Kept by the Zandian (Zandian Brides 5)

I step closer and stare into her eyes. Her burnished brown skin glows in the light of this sun, and her curls blow in the breeze, and I wish to touch her face. But I cannot.

There’s no time to comfort her, so I hope my words convey how much confidence I have in her. ”Tell me where to find the serpents. You are the one who can do this for us. For Zandia.”

She waves a hand. “They prefer the soft earth alongside the river. It is there that they create burrows and lay eggs. We can go now, as all the slaves are on the southern perimeter for harvest.” She points across the shimmering landscape to a far-flung tree line that hovers on the horizon.

“Behind the woods.” She hesitates. “Although guards still make their rounds.”

I nod to our own Zandian guard, who raises his weapon to his shoulder and points to a fellow soldier, indicating he should bring the gear Taisha requested. “Let’s go. Follow and protect.”

Taisha walks quickly, looking around, taking an expedient route past low hills and rocky crags until we reach a grassy area that leads to the churning river. Then she stops short.

“Are you all right?” I touch her shoulder.

She stands still, staring. “This is where… he fell in. The one I saved. Where he, and later I, nearly died.”

“Because of you, the river holds life.” I do not know where the words came from. They are poetic beyond my normal capability, but I feel them to be true. “Do not be afraid.”

She whirls around and locks eyes with me, and the intensity of her gaze is startling. She nods. “Thank you.”

A guard interrupts. “Serpent!” He steps back. “Watch out, it’s angry.”

The brown and gray striped creature, sinuous, coils and raises up its narrow triangular head, and a bright red tongue flicks the air.

“Yes, that’s the right one.” Taisha’s voice is taut. “You must sever the head with one blow. At least, this is how we always did it. And for the sake of this experiment, we must duplicate everything possible.”

“I understand.” The guard’s eyes are locked onto the snake.

Zandian warriors are not afraid of anything. But the serpent is a new entity, and we are not sure how it may react.

I put up a hand. “Observe first before killing it, so you get a clean cut.”

The guard nods, then raises his sword. He hesitates for just a split second, and the snake suddenly darts away, disappearing into a small hole in the earth.

Veck. Now we must wait for another.

Minutes go by, and the sun starts to sink lower in the sky.

“We must find one,” I announce, glancing around. “Or leave.”

/>

But no snakes appear.

Taisha takes a breath. “We can draw them out,” she says. “Swish the grass, like this.” She uses her arms as if mimicking a scythe and moves her feet amidst the lumps of earth. “This disrupts them. It’s why we hated working by the river.”

“It’s too dangerous for you,” I protest, scowling. “You are not wearing protective gear —”

“We have no time. Look, I will bring one. You will see. They always came out in droves when we had to work here—aaaee!”

She jumps back. Stars, it’s the biggest serpent I’ve ever seen! It rears up immediately, hissing, and the guard brandishes his sword.

But Taisha shakes her head. “The sword is too short. It may pierce you with its fangs.” Then, taking a deep breath, she reaches out a hand. “Let me do it. I will do it just the way it’s always been done. But please hand me that hoe that lies beside the old log. I can only do this with the tools I’m used to—” She keeps her gaze locked on to the snake, but gestures behind her, to where a few tools have been left, waiting for their human slaves to return.

The guard looks to me. I nod, so he grabs the iron tool and hands it over.

And barely has she grasped the rough implement in her hand before she moves, fast as lightning, whirling her arms and stabbing the blade downward. “Got it! Look!”

She laughs in delight. “ I did it! Here, see.” She points, then turns to look at me and the guard, then back to the snake, wriggling in the throes of death. “Don’t let the venom touch you or your clothes. Scoop the head into the moisture-proof bag, and I’ll toss the body into the river.”