He heard the low growl in her throat coming from behind him. The growl increased and then became a high-pitched shriek of anger. Annon stared at the twisting serpents, trying to see if any responded to it, but they did not. They were slithering randomly now, each serpent going its own way, prodding at the stones, tasting the air with their split tongues.
“They cannot hear us,” Annon whispered. “For some reason, they cannot hear us.” It was unnerving, feeling them glide around his body as if he were nothing but one of the stone columns in the room. “Nizeera, are you moving or still?”
“She is still as a stone,” Khiara replied, still floating above Annon’s head. Her body swayed slightly, up and down, as if she were floating in a pond. “Nizeera—move and see if they see you.”
The serpents began to converge, darting around him and gliding purposefully to the object behind Annon. He did not turn his head to see, but he saw that the serpents were responding to something.
“They see her,” Khiara said softly. “Nizeera, stop.”
“What is happening?” Annon asked, feeling sweat trickle down his neck.
“She stopped pacing. The serpents are…their heads are coming back down. They are tall enough to strike her when roused. They are searching again. Movement, Annon. They respond to movement, not sound.”
“Test it again,” Annon said. “Nizeera—growl again but do not move.”
She growled from behind, the sound a threatening and menacing one.
“No change,” Khiara said. “They cannot hear us.”
“Or see us only so long as we do not move,” Annon reminded her. “It forestalls our death but does not eliminate the risk. I can’t remain standing here forever. I see a bier on my left…how far is it away?”
“There are snakes between you and it, many of them,” Khiara replied. “They are everywhere and they are quite tall when roused. I don’t think it would protect you. There is the broken sarcophagus over there, though. That one might if you could make it inside. Where were they hiding before?”
In the walls, Nizeera thought with a low growl. I could sense them but not understand what it was. They began to enter soon after the Rike perished.
Annon thought a moment. “Nizeera says they were hiding in the walls. Obviously there are other chambers here. They must be fed somehow. Something keeps them at bay—” The thought bloomed in his mind, the distinct memory. “Of course! The Rike wearing the torc! He was the leader, I think. The torc repels creatures. It kept Nizeera from attacking him. It keeps all creatures at bay.” A surge of hope and joy sprung into his senses, causing a thrilling wave. “Yes! I remember hearing Tyrus talk about the creatures of the Scourgelands. They are terrible to face, quite vicious. That torc repels them. This allows the Arch-Rike or whoever he sends to enter the Scourgelands unharmed. It also keeps the serpents from entering the room. Once he died, its power failed—”
“The serpents were no longer barred from coming in,” Khiara finished. “He said we were going to die. He knew the snakes would come and bite us.”
“The doors leading back the way we came are locked from the outside,” Annon said. “They were barred. The only way forward is to enter the Scourgelands.”
Annon’s upper lip was salty with sweat. He glanced around the dimly-lit chamber. This entire place was a deception. It was also a gateway. He understood why the Arch-Rike had guarded it so carefully. There were secrets here that he could not figure out. The Rike had mentioned that he thought they were seeking Poisonwell. Annon did not know what that meant, but logic told him it probably had something to do with the Plague. Each sarcophagus was chiseled with the herald and name of one of the kingdoms surrounding Kenatos. Erasmus had figured out what they all meant. But he had died before he could explain himself.
“Annon?” Khiara asked.
“Sorry, I was thinking,” he replied. “We need to get that torc somehow. It is important. It may be crucial. Nizeera, can you jump to another bier? Maybe you can distract them and have them follow you away from us. If you can clear the ground here a moment, I might be able to get the torc.”
“The biers are not very close together,” Khiara said. “If she missed, she would land in the middle of them. Let me do this. If I shove away from you, I can drift to the other side of the chamber.”
“Be careful, Khiara.”
Nizeera growled. I can make the jump.
Let her try, Annon thought in response. Please, Nizeera. Trust me.
I have failed you.
He grit his teeth, feeling the blackness of her feelings. You are helpless against these forces. It is not your fault. Courage, Nizeera. You will aid me in the Scourgelands. We must survive this first.