The Rightful Heir by Jefferson Knapp Page B

“Oh,
great!”

    T HE FOG ROLLED INTO THE IVY-COVERED BARN and over the rattlesnakes, nestled in the hay. Returning from his meeting, Siloam slithered through the entrance and past the ever-rotting corpse of Farangis. “Any sssign of the heir?”
    â€œNo, My Lord, nothing,” a snake replied.
    â€œHe’sss outthere sssomewhere. He hasssn’t made it to the kingdom yet.”
    â€œMy Lord, why not just attack the kingdom now?”
    Siloam rattled in anger. “How dare you quessstion my decisionsss!”
    â€œI’m sssorry, Massster. We jussst don’t underssstand why—”
    â€œUnderssstand? You aren’t meant to underssstand! You will follow my ordersss and you will watch me become the ssstrongessst, mossst feared…”
    The fog stirred behind him and the snakes stopped listening, rattles falling lifeless, eyes growing wider. They could just make out what looked like the diamond head of a giant snake twice the size of their decaying former master. Siloam wasn’t aware of the monstrous presence behind him. “…and I will be ruler of
all
the—”
Chomp!
Siloam’s tail convulsed in the mouth of the gargantuan python.

    Every snake in the barn hissed in terror at the monster they had never seen nor imagined could exist. The mammoth creatureswallowed the last of Siloam’s tail and surveyed them with no emotion. Dead black scales were stuck to its massive head, revealing shiny new ones underneath. Its cruel eyes were covered in a white, milky film.
    It had the frightened snakes in its vision then saw something unexpected. The rotting blue corpse of Farangis. In a swift motion the monster pulled back its massive neck as if to strike again. The rattlesnakes nearly fainted as its head rose to nearly the height of the barn. Then it emitted a tortured scream.
“NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!”
    In the forest, all of the creatures trembled in their hiding places. In the old, ivy-covered barn, the rattlesnakes closed their eyes, knowing they could not escape this predator. They awaited a certain and horrible death, hoping it would be quick.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Forrest of the Forest

    D ID YOU HEAR THAT?!” Jonah asked Malcolm nervously. “Is someone in trouble?”
    Malcolm gulped. “I hope it wasn’t
trouble
that made that scream.” The two looked about, frightened and confused. The sun’s rays reached over the treetops, brightening the red and yellow leaves that drifted to the ground. “Let’s keep moving.”
    â€œHoo, hoo!
Move to the place where you must race.
Hoo hoo!”
They looked up at a large, brown horned-owlstaring straight ahead.
“Hoo, hoo!
Go and go slowly, for it’s coming fast!
Hoo, hoo!”
    â€œUh, look, my name’s Malcolm and this is Jonah.”
    â€œHoo, hoo!
Not the one you claim, not the one you believe!
Hoo, hoo!”
    â€œOwl, do you know where the kingdom is?”
    â€œHoo, hoo!
Do you know where you are?
Hoo, hoo!
For you’re not standing on the forest floor!
Hoo, hoo!”
    â€œWhat in the world is he talking about?”
    â€œHoo, hoo!
The travelers’ feet, the ground you don’t meet.
Hoo, hoo!”
The owl stretched and lightly flapped its wings.
    â€œDon’t ask me!” Jonah said. “I can’t understand a thing he’s saying.”
    The owl cleared his throat. “Ahem…Look below you!!
Hoo, hoo!”
    Malcolm and Jonah slowly looked down. There was no grass under their feet, and no weeds or leaves—only a crispy, almosttransparent black skin. Malcolm froze. To their left and right the long skin extended past the trees. He scurried up a sycamore and looked down. The pug stood on the shed skin of a nearly fifty-foot-long snake.
Thunk!
Jonah watched Malcolm faint and fall from the tree, dropping into a pile of leaves.
    â€œMalcolm!” The dog ran to him. “Are you alright?”
    The raccoon rubbed the back of