Brood of Vipers by Maggie Claire (good books for high schoolers .txt) 📕

Xanti’s actions damned us all.” Lady Vatusia clenches her fists so tightly that I fear her claws will slice into her palms. Her eyes glitter with malice as she announces, “So, if you truly intend to take Alaric down, you will have the support of the Vibría .”

“You won’t fight against us?” Cyrus questions while I try not to imagine how terrible it must have been to watch the Ddraigs die, completely helpless to save them.

“If Alaric demands that we attack you while we are in his presence, then I am sorry to say the Vibría will obey him without mercy,” Lady Vatusia explains, her visage glimmering and fading at the edges. Whatever power she’s using to appear before us must be draining away rapidly. I suspect she has only a few more moments before she disappears from view.

Cyrus doesn’t seem to notice, renewing his outraged outbursts. “Why? Why would you openly support a man you privately despise?”

“I think I understand. The king still has possession of your Ddraigs’ hearts, doesn’t he?” I surmise, wringing my hands while I consider her predicament. “That’s why you will obey him, right? He’ll kill you if you don’t comply.”

“Yes and no, child,” Lady Vatusia answers cryptically, her words growing more agitated and forceful as her visage flickers brighter and brighter. “Xanti might have been the one who tied us all to the Ddraigs, but it was Alaric’s decision to turn us into the monsters we became. It took only a day before we noticed the changes in our skin. The scales of our Ddraigs began to glimmer on our own arms and legs, our nails turning as black as flint and just as hard. Next, it was our eyes. The first time I looked into a mirror after my eyes changed, I screamed loud enough that my neighbors came to see what was wrong. I thought I’d gone mad because I saw my Ddraig’s eyes staring back at me in place of my own. My reflection is a constant reminder of the things I’ve lost. Then the shapeshifting abilities began. It might have been an amazing time in our lives if we hadn’t been dealing with such terrible losses.” Lady Vatusia shivers violently, and I cannot tell if it is because of the horrifying memories she’s recalling or she’s over-exerted her magic. Her mouth bleeds a little at the corners, but she carries on with her story. “After Xanti completed the spell and the damage was done, Alaric hid our Ddraig hearts somewhere in his palace that only he knows. It was a cruel move, effectively assuring that we cannot even kill ourselves if we tried. Until he deigns to return the hearts to us, we cannot die. But Alaric can make our lives a living hell if we do not follow him.” Lady Vatusia winces, lowering her voice to a faint whisper. “He can make us beg for death a thousand times over when he throws a temper tantrum. You have no idea what that monster is capable of doing.”

“Why didn’t you fight back? Or refuse to follow his orders?” Cyrus wonders, giving voice to a question that I must confess I am longing to ask myself.

“We tried a few times to protest and rebel against him,” Lady Vatusia whispers, clenching her fists at her sides. “The first time we refused to fight, he destroyed our homes. Then we ‘lost track’ of key information that would help Alaric discover the Ddraigs on your side of the mountain. So, Alaric chose random members of his court to publicly execute. At each execution, he proclaimed that the death he dealt to his court was directly tied to traitorous dealings with citizens of Cassè, all of which were facilitated by the Vibría. We watched innocent men and women die, and still, we fought against him.” Lady Vatusia’s hands begin to shake, her breathing growing shallow as she says, “Then we showed mercy to some prisoners from Cassè that he brought before us, and he murdered our children out of spite. I learned that day that there are far worse things than watching your Ddraig die right in front of your eyes. Can you imagine what it’s like to watch your own children die? Can you comprehend how completely helpless and broken we were as we buried their tiny bodies, knowing we cannot join them in death until the king decides to dispose of us? The only way to prevent any more tragedy was to obey.”

“That’s horrible,” I whimper, my body shivering from the depth of the sorrow I feel coursing through my blood. Cyrus leans closer, his arm wrapping tightly around my shoulders. When I try to move away from him, Cyrus only pulls me closer, forcing me to stand still. “What are you doing?” I hiss, struggling in his grasp.

“Keeping you from doing something stupid,” Cyrus snaps, seemingly unfazed by the dagger-like stare I aim at him. “I know how your heart bleeds at sob stories like this one, but you don’t seriously believe anything this monster says, right?”

“You think she’s lying? Who would make up such horrifying details?” I reply, even as doubt splinters my certainty, poking holes into my opinion of the unusual lady.

“She’s Vibría! You remember what one of her kind did to me, right? How could you think she would tell you the truth?” Cyrus growls, keeping one eye on Lady Vatusia as he argues with me.

“I have spoken nothing but truth to you. Why would I seek you out only to deceive you? Do not call me a liar again,” Lady Vatusia warns, pointing her clawed hand at Cyrus. “You know nothing of suffering, child. But if you insult me again, I will make sure you taste despair before the next sunrise.”

“What about him? Cyrus was tortured by one of your kind and managed to kill him. How is that possible if what you say is the truth?” I ask, turning a skeptical eye back on the unusual woman