Page 43 of Split or Swallow

Caspen hesitated. Tem thought he might not answer. And then:

“Apollo, Agnes, Cypress, and Damon.”

They were odd names. Tem used them as inspiration for her next question:

“Do basilisks have last names, like humans do?”

“Yes. In a sense.”

“In what sense?”

“We take the name of our quiver as our last name.”

“Quiver?”

“It is like a clan.”

“So what’s your clan name?”

“Drakon.”

Tem paused.

“Caspenon Drakon,” she said, trying the syllables out on her tongue. “That’s your full name?”

“Yes.”

“Sounds sort of silly, don’t you think?”

Caspen let out a bark of laughter the likes of which Tem had never heard from him before. His normally fierce eyes crinkled around the corners, softening his entire face into something almost human. At his reaction, Tem laughed too. It was the first time they had done that together.

“It’s true,” she insisted. “It rhymes.”

Caspen shook his head, still smiling. “That may be the case. But I would not suggest saying that to another basilisk, should you ever meet one. They will not take kindly to it.”

“I didn’t realize snakes were so easily offended.”

Caspen’s smile only widened.

“I would not suggest calling us ‘snakes’ either. Not unless you have a death wish.”

“Seems like a lot of rules to follow.”

“Knowing you, you will not follow any of them.”

There was a pause, and in it, Tem savored the way he was looking at her—like the barrier he’d erected the last three days was falling. She wanted nothing more than for it to stay down.

Caspen spoke next: “What is your last name?”

“Verus.”

He lifted his chin, considering her.

“Temperance Verus,” he said quietly.

She loved the way her name sounded in his mouth.

“That’s me,” she said just as quietly.