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Will shook his head. “Only vaguely. He comes from a long line of serpent men who live to a great age.”
My eyes widened. “Did. . .did you say serpent men?”
“Those with the ability to change between the form of a giant snake and men,” he explained.
“Like you being a dragon?” I guessed.
“Exactly.”
I looked him up and down. “So does that make you two related? I mean, a dragon is kind of a snake.”
His nose twitched and the corners of his mouth turned down. “No. We hail from different blood though our people have feuded in the past over land and resources. The snakes and their long lives mean they have ample time to wallow in their hatred of us.”
“But they’re not immortal?” I wondered.
He shook his head. “No, but they do live for many centuries.”
“So you think this snake is wallowing in enough hatred for you to try to kidnap me?”
“It’s quite possible, though I don’t recall ever earning the vindictiveness of this particular snake,” Will admitted.
We rolled our way through the city and arrived at the Torch manorhouse at noon. I stepped out of the carriage and wasgreeted by Helen’s bright smile as Torch and she greeted us halfway up the walk.
Her twinkling eyes looked me up and down. “You appear to have had quite the adventure.”
I looked down at myself and winced. The dust and cobwebs from the catacombs still clung to me. “That’s putting it mildly.”
“Allow me to help you clean up for lunch,” she offered.
We parted from the men in the entrance hall and made our way upstairs. Helen was kind enough to help me out of my mucky clothes and into a fresh dress. The soft, clean apparel on my weary bones made me realize just how tired I was.
“Did you enjoy your adventure in the city?” she asked me as she folded my other clothes for a good scrub.
I fell backward onto the bed and stared up at the canopy. “It was terrifying, but fun at the same time.” I expected Helen to comment, but silence followed my answer. I glanced over to the fire where she stood staring into the flames. There was a sad look on her face that made my heart fall. I sat up and draped my arms over my bent knees. “Did I say something wrong?”
She didn’t turn her gaze from the flames as she shook her head. “No. On the contrary, I was only remembering all the fun Alex and I had when we ventured into the city.”
I studied her face. “How long has it been since you went out?”
A bittersweet smile slipped onto her lips as she lifted her eyes to the chimney. “Nearly three years. When I was almost kidnapped.”
My jaw dropped open. “That long?”
“I’m afraid so.”
“Surely Torch learned from that and can protect you better.”
Helen sighed. “As I tell him often, but he has lost his confidence.” She turned to face me and I noticed her eyes slightly glistened in the soft light from the hearth. “But here Iam ruining your tale of adventures. Did you find the Grimton exciting?”
I snorted. “That’s one way to put it.” I held up my hand and the flaming sword sprouted forth.
Helen’s face showed shock before it brightened with pride. “Then you have found your power?”
“Yeah,” I told her as I tucked away my flames. “The Arbiter kind of explained what happened.”
She strode over and took a seat beside me. “Please tell me everything that happened.”
I recounted the rest of our adventures and by the time I had finished, Helen had a pensive expression on her face. “And you say the name of the gentleman is Simon Baddock?”
