Lisa Smedman - Viper's Kiss

“Sorry,” he called out. “She usually isn’t this skittish.”

Arvin’s mind was on other things. By now, the elf would have told everyone at Riverboat Landing about their narrow escape from the naga—and the role that “Vin” had played in it. The chances were slight that the sailor would have mentioned Arvin’s pack and the “strange-looking rope” that had spilled from it. But if he had, and Zelia had overheard….

Arvin glanced quickly over the boat’s open deck. Besides the driver, the crew included two sailors—one working the tiller at the rear of the boat and one amidships—and two guards. As before, they were stationed at rail-mounted crossbows on either side of the boat. Their eyes ranged warily over the river.

Zelia wasn’t on board. Arvin breathed a sigh of relief.

The sailor lifted a gangplank over the side of the boat; Arvin caught the end of it and placed it firmly on the island’s rocky shore. Then he made his way across it. Karrell followed, keeping him between her and the eagle. “Don’t worry,” Arvin said over his shoulder. “I’m sure the driver will hold it in check.”

The eagle turned, keeping a baleful eye on Karrell as she approached the boat.

Arvin climbed aboard and turned to help Karrell, but the sailor was there first, handing her a woolen blanket. She took it but ignored his urgings that she wrap it around her shoulders. Arvin, whose clothes were also still sodden, wasn’t offered a blanket.

“Will we be continuing to Ormpetarr?” Arvin asked.

The sailor—a man with calloused hands and uncombed hair—shook his head. “Nope. Back to Riverboat Landing to finish loading.” His eyes lingered appreciatively on Karrell.

Arvin fought down his uneasiness. “But I need to get to Ormpetarr quickly,” he protested. “I have important business there that mustn’t be delayed.”

The sailor grunted. “Where we go next depends on how much coin you’ve got. Speak to the captain.” He jerked his head in the direction of the man on the bow. Then, together with the second sailor, he crossed the gangplank to the island and surveyed the five bodies Karrell and Arvin had recovered from the river. Karrell had laid them out in a neat row, arranging their arms at their sides and closing their eyes before the bodies stiffened.

Arvin approached the captain. The eagle had settled down, allowing him to slacken the reins. Arvin repeated his plea to journey directly to Ormpetarr, but the captain shook his head.

“She’s only half loaded,” he said, nodding at the deck beneath his feet. He glanced at the two sailors, who were carrying the first of the bodies to the ship. “It’s not worth my while, unless….”

Arvin took the hint. He dug his coin pouch out of his boot and jingled it. “How much?”

The captain gave the pouch a brief glance then shook his head. “More than that can hold, even if every coin in it is a plume.”

Arvin lowered his pouch. Normally, he’d have manifested a charm to help things along, but he’d expended every bit of energy his muladhara could provide. Not until after tomorrow morning’s meditations and asanas would he be able to manifest his powers. “When we reach Ormpetarr, I’ll be meeting with Dmetrio Extaminos, prince of Hlondeth and ambassador to Sespech. He will reimburse you for your losses.”

The captain thought about this. “I’d need some sort of security. Something of value. Do you have any magical devices?”

Arvin hesitated. He’d no sooner give up his glove, bracelet, or knife than he would another fingertip, and while he did have magical ropes, he didn’t want word of them reaching Zelia’s ears. If she was still at Riverboat Landing when this crew returned in a few days’ time, she’d quickly realize who “Vin” was.

The captain grew impatient. He glanced at the sailors, who were struggling to lift the last of the bodies on board—that of the husband. The headless corpse was as stiff as a beam of wood. They angled it down through a hatch and into the hold, on top of the other bodies, then closed the hatch and hauled up the rope ladder.

“Bodies stowed,” one of the sailors reported. “We’re ready to go.”

“Right,” the captain said, gathering up his reins. “Back to Riverboat Landing, then.”

Arvin decided to take the chance. “I do have a magical device,” he said, shrugging the pack from his shoulders. The captain of a riverboat would surely recognize the value of the trollgut rope. “It’s a valuable one. Here, let me show you.”

“Sure you do,” the captain scoffed.

Karrell touched Arvin’s arm, startling him—she’d come quietly up behind him during the conversation. “Allow me,” she murmured. She said something in her own language then turned to the captain, making a pleading gesture. “I, too, must reach Ormpetarr quickly,” she told him. “My mother is ill, and I have magic that can cure her. If I am delayed even I o day…”

Arvin was impressed with the quaver she managed to inject into her voice.

The captain gave a hesitant frown. “I don’t know. I—”

“I can compensate you for your losses,” Karrell said. She reached into the pouch at her belt and pulled from it a grape-sized, multifaceted gem the color of new grass. Normally, Arvin wouldn’t have had the first idea of what it was—or its value. But a little of the knowledge he’d gleaned from Zelia’s mind seed remained—enough to tell him it was a spinel, and valuable due to its unusual color.

“Please,” Karrell continued. “Won’t you accept this? It is all I have left—it cost me everything else I had to get this far. But if this will help me to reach my mother before it is too late, I will gladly give it to you.”

“Keep it,” the captain said gruffly.” You’ll need it.” He turned to Arvin and held out a hand. “You, on the other hand, can pay for your passage. Twenty plumes.”

It was more than twice the amount normally charged, but Arvin handed over the coins without complaint.

The captain shouted down to his crew. “Make ready. We’re making for Ormpetarr.”

When the riverboat was underway, Arvin walked with Karrell to the stern, where they seated themselves on a raised hatch. “Nicely done,” he said, nodding in the direction of the captain. “You’re handy with a charm spell.”

Karrell tilted her head. “As are you. But I would advise you not to cast one on me a second time.”

“What make,,, you think I charmed you?” Arvin asked, feigning innocence.

Karrell just stared at him.

Arvin shrugged. “Well, you charmed me first, so that makes us even.”

Karrell tossed her head. “I never—”

Arvin raised a finger. “Yes, you did. I wouldn’t have… made such a fool of myself, otherwise.”

“All men are fools,” she said. Then, as Arvin drew himself up to protest, she smiled. “And so are some women, at times.”

Arvin nodded. To a woman as beautiful as Karrell, the men constantly gaping at her must indeed seem fools. Drawn by the eagle, the riverboat traveled swiftly. The wind of its passage swept through Karrell’s hair, drawing it back and revealing her jade earring and the smooth curve of her neck. Even without the charm spell, Arvin felt a rush of longing for her.

She leaned toward him. “When we get to Ormpetarr—”

“I know,” Arvin said. “You want me to introduce you to Ambassador Extaminos.” He folded his arms across his chest. “Tell me why you want to meet him so badly. The real reason. Is it connected with whatever it is you’re looking for?”

Karrell was silent for several moments. The only sounds were the steady whup-whup of the eagle’s wings and the creak of the hull timbers.

“Yes,” she answered at last. “Dmetrio Extaminos may know where it is. I simply want to ask him a few questions.”