"Left."
Imperia spoke softly as she comfortably sat on top of her father's head. Xix'rah was resting on Kael's shoulders, unmoving; she looked like an obsidian jewel clinging to his shirt.
"Yes."
Kael obeyed.
The path wasn't clear, but he trusted Imperia with everything and followed her instructions.
And after a few steps, he found firm, clear ground. Roots that looked tangled from afar were opened just enough for his foot to pass without tripping.
"Stop, do not move at all," Imperia said.
He stopped instantly.
Hiss
A second later, a snake slithered out from a low bush ahead, moving right past his boot before disappearing.
Kael gulped, recognizing the long, thin beast and those smooth black and gray, smoke-like scales.
It was a Duskscale Viper.
A type of Magic Snake that has no eyes, only two glowing red slits on its head that pulsed when something moved nearby. Its body moved without sound, sliding over rocks, grass, even water, like a shadow drifting across the world.
