Crown of Serpents (Book 1 of the Serpent Bloodline Trilogy)

Chapter 6

Waiting outside of a giant, dark castle is not how I would spend my ideal morning. Honestly, I thought we would have left a little bit later than being woken up the moment the sun came up. But what really annoyed me was that my mother kept me up so late that I fell asleep in the chair. The freaking chair.

No one bothered to wake me up so I could move to a more comfortable area. Nope. So now I have a huge cramp in my neck, and I was scrambling to get Az over in the courtyard so we could fly over to Kharid. Of course, that took two hours of running around and begging him to come over because he just had to go see his mate—which I have no idea who that is. — Az growls behind me and I force myself not to laugh. Sensitive little prick.

"Ah, so glad you could make it!" I turn towards the sound of the voice, and I spot a man, about twenty, walking towards us. He's wearing a golden robe, with silver embroidery trailing down the sleeves. I make it back to his face, which was pleasant at first, but then I noticed the dark bruises that hung under his eyes. His smile was tight, but then it turned into a thin line.

My father answered first, "were so grateful that you invited us." He gestures to me with a simple hand movement.

"Yes. The King is ready to see you now, I apologize that you had to wait so long out here in the cold."

He was right.

It was freezing out here. It's probably because Kharid is farther up north than Ivarea. I nod curtly and start forward. He leads us past frost covered gardens and dead trees, the pathway soon turning into a bridge over a river, that leads into a dark passageway. He stops us about thirty feet away from the passage. "So sorry for the wait," he says hastily. "We have to lower the gates then we make it into the main courtyard, from there we can enter from the main castle doors." he explains. I'm about to answer when a loud crack sounds throughout the air. I reach for my daggers on instinct, but the man waves me off. "Don't fret, it's just the gates." Looks like he's used to it.

After the gates lower, causing the whole bridge to rumble, we start forward again. We pass guards who glare at us, and I return it. I don't care if they think we're murderous. Well, know that we're murderous. I can't deny it. I won't deny it.

I return my attention to the courtyard, and I can't stop my jaw from dropping as I stare at the place inside the gates. Out there, everything is desolate, and... Dead. But in here? It's bursting with life. Shops and street vendors shout out words I can't make out, waving around different pieces of clothing and jewelry.

Huh.

Who would have thought that there were shops inside of the gates. Wouldn't that just threaten the crown's safety? Having random people selling stuff?

I mean, I guess things are different here. But I wouldn't have thought it would be this different.

The smell of cherry tarts and chocolate covered strawberries fill my nose, coating my tongue so that I can almost taste it. A chubby woman with rosy pink cheeks, —probably from the cold— spots me and gestures to the tarts. Sugar is sprinkled over them and a cup of hot chocolate sits next to it. I continue walking, giving her a slight shake of my head. Her hair is pulled into a loose bun, and her dress is simple.

I turn my attention back to the man, I realize he's speaking.

"—We have shops in here because this is where most citizens roam, it's a very sweet place, actually. But no one lives here. You might not have noticed, but we have high security in this area during the day, and especially at night." I avert my eyes around the area, and I do realize that guards are hidden in shadows, some speaking with the sellers, others scolding children. It does seem like a very calm place. We stop in front of a large set of stairs, and at the end of them is a large set of wood doors. Just then, a large shadow passes over us, and a wave emotions crash over me.