Free The Crystal Legacy (Book 2) by C. Craig Coleman Page B

who tried to hide his concern. They ate their fill in silence and retired to their rooms for the night. When the inn settled down for the evening, Tournak and Hendrel came to Saxthor and Bodrin’s room. 
    “We may as well rest tonight,” Saxthor said. “We’re all too tired to travel. Even if a watcher, the man won’t be able to report his discovery before morning. He might just be a strange man. Let’s not let our imaginations get the best of us, or we’ll be changing inns all night.”
    Tournak’s hand was on his dagger. “With the wraith and medrax destroyed, something else is sure to follow. We must rise early and leave town as soon as we’ve bought provisions.”
    The wizards said goodnight and left for their room. Exhausted, Saxthor and Bodrin were soon sound asleep. Later, whining in the night, Delia woke Saxthor.
    “Surely you don’t have to go outside,” Saxthor said in a daze.
    Delia stopped poking his arm and looked up at the window. A thin, shadowy figure was peering in, silhouetted by the moonlight. Saxthor jumped out of bed, but the man was gone.
    “Wake up Bodrin.”
    Bodrin groaned and turned away. Saxthor banged on the wall of Tournak’s room, then rushed to the window to see where the man went. Saxthor was about to pull on his pants when he felt something cold slide over his bare foot. He froze.
    Bodrin shuffled and pulled up his covers. “What is it?”
    Saxthor looked down and saw a large rattlesnake coiling around his warm ankle. A chill ran up him, but he didn’t move.
    “Bodrin.”
    Bodrin punched his pillow, snuggled around another pillow and smacked his dry mouth, settling back into sleep.
    “Bodrin!” Saxthor looked down at the snake now coiled several times around his ankle. The snake’s tongue flicked, tasting the room. It looked up when Saxthor spoke.
    “What you want?” Bodrin resisted moving a muscle.
    “Wake up! There’s a rattlesnake wrapped around my ankle.”
    Bodrin yawned and turned toward Saxthor, but still didn’t open his eyes. “What?”
    Saxthor couldn’t move without alarming the snake. He had the candlestick from the bedside table in his hand. It had been the first thing he could grab and had picked it up for defense when he dashed to the window. It dawned on him as the candle burned, it could drip hot wax on the snake. He shifted his weight a bit, and the snake twitched at the movement. Saxthor tossed the candlestick at Bodrin and it hit him on his shoulder. Bodrin shot up in the bed.
    Startled by Saxthor’s movement, the snake moved out of its coil and began climbing Saxthor’s leg. The slight scratch of belly scales, gripping as it slowly climbed his leg chilled Saxthor. Goosebumps rose over him.
    “What’d you do that for?” Bodrin was rubbing his shoulder.
    Saxthor looked down and faced the rattlesnake’s head, looking up from his knee. Its tongue flicked from the poison-puffed head atop the body spiraling around his leg. Bodrin rubbed his eyes and followed Saxthor’s look down to his leg. The whites of Bodrin’s eyes swelled in the room’s moonlight. He jumped out of bed.
    “Cripes!” Bodrin looked up at Saxthor. “What do I do?”
    “I wish I knew,” Saxthor felt nauseated. He looked again at the snake. It turned its head out, swaying as it surveyed the room, tongue tasting the air. “Get your sword and wiggle it in front of the snake, but don’t poke it. That’ll only make it mad.”
    Bodrin snatched his blade from beside his bed and moved toward Saxthor, by the window. He waved the sword and the snake froze.
    “No rat to lure the thing from my leg,” Saxthor said, thinking aloud. “It’s going to climb higher or strike.”
    Bodrin was still staring at the snake. “I’ll try to chop off its head when it’s away from your leg.,”
    “That close and you’ll cut my leg or foot. If your swing is too light, you’ll just make it mad. It’ll strike at anything. I don’t like the options.”
    “Yeah, well, my eyes aren’t