Viper's Kiss - Lisa Smedman [61]
Despite himself, Arvin was intrigued. "And you came north to Hlondeth to find it. To steal it."
Karrell's eyes blazed. "No. To recover it. To prevent it from falling into Sibyl's hands. To ensure it would never be used again."
"What is it?"
"Do you know the Story of Sseth?" Karrell asked.
Arvin shrugged. "Not really. Those of us of the 'lesser race' aren't exactly encouraged to learn about the serpent god. I've never even set foot inside the Cathedral of Emerald Scales. Except once. By proxy."
The memory rose, unbidden, from those that lingered on from Zelia's mind seed. He'd seen the temple through her eyes as she genuflected before a statue of the god in winged serpent form. He nodded to himself; no wonder the yuan-ti believed Sibyl to be Sseth's avatar. She had the wings-even for an abomination, that was rare. And her eyes glowed red-they flickered like the flames that had surrounded Sseth's statue.
Arvin dredged up the last of Zelia's memory. "There's a prophecy about Sseth rising from the flames, isn't there?"
Karrell nodded, visibly impressed. "From the Peaks of Flame-volcanoes on the Chult Peninsula. There is a door there, one Sibyl hopes to open. She thinks it leads to Sseth's domain. She hopes to convince the god to claim her as his avatar once more. But the door does not lead to the Viper Pit. It leads to a cave on the Fugue Plane occupied by one of the eternal evils-Dendar the Night Serpent. Should the door be opened, and the Night Serpent escape, thousands will die-perhaps hundreds of thousands. A giant is a mere morsel to her; she can swallow an entire village in one gulp. Those she swallows are utterly destroyed; not a shred of their souls remain for the gods to claim. And the more souls she consumes, the larger she grows-and the more she feeds. According to the prophecies, if released and unchecked, she will grow until she is capable of swallowing the very sun-of plunging the world into eternal night. A night in which no plants will grow, all of the waters of Faerun will freeze, and the gods themselves will fade as their last worshipers die."
Arvin felt his eyes widen. Normally he would have blown off such an exaggerated story. But to hear Karrell tell it-to hear the tremble in her voice as she spoke of the end of the world-shook him. "This thing you came north to find," he said. "It's a key, right?"
Karrell's eyes bored into his. "It is called the Circled Serpent. It is made of silver, in the shape of a serpent biting its own tail and has a diameter about so." She held her hands about two palms' widths apart. "It was fashioned in two halves-one with a head, the other with a tail-which must be fitted together for its magic to work."
She lowered her hands. "I know this much: that Dine- trio Extaminos found the Circled Serpent when he was restoring the old section of Hlondeth. I believe he may have brought it with him to Sespech, but I am unable to locate it with my magic. During your last visit to the ambassador's residence, did you see anything like I have just described?"
Arvin shook his head.
'I did not expect so," Karrell said. "He will have it hidden. He fears another attempt by Sibyl's followers to steal it."
"The Pox?" Arvin asked, alarmed. "Did some of them survive?"
"Who are The Pox?"
"Followers of Talona, goddess of plague and disease," Arvin's heart was beating quickly. "And servants of Sibyl. They're the ones who killed my friend."
Karrell frowned. "No. The ones I am speaking of worship a different deity: Talos, god of storms and destruction. They, too, have formed an alliance with Sibyl. At her bidding, they tried to steal the Circled Serpent after Dmetrio Extaminos discovered it inside the ancient tower."
Suddenly, Arvin realized what she was referring to. Last summer, a gang of rogues had attacked the workers who were restoring the Scaled Tower, killing the project's yuan-ti overseer. The attack had been