The Scourge - Page 65

Behind him, Brogg added, "We'll have to use the snakes soon. If the governor brings in more River People, the spindlewill won't work."

As he talked, I'd been looking at the snakes below me, with red spots on their black bodies, different from anything I'd seen in the river country.

"There are no snakes in the towns, and I didn't think Attic Island had snakes," I said. Moisture still on my hands from the storm was threatening my hold on the bars, and there was no dry spot on me to wipe them off. Gossel laughed as I redoubled my grip. Ignoring him, I asked, "What kind of snake is this?"

"They're very aggressive," he said, almost admiringly. "Dulanian vipers."

"Dulan?"

"They were a gift to the governor. Most of them are kept here, though Doctor Cresh has some in his offices as he continues his experiments."

"Dulan?" I still couldn't understand that. "Why would Dulan--"

Suddenly, something exploded right outside the infirmary, followed by a crash and the cries of several other prisoners in the west side of the building. It startled me so much I nearly lost my grip.

Nearly. Nothing would make me let go of these bars.

"I'll wait with the girl," Brogg said. "You'd better check that out."

Gossel swatted the side of his head. "So you can get her out? I've seen your sympathies. Come with me!"

Again, Brogg obeyed, though I also saw his apologetic look as he exited the room. He never expected to see me again. Well, he could apologize to me in person, because I wasn't about to fail now. Not after all I'd been through.

As the infirmary door closed on me, I made that a vow. Yes, they definitely would see me again.

I hoped.

With the crash still echoing in my ears, I guessed that lightning had struck near the infirmary and caused one of the taller trees to fall. If it landed on the infirmary, it might've smashed through the outer wall. The yelling I was hearing might be prisoners whose cells were being flooded.

But the damage must also be connected to the pit below me, where floodwaters were already seeping in, and fast. If these snakes could swim, then it didn't matter how long I could hang here. They would rise up to meet me.

I immediately raised my left foot as high as possible without tipping it upside down. Then I checked my right hand grip. It wasn't as good as I wanted, but there was no choice. With my left hand, I reached down into the boot, searching for the knife. At first I couldn't feel it, so I wiggled my foot around until the tips of my fingers touched it. I wiggled even more, letting the boot loosen. It was going to slide off, and there was nothing I could do about it. I lifted my leg even higher, and as the boot slipped, I grabbed the knife. The boot splashed into the water below, and the snakes attacked it like it was the first meal they'd had in months.

I rolled my eyes, not at all thrilled with what I now knew. Yes, the water was already high enough to make a splash. Yes, the snakes could swim in it. And yes, they were stupid enough to think a boot was edible. I could only imagine the fun they'd have with me.

With my knife between my teeth now, I kicked off the other boot next and listened to them attack that one as well. It was a necessary sacrifice, and besides, what would I do with only a single boot anyway?

I lifted both feet up to the grate. They barely fit between the bars, but by keeping them bent inward, they should hold my weight. I tested that by releasing one hand and then the next. Happily, my feet seemed more sturdy than my hands had been.

I pulled the first of Weevil's needles from my skirts, then angled myself back up and reached between the bars for the lock on this door. It was in an awkward position, so I'd have to pick the lock both backward and upside down. If I failed, I hoped Weevil would consider those disadvantages before judging my lock-picking skills too harshly.

I stuck the tip of the knife inside the lock, then with my other hand pushed the needle in to feel for the tumblers. Something moved inside the lock, but it was still closed, so I wiggled the needle around again.

And wiggled too hard. The needle broke inside the lock. I groaned and let both halves fall below me. I heard them splash and the fierce reaction of the snakes below. I hoped they tried attacking the sharper end of the needle. Then it'd be one less snake for me to fend off.

I wanted to relax my body, just for a moment, and hang upside down for a short rest. But as the dark flood waters continued rising below me, I wasn't sure how close that'd put me to the snakes. They obviously could swim. I assumed they also had a fair ability to jump, because that was exactly how bad my day was going.

So I withdrew the second needle, determined this time to be more careful. I jammed the knife back into the lock, and the needle with it. It broke immediately, though not quite in half. If I was careful, I had enough needle left, barely. So I stuck it in again, and this time wiggled it around while paying attention to where the pressure was yielding.

While I did, I thought about what Weevil had told me, that I balanced him. In our friendship, I was the knife. Swinging for everything and anything and occasionally hitting my mark. But Weevil was different. He was the needle. He identified the most specific areas to put pressure and did nothing more than was absolutely necessary. As our time in the Colony had proved, he balanced me too.

To pick this lock, I needed that same balance. While the knife was necessary to move the tumblers, if I wanted to be successful, I had to be the needle.

With that thought, I found the spot where the needle had the most give. With a gentleness that had rarely been a part of me, I pressed against that tumbler and heard a click.

Below me, something hissed, followed by a sharp tug on my skirts. A snake had latched itself on to my skirts! The last good skirt I owned, in fact, which was infuriating.

I tried to shake it off, and in the process, the needle fell out of the lock, landing somewhere below. Landing in that snake's eye, I hoped.

Tags: Jennifer A. Nielsen Fantasy
Source: readsnovelonline.net
readsnovelonline.net Copyright 2016 - 2024