The Serpent's Chains

Cole

When I heard the door to Sabine's quarters open, I rang the bell to summon her.

She appeared in my parlor, blood spatters across her face, her dress torn and filthy. She looked almost like she did when I pulled her from the auction.

"Have a seat." I nodded to a nearby chair.

There was a momentary pause before she complied. Despite her appearance, she sat with her spine straight, perched on the edge of the chair, her ankles daintily crossed, hands in her lap. There wasn't the slightest hint of a slouch in her shoulders.

How proper of her.

I went to the bookshelf and moved a few old volumes aside. A decanter and two tumblers were hidden in the musty depths of the shelf. I poured two glasses of amber liquid and handed one to her.

"Tell me about the attack."

She shot me a sharp look but quickly composed herself, cupping the tumbler in both hands. "You want to talk about this now, Sire?"

"The palace gardens have eyes and ears." I chuckled humorlessly.

She nodded. "I was working in the gardens when they attacked. They used magic to overwhelm me."

"Who were they?"

A light crease formed in Sabine's brow and her eyes remained fixed on the tumbler.

Sighing, I took a large swig off mine. The thick, amber liquid burned my tongue pleasantly and sent a warm tingle down my throat.

"I don't know who they were, Your Majesty." Her voice was hardly above a whisper.

Just like when she was locked in her room and nearly starved to death. I downed the rest of my drink and poured another.

"If you insist on remaining silent, the only people you protect are your attackers. Who were they? Why were they after you!?" I took a step toward her until I loomed over her.

She gasped but kept her eyes down.

This was getting old. What kind of a slave resisted a master's direct order over and over again? For that matter, who resisted their prince?

"I don't know who those men were or why they were after me, Your Highness. Their magic was... different."

I clicked my tongue. "Different how?"

She lifted the glass to her lips. The liquid sloshed against the sides. For as composed as she was, I could see she was shaken by the experience.

"I have studied the spells of many Telasian mages. Telasian magic is elemental. It relies on natural energies, the same that the dragons use." She paused and I heard her swallow.

Talon? I'd never heard my father's mages discussing the source of magical energy before. I knew I could harness the elements because of my bond with Talon and he could do the same, as any dragon.

She's right. All magic in Telasia comes from the natural elements.

"What was this magic, then?" I prompted when Sabine didn't continue right away.

Her tongue darted across her lips and she set her barely-touched beverage aside. She rubbed her hands on her filthy dress.

"It's fueled by spirit energy." She pressed her hands to her chest. "It feeds off the lifeforce of the wielder, an internal source rather than external."

I tapped the side of my tumbler with my finger. I was no mage, but even I thought that sounded far-fetched. Learning to use elemental magic through Talon had taught me that spells were only as powerful as the source they were fed from.

Using the energy produced by a blade of grass would be minuscule compared to the energy of a raging storm. If too much energy was channeled through someone who wasn't strong enough or experienced enough, it would rip them apart, literally.

To draw on one's own energy for power... I ran my hand along the base of my throat.

"When working in a group, or with a powerful creature like a dragon, that kind of magic is limitless. Together, my attackers pooled their energy for a stronger attack."

"But you overpowered them, once your collar was released."

Sabine's fingers played with the metal collar on her neck. A habit I suspected she developed over her years in slavery.

"How is it you know so much about this other kind of magic?" I turned away to return the decanter to its hiding place. She seemed more willing to talk when I wasn't looking right at her.

"It's what my mother taught me."

I paused, my hand around the spine of a book. Glancing over my shoulder, I saw the first break in her posture. Sabine's shoulders sagged slightly but a moment later, she sat straight again.

"You'll tell me all of this about magic and your mother, but you won't tell me who your attackers were or what they wanted with you?" I rounded on her and crossed my arms.

She lifted her head and glared at me fiercely. There was a spark in her after all.

"I already told you; I don't know who they were or what they wanted!" She gasped and bowed her head again.

These little outbursts of hers were starting to get interesting.

One of them bore the Sacron crest, a mark of a mage in the service of the Stivalia royal family, Talon intruded on my thoughts with his own. Perhaps she was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.

I grunted. "Alright, go get yourself cleaned up. I'll require you back at work tomorrow morning."

Sabine nodded and quickly rose. She scurried out the adjoining door.

When she first came to the palace, I thought her skittishness was because she'd been raised under the cruel hand of a master. Not knowing any better, I could see her fearing me and my reputation. No slave that feared me would ever dare meet my eyes.

Her timidness came from something else.

Did you know that Stivalia uses different magic than us? I retreated to my bedroom and picked up a book.

Talon's grumbles reverberated through my walls. Magic is magic.

I rolled my eyes. That answer was more vague than usual. I settled down on my couch and flipped the book open. I'd returned late by design, to avoid checking in with my father. He'd have questions. I had questions for him, too.

Talon, do you think that is why Stivalia mages are more powerful? I rested my book on my chest.

Perhaps. And possibly why they always work in teams.

I scratched my cheek and sat up, setting the book aside. It never occurred to me to wonder about the differences in Stivalia's mages. I never needed to consider it because we had the dragons and their strength and magic were superior.

Or, it always seemed that way.

If what Sabine said was true, there could be some mages in Stivalia with devastating powers.

Like Sabine.

Talon's words jolted me from my thoughts. I hummed and paced back and forth.

Yes. It took her seconds to break free from her attackers and cast them aside. She could have killed them as easily as Talon, I'd wager.

She was holding back.

The image of her shocked, blood-splattered face flashed in my mind. It wasn't that she couldn't kill them, it was that she didn't want to.

What magical slave have you heard of with such power?

None. A slave like that would be highly prized. Her former master never knew her strength.

Then she was wise to hide it. I flopped down on the couch with a sigh. Does she have magical strength comparable to a royal mage?

I have been in the presence of royal mages and the king's mage when they cast. Her power exceeds them all.

That's unsettling. No wonder Stivalia would be interested in someone like her. They do like to groom their magical bloodlines.

You think she was targeted?

Talon's question caught me off guard. Yes...

You don't think it was another strike at you?

I chewed on the edge of my thumbnail and considered Talon's question. It was more logical to think that agents of Stivalia had infiltrated my wing of the palace to get to me. I had just demolished a group of their elite mages.

Learning about Sabine's power led my thoughts down a different path.

It hasn't been that long since you dismissed your latest concubine. Talon's rumbling chuckle shook the walls.

Not that path! She's an anomaly among slaves and someone else clearly has an interest in her. I want to know why and if it can be used to our advantage against Stivalia's incursions.

It's not your concern anymore, who has an interest in her.

I pinched the bridge of my nose. Why?

You promised the general that you'd free her upon your return. Her life is in her hands now.

Sighing, I flicked my eyes toward the adjoining door. If I freed her, it wouldn't take long for news of her power to spread. She'd draw too much attention from within Telasia and without.

I shook my head. I can't do that now, not after what we learned. She's too volatile.

You've never broken a promise to him before.

He'll understand. Talon and I both knew that wasn't true.