I heard one of my mates, it might have been William Smith, ask the hunters to tell us about the Naga. This is the first time the huntmaster joined us in the conversation. He told us a fantastical tale about the creatures and how they could move just as fast on land as in the water. That they could fade away into the water of the swamps as if they had never been there in the first place. He told us that the creatures were so strong, they could kill a man with a spear from a great distance. I asked him how a snake could throw a spear, and he told us they had arms. We had a good laugh at the huntmaster’s expense after he said that. But I noticed the rest of the hunters had not joined in.
Shortly afterward, the huntmaster and his men made excuses and left our party. We continued to drink and laugh around the fire late into the night. Snakes with arms. We had never heard such a ridiculous tale. Of course, we had heard something similar at home but had always presumed it was a small fib, and those gullible enough to buy into it were going to lose their coins either way.
New World, Day Six
We were roused just before sunrise by the huntmaster and a small party of his hunters. I was told that a group of his scouts had picked up the trail of the Naga and that we were leaving the camp right away to join them. Most of us were still reeling from last night’s festivities and were not in a fit state to do much but trudge along behind them. More than a few times, I swore under my breath at the foolishness of drinking too much the night before the start of our journey. Our parents were counting on us to take this seriously, and we had already put that in jeopardy.
Around midday, we reached the first stop on the way to our destination. My friends took a seat and began to pass around a wine skin while we waited for the hunters to load the little boats they had waiting. I declined the wine, taking only a small portion of bread and some water for sustenance. I asked the huntmaster what they called the boats, and he told me they were called canoes.
Once the canoes were loaded, we climbed in and headed out into the swamps. I had been told that we would be traveling this way for a few hours. The hunters paddled the boats, and I was told that if I wanted to rest, this would be a good time to do so. As much as I would have liked to nap the afternoon away as my friends were doing in the other boats, I could not take my eyes off the scenery. It was so different from anything I had ever seen in England. The trees grew out of the water, but their branches grew downward in long strands almost back to the surface. The still water had no current that I could see; the only disturbance of the water’s surface came from us as we paddled out into the murky water.
One of the men in my canoe pointed at a large creature that was swimming through the water. It had a scaly hide but looked much like the skin we had been sent to verify. I whooped with joy, thinking we had just seen the creature we had been sent to verify. I called out to my friends to look so we could all share the tale on our arrival home. The hunters started to laugh at us and called the creature by a name we were all unfamiliar with. I asked the huntmaster to say it for me again to make sure that I understood the word correctly. He pointed back toward the shore where several of the large creatures were basking in the sun and repeated alligator. As I watched, one of the beasts opened its mouth and snapped its jaws closed. The huntmaster told me these were, indeed, fearsome but not the creatures we had come to see. I spent the rest of the journey watching the water for the large beasts and more than once found eyes staring right back at me.
We continued on deeper into the swamps, and I continued to ask the huntmaster about the alligators we had seen. While I was clearly fascinated with the subject, I could tell he was only humoring me because we still had business to conduct. He told me that the alligators still breathed air but could hold their breath for extreme periods of time while hunting. They often latched onto their prey in the water or would drag animals back to the water from the edge of the swamps. They would then roll their prey until it stopped moving and would try to wedge it under something underwater. I asked why they would keep their kill underwater, and he explained it was to soften the meat to make it easier to tear. The creatures had great jaws and could clamp onto anything and not let go but were not as suited for ripping flesh. This explanation only heightened my interest in the animal, and I wanted to know if there was anything that hunted them. He said that the Naga hunted them. I closed my mouth in shock. I spent the rest of the journey in silence, wondering how a snake could kill such a fearsome creature.
The huntmaster took pity on my silence and started to tell me about the Naga. He told me that he had earned the scar on his face from underestimating the Naga. Something he would never do again. I had trouble believing most of what he said. The real problem for me was that if what he was saying was correct, the creature had human-level intelligence. He told me the creatures carried spears to attack from a distance and wielded bone swords and sometimes wore armor of what the hunters thought was hardened alligator skin. He let me know that the creature’s armor was sturdy enough to deflect an arrow, so their archers had to be very precise when shooting. What I thought would be a routine merchant trip with a little bit of drinking and a tour of the swamps was turning slowly into something else.
We finally made it to the campsite. It was a small island surrounded by the hanging trees that I had heard called willows. The trees provided good cover for the campsite and obscured the island from view with their long branches. The hunters pulled the boats onto the island and started to set up our camp. My friends and I sat on the stumps of a fallen tree while waiting for our tents to be ready. I could tell my friends were all in joyful spirits after sleeping most of the way here. They started to pass around the wine skins again, laughing all the while. I again declined to partake in the wine. I had a duty to my family, but more than that, I felt a growing sense of unease. When I told my friends about my talk with the huntmaster, they laughed and told me that I was a fool to fall for such superstitions. I laughed with them at my own expense but still did not share in the wine.
New World, Day Seven
I awoke to the chatter among the hunters. From what I could gather, there had been some kind of disturbance in the night. It sounded as if they had found evidence that a Naga had come onto the island at some point. I asked the huntmaster what had happened, and he took me to the edge of the island. A large staff of some kind had been driven into the ground. He assured me that this had not been there when we went to sleep the day before.
I deferred to his experience that he had scouted the island properly. I asked him what it meant to find the staff. He shrugged his shoulders, saying that they had never seen anything like this. I could tell from his grim expression that he was not pleased. When I inquired further, he waved me away from the staff and directed me back toward the center of the island. He said the staff was a warning from the snake people and that we should leave. As much as I had wanted to leave, being this close to actual verification of the Naga made leaving impossible. I knew as a human, he had to be more worried than I was. With five of the Gifted, I did not think it was possible any real harm would come to us.
When I informed the huntmaster of our decision to stay until we had seen one of the Naga, he grew agitated and again pointed out that we should leave. I made it clear to him that leaving was not an option. He gathered his men, and some of them started to pack the canoes. I asked him about what was happening, and he said he would not place all of his hunters in danger and was sending some of them away. He assured me that his most experienced hunters would stay with us to guard the camp in hopes of getting us what we came for. When I went back to my friends and told them about what was happening, they laughed again, saying that I had fallen for the show they were putting on to drive up the price of the merchandise. I wanted to believe what they said was true, but I had seen the look in the huntmaster’s eyes as he sent his men away.
When we tried to start a fire, it was quickly extinguished by the hunting party. No explanation was provided to us for the reason our fire was put out. I cou
ld only assume they had become concerned about the smoke coming from some of the moist timber that had been used. The mood around the camp was as oppressive as the humidity of the swamp. My friends could clearly sense the tension that surrounded the camp, but seemed unwilling to embrace it themselves. I found myself wanting to shake them, to tell them this was all very real, but I could not find the words to do so.
We continued to wait as the day roiled with tension, making each minute feel longer than the last. I was hoping that we could catch a glimpse of one of the Naga and simply be on our way, but that result looked further out of reach than before. As we sat around the camp waiting for something to happen, boredom was starting to dull our senses. None of us were experienced fighters. We had been sent to observe and haggle. Our parents only wanted to give us a little adventure and for us to return safely.
The hunters started to place small piles of wood around the island. It looked to me as if they were setting up spots for lookout fires. The night was quickly approaching, and the mood around the camp darkened. A large fire was set at the center of the camp. The trees surrounding our small island would block the flames from view, and the smoke could not be seen from a distance at night. The burning wood helped to relieve us of the bugs that had made our campsite their home. The huntmaster appeared and told us to be ready for anything. He asked us to stay near the center of camp unless otherwise instructed. My friends still seemed to think this was just a good bit of theater being put on for our benefit. They relaxed, and one of them brought several wine skins back from our supplies. I was shocked at how quickly they dismissed the day’s events. Most of us were from privileged families, so it was not unheard of for our parents to send us on to easy victories. I had the feeling this time might prove to be the exception.
While my friends continued drinking, I watched the night sweep down fully upon us. The hunters lit the fires they’d set along the perimeter, covering the island in a flickering orange light. We ate a small meal while the hunters patrolled the edges of the island looking for signs of visitors. Some of the men moved to join us by the fire. They lay down and quickly fell asleep beside its warmth. I could see that all of them were armed and fully clothed, ready to spring into action at a moment’s notice. I could see the effect of the wine on my friends as they started to fall asleep one by one. I alone stayed awake waiting for something to happen.
I must have dozed off at some point, because I was awoken by an ear-splitting scream. It had to have been several hours since I fell asleep, because the fire in front of us was burning low. I quickly gathered my friends while the hunters who had been sleeping beside us ran off to find their comrades. I watched in horror as a spear twice the length of a man flew through the air, impaling a man against a tree. As he writhed in pain, I saw the first of the Naga emerge from the swamp. It moved with silent grace toward the impaled hunter. I could see now that the hunters had been correct. The creatures did have arms. The fact that they had arms was not the only thing I noticed. They seemed to have the full torso of a human with only their heads and lower half betraying their serpent’s nature. The Naga used a sword to silence the hunter’s screams and then pulled the spear from him. As I watched the lifeless hunter fall to the ground, the Naga faded back into the water of the swamp. Death filled the air around us, and we watched in horror as several other hunters fell to a similar fate.
We had accomplished our mission to see the Naga, and now we had to make it back home with our lives. I called out to my friends to help me and started to weave an illusion around us. I used every ounce of my strength to hide us from the Naga. I was terrified it would sense us somehow, but they seemed content with only killing the hunters. My friends helped me to maintain the illusion by feeding me the strength of their mana. We watched as the hunters were killed one by one. Only the huntmaster landed a blow against one of the Naga. While he was impaled on one of the great spears, he pulled a dagger out. He somehow found the strength to thrust his body further down the spear and stab his dagger into the neck of the creature. They both went down, and he died letting out a fearsome war cry.
The hunters died one by one, some faster than others. The Naga were merciless in their attack on the camp. They did not stop until every one of the hunters was dead. When the battle was finally over, a massive male Naga planted a larger version of the staff I had seen earlier in the center of our camp. I could not make out the words he was saying to the others, but his soldiers moved as one and started pulling the bodies of the fallen hunters into the murky water. They proceeded to rebuild the fire in the center of the camp, and when it was blazing fiercely, they laid their lone fallen warrior onto the pyre. The Naga fell silent as a giant serpent swam out of the water and onto the island. The air around the serpent shimmered and revealed a massive three-headed Naga. The beast let out a piercing scream from all three heads at once, and the remaining Naga swam out into the swamp. In just a matter of hours, we were the only ones left from our entire party.
We loaded ourselves into one of the remaining canoes and pushed off from the island. I hoped it was in the direction leading back to our base camp, but I could not be completely sure. Once the sun came up, we would have a better idea of the direction that we needed to go. I hoped that our illusion held and the creatures were not following us back, but in the dark, I could not be certain of anything. We had our proof. Our job here was done.
The New World, Day Eight
We made it back to camp just as the sun was setting. I sent my friends ahead with part of the crew to prepare our ship. The rest of the crew remained with me while I spoke with merchants about what had happened. I negotiated pricing to the best of my abilities, but to be fair, they had lost more than a few of the hunters they’d employed, and all I wanted to do was leave as soon as possible. My steward brought out the payment I had promised them, and we loaded the purchased skins onto hand carts. Then men from the ship pulled them for the next two days before we could transfer them onto our skiffs. As we rowed out to sea, I had never been so happy to see our ship. We had what might be the last load of Naga skins to ever leave this area. It was priceless. My parents would be pleased with the job we had done here. I would remember forever the three-headed serpent and the dying screams of the hunters around us.
The rest of the pages were faded, but I was sure it would have only contained more information about their return trip home. I looked over at Sarah to make sure she had finished reading the page as well. She gave me a subtle nod to let me know she was done.
I handed the book back to Adam and met his eyes. “Is this really all we have to go on? One account of this creature by spoiled rich kids out for an adventure?”
He looked at me with his normal piercing gaze and smiled. “This is all I have found in all of the books here that mentions the three-headed Naga. I have, on the other hand, found plenty of information on the Naga themselves. What I have not been able to find is any link possible between the Fallen and the Naga. Or how the three-headed Naga came to be raised from the depths by a blood sacrifice. The only account we have of it is the one before you. Our first order of business will be to find out just what the Fallen have to do with the rise of this particular Naga. Then we need to find out if it is a threat to humanity and how much we need to share with the rest of the Pretenders, if anything. The one thing we know for certain is that anything raised in a blood sacrifice of this magnitude must have a demonic influence within it somewhere. I will send a message to you when we have determined what direction to go in. For now, I have Council business to deal with.”
Sarah and I stood and made our way out of Adam’s office. There was a lot for us to take in. We had seen the Fallen raise Demon Naga from the depths of hell; we had worked with the Brotherhood; two of our top members were going to be leaving us to head up a new field office; and Sarah and I were no longer hiding our relationship from the rest of the Ascendancy. It had been a busy week, and from the look of things, it was not going to be slowing down any time soon. I look
ed over at Sarah and felt a wave of relief wash over me. I knew no matter what that as long as I had her in my life, I would be okay. I knew as long as we were together that I would be happy. Things were only going to get more intense from here, and I was looking forward to the challenges as long as we faced them together.
11
Adam
My assistant ran into my office. “Adam, the Council is requesting you in chambers; it seems they are issuing their ruling.”
I looked up in shock at the implications of this bold move, to do so before even speaking to me. It seemed that it was time to put my plan in motion. “All right, Henry. I am heading there now to deal with this. See that you have my instructions carried out while I am away, and for God’s sake, get it done quickly.” Henry made a quick little bow and took off running from the room. I had been planning to break from the Council for some time but never thought it would come so soon. I was one of the Council’s founding members, one of eight. To make a ruling without even consulting me, without hearing my testimony, was basically treason. I had known for a while that the power of the Ascendancy was making them nervous. The Council was worried that I had too much influence being the head of both groups. Not to mention our alliance with the Lycans here in America had completely thrown the Council into a panic.
I was doing what had to be done to protect our people from a greater threat. Demons had risen into our world, and the Gifted were not strong enough to contain them alone. Things had been easier in the Dark Ages when we could rain brimstone from the sky and wash away our enemies in a blaze of holy fire. Now, there were too many people. Too many witnesses for us to use that kind of power without notice. I had been trying to convince the Council of this for years without any real success.
Ascendancy Origins Trilogy Page 9
