"This way, Female," Viper grumbled, slithering ahead down the dark corridor. "The King says lock the door. We lock the door."
Ren paced behind him, her bare feet making no sound on the cold stone. Her mind was racing faster than her heart.
'Devoured.'
Vex had chosen that word carefully. It wasn't just "killed." It was specific. She needed to know the context. She needed to know for sure if he was lying, or if he was just jeering her.
She stopped abruptly in the middle of the hallway, right next to a branching path that led back toward the garden.
"Viper!" Ren gasped, clutching her chest and putting on her best damsel-in-distress act. "Oh no!"
The guard stopped and turned, his hood flaring slightly in annoyance. "What? Is it the cold? Do you require a bear skin?"
"No! It's the... the salt moss!" Ren cried, widening her eyes in feigned horror. "I forgot to tell Syris about the salt moss!"
Viper stared at her blankly. "Salt moss? That is a fungus for slugs."
