Page 114 of Of Serpents and Ruins
The foxes barked and whined from the bottom of the trench, their voices coarse and raspy. They looked utterly miserable down there, trying to climb on top of one another as they desperately tried to reach their basilisk.
The basilisk at last started to slow. Lorna shouted for us to strike the trap, and immediately, I hit the pad. The trap sprang up, wrapping around the basilisk like a cocoon with small tines pressing against the scales so that she could not keep going. Arjax leaped forward immediately and placed a blindfold over her eyes as Lorna pressed something pink and round onto the basilisk’s tongue.
The basilisk thrashed and struggled a moment longer, her body writhing against the confines of the trap. After a few breaths, she went limp.
Arjax checked the blindfold and patted the basilisk's heaving side. "Yeah, there's a good girl. Bet you're feeling better."
Lorna rubbed the basilisk's snout. "She's much calmer. I think she was suffering a lot more than usual. Next time, we need to come sooner."
"Agreed." He crossed over to the edge of the valley and brought back a large vat with a leather covering. He waved his arm to us. "Let them up. They’ll see she’s fine. Danger has passed. More or less." He gestured toward the plank near the trench. "Get out of the way as soon as that plank is in, and they won’t hurt you. They just need to see she's all right."
Carefully, Elias and Kine lowered the plank down into the pit. The mirror-tail foxes bounded up, baring their teeth at them but turning their focus to the basilisk. They ran up alongside her, sniffing and barking. They split into two groups, three on each side. Then they cozied up around her heart and throat as if to stand guard.
They gave Arjax side-eye, but the vocalizations softened. A couple dipped their head at him and Lorna as if to acknowledge their presence.
Lorna continued to examine Mischief, running her hands over the thick interlocking scales and searching her for any signs of injury.
"Why aren’t they attacking us?" I asked, confused.
They licked at her sides or groomed one another, fluffing up their silver fur. The iridescent bands around their tails had gone almost pure silver. Surprisingly, none of the mud had clung to them either, except at the lowest points of their paws.
"They can tell she’s relaxed, so they’re relaxing." Arjax continued to stroke Mischief’s side. "She recognizes us best after she’s gotten that itchy venom out and her glands cleaned. At her age, it’s hard for nature to take care of it all. Normally, snakes dispel their venom on their own, but after a basilisk reaches a certain age, if she doesn’t dispel it, it builds up and makes her gums itch and her tongue burn." He gave her another gentle rub then glanced at me, eyebrow lifted in a conspiratorial manner. "You want to pet a mirror-tail?"
"I can pet one?" My eyebrows lifted. "I—No, we need to go get the spear. I don’t have time—"
"Nonsense." Arjax crossed over to a mirror-tail that had a black diamond on the back of her neck. He squatted down and scooped her up. "Come here, little girl."
The mirror-tail wriggled and licked at his throat and face like a little dog. She might as well have been in his arms. He chuckledas he carried her over and crouched down to make it easier for me to pet her.
I pursed my lips then relented. Tentatively, I pressed my hand to her head and stroked her. She was so soft! There was a hint of vanilla mixed in with the smells of earth, blood, and filth.
"She really is cute."
"I love ’em," he said with a grin. He patted her on the head and stroked between the ears, tilting his head back as she tried to lick his face. "They mostly tolerate the affection, and you’d best not be getting too close to the cubs if you don’t want to lose your fingers, but some, like this girl, like being babied, especially when they know Mischief is fine. If you lean in real close, you can hear her chuff a bit."
I scratched her throat and behind her ears a little longer until Buttercup bellowed from the clearing above the valley.
Apparently, she disapproved.
"You’re making your girl jealous." Arjax chuckled. He continued to hold the mirror-tail as he scratched her chin.
I laughed at this. Stepping back, I placed my hands on my waist. "Yeah, well, we’ll be leaving soon enough. Where’s the basilisk den? Maybe Kine and Elias and I could check the hoard while you and Lorna are gathering the venom."
Arjax gave a jerk of his head toward the cracked ridge. "Just beyond that forked tree split by lightning. You can’t miss it, but mind the walls. Basilisks stick stuff in the nesting material on the outer layers, and they love shiny things, so daggers, swords, all that sort may be in that lining or the pellets."
"Got it."
And soon I’d have the spear as well. We could get out of here early.
It didn’t take long for Kine, Elias, and me to approach the basilisk burrow. The forked tree stood to the right like a dark sentinel. Bright red and yellow birds sat on the branches,peering down. Their song pierced the hazy humidity, stark and cheerful despite the ominous feeling of this place. The mouth of the burrow yawned open, a gaping maw ready to swallow us whole if I listened to the fears nudging the back of my mind.
"All right," Elias said, rolling up his sleeves. "Any ideas how to make this more efficient?"
Kine shrugged. "It'll be in with the other shiny things the basilisk’s stolen."
I was already slipping down, butt sliding across the cold mossy stones and making me glad the dress had shorts.
Ihlkit! This was vile. I repressed the gag that rose within me.
