FSE

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The Serpent-Folk lived mainly in one huge stretch of land between two mountain ranges. One of them was bare and slate-grey with a thick woodland running like a path between them. The other was a cluster of occasionally active volcanoes. Constant rainfall and rich, often-replenished soil allowed for vibrant forests to grow there, with the odd patch cut down for use as a vineyard. There were no obvious places in the valley, looking out from the mountains, where the snakes had built any cities, but the forests were incredibly patchwork - some areas of trees towered above the rest. This might have been deliberate, or it might have been lava, clasts, and fires destroying some areas of the wood.

There was a wide variety of shapes, among the serpent-folk, to the point that the Order weren't quite sure what the process was for becoming one, nor how to identify one by sight. Man-Spiders had a protracted metamorphosis period involving seven horrendous ecdyses, following a special bite from one of the older spider-folk, and they all looked at least partly human. However, the serpent-folk counted among them enormous snakes, constrictors with human bodies where heads should be, winged adders, and half-wyrms. The more man-shaped ones were assumed to be the 'real' Serpent-Folk, who just happened to be gregarious with other fork-tongued monsters.

Raguel was only now reading all of this in the scrolls given to him by Worl, as he was approaching the end of the non-volcanic mountain range. It was Summer, and there was a simple enough road, so he hadn't had to contend with the elements as much as he had prepared for. There were also small villages scattered throughout the hills, allowed for by the nearby fertile ground and the sometimes-busy road, so he had not had to stock up hugely on food before the final stretch. Once - and this was the only time he did this, throughout his entire journey - he killed a boar, and shared it with a passer-by.

He sometimes wished he'd brought a horse, or availed himself of the offered travel, but the long road let him ignore Magdalene for a while. Every time he thought of his mission, her dead face rang in his head again. The worm plague, too - he was filled with a hundred little doubts that it was either God or Satan's doing at all.

Back to the passer-by, though. He'd brought his own cauldron, and had some vegetables and water with him to turn the boar into a feast. He was a lifesaver.

His name was Cernunnos. He was a tall, broadly-built man like Raguel, but shaped more for farm labour and hunting than combat. He wore an odd, antlered headband, and leathers.

There was a snake around his arm. This terrified Raguel, at first, but Cernunnos promised, on his oath, that he wasn't a serpent-man. He bared his teeth - they were normal enough - as if this would prove it.

So the teeth were something to do with it?

The snake was large, and black, and wet-looking. Around the back of its head was collar-like patch of cream-white. Every now and again, the snake - Cern called it Hubbub - would poke its nose in one direction and try to slither off there. Cern always anticipated this and placed his finger on the animal's neck, fluidly pulling it back as it slid, so really it never moved away from him.

"You're in the wrong part of the country if you're scared of snakes, Raguel," Cern said, between mouthfuls.

"I'm just interested," Raguel said, almost defensive. "I've never seen one before."

"Not one?" Cern flexed his toes into the moss. He had stripped down to his braies as soon as the stew was ready, presumably as it was a hot night and he had been travelling. Raguel was so obsessed with his pork now that he didn't even notice the smell.

If he had, he would have noticed it was not at all like the soldiers' smell that he was used to.

"Not one. The Order's citadel is far in the North. Lots of ice and snow."

"That's a pity, then. They're lovely animals."

"Aren't they poisonous, though?" Raguel put his spoon down on his coat and removed his boots.

"Not all of them... You see, the first reaction a snake has to being threatened," and Cern continued before Raguel could complain about being prejudged, "is to threaten, or flee. If threats don't work, of course, they flee. If they can't get away, they bite. That's when you find out if they're venomous. Not before. Some don't have poison, but when you don't know what snake is what, why bother them? Hubbub here has no poison, but he never needs to defend himself from humans."

"Why not?"

"He has me, Raguel." Cern beamed at Raguel with such naked affection that he wondered if they were both drunk. "I'm very helpful."

"Yes," Raguel said. "I agree."

Raguel slept in one of two hammocks Cern strung up with him.

The stranger was almost definitely not a Christian. The antlers were almost definitely a sign of some sort of Pagan devilment. But Raguel loved him, now, witch or no, and he hadn't the energy to fight Christ's fight for him when there were worms to cure elsewhere.

He dreamed about Cern looking at him.

Raguel woke up to Cern singing a lullaby, at dawn.

He had gone, though, so it must have been a dream. A deer - an enormous stag, still with its velvet on - was sniffing at the pot as if it would get anything out of it.

Then, the deer trotted over to Raguel's hammock.

It had a little saddle.

It beamed at him.