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

After an hour, Cyrus and I are the only ones left in the Pith’s main cavern. “Ready to go?” Cyrus asks, holding out his hand to me.

“You and Suryc go ahead,” Siri commands before I have a chance to speak. “Iris and I have some things to discuss. We’ll catch up to you.”

“Iris?” Cyrus hesitates, planting his feet as if he will not move until I respond.

“I’ll be fine,” I offer half-heartedly, wishing it was the truth. I can feel Siri’s simmering anger as she stares daggers at me. “Go on ahead.”

As soon as Cyrus and Suryc clear the mouth of the cavern, Siri bellows, “Lady Vatusia tries to lure you into her lands, and you don’t think it’s important enough to tell me? I mean, I get why you kept it from Cyrus, but why didn’t you trust me?”

“We were already fighting about Cyrus and the coupling bond you’re so desperate we complete. I didn’t feel like sharing anything else that would cause a conflict,” I grumble, feeling a shiver race through my spine. What startles me the most, however, is that I’m enticed by the idea of binding myself to Cyrus, not repulsed like I used to be. He’s winning me over, I admit to myself, wondering how much time we have before the axe swings and the rest of my visions come to pass.

“Well, I don’t like it,” Siri exclaims, her pearly white tail flicking with her agitation. “The idea that Lady Vatusia’s been listening to your thoughts and guiding your visions to fit her agenda worries me. We’ve been basing our choices on the things you’ve seen, unaware that they might not be truth.”

“You think she’s altered my visions somehow?” I whisper incredulously, a mixture of terror and hope flooding my senses. “Is that possible?”

“If she’s powerful enough, and I suspect she is, Lady Vatusia could be able to see multiple futures that hinge upon the choices you make. She might be using this gift to lead you down the path she wants you to take. And you can rest assured, if that’s the case, she’s chosen the path that works in favor of her own best interests, Iris.” Siri sighs, lowering her head down to the stone floor.

I crawl over to lean against her sturdy back, savoring the warmth of her scales as it seeps through to my skin. “Lady Vatusia said something about me leaving my mind open. Does that mean there are ways to protect myself from intruders like her?” Immediately the cloudy sky I sometimes see through my connection to Siri springs to mind. “You use skills like what she’s describing, don’t you? You hide your thoughts from me behind some kind of clouded screen.”

“Yes, and it seems it’s time for me to teach you that trick,” Siri murmurs, a low, dull roar rumbling through her chest like a sigh. “Though I fear once you learn how to shield yourself, you will hide your thoughts from everyone, including me.”

“I wish I could say you were wrong,” I smirk, leaning my head back against Siri’s side, closing my eyes and pushing hard against the emotions roiling in my heart.

“Iris, you have to learn to trust me,” Siri scolds, smoke circling in the air. I imagine each tendril shifting into long fingers, grasping at my throat. Blinking the vision away, I shiver, feeling trapped and very paranoid.

“Trust does not come easy for me, Siri,” I exclaim, hugging my knees tight to my chest. “I am trying, you know.”

“I know,” Siri sighs, and I can hear the twinge of hurt and heartache in her tone.

“I’m sorry,” I whisper, genuinely wishing things like trust, friendship, and love were easier for me. You don’t live in our world without having to harden your heart against those soft feelings, I tell myself, sorry to hear the truth in my words. “Siri, in the vision, I saw myself becoming Vibría. Is it possible—?”

“The Vibría are an abomination,” Siri answers severely, her words clipped and sharp.

“What I was wanting to know is whether or not the Ddraig involved in the ritual must die,” I press, my questions so full in my head that I cannot keep them unvoiced. “Alaric killed the Ddraigs over in Déchets, but that sounded like it was more for punishment than anything else. The Ddraig hearts had to be spelled to keep beating, so the Vibría didn’t die. So, is it possible for a Vibría to be formed without killing the Ddraig involved?”

Siri does not answer me for a long time. So long, in fact, that I begin to suspect she’s fallen asleep. The minutes tick by, and I sit there in silence, ruminating on my questions, determined to reason through to find the answers. I’m so engrossed in my own thoughts that when Siri does speak, I startle at the sudden noise. “To become a Vibría involves blood magic. The blood of the Cadogan and the Ddraig must be united; neither has to die for the ritual to be completed. Killing the Ddraigs was a terrible, unnecessary tragedy.”

“I pity the Vibría then,” I reply, a chill settling on my skin despite Siri’s warmth at my back. “Why are they considered abominations?”

“Hundreds of years ago, Ddraigs and Cadogans constantly willingly completed the rituals to become Vibría. Back then, it was as commonplace as the air we breathe. The warriors affected by the ritual became powerful, and with that power, greed and boredom grew. The Cadogans of old forgot their purpose. Rather than protecting the unchosen ones, the Ddraigs and Cadogans set up kingdoms. They expected the Ddraig-less people to treat them like royalty. That kind of desire for power poisons the heart, Iris. Wars and territorial disputes broke out. Eventually, the Vibría of old destroyed themselves in their fighting. After they all died out and the Ddraigs were hidden in the Pith, we all agreed never to turn our Cadogans into Vibría again.” Siri’s