Out of Water

The cart rattled up the coast road to the castle, competing with the thunder. Lightning struck, illuminating the shape huddled under the cover. When the sky cracked, it was bright as day for a moment, but still impossible to make out what was under there. Look! A suggestion of movement, of slithering, then- nothing.

The storm had raged for two days, showing no signs of stopping. Uncanny, people said.

The driver knew what was back there. He fizzed with it. If he did this job well, he'd be up for promotion, and he'd have the trust of the King. That meant doing it quietly, though. How could he keep such a secret?

He was a good lad. Girls thought him sweet, and liked his dimples. His boyish curls were plastered flat to his scalp, now, despite the hood of his dark cloak. Twin snakes, Excitement and Fear, squirmed and lurched in his gut.

The men on the gate knew him and would've waved him through if not for curiosity about his cargo.

"King's business," he told them, seriously, trying to keep his voice steady. His stomach reeled again when one reached to twitch back the canvas.

"Seriously, Ned. He's watching." He pointed up to the walls, where several figures stood with arrows nocked and pointing. "You look, we all die."

A pair of eyes peeped out from under the cover, framed by a shadowy, narrow face. Ned smirked. "Understood. Off you go then. I'm sure the King's business can't wait."

The cart rumbled off.

"Need a piss," Ned muttered to his companion. "Won't be a minute." Pulling up his hood, he moved off, keeping an eye on the cart and staying in the shadows. He caught up to it outside the bathhouse.

"I'm sorry about this," the lad was saying to the knotted bundle. There was a silvery flash, surely a trick of the lightning. He heaved it over his shoulder, and for just a moment the scaled tail writhed in the rain. Face pale, he secured the coverings, and tried again.

The King's tastes run strange these days, Ned thought, watching the uncanny creature being hauled away to the King's private bathhouse.

Stranger than strange.

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Word count, excluding note: 366

Submitted on Saturday 15th June at 19.27

*Quick Author's Note*

First, and most importantly: thank you so much for reading my story! The ha'penny that Vocal will toss in my hat for your eyeballs landing on this humble piece will be well-spent.

If you enjoyed this one, the very best compliment you can give me is to share it, or read another!

A Year of Stories: I'm writing a story every day this year. This one continues my 167 day streak since 1st January.

Please do consider lending your support to the other creators who are also on this madcap "a story every day" adventure. They are putting out excellent content every day!

Rachel Deeming

Gerard DiLeo

The story behind the story: This story follows on from previous micros. I hope you can still enjoy them as stand alone stories. You can see them here:

Please do leave me a comment: I reciprocate as many as I can. Leaving a comment makes that easier.

Thank you!

Thank you again, most sincerely. Especially if you are one of the wonderful people who has been staunchly reading these daily scribbles since the start of the year. I see you, and appreciate you very much indeed! 😁

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