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."Startled, the girl fled back into her home.Arvin activated his lapis lazuli a second time.He paused, wondering who to send his warning to.He had never spoken with Hlondeth's ruler face to face, but he had seen her from a distance.He could visualize Lady Dediana well enough to contact her, but she wouldn't know who he was and might not heed his warning.Instead, with great reluctance, he visualized Zelia.She was sleeping, but her eyes sprang open at Arvin's mental shout: Zelia-wake up! Sibyl and lhe Se'sehen are attacking the city.They're moving toward the palace in serpent form, even as I speak.Zelia didn't even bother to reply.She merely nodded then with a brusque mental push, broke off the sending.Arvin shrugged; it was exactly what he'd expected.He'd acted instinctively in sending the warning.Hlondeth had been his home for too many years for him to ignore a threat to it, especially one that came from Sibyl.But did it really matter, to the humans who lived there which faction of serpents ruled them?A gong sounded from somewhere up the hill, followed by another, farther in the distance.A bright flash of yellow seared the air above the section where the nobles lived, followed a heartbeat later by a thunderous boom.There were cries close by- humans, no doubt startled to find so many serpents slithering along the streets.Hlondoth's yuan-ti traditionally kept to the viaducts that arched overhead.Arvin could hear shouted questions as people asked what was going on in the nobles' section, where a pillar of vivid green flame had just whooshed down out of a clear sky.Some cried that Mount Ugruth was erupting, while others, feeling the rumbling tremors under their feet, shouted back that no, it was an earthquake.Arvin's part in this battle over—he'd passed on his message, and it was up to Zelia to relay it.He ran for the nearest city gate.People spilled out of doorways on either side as he ran past, some frightened, some clutching children or valuables to their chests, all looking confused.A half-elf holding his unlaced trousers up with one hand glanced sharply at Arvin as if he'd recognized him, then flicked his free handto get Arvin's attention and gave a quick gesture in the silent speech: What's happening?War, Arvin signed back as he ran past.The guild member broke into a grin and grabbed an empty leather sack that had been hanging just in side the door.Then he ran toward the sound of the fighting.Arvin turned into a wider street with shops on either side.Though none were yet open for business, the shuttered windows on their upper stories had been flung wide.People leaned out of them and called to each other across the street.Several shouted down at him, asking what was happening.Arvin ignored them; he needed his breath for running.He felt a tickle under the scar on his forehead.Zelia, looking in on him psionically? He slowed to a trot, expecting her to manifest some communication with him, but nothing happened.The tickling sensation continued.Someone, he realized, was scrying him.An unpleasant possibility occurred to him.If Sibyl's crystal ball had survived the collapse of the altar room, it might be the abomination observing him.She'd gotten a good look at both Arvin and Pakal just before they'd teleported away with her half of the Circled Serpent; she'd be able to home in on him.Fortunately, Arvin still had the net he'd created to kill her inside the backpack that bounced up and down against his shoulders.He started to run into a circular plaza with streets radiating from it in five directions.At its center was a wrought-iron streetlight in the form of a rearing cobra.Something about it caught his eye, and he skidded to a stop.The streetlight was smaller than usual and of brightly burnished metal, rather than a dull black.It didn't have a glowing white stone in its mouth-and it was swaying.As the metal snake turned and fastened glowing red eyes on Arvin, the sensation in his forehead intensified.This creature-whatever it was-had been using divination magic to search for him.One of Sibyl's creatures!With a scrape of metal on stone, the iron cobra slithered toward Arvin.Unable to manifest his psionics due to his depleted muladhara and certain his dagger would be useless, Arvin turned and ran.Behind him, the scraping sound quickened.The iron cobra hissed like hot steam escaping from a boiling kettle.Panting, Arvin turned down a narrow alley, only to find that it dead- ended against the city wall.He leaped, activating the magic of his bracelet as he hurtled through the air.He slammed into the wall, knocking the air from his lungs, but his fingers and toes found a grip.The iron cobra lunged, and Arvin heard a clang as it struck the wall just below his foot.Venom splattered onto his boot.He scrambled up the wall, praying that the metal serpent wasn't capable of following.It wasn't.As Arvin climbed, it remained coiled at the base of the wall, hissing softly, bathed in a faint green light from the glowing stones.It flared its hood and watched with ember-red eyes as Arvin climbed to the top of the wall and hauled himself onto the battlements.Then it turned and slithered back up the alley.Arvin stood, panting, hands on knees."Nine lives," he whispered, touching the crystal at his neck.From inside the city came distant screams and more explosions.A militia member ran toward him along the wall, sword in hand.The soldier's flared helmet and scale armor reminded Arvin of the serpent he'd narrowly escaped."Out of the way!" the soldier shouted as he shoved past Arvin.He clattered down a staircase a short distance beyond.Then he cried out in alarm
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