Servant of the Serpent

Mourning Dove

"Goo' morning!" Kora chirps, mouth full.

"Good morning, Kora." Adder replies.

"Are you going to train with Merlyn more today?"

"No. We're going to the stone graveyard today."

Eben looks up from his plate. "Adder, are you sure that's wise?"

"I'll be fine. It's about time I visited. We need to confirm what Kora claims."

"Okay...I'll pack as soon as we finish up here."

Adder nods solemnly, poking his eggs with a wooden fork. He can't make himself eat, so he simply pushes his food off onto Merlyn's plate. Growing like a sprout, she takes it gleefully. Once they've all eaten, Adder takes it upon himself to clean up the table and put everything away as Eben starts to get Fairy ready.

The ride over to the stone graveyard is much like the route to Nǣdre Tor, but they're not heading for the resting place of the villagers. No, they're heading toward the graveyard of the disgraced, the creatures and beings deemed too unsafe for Eben to heal with his powers. The victims of Adder who remain in their prisons of stone.

Just before they come to the wall of Nǣdre Tor, the path forks, veering deeper into the dense forest. They drop off Kora at the fork, sending her on her way home before they enter. Adder is tense as the dappled springtime light slowly fades away as they enter the depths of the pines.

Merlyn seems to pick up on his apprehension. She eyes the unfamiliar surroundings warily. Eben ruffles her hair affectionately. "It's okay, little bird. Nothing out here can hurt you with me here."

As if in offense, the trail grows even darker as dark clouds roll in overhead. A gentle rain begins to drizzle down, falling in fat droplets that muddy the path. With a wave of Eben's hand, a barrier covers the cart. Merlyn smiles as she watches glimmering trails streak down it, leaving glittering gold trails.

The rain lets up as they finally reach their destination. The graveyard is nestled in a small clearing in the forest, surrounded by a rusted iron fence. It creaks open as Adder enters, a foreboding sound that grates on his nerves as he opens his eyes. The graveyard is much more...serene than expected. Somehow, Adder expected the statues to be lined up at the gate, rage and fear as fresh as the day they died—but that's not the case. Nature has started to claim most of the statues that were haphazardly thrown to the ground. From what Adder can make out of the fog that has started to roll in, highlighted by the ethereal morning sun, most of the statues are covered in blankets of moss and lichen. In the corner there's even a patch of opalescent glass poppies, their delicate blooms quite fitting for a place of eternal slumber.

"Adder, I think this might be a bit harder than we thought. Should we come back another day?"

"No. Let's give it a try...we'll go back if we can't find it soon."

Eben nods, heading towards the largest statue in the center. Adder goes toward the right, heading for a lumpy statue lying face-up. Merlyn tottles after him, squatting down to study the object at her feet. Taking a deep breath, Adder pulls the moss away. It's a statue of a man with a permanent snarl on his face. Adder pulls off more growth, revealing the armor plating of the victim. A member of the monster-hunting guild of Crestholm. Not who Adder is looking for.

Getting at the game they're playing, Merlyn steps over the hunter and toward a statue leaning against a stump. She pulls off a large blanket of green with a grunt, revealing the maw of a snarling chimera. She squeals, jumping up and down as she points at the frozen creature.

Adder traces the scars that trail down his chest. "It's a chimera, Merlyn. Very dangerous...very vicious."

Merlyn isn't listening. She pets the head of the statue, as if it's simply a sleeping kitten and not a man-eating monster. Adder smiles, turning toward a particularly decrepit statue. Not only weeds, but a flourishing bush overtake this one. Several bright flowers bloom in violet starbursts, alongside several glossy black berries with striking star-shaped leaves. Instantly, Merlyn is attracted to the berries, reaching for some. Adder moves quick, pulling her away.

"Merlyn! That's nightshade. Drop it!"

Merlyn drops the stalk she'd gripped in her hand, cowed by Adder's tone. Adder sighs, setting her down. "Thank you, little bird—"

As he looks back at the bush, his words become stuck in his throat. As he removes the branch, he uncovers a gruesome sight. Sheppard's weathered face peeks from behind the leaves of belladonna, crowned in the forest's detritus and decay.

Adder stares down at his former mentor in shock, ice filling his veins. He knew Sheppard was here, among the disgraced. But it still never felt like he was gone—Adder always felt on edge, like the high priest would find a way to come back from the dead. Now though, he has confirmation that Sheppard is truly gone. The roots of the nightshade have burrowed its way into the stone, creating hairline fractures that, overtime, became wide fissures. Of particular note is the state of the neck: Adder leans over to brush his thumb against it warily. The stone crumbles easily under his touch, revealing a clear separation between Sheppard's head and shoulders. The flowers have severed his head, leaving absolutely zero chance of his recovery.

A confusing deluge of emotion catches Adder off guard. He's relieved, of course he is. But there's also a deep, resounding sadness that makes him ache inside. Sheppard loved himself most of all, Adder knew that. But there had been times—times that he'd wondered if they had a bond of sorts. Sheppard was the one who took charge of Adder's education, the only person outside Helia that had regular interactions with him. So no matter how horrible Sheppard had been, there had also been moments of tenderness...moments where Adder had seen him as a father figure. It had been why Adder had been subservient for so long. It was easy to ignore the fear and pain if he justified it. If he pretended that Sheppard saw him like a son and not a weapon.

Adder takes a slow breath in before he picks up the branch and places it back over Sheppards face. He feels an urge to cover it more, perhaps bury the statue...but he doesn't do it. Sheppard hurt a lot of people, not just Adder. This was their justice.

"Adder, come take a look at this!"

Remembering why they came, Adder picks up Merlyn and joins Eben on the other side of the graveyard. On the ground is the harpy, lying supine with wings spread and lips curled. With the thick vines curled around his body, it almost looks like he's trying and failing to escape their cruel grip. Eben kneels to touch the vines and they begin to glow with magic. When the tendrils recede, the sunlight exposes the damage for the first time in years. Nature has taken its toll here, leaving several deep cracks across the statue's surface. There would be no resurrection of this monster, either.

"Do you see a tail?"

"I can't tell. Help me flip it over."

Adder leans down, the wings crumble away from the body as he flips it over. As he places it back down, he confirms his worst fears: the harpy has a large, fan-like tail. He stares at it, uncertainty and fear swirling in his stomach. He glances at Merlyn, realizing she's been watching them this entire time. She's invested in investigating the stone wings, fascinated with seeing someone that looks like her for the first time in her young life. It hurts Adder to know this is the first interaction she's ever had with her own kind. Seeing a dead harpy, one that had tried to hurt several innocent villagers.

Wordlessly, Adder picks Merlyn up and heads to the cart. Eben follows after him, giving him an anxious glance as they start to head back home. The rain starts to pour down again, this time in angry sheets of rain, accompanied by a loud peal of thunder. Poor Merlyn jolts in fear, scrambling under Eben's cloak. Eben hugs her close, linking his and Adder's hands together as the cart rumbles down the stone path through puddles and mud. Adder can't help but think the road ahead is just as rough.