29. As She Stepped Forward
As She Stepped Forward
I stopped myself
from retreating any farther.
I had a right to be here.
My home, my father’s palace,
was not far from this spot.
In fact, I had hidden one
of my biggest secrets here.
‘If you do not believe me,’
I said quietly, ‘look in
the water and see for yourself.’
Styx looked into the pool
and then turned back impatiently.
‘There is nothing there.’
I scowled at her. ‘Yes there is.
I created them myself,
those creatures that glow
and make the water shine like stars.
Look closer and—’
But as I turned to the pool,
I saw it. A dark, long serpentlike
thing that was devouring the last
of my prized creations.
I shrieked and Styx turned to see
what had horrified me.
To my fury and disgust,
she began to laugh.