards it, painfully slow if only to moisten her lips.Her throat felt painfully dry.Making her way to the banks edge, she looked over to check the condition of the water.And then she screamed. Or rather, hissed.Because instead of the reflection of the black haired, honeyed brown, steely eyed girl she was used to seeing, it was the reflection of a golden scaled, forked tongue, beady eyed thing.It was the reflection of a snake.It was the reflection of her.