Ear to the Serpent | ONC 2020 WINNER ✓ [ PUBLISHED ]

chapter I2

THE SNAKE; BE it the one of the floor or the one in a top hat front of me, didn't last very long.

The Lady started screaming, as did Lily. But Lord Hugo and I stood there blankly, then looked at each other, as though we were thinking the same thing: that we knew what it was and why it was there.

I had my curse...but what did Lord Hugo know? I realised that I had spoken to a select few about my curse, and that he obviously hadn't been one of them. Was the spy then perhaps someone close to me?

I hated to admit it, but my eyes turned to look at Lily.

It couldn't be her. I considered blackmail. She had her own troubles, but I figured that if she had been the spy that she would have come right out and said it when Lord Hugo revealed the nature of our relationship. She met my gaze —I could see the innocence in them.

The snake then hissed as it raised its head in a hypnotic swaying motion, taunting our fear. It was no ordinary snake, and as I suspected, blue-green smoke began seeping from the carpet and curling at our feet.

The Lady jumped up onto a chair. "Lily! Do something!" she cried, hitting out at her. "Vincent!" she then called out for the footman. "Someone!"

My handmaiden dithered, equally terrified and praying for the chance to jump onto the furniture too.

The doors then burst open and Vincent staggered in, unusually calm for the situation. His eyes went straight for the snake like some kind of instinct, and he hesitated. My brows furrowed as I watched him grab a poker from the fireplace and edge towards the snake; his steps steady and sure. A little too sure.