The Snake Queen - Prologue

A young man crept through the forest. It was his home, and yet he did not completely trust it. The trees thinned ahead of her, and a clearing cache came into view. At its center, a moss-covered cottage of black wood stood, with golden light streaming through the windows, illuminating the dim woodland. He approached the door and heard an unearthly humming, coming from the little shack. He opened the door silently and stepped inside.

The cottage interior was cozy and warm, with the sharp smell of herbs in the air. The main room contained a table with two stools, a large fireplace, and a door to the other room. From the ceiling hung drying herbs, and a deep green cloak hung on a peg on the wall. A large red stuffed chair sat in front of the fire. And in the chair sat a woman, neither young nor old, but unwrinkled and unblemished with hair of raven black. "What isss the report?" hissed the woman, softly, but with a voice that radiated untold power. "They are close, by your standards, far by theirs. About four hours march. They number 300 strong, with 50 horses." "Did they sssee you?" she asked. "No." "Good. Very good." The woman rose. She wore a black shirt, a black leather vest, and black pants. She was tall, thin, and radiated queenly authority. Her face was half human and had serpentine, with human eyes and mouth, but with a slitted nose and green scales that covered half of her face. With a motion, her cloak jumped onto her shoulders and the fire died. With another, a bowl appeared on the table, full of stew. "Eat, firsst, then drive out thisss new invasion." The young man wolfed down his stew. He ate the loaf of bread that appeared next to his bowl, then drank a goblet full of some rich, steaming liquid. All the while, the woman packed a small satchel with jars and bottles, in case she came upon some rare plant, bug, or fungi. When she was finished, she rose. "It isss time," she said.

Green light filled the cottage, and then the woman and her companion stood at the edge of a clearing, with a small encampment of soldiers at its center. "Before we disssturb them," she whispered, "take an animal form. They do not need to know that I have eyesss and earsss around the foressst jusst yet." The young man complied, shifting into a large owl and flying up to rest in one of the trees. "Oh, and Theren," she said, "I won't need your help on thisss one. They are half-witted with fear. Thisss will be…delightful."

The woman crept forward silently. A sword appeared in her hand and a cold wind started to blow. It carried her voice across the clearing, though the encampment could not see her. "You have come on a foolissh errand. I cannot be tamed. I am the foressst, and the foressst isss me." While she was speaking, the horses had been peculiarly quiet and still. Now they crossed the clearing and walked into the forest. As they walked, all of the saddles and bridles and bits disappeared in a puff of smoke.

After the horses were out of sight, the archers began to fire volley after volley of arrows toward the woman's voice. The arrows met some invisible barrier and struck the ground point first. They began to grow, towering upwards until the tops were barely visible. Then branches started to sprout until the sky was almost hidden from view. "What comesss from the foressst, returnsss to the foressst. Thisss isss your warning."

The soldiers looked around, trying to find the source of the voice. The woman stepped forward. “Are you looking for me?” she asked. With a motion, she scattered seeds throughout the camp. In an instant, they sprang up as young vines, encased the soldiers, and dragged them back under the ground, leaving only the tents and flags, waving lazily in the breeze as if nothing had happened.

The woman and Theren returned to the cabin, and Theren slept on a pallet that she conjured up. The woman retired to the back room. After several minutes, the humming intensified, until it tangibly pulsed through the air, even entering Theren's dreams. In the back room, the woman whispered softly. "Sssleep well, Theren. Sssleep deeply, for the war isss coming, and with it, the rissse of the Sssnake Queen."