Free Serpent by Kathryn Le Veque

said. “And I will thank him for sending The Wolfe to my doorstep. In spite of the circumstances, I would say that it is an honor for us both.”
    William couldn’t help it; the man’s arrogance was astounding and he cocked an eyebrow at the comment. “How kind,” he said, although he didn’t mean it and they all knew it. “Now, let us return to the subject at hand when I had entered the hall; what was that… that beast that attacked us? I have never heard of such a thing in all of my travels.”
    Bhrodi didn’t seem too concerned about it; he lifted those enormous shoulders in response. “As I said, it has guarded the pass through Pendraeth Forest for as long as anyone can recall,” he said. “My grandfather used to tell me the Northmen brought it with them hundreds of years ago, a serpent that had followed them from their land who then took up residency in the marshes. It remains in the marshes, and in the lake at the base of the mountain, and it feeds when the moon is full although it has been known to expose itself in the daylight. Surely you’ve heard of The Serpent in these parts.”
    “I thought that was you.”
    Bhrodi’s intense eyes focused on him. “It is me,” he said. “Some say my family draws strength from the serpent of the lake; therefore, I am also called The Serpent. The beast and the lake and I are one and the same. We are both deadly.”
    It was a hugely egotistical statement and William resisted the urge to roll his eye. Paris, however, was not so discreet; he clearly rolled his eyes, glancing to Kieran as he did so. The two old men looked at each other, displaying expressions that suggested they’d had enough conceit for one day. William caught sight of Paris’ antics and hastened to keep Bhrodi’s attention away from it. He didn’t want the man becoming angry with the posturing of the elderly English knights.
    “As your reputation would suggest and I will not dispute,” he said, moving closer to the man and stepping on Paris’ foot in the process . It was a hard pinch, one that suggested the man keep his opinions off his face. He could hear Paris grunt in pain. “But surely that creature has not lived for hundreds of years. Nothing can live that long. It is quite clearly a living, breathing animal and not one of magic.”
    If Bhrodi had noticed the elderly knights and their impatience with him, he didn’t acknowledge it. Evidently, only The Wolfe was worthy of his attention.
    “Nay, it is not magic,” he agreed, his voice quieting. “Truthfully, my grandfather has spoken of it and he said his father before him did as well, but that is as far back as the legend goes. Mayhap it did not come with the Northmen hundreds of years ago as my grandfather said; in fact, the Northmen still come to these parts on occasion, although they have not attacked in recent memory. Have you seen their long ships? Often they have serpent’s heads carved upon the bow to break the waves. That is why my grandfather believes the Northmen brought that serpent with them and left it here to terrorize us.”
    William still wasn’t convinced, of anything. “And that is all you know about it?”
    “That is all I will tell you.”
    It was an evasive answer but William didn’t pursue it. Whatever the creature was, either de Shera wouldn’t tell him all of it, or couldn’t tell him all of it. What mattered now was that they had survived the attack and were now in Rhydilian’s great hall, facing a man with more royal and noble blood in him than most. William tried to keep that in perspective because he wasn’t at all sure he liked or even respected the man for the way they had all been treated.
    “Then I will again thank you for riding to our aid,” he finally said. “We had no idea such things even existed and surely no ideas on how to fight it off.”
    “Fire is the only thing that works.”
    “I deduced that.”
    Bhrodi held the man’s gaze for a moment, sensing something edgy in the old,