At Willowbrook Plantation, Thomas Whitaker strikes a dark deal: Caleb, a young boy once saved by Amina and Dahabu, must now hunt them down and kill them in exchange for his master’s favor and a bag of stolen coin. But the serpent hears everything. As the fugitives flee deeper into shadowed woods, slave catchers draw near, and a returning ally offers hope—until the serpent’s influence twists the night. In the mist, loyalty shatters, magic strikes, and a single betrayal changes everything. By dawn, one of them lies dead… and the snake is still hungry.