Serpentine Love
By Sabine A. Reed
Copyright 2012 Sabine A. Reed
Smashwords Edition
Smashwords Edition, License notes
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Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
About the Author
Chapter One
Arya was running to escape from his pursuers.
Jumping over a fallen log, he dodged through the ancient oak trees. Raising his hand, he blasted the tree behind him with a ball of fire, hoping that the diversion would buy him some time. Despite his magical powers, he dared not hurt Archan’s men. That mistake would cost him his life. Rushing through a thicket of brambles, he hardly noticed the thorns that left bloody scratches on his arms and face. Swerving to his right, he ran past a startled herd of deer and emerged in a circular grass clearing.
There stood Archan, the chief wizard of tribe Akhumba.
Arya cursed and turned back. Too late! He was cornered. Behind him stood the seven wizards who were chasing him.
Arya felt the lure of magic in his blood, the power that threatened to unleash against the men who trapped him like a helpless animal. With an effort, he controlled his rage. There were too many of them, and Archan himself was as powerful as three wizards.
Unwilling to give up with such ease, Arya took a step back, gauging his distance. Could he make a run past them? Archan’s men were all big and hefty. Even if they didn’t use any magic, it would be impossible to run past them.
He was doomed.
Swiping his hand across his face, he stared at Archan. “Can’t we talk about this over a tumbler of ale?”
“You’re a dead man,” Reno, the man on the far left, said.
“Hush!” said Archan as he crossed his arms at his chest. The edges of his long, black cloak trailed the grass as he took a few steps forward. “Good to see you, Arya. It’s been a while,” Archan drawled, almost as if he was entertaining a guest in his lavish hall.
Arya was well aware that Archan was a dangerous man. His outward calm was a façade. Inside, he was a seething mass of ruthless and violent rage.
“I can explain,” he said.
Archan raised his hand. “Now would be a good time to do so.”
“I searched that particular world. Although I discovered an old lair, the inagimi wasn’t there. It must’ve moved somewhere else.”
“You came back empty handed and thought to escape my wrath in this gloomy forest.” Archan’s tone was cold and bitter. “You know me better than that, Arya. We had a contract which you are obliged to fulfill…or else admit defeat and pay the price of failure with your life.”
Arya’s world was one that consisted of magic and magical beings. Magic was power, but since everyone had almost the same measure, the balance usually tilted towards the one who collected the most witches or wizards in his tribe. It was a world that was torn with violent conflicts and bloody wars. The three main tribes, the akhumbas, rishas and lagos ruled different areas. Archan was the undisputed leader of the akhumba tribe, and his lust for power was so great that he created portals that carried his men to other worlds to collect powerful talismans or beings that would further enhance his magic.
The inagimi was a prize he lusted for with all his heart, and Arya was the only one who could get it for him, for Arya was a heredity snake charmer. One of his magical talent included being able to communicate with snakes, not with words but through feelings and emotions.
“I’ve good sources who have confirmed the existence of the inagimi on the non-magical earth,” Arya blurted out the words as Archan narrowed his eyes, getting ready to let his magic annihilate Arya.
“Oh, Arya, Arya.” Archan stretched his lips in a thin smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Won’t you ever give up? You said the same thing about the inagimi on the world of dryads, but it slipped through your grasp. I don’t tolerate mistakes. You know that.”
“Give me one last chance. I won’t fail this time.” Sweat trickled down his cheeks as Arya tried to ignore the terrible danger that surrounded him.
“Creating a portal to another world is a cumbersome and draining task, Arya. It’s not something I undertake happily. You’ve already visited three worlds and failed to capture the grand prize. Why should I waste my energy on this foolhardy mission anymore?”
“I’ll deliver this time.” Arya thought fast as he fought to save his life. Immortality was a prize Archan wanted above all. “Think about it. You told me the inagimi can bestow immortality to any man. If you capture one, you’ll be the only wizard in possession of a shape-shifting snake. It’s the chance of a lifetime.”
Archan’s eyes gleamed with the lust for such a trophy. “And you’ll be dead if you don’t come through on your promises. Oh dear, I hope I don’t regret this.” Archan shook his head. He lowered his hand. “I’ll give you one last chance. You’re a snake charmer, supposedly the best in this world. Get me that snake. Two moon cycles is all you’ve got.”
“That is not enough. Give me six…”
“Two cycles of the moon.” Archan raised his index finger. “Or else your life’s forfeit. I’ll create the portal tonight in my camp. Be there as dusk takes the land and do not fail me this time.” He turned around and walked into the forest. His men followed him.
With a deep sigh, Arya walked in the opposite direction. If he was going to travel to another world, there was much preparation to be done in too short a time. He had won himself a respite of twenty eight days.
It wasn’t enough but it will have to do.
Chapter Two
Maya picked her way through the sun-drenched graveled path towards the Nairobi zoo’s snake house. In the enclosure to her right, a crocodile glided in the water with a grace that belied its heavy mass.
Slipping into the cool interior of the snake house, she breathed in a sigh of pleasure, relieved to be out of the hot merciless sun.
One of the staff handlers, Liaz, took a puff adder out of its cage with a grip hook. He examined the snake from head to tail. Annoyed at being so rudely awoken from its nap, the adder hissed a warning.
“Be careful,” Maya said in his native Swahili. “It can be frisky. Here, let me do it.”
She grasped the back of the snake’s head, holding him as lovingly as another woman might hold her newborn baby. With her other hand, she rubbed its gleaming body and cooed to it.
“It sure likes all the attention it’s getting,” said Liaz. He pointed to the tail of the snake where a bite mark could be seen. “Got into a nasty fight, this one did. Where did you find it?”
“Someone dropped it off.” Her eyes crinkled at the corner in amusement as the snake twisted in her hands, trying to wrap its body around her arm. “It must’ve got hurt when they tried to capture it.”
“Well, we’ll take care of that soon enough.” Liaz cleaned the wound with a cotton swab dabbed in a medicine.
The adder twisted and flicked its tail in annoyance.
Maya stroked the back of its head. “Here, off you go.” Gently, she eased it back into the cage. “Where is Jacob?”
“He’s cleaning the fish aquarium. You’ve a visitor.” He nodded towards the entrance where a tall man leaned against the doorframe, a thin briefcase i
n one hand and sunglasses on his eyes.
“Oh, yes, I was expecting him,” Maya muttered and turned around, a practiced smile on her face. She resisted the urge to pat her hair to make sure it was still tied in the severe bun she had made at the back of her head in the morning. Tugging the sleeves of her blouse down, she walked over. “Good afternoon,” she said in perfect English, albeit with a slight accent. “Mr. Manav, isn’t it?”
“Call me Arya,” he said and removed his sunglasses. “And you must be Ms. Lois.”
“Call me Maya. Please come.” She indicated to her office. Oh my! Here was a fine specimen of a man, with a lean face that bordered on handsome, black hair reaching down to his shoulders and sea-green eyes that appraised her with intelligence. “Mr. Araman told me that you might drop by today. The zoo is closed today, but I can give you a tour of the snake house. You’re a writer, aren’t you?”
“Mostly I write travel columns and articles for magazines,” he said.
Maya’s office was small, with one window looking outward into the garden, but somehow it had never seemed as small as it did now. When he sat down on one of the two chairs placed opposite her desk, his presence filled the room - and filled her senses, too.
He was not exactly handsome, she told herself. His face could be called ruggedly attractive, his cheeks were hollowed and his smile easy - but it was his eyes that held her captivated. Green, with hints of silver flecks, they peered at her with an intensity she found annoying, and yet mesmerizing.
“So, Arya? What can I do for you?” She smiled despite the churning in her stomach.
“Mr. Araman told me that you were an expert on snakes? I’m writing a book on African snakes. It’s my first attempt,” he said. “I’d appreciate your input.”
“African snakes?” Maya placed one hand over her desk. “There’ve been many books on the species of African snakes. What makes yours any different?”
“That’s exactly what my publisher asked me?” He smiled.
Maya waited in silence.
“I want to add some folklore in my book. I believe that has never been done before,” he said. “It should make for an interesting read, don’t you think? And I’m hoping that it will attract the common reader towards this rather specialized subject.”
“And you believe that adding these folk stories will make your book sell?” Skepticism laced her words.
“It’s a theory.” He shrugged, his eyes candid as they rested on her face.
Maya did not think he was telling her the truth. There was something more, something he was not sharing but she didn’t have a choice. Her boss had specifically asked her to give him all the information he required. She had to do as she had been ordered.
“Well, let’s take a tour then,” she said. “Or would you prefer some coffee first?”
“The tour, I think.”
Maya stood from behind her desk. “Well, then…we’ve some very interesting specimens. You can take pictures.”
Arya opened his briefcase and took out a small digital camera. He got up. “This will do for now. May I leave my briefcase here?”
“Of course.” Maya slipped past him. Her hand brushed past his arm, and for a moment a brief tingle ran up her spine. “Please, follow me,” she said.
For the next hour, the two of them toured the snake house.
“This is one of our prize possessions.” Maya stopped in front of one of the pens, open for viewing from one side with a glass window, concealed bulbs bathing the pen in a gentle non-intrusive light. “That is an African-Rock Python, unique to Kenya. They’re non-poisonous, but can be deadly in combat. You wouldn’t want it to come across you if you were sleeping and it was hungry.”
Arya laughed. Ignoring their rude observation, the python snoozed in the sunlight trickling in through the glass roof.
“I’ll keep that in mind,” he said.
“And these are our cobras, very deadly and poisonous,” Maya said as they moved on to the next pen.
She found herself studying her visitor’s behavior. Most visitors to the snake house appeared uncomfortable; some even scared as they moved from one pen to another. Arya moved easily, taking pictures, looking through the glass to observe their movements. He did not appear fearful but there seemed to be an air of apprehension around him.
Or was it something else?
Certainly, something about him was off-balance. She sensed it…and yet at the same time, Maya found herself being oddly attracted to him. It was a feeling alien to her. An expert at keeping men at a distance, she was a confirmed loner. It was her way of life; even to some extent a necessity for her. And now, to find herself being attracted to a stranger was something beyond her experience. It wasn’t at all a pleasant feeling.
“The zoo has a research center attached to the snake house?” Arya ran a light finger over one of the glass windows, watching as a cobra coiled itself around the base of a small bush.
“Yes,” Maya said. “It’s a fully-fledged research facility. We provide venom to many other research facilities around the world. Also, we study the breeding habits of snakes, food, reaction to the increasing closeness to humans and such.”
“You love them.” It was a statement and not a question.
Maya locked glances with him. A spark ignited and then frizzled away as she broke contact. “Yes. Yes, I do. My grandfather is a herpetologist. I learnt with him, from him and later came here to work.”
“Isaac Lois, he was your grandfather? I heard you knew him but I didn’t know he had a granddaughter. There was never any mention of a wife or children?”
Maya turned to face him, eyebrows raised in curiosity. “You seem to have done your research about Isaac.”
“I believe in being prepared. Also, he is a legend in some circles. I plan to interview him for my book.”
“I see,” Maya said and turned away. She led him to another pen that contained a few bright green male boomslangs with their relatively dull brown female counterparts.
“My parents died in a car accident, and he adopted me when I was a young child,” she said in answer to his earlier question.
“I’m sorry to hear that.” Sympathy laced his words.
“That’s all right.” Maya walked to the next pen, keeping her voice calm. Emotion had no place in her life.
“I’d like to meet your grandfather,” he said.
“Sorry. He does not meet strangers.” Maya didn’t look back as she walked towards the next pen. Why hadn’t he disclosed his intention to see Isaac at the onset of their meeting? Why the ruse of a tour?
“This here,” she said, “is a black-necked spitting cobra, a very dangerous species of snake. It can spit into its victim’s eyes with an astonishing accuracy.”
“I know about spitting cobras.”
“It seems to me, Mr. Manav,” she said, turning to face him, “that you’re wasting your time by doing this tour. You seem to know as much about Kenyan snakes as I do.”
“What’s made you so angry? Is it because I asked to see your grandfather? I’m not going to bite him?”
Maya glared at him through narrowed eyes. “No, Mr. Manav, you’re not going to bite, but you’re going to disturb him and frankly, I will not allow that. He’s retired and you can’t disturb his peace just so you can get your book published.”
“I only want to get some background information on the Kenyan legends regarding snakes. Have you ever heard of the inagimi, the snake people?”
Maya’s heart stopped, but only for a moment. So this is what he was after? And why not, indeed? From the moment she saw him, it was clear to her that he wasn’t interested in ordinary research. There was a cold calculated look about him that she distrusted.
“The inagimi are a myth, and nothing more. You’ll find scores of legends regarding them in the local library.”
“I’m sure I will, but don’t you think it odd that the same myth would crop up in different cultures all over the world. The Indians call them Ichhadhari sna
kes, and here they are called inagimi, the Snake People. Maybe your grandfather has heard of their existence?” There was determination in his eyes. “After all, he has done a lot of research and I’m sure he knows all the legends and the folk lore.”
“He does not, I assure you. He deals in fact, not myths and legends,” Maya said.
Arya raised his hand in a gesture of appeal. “Come on, the stories concerning inagimi would attract anyone to conduct research on them. Can you not see the potential of a snake that could take human form at will, and roam around as a human being, deceiving anyone? It’s the stuff movies are made of…and books too.”
“I believe in what I see, Mr. Manav, and this is what I see.” Maya raised a sweeping hand towards the snake house where pens showed gleaming snakes coiled around the bushes and trees that decorated their abode. “I don’t have the time to indulge my fantasies in myths and legends.” She moved towards her office door. “You’ll find Liaz outside. He’ll escort you for the rest of the tour. I’ve work to do. It’s been nice meeting you, Mr. Manav. Goodbye.”
There was work to be done, as always, and she had no time to waste on inquisitive writers, looking to make a quick buck.
“Nice to meet you too, Ms. Lois,” he said, looking unperturbed by her cold demeanor. He picked up his briefcase. “I suppose I’ve missed my chance for a cup of coffee with you. Maybe next time?”
“I don’t think so.”
He smiled. “You’ll find that I don’t give up so easily,” he said and left her office.
After he walked out, searching for his guide, a thin silvery serpent coiled itself around the window grill and watched his progress across the paved pathways of the zoo, its beady eyes fixed on him in unerring scrutiny.
It was Maya Lois’s office window.
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