Neeve poured us each a cup of tea, the particular spicy blend we all liked, and I breathed deeply of the steam. Finally, I was starting to warm up.
“How did the creature even get to the turret?” Kian asked. “The castle guards should have stopped it when it first breached the walls.”
My stepsister settled in the other chair, hands wrapped about her cup. Though she appeared outwardly serene, I guessed she craved comfort as much as I.
“It’s not the first time a basilisk has attacked,” she said. “They used to menace the village every spring, according to the tales. As for how it got in—it climbed.”
Kian folded his arms, his expression skeptical.
“Its hide was the same color as the granite,” I pointed out. “And the guards didn’t spot it, since they don’t constantly scan every inch of the c
