The Grey Pearl (Of Caladuin: Volume Two)

10

Tathariel reached the landing and paused when she saw that the lamp was out. The short, narrow corridor that served the four rooms of the tavern was in total darkness. She waited a moment until her eyes adjusted then made her way to her room, the second on the right. She felt for the keyhole then unlocked the door. 

The latch screeched as she lifted it. She eased the door open onto dim grey starlight. She scanned the shadows of the room then strode across to the wall lamp. When the room was brighter and she was content that she was alone she sat on the bed and took her boots off. A group of Elves had started singing down below. She swung her legs onto the bed and rested her head against the bedstead.

The lodgings at The Blue Dolphin were small but comfortable; they would suffice until her undertaking was over. She had thought about moving back into Lethril's house but it had been cold and bare without her there.

It had been a hard voyage from Pîn Balar. The oyster boat she had sailed with had hit a storm and they had to divert to the north. She had learnt little on her latest reconnaissance save that more boats were sailing out to the island and more guards were patrolling its shores.

She thought about her decision to keep her true whereabouts from Caladuin. There was no doubting his identity. But she was loath to divulge what she knew of Amlug for the time being.

The soft melancholic song became harsher. A Dolendrin lament, no doubt. As her eyelids grew heavy, she heard the softest brush of something against the blanket at the foot of the bed. She raised her head and looked between her feet. Above the footboard, swaying slowly, was the pointed head of an arrow snake. She had seen one long ago in Arvernien where they were rare but they were prolific in Duinath. They were also aggressive and highly venomous.

The arrow snake's long slender body arced over the top of the footboard, its glossy black skin glistening in the lamp light. She would have to be sure. Arrow snakes struck swiftly and their senses were finely tuned to movement. There was no room for error.

Why had she taken off her boots?

The snake paused and tasted the air with its tongue. It seemed to know she was there. It slid towards her foot then paused again, its head swaying. Tathariel couldn't let it get any closer. The snake's oversized head turned to the right and she took her chance. She launched her bare foot towards the head but it was too quick. Her heel found the neck, pinned against the footboard. The snake twisted and curled its neck and the mouth opened wide. The fangs were as slender as fish bones but she knew they were as strong as ironwood. Tathariel pushed against the headboard and stamped her other foot onto the snake's head. The rest of the body whipped over the footboard and wrapped itself around her ankle. She pushed hard against the headboard. The snake's skull cracked beneath her heel. The body slowly went limp and uncurled. 

Tathariel sprang up onto her knees and picked the snake up between two fingers. She pulled her boots back on then searched the room from top to bottom, starting with the trunk at the foot of the bed. After checking that the window was closed tight and the door was locked, she pulled the blankets off the bed and lay back with a long-knife by her side, staring at the dark ceiling.