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

At least it carries away the scent of death, Wren tells himself as his lungs begin to burn, the need for fresh breath growing rapidly more urgent. It would be so easy to just end it all, he imagines, forcing his feet to bury themselves a little deeper into the ocean floor. To let this place be my eternity, to rest in this watery grave…who would care if I disappeared? Wolf would think I’m guilty, but so what? He’ll probably be heading over to Déchets soon anyway, so my work is done. There is no one else in this place that needs me now.

The memory of the black Ddraig suddenly springs to life in his mind. He’d carried Wren to the den where all the young Ddraigs that weren’t able to fight were kept. Suryc rebuffed me for my lack of loyalties. Yet I think he would be pleased to see me now. I’ve helped Lynx and her son. And yet, Wren sighs, forcing his feet to lift out of the sandy muck and start paddling toward the shore. Drifting off into the sea would still be self-serving, wouldn’t it? There’s still too much work to be done.

Coughing bitterly once he floats to the surface, Wren gasps to breathe fresh air once more. He opens his eyes to the starry sky, enchanted by the billions of tiny fires flickering above him. I guess I’ve found where my loyalties lie, after all, Wren confesses, slogging through the wet sand on his way back to his campsite, the memory of Lynx and her son burning in his mind. I need to make sure Wolf leaves Cassè. Then it will be up to Mynah to bring down the king.

Chapter 11

The constant roar of the River Sangre buzzes off in the distance. Tomorrow we will cross near the minor markets on our journey back to my old house. I can see the faint whisper of bushes and trees on the horizon. My eyes strain as I stare at these shapes, longing to have the keen sight of my Ddraig just this once. We’ve spent so long in this world of rocks, sand, caverns, and burned brush that I’ve almost forgotten what our old home looks like.

Home, I sigh, wondering how I will react to see my old house once more. Will I cry? Will I suddenly recall all these strange, important details about my family and feel the need to talk about them with everyone I see? Yet even as I think these thoughts, I wonder if I should feel anything at all. The man I thought of as my father wasn’t actually related to me. The mother I thought was dead is somewhere in Déchets, alive and well after abandoning me. Lion, I shudder as I remember his always smiling face, recalling the day I stood and listened to him die, burying my face in Wolf’s chest to keep from seeing the gruesome details. But he wasn’t really my uncle, was he?

Dark claws rip through my conflicted memories as Siri breaks down my feeble mental defenses. She’s been unsuccessfully trying to teach me to guard my thoughts for the better part of an hour now. “Try it again, Mynah,” Siri growls, her voice carrying in the open air of the rocky terrain.

“Shh!” I snap, holding my hand to my lips as if the gesture could somehow magnify the sound’s importance. We’ve only flown a few hundred feet away from the rest of the Ddraigs. I really don’t want them to know about my weakness. “The whole camp doesn’t need to know what we’re up to, Siri.”

“Then get it right, so I don’t have to shout,” Siri bites back, baring her teeth at me in frustration. “Although, if you ever do manage to keep me out of your head, I may roar louder than the river just to celebrate the occasion.”

“I’m doing the best I can!” I hiss, sitting on a rock with my legs crossed and my arms tight around my chest. “Why can’t you just shield my thoughts, Siri?”

“I thought I was,” Siri mutters under her breath, stomping through the rocks to work off a little of her tension. “But believe it or not, I’m not perfect. Lady Vatusia managed to get through my defenses to get to you. This particular Vibría is strong; you need to be able to shield yourself too. Maybe she won’t succeed again if we both have mental defenses for her to break.”

My face scrunches up as if I’ve just smelled a five-day-old dead fish left out on the river bank. “That’s not the answer I was hoping for.”

“You look like a petulant child having a tantrum because you didn’t win a game,” Siri smirks, smoke hissing from her nostrils.

“Give her a break,” Cyrus chides, leaning his head back onto Suryc’s black scales. They’ve been silent witnesses to this entire training session, so I suspect Cyrus’s nerves are about as raw as mine. He speaks through gritted teeth as he faces Siri and confronts her. “You just started all this mental training today; you can’t expect her to figure it out after one practice.”

“This is a threat that has to be taken seriously, Cyrus!” Siri exclaims, but her words lose some of their biting ire. “If she doesn’t learn to guard her thoughts from external influencers, then anyone with the Vibría ’s talents and strength can affect her visions. They could—”

“I get it, Siri! I understand the danger we’re in,” I whimper, struggling to hold back tears. “Just try it again!”

“Fine,” Siri snorts, focusing her silvery eyes on me. I see no pity or empathy in her; instead, she looks coldly at me. Emotionless, as if I am her next meal. “Block me out of your thoughts,” she commands, but staring at the massive predator in front of me, I can do nothing but quake in fear.

Feebly, I try to form the image of a cloudy sky in my mind’s eye like she taught me.