The serpent

THE SERPENT
By Richard Allen Edwards

         “Okay, Give me a moment,” I said as I faced a long legged lass. Her hands sat on her hips. I was wearing a black leather cloak . My hands were exposed to the air, a chill creapt across my shoulders and my hair stood on end. My legs were shuddering as I stood yj


         "You're sure, that you can do this?" she said as she pointed at a window beside a huge deciduous tree growing in the alley. The tree would hide me from view.


"Yes," I said.


:          She handed me my gloves. I reached out to touch the brick wall of the building. I crept behind the trunk of the tree. I brought my

hand up to the tree's nearst branch, the bark was wrinkled and hand deep crevises in it. My fingers slipped into the crevice, I pulled. I

inched upwards toward the window, I was to enter.


The crescent moon slowly rose into the sky, thin wisps of clouds were in the sky. The sun was on the horizon sinking beneath the ground.


          as I began to scale the tree to get into the room,. Careful not to break a branch, I crawled up the wall. the tree gave me enough

purchase to do this. Its leaves hid me like satin hides a woman's form ftom veiw.


         The lass told me, "That the noble had just left, "


         it was recessed deep in shadow where I was. I brought my hand up to begin my ascent to the room. My finger tips sought a

purchase to the wall I was to climb.


         A mage was someone I knew mages are not people to be trifled with. They could inflict quite a bit of damage if they were

threatened or believed that they had been, The mages prayed to demons in our realm to gain their spells. Some were bloodthirsty and

cruel others were just best left alone.


         I did not know anything about this mage, other than that he was a mage. He was seen to have gone into this tavern, a fellow thief

witnessed him go from his room that I was climbing too.
‘

         The guild provided me with a woman who would protect me from being seen before I got into the room. She was standing in the

alley, watching the way people would see me if they got close enough. That is. I trusted her. Maybe I trusted her too much. She wore shoes

that would not make so much as a sound if she moved.


         The person standing there watching me, was my look out. She wore a sky blue dress and had long flowing sleeves that stopped

where her wrists began. Her coin purse looked full and it hung about her waist. The dres showed her legs off. Her hair was brown, swept

over her right eyebrow, her eyes were green as jade is hard. Her nose was long, there were laugh lines about her mouth. Her eyes darted

for the entrance way, She held a dagger in her hands,. She had brown skin. She looked at me as I began my ascent.


         I held my breath, waited an instant, she looked back toward me. Prayed that I would be safe. I hadn't let go of the wall . A branch

snapped showering the lass with its leaves and twigs. She looked up at me. I was fortunate that no one had come I began my ascent up

the wall, my fingers slipped and skidded as they looked for a purchase. I found one, I smiled. Gently lifted myself up, then I looked at the

wall, reached to my right, toward where the window I sought would be.
‘

         I felt I was being watched, I tossed my head about to see if I could find anyone watching me as I began to climb up to the window. I

saw a crow watching me as I climbed. I grinned as I forgot about being watched. A Crow did not frighten me. I laughed. I looked up at the

bricks I was scaling to gain the window I sought.


         My fingers did not find a groove, I reached again. Though I had to find it, It had to be there. When my hand feels the groove, it slips

into the slot. I thanked the god for protection for finding it. I was thankful. I slowly gently lifted myself from where I was to be further up the

wall.


         I slowed my ascent, I inched myself up to the window ledge. I peeked inside, nothing was there aside from what I was seeking to

find. There was a bed, a bed pan on the sill of the window. There were two large merchant bags there. They were brown in colour. They

would hold what the mage believed to be worthy of their having it with the mage. I saw a cloak hanging off the door by a hook.


         I saw a curtain fluttering in the window, it slipped past the window sill. It was a good twenty feet to the ground, where I was

presently. Dirt fell into my face from the wall. The grime was dirty with what made up the wall.


          I slipped up to the next set of stones there.I had taken off my shoes to climb up the wall as well, my toes began to seek crevices to

climb the wall. My toes were able to find these crevices that I had climbed up the wall.


         She would tell me, if anyone approaches the alley where I was beginning my climb. The walls were brick, there were a few

grooves in the work for me to climb, at the window where I would breach the room. I had seen a curtain fluttering an hour ago. On my back

was a bag, on my right hip was a dagger. I wore a black leather jacket, and pants.


         I felt naked without my broadsword, but breaking into a noble’s room was dangerous enough without bringing along a thing that

could stop me from entering the room. My sword at another time got caught on the window sill.


         A guard heard a noise and went to enter the room. He saw my leather jacket and my ring that was given to me by my father.

Thanks to the sword stopping me from entering the room.


         I was there, I looked down at the young lady watching me enter the room. She stepped away from the alley, she shyly stepped into

the path of a man walking by the alley and said, “KInd sir. I have lost my way. Could you direct me to the dead Dragon tavern.”


         I eased the window open. I slipped through the window. Seeing a couple of bags on the floor. Neither one looked ornate, the noble

I knew had quite a bit of arcane goods with him. He had the trappings of a mage. The staff and all that.


         The room was sparse. I was trying to join the theive’s guild, this was the task they gave me to do to join, I looked about The room.

Walking as softly as I could, it was near evening, I knew the mage was in the tavern having his fill or drink and comradery.


         My hand falls to the first bag in my hands, I lift it, and it seems a bit heavier than it should have. I then backed away to the window,

slipped through the window. I heard a sound! No! Not again, I leaping away out the window to avoid being found.


         Crashing to the ground. The bag opens. A serpent slithers out of the bag. The serpent shimmers and shakes. Its skin grey, the back

with bronze scales throughout it. It did not feel warm. It curls and slips toward me. Its maw open, a forked tongue leap toward me revealing

two fangs, something drips from the fang’s tip to fall into its lower lip.


         I crashed against the wall that I scaled to get there. I am trying to remember where the dagger was. I reached for my dagger, from

where I thought it was. It wasn’t there! Where is it?


         The serpent was looking into my eyes. It was now large enough to swallow me whole. I feel as if I am being drawn into its maw.

The tongue reached my right arm, its fluid wet my jacket’s sleeve. It is trying to pull me in.


         My other hand found the dagger, I slashed at it with my dagger. The tongue was driven back into its mouth. The serpent began to

move away from me.I found my dagger. I swung it at its tongue. The tongue is wide enough to cover my wrist in its mass. The dagger

slashes into the tongue. It hammers the dagger in my hand. I cut a portion through it, the tongue belted me across the face. I lost my

balance and fell to my knees, The tongue came again toward me. I leap away from it.


         The serpent’s colour of its scales began to shift to a deep grey, then I found I could not see it. My hand sped toward the interior of

the bag to gain what I sought. There was something bound in leather. I lifted it from where it now rested. The serpent’s head lashed out to

my wrist, which was exposed as I flew toward the bag’s contents.


          I saw its head, now, I dove out of the way of it. The fluid touched my skin, I was in agony. The drop caused my skin to blister and

bleed. I grabbed its head, lifted it from where it was going, I sent the dagger into its maw, tearing it away from its jaw. The skin flap was torn

loose from its head. I drove the dagger into its right eye. It leapt backwards away from me and my dagger. I grinned, twisted the dagger, the

eye rolled out of its head. It tried to face me as it moved this way.


         I drove my dagger into the back of its head, I drew the dagger in deep to slice into its skin and sever its neck from the head. I hit

something. It was hard, my dagger did not tear through the scales and the neck. I pushed further into ist neck. My dagger shook, it hit

something. That was soft, a fluid rose and spilled from its neck, this fluid was white as milk. I began to turn the dagger about, the serpent’s

head fell onto the ground, the glow ahd reappeared.


         Above me, I heard as the voice was screaming, “Someone has been in my room. I'll tell you.”


         "But sir, No one has entered your room, I have had guards stationed at the door to your room.” another voice said, faintly.

         “I tell you. Then someone has purloined my room from outside.”The louder voice said as I saw the window shift. I knew I had better

get out of here. Raced away from the wall.


I heard a voice scream,”You!”