Page 10 of Split or Swallow

Everyone looked at her, but she ignored them. Instead she concentrated on the caves, staring at each of them in turn. Fourteen caves. Fourteen basilisks. It was no use. She closed her eyes. The second she did so, something came to her, unbidden. The sensation was like a light in the darkness, calling to her. She moved to follow it, walking toward the farthest cave, feeling a shadow of what she had felt in the dream—a soothing warmth that drew her in. She knew, somehow, that she was heading in the right direction.

She didn’t see whether the other girls followed her lead. Instead she clambered over the rocks to reach the entrance of the cave before slipping into the pitch blackness. It was warm. Almost uncomfortably so. It took her eyes a moment to adjust, but once they did, she saw there was a dim light in the distance. She walked toward it, eventually finding herself in a room lit by firelight.

In front of her stood her basilisk.

CHAPTER TWO

He wasn’t at all what she had pictured.

Somehow, in her imagination, he never had a face. Tem’s version of the basilisk was always mysterious—a featureless creature with nothing distinguishable about it—a blank canvas that couldn’t be identified as anything remotely close to human. But the real thing was completely different. The real thing looked like the most searingly attractive man Tem had ever seen. He was an amalgamation of every feature she’d ever found beautiful—so much so that Tem wondered briefly whether it was on purpose. Basilisks were known for their powers of seduction, after all. Had he tailored himself to look like this, knowing it would appeal to her?

He was tall—so much taller than her—with broad, proud shoulders and rigid posture. The firelight flickering over his face only accentuated his features, which were a mesmerizing sculpture of sharp, unforgiving angles that made him seem like he was carved from stone. His dark hair was cut shorter than the current style, but somehow it suited him. He was wearing a light linen shirt and trousers, both of which did absolutely nothing to hide the hard outline of his body. Warmth. It was all she felt.

When the basilisk stepped forward, Tem’s mind went completely blank.

“What is your name?” he asked, his voice a deep, glowing murmur.

Tem’s voice seemed to have stopped working.

“Temperance,” she managed to whisper. “But I go by Tem.”

There was a fireplace set into the stone wall, its flames reflecting in his golden eyes. Eyes that, if he were wearing his true form, she knew would kill her. The snake tilted his head, appraising her. His gaze made her feel so exposed.

“My name is Caspenon. But I go by Caspen.”

“Caspen,” she repeated, his name a rock in her throat.

There was a long silence, and in it, he studied her. Tem had a sudden fear that he would reject her right then. Was it possible to be expelled from the training before it even began? She had never heard of that happening, but she wouldn’t be surprised if it happened to her. Before she could truly panic, the snake spoke again:

“You are afraid,” he said.

Tem nodded, because of course it was the truth.

He stepped closer. Her throat closed completely.

“There is no need to be afraid of me.”

“I’m not afraid of you.”

His head tilted the other direction.

“Then what are you afraid of?”

Tem didn’t know how to put it into words. So she simply said:

“Failing.”

The basilisk frowned. “At what?”

“At…” she started, but didn’t know how to finish.

“Sex,” he finished for her.

Tem wasn’t used to that word—her mother certainly never said it out loud, and Vera always called it making love, which was objectively atrocious. Tem herself had never heard it from a man’s mouth. Whenever she had been taught about the training in school, the lessons were taught by women. But those lessons were years ago now, and Tem rather wished she’d paid more attention during them.

“I suppose,” she whispered.

“Do you consider me an incapable teacher?” the snake asked.