The Serpent Queen

3.2

Simon and Cali arrived home from school, their footsteps echoing through the quiet house as they opened the front door.

"Dad, we're home!" Cali called out into the stillness of the house.

There was no response, which struck both siblings as odd since their dad had been living alone.

Cali dropped her backpack by the entrance and made her way into the kitchen, Simon trailing behind.

In the kitchen, they found a note left on the counter. It read, "Cal and Si, at the Whyte Wyrm. Meet you there?"

Simon furrowed his brow, puzzled. "A bit early for the WW, isn't it?"

Cali shrugged, a hint of curiosity in her eyes. "Eh, give the man a break. His wife is missing... but... I'm in the mood for some Serpent action. Haven't been there in a second."

Simon's expression turned somber, his thoughts drifting back to their mother. "Yeah, a second as in almost 4 months. You haven't been since Mom..."

The siblings shared a silent, poignant moment, their unspoken grief connecting them.

Cali, always one to lighten the mood, flashed a smirk. "Last one to the car has to drive."

With that, the two of them bolted out the front door, leaving their worries behind for the moment, as they headed towards the Whyte Wyrm, ready for whatever awaited them there.

***

Cali and Simon entered the dimly lit atmosphere of the Whyte Wyrm, where the scent of old wood, cigarettes, and alcohol filled the air.

"Cali! You're finally here again," Caspian slurred, his face lighting up with a drunken grin as he wrapped an arm around her shoulder.

Cali grinned in return. "Happy to be. This place is like my second home."

Caspian, clearly in high spirits, continued, "That's my girl!"

He walked with Cali, sharing his thoughts about their mother. "Y'know, Cali, you're very much like your mother. I could never really figure her out. I never knew what she wanted. All I knew was that she wanted to leave this blasted town." He laughed, the alcohol making him candid. "You, on the other hand, I know you are loyal to the Serpents."

Cali couldn't help but question her father's words. "What, was Mom not?"

Caspian hesitated for a moment, his eyes revealing the complexities of the past. "She would leave the Serpents in a heartbeat if it meant she got to leave this town."

Cali raised an eyebrow, knowing her father wasn't telling the whole truth. Her mother, Freya, had always been fiercely loyal to the Serpents.

"Yeah, okay, Dad," Cali replied, skepticism in her voice.

She gently set Caspian down on a stool, concern etched on her face. "Yo, Alex," she called to the bartender, "slow down on the drinks with this one, would ya?" She pointed to her inebriated father.

As she looked around the familiar bar, Cali spotted the backs of two of her childhood friends.

"Hey, doofuses, long time no see," she exclaimed, running up to them and playfully ruffling their hair from behind.

Fangs and Sweet Pea turned in surprise.

"Cali?" Fangs exclaimed.

"Hey, Cali!" Sweet Pea added with a grin.

Cali wore a nostalgic smile. "I haven't seen you guys in like a year. Did you stop coming here?"

Sweet Pea shrugged. "More like did you stop coming here. Me and Fangs went out of town for a couple of months, and when we came back, you weren't here."