After retreating a few steps, Anastasia looked at the snake. It had indeed been injured on the head. She sensed that the snake was still alive, she was weak and had not used enough force when stoning it. She expected it to seize the chance to escape, yet it was instead coming for her. The situation was strange indeed, but she had no time to ponder it.
She glanced around frantically for another weapon. Not far away lay a stick. This time, she could not afford to keep her eyes on the snake. She hurried over and picked up the stick, though it felt heavy in her weakened hands. Without hesitation, she turned and struck at the snake. She had never killed a snake before, and the sight of it still terrified her.
There was no time for fear. Gritting her teeth, she attacked with all the strength she could muster. Fortunately, the stick was long enough to keep some distance between her and the snake. Anastasia’s intent had been to strike it down, but she missed her mark; the snake dodged swiftly. Her blow managed to strike its body, but it hardly slowed the creature.
As she bent forward to attack, the snake suddenly spat towards her eyes.
Startled, Anastasia stood upright and closed her eyes instinctively. Her body seemed to move on its own.
The venom missed her eyes, but she felt something cold splash onto her skin.
Frozen with fear, Anastasia failed to move, giving the snake an opportunity. It lunged and bit deep into her leg. A searing pain exploded through her flesh, as if two molten needles had been hammered into her.
Her leg kicked instinctively, shaking the snake off. The snake landed a few meters away, unmoving.
Seeing that it did not stir, Anastasia tore a strip from the sleeve of her dress. Her mother, once only a mistress with little power within the family, had left few possessions behind after her death. Leah, the duchess maid, had taken nearly everything of value, save for her mother’s books. Most of them concerned flowers and musical instruments, but Anastasia had also found a few on medicine. She had never studied them seriously, merely flipping through their pages when she missed her mother.
From one of those books, she vaguely recalled how to deal with a snakebite.
The instructions said that binding a cloth above the wound could slow the spread of the poison.
She did not consciously remember reading it; it surfaced only now, when she needed it most.
Uncertain but desperate, she tied the strip of cloth firmly around her leg, just below her knee.
When she finished, she cast a wary glance at the snake. It still did not move.
"Is it dead?" Anastasia wondered aloud, but she dared not approach it.
Taking a deep breath, she decided to circle around it widely. She picked up the stick she had dropped earlier and walked swiftly past the snake. Perhaps it was fear still gripping her, but her steps were hurried and clumsy. Only when she had put a safe distance between herself and the creature, and saw that it remained motionless, did she breathe a sigh of relief. Yet even as relief swept through her, so too did crushing fatigue. Were it not for the stick, she would surely have collapsed.
She pressed onward toward the river. Her body grew weaker with every step. Anastasia did not know if it was from exhaustion alone or from the snake’s venom. After all, she had read that snake venom could cause weakness, numbness, or even unconsciousness within a few hours.
Meanwhile, within the temple of the Old Gods
The seer’s gaze turned cold as he vomited a mouthful of dark blood. He had known that attempting to kill Anastasia would come with a heavy backlash. Yet he had deemed it a price worth paying even if it cost him his life.
"Master!" cried his assistant, rushing to his side as the seer staggered. They supported him hurriedly.
"Take me to the clear bowl," the seer rasped, weak but determined to ensure there had been no mistake. A bitter sweetness lingered in his throat, but he suppressed it.
The assistant asked no questions. The clear bowl a stone vessel filled with water stood only a few steps from the altar. The seer approached it, leaning heavily against his assistant. He had used this bowl once before to watch Anastasia while she prayed.
With trembling hands, he sprinkled a white powder into the water and began to chant. His voice was hoarse and weak. Without his assistant’s support, he might have fallen.
After a while, the surface of the water stirred, revealing a scene of Anastasia walking through the small forest, a stick in her hand.
The seer narrowed his eyes. He could tell that she was exhausted.
Until now, he had been unable to monitor her because of the distance between them. Had he possessed her blood or a lock of her hair, he might have been able to track her directly. Even now, he could only observe, thanks to the snake bite, but he could still not locate her precisely.
He watched closely as Anastasia trudged forward with slow, weary steps. He rejoiced inwardly; she appeared to be alone. Perhaps she had escaped her captors after all.
Yet as he stared at her face, his heart faltered. Her forehead still shone with the light of fate. There was no sign of death upon her. Fınd the newest release on NoveI(F)ire.net
"Why? How can this be?" the seer whispered hoarsely.
"Master, what is wrong?" asked the assistant, alarmed at the seer’s sudden trembling.
"This girl... her fate does not show death," the seer said, pointing at Anastasia’s image upon the water. He wondered bitterly if age had dulled his eyes.
The assistant looked carefully. Still supporting the seer with one arm, he began to chant and count with his free hand. "It is as you say, Master. Her forehead shines brightly she has a great future ahead," the assistant confirmed. Though less skilled, even he could see it clearly.
The seer swallowed painfully, bitterness welling in his chest. He had not expected to fail.
His expression darkened as he calculated with trembling fingers once more. He had chosen a snake precisely because it was small enough to enter the palace unnoticed since he could not leave because of the Queen’s guard.
no one knew where Anastasia was, so only a snake could reach her unseen. Moreover, the snake was a creature long believed to be an enemy of the one chosen by Heaven.
It should have been an easy and clean death.
Yet Anastasia had fought and survived.