Serpent in Shackles

Chapter Twenty Two

The Lion's Den.

We rode South through an unfamiliar forest for a long while, until we reached an area isolated from the rest of the Kingdom. The land had been separated from the surrounding forest by a border of flattened land. In the flattened land, there were no trees, no grass, no sign of life at all, just a ring of dirt. One that looked like it had been purposefully carved from the ground.

In the center of the ring stood a small forest, big and beautiful to match the rest it had been carved from. But a tall, chain-link metal fence kept everything out.

Rather, kept everything in.

The clattering of hooves stopped as we approached the barrier.

"The lion is a chimera," the Shadow Knight explained as I slid down from the horse.

I stood barely an inch away from the fence, scanning the area for said lion chimera, but it was nowhere to be seen. "What does that mean?"

"It means that it has different parts from multiple different animals," Vincent said flatly.

I finally understood why the Shadow Knight looked so worried.

"After the war, he was trapped here in this pen. Spelled in, actually, so that he could never leave," Mia added. "It's a massive lion with wings like a dragon. And a three headed snake for a tail."

I was finally ready to ask for help. "That's terrifying."

"This is your decision to make," the Shadow Knight said again, somehow noticing the shift in my thoughts. "You're the one climbing in there. We can figure something else out, if you change your mind."

I had a choice to make. One that could cost me my life. It was not a novel feeling to me, yet I found myself still tiptoeing the line from the moment I walked out of that shop, heavily weighing both options in my mind. Ask me, only a matter of months ago, to throw myself into a cage with a lion and there would have been no choice to make. I would have already been tussling with the lion-

And my decision was made for me. "I can do it."

The cold metal stuck to my damp skin as I hooked my fingers into the gaps and started my climb up the fence.

"If it helps," Caeden shouted, "just imagine that it's me naked in there."

"Oh my, look how fast she's climbing now," Naia teased.

And if I wasn't already hanging on for dear life, I might have given them all a friendly little vulgar gesture so they knew how much I appreciated their support.

Breathe. Just breathe.

Chimera. I read about a chimera in one of the books and if I remembered correctly, there is no way to kill a chimera. Running was my only option.

It's all going to be okay, I chanted over and over again.

Ache shattered up my legs as my feet slammed into the hard ground on the inside of the fence. Before I began my search for the crystal, I surveyed the area looking for any other exits, clear paths to run in, sturdy trees to climb. But most importantly: for the Lion.

About five hundred yards of open dirt separated me from the forest trapped within the pen. Between the trees, a wooden peek was slightly visible.

The Lion's den.

Breathing shallow, I headed toward the trees keeping my steps light and quiet enough not to be heard. Moving closer and closer, until I reached the edge of the forest.

My body stopped on its own, unable to move as I got my first clear look at the beast before me. His front paws stretched out with his head resting on top, tongue drooping out the corner of his lips. Glowing red wings, outlined with black, laid, spread out across the dirt. The six eyes were shut, the body of the snake stretched across the large body beneath it, heads resting on top of the Lion's.