Chapter 103

"Two spirits-each one leaning on the next-thus talked about me on the right-hand side, then laid their heads back, to have words with me."

-Dante Alighieri, The Divine Comedy

I wasn't afraid anymore. After everything that happened, I was done with running away from my destiny.

I sensed that Rodriguez, Cyril, and Beelzebub were watching me from the other side of the room. The snake was slowly crawling towards me. A bead of sweat ran down my back and I sucked in a deep breath.

The snake was at least five meters long and had black and gold stripes that ran along its length. It was a beautiful creature, and its eyes were fixated directly on me. Waves of my magic were running through my system. The fire, I could treat it with my flames, but then what? Beelzebub would get to me before I even blinked. He wanted the snake to bite me, probably to release some kind of poison that would untie my tongue.