14
Ros backed us up as the dirt-colored snakes slithered toward us. I heard a single murmured word come from him. “Sigrath...”
One of the snakes, a specimen twice the size of the others, raised its upper body off the floor and stood four feet high with its tail trailing out behind it. The creature opened its mouth and loosed a sharp, ear-piercing hiss. We all clapped our hands over our ears to block out the painful sound.
As the noise died away, another replaced it. That was the sound of heavy boots on the stairs, and in a moment a dozen guards in armor appeared from the stairs. Ros tucked me between the cell bars and his back as he tried to face our scaly and armed foes.
The snakes moved back, and the guards took up their places. The burly men pointed their sharp spears at us,
