Arya cursed, and moved forward to propel her back and behind him.
The cat sprung off the branch at the same exact moment that Arya pushed Maya behind him, and with all its mighty power the leopard fell on him, its claws ripping his shirt and its jaws aiming for Arya’s jugular.
Arya twisted the cat’s face away, burning it with a sting of his magic. The leopard growled, and jumped off, weary of this strange prey.
“Run!” Arya yelled to Maya as he raised his hand and let forth a ball of fire. To his dismay, he missed the animal by an inch. His power on earth was weaker than what it was in his own world. The non-magical properties of this world diluted his magical abilities and made him vulnerable.
The leopard lunged to pin him under its body weight, ready to crunch his neck in its powerful jaw.
In one smooth movement, it was swept off its feet and thrown a few feet away as a huge glistening black python moved its body in front of Arya and hissed warningly. The cat wavered, attacked, too angry to consider retreat. The leopard was big, at least five feet in length--and was strong, but it was no match for a ferocious python. In a tangle of sharp claws and slippery coils the two fell on the floor of the forest not three feet away from Arya and engaged in a ferocious battle.
The python wrapped its body around the cat’s torso and neck and squeezed. The leopard growled and struggled. Its claws sank into the python’s skin and drew blood. Soon, the leopard’s movements becoming sluggish as the python forced its coil around the cat’s neck and constricted its windpipe.
The leopard became still. With a loud hiss, the python threw the near unconscious animal away where it lay breathing slowly, exhausted from the fight for its life.
The python raised itself on its coils and hissed menacingly before heading straight for Arya. The shiny black serpent shifted into the shape of the beautiful woman Arya knew so well.
“Maya?” Arya muttered, slipping into blissful unconsciousness before the sheer shock of the revelation drove him mad.
Chapter Six
Arya opened his eyes and found himself lying on the hard floor of a dark cave. A candle flickered nearby, its flame casting hazy yellow shadows on the walls.
He tried to get up.
“Wait,” Maya’s gentle voice soothed him. She gave him a cool tin cup from which he drank eagerly.
The liquid was warm and sweet. It tasted of warm cinnamon and butter melted together.
“Where am I?” Arya said after he’d swallowed the nectar down. Pain radiated from his chest and traveled down his legs to his ankles. Every bone in his body ached and creaked.
“You’re safe and doing well,” she said.
Arya looked at her. In the warm candlelight, she was stunningly beautiful. Her hair hung down her back, her eyes were luminous and her skin shone with accents of warm honey. It was hard to reconcile the image of her with that of what he had seen yesterday. Memories came flooding. “You? The leopard…you!” he gasped. “inagimi!”
“I’m an inagimi. There is no sense in denying what you’ve already seen. Although, I wish it could’ve been different.”
“But, how…”
“You need to rest now. When you wake up, you will feel better and I’ll tell you everything. I promise.”
Arya fought the drowsiness creeping into his senses. His body seemed numb, his mind dull. He couldn’t even lift his head. “The medicine?”
“It’s an ancient recipe, to heal and soothe. Rest,” she said. “It will all make sense in the morning.”
He slept.
Maya placed the cup in a niche on the wall. She worried by his side. Her secret was a secret no more. Apart from Isaac, no one knew this. Her inherited gift came from her mother. When she died thirteen years ago in a car accident, Isaac became her guardian. He had been privy to her mother’s identity and agreed to keep it hidden from the world. He protected Maya, raised and nurtured her.
Now her privacy was in Arya’s hands. Could she trust him to keep her secret to himself?
She recalled the look on his face as she’d shape-shifted into a python and back. That look of absolute horror would remain etched in her memories forever. That was the reason why she never gotten involved with a man. How could any man accept a woman who was half-snake?
Since she didn’t want a relationship based on deception and lies, her only option was to remain single - always.
The fact that he was a wizard from another world, and a snake charmer didn’t bother her – but what bothered her was the realization that he intended to capture an inagimi.
He was her enemy. Would she be able to convince him to give up his quest?
Too many questions swirled in her mind. There were no answers.
As she knelt beside Arya’s sleeping form, Maya realized that her life was in his hands. The inagimi were a reclusive lot; there was so few of them left in the world. And none of them wanted to be an object of scientific research. They were not interested in making a quick buck by selling their stories to a tabloid. She wanted to keep her life private and away from public glare.
She could only hope he would listen to her pleas to safeguard her privacy.
Dawn came swiftly. Adhering to the sacred ritual of the Cave of Silence, Maya sat under the tree, bathing in the warm sunlight as it trickled down the leafy branches of the old gnarled rosewood. She felt the hum of the earth and the movements of the countless ants and insects living beneath and above its surface.
“What is this place?” Arya stumbled out of the cave, holding on to the rock wall for support.
Maya watched as he walked forward on unsteady legs. He sat down on the low rock next to the tree. His breathing was laborious and sweat trickled down his forehead, but his color was better and he could walk, albeit with great difficulty. One more day, she thought and he would be ready to trek back down to the village.
“This is the Cave of Silence.” She gestured around her. Her hair tumbled down her back in a curly mass. “It’s where I come sometimes to meditate, and the locals come here to offer their prayers. This tree is centuries old, and it’s said this is where the God of the Mountain first dwelt when he came on the earth.”
“An interesting story.” He looked around at the small clearing surrounded by huge rocks and boulders. In the middle of it stood the old tree, covering the entire place with its multitude of branches and canopy of leaves. “How did I come here?”
“I dragged you here in my coils,” she said.
“All these days I searched for an inagimi and you were there, discouraging me, telling me that they weren’t real. What an idiot I was?”
Rising, she walked towards him. “Let’s see how much you’ve healed?” Bending down in front of him, she opened his ripped shirt and examined the wounds with a practiced eye. There were two giant slashes across his chest, and many more on his face and arms. “Leopard claws can carry bacteria. Lucky for you, there are healing plants all over this mountain. I made a balm and covered your wounds with them. Tomorrow, we’ll head back home.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” Arya grabbed her arm as she moved to get up. “There I was, like a fool, telling you that I cared for you…and you kept such a huge secret from me.”
“You also kept secrets, didn’t you?” She snapped back. Maya shook her hand free. “In any case, this secret is bigger than you or me. It’s a trust that we, inagimi, keep for each other. There are others like me in the world and I’ve no right to tell you or anyone else something that will change their lives forever. You came here searching for an inagimi, not so you could write a book but because you wanted to capture one and sell it a wizard who would use me for his own gain? Am I right?”
His silence confirmed her worst fears.
“I couldn’t tell you the truth,” he said. “Would you have believed me if I’d said I could do magic and lived in another world.”
“My mother was from another world. She came here, searching for a mate. I heard stories from her about magic, monsters, witches
and wizards.” She sighed. “In any case, I don’t blame you for not telling me but why can’t you understand that I couldn’t share my secrets with you.”
“But I fell in love with you,” he said.
Her heart stopped. Love was too strong a word. “I’m sorry if I led you on. It wasn’t my intention to do so. I just wanted you to drop this quest. We, the inagimi, deserve our privacy and freedom. And you’ve no right to take it away from us.”
Arya pressed his eyelids with the tips of his finger. “I can’t think…”
Maya touched him gently on the shoulder. “You need rest. I’ll get you something to eat and drink. We’ll talk about this later. You just sit right here.”
She walked inside the cave once more. A while later, she came back out. Her hands were loaded with berries and plant roots.
“That’s all I could find in the forest while you were sleeping. It’s enough to nourish you. Tomorrow you can have a proper meal at the cottage.”
“Will they send a search party since we didn’t go back last night?”
“Perhaps.” Maya peeled a plant root for him. “I can’t promise that this will taste good but it will help you heal faster.”
The meal was a silent one, both of them lost in their own thoughts. Maya worried how to convince him to let go of his ambitions to take an inagimi to his world.
“Hi.” A voice startled her out of her reverie.
“Zeba, Leon.” Maya ran to the two strapping boys who stepped into the cave. A rapid conversation in their native language took place. “Isaac sent them to search for us. He must’ve realized we were in trouble. They have a litter also, just in case one of us was not able to walk back,” she said.
“Great!” Arya threw down the plant root and stood on wobbly feet.
Seeing his condition, the two boys stepped forward to support him.
“The litter is outside,” Maya said. “Why don’t you go with them and I’ll join you later.” She needed to stay in the cave and offer a prayer. Perhaps the god of the mountain would help her figure out how to persuade him to let things be?
“Once you’re back, we’ll talk,” Arya said.
Maya nodded and watched as the boys took him outside. He knew her true identity. She couldn’t escape from him, even if she wanted to. Her only choice was to plead with him to let her live in obscurity--and somehow she had to figure out a way to do that.
Chapter Seven
Twilight had crept in by the time Maya made her way back to her car. All day she had prayed at the base of the giant tree, seeking guidance from the god of the mountain and the snake goddess.
She cared for Arya. Perhaps, loved him?
None of it mattered because they had no future together. She would never forget the horrorstruck look on his face when he realized that she was an inagimi. At that point, she had given up all hopes of a life together.
Now, all wanted was to salvage her dignity and privacy. Somehow she had to convince him to let her identity remain a secret. Perhaps, he wanted monetary compensation. She had access to gold. In the form of a snake, she could explore untapped mines of gold and precious stones. She could give him enough money to make rich beyond belief for the rest of his life.
Would that be enough?
Who did he intend to sell her to? And why?
Maya made her way to her grandfather’s cottage. In the distance, Mount Kenya stood as a sentry, its twin peaks gleaming in the fading sunlight. In the far off distance, she heard the faint sounds of drums, a sure sign that some kind of celebration was taking place in the nearby village.
She wondered what it was, a birth or a wedding?
She parked the car, and got out. There was no light in Arya’s window. Perhaps he was with her grandfather? Maya debated, and decided to visit her grandfather first, mainly to assure him that she was all right and also to seek his advice as to how best to tackle her situation with Arya.
Perhaps he could talk to the younger man and influence him to give up on his quest to publish the inagimi secret?
The main door to the cottage was open, as always. Locks were never required, everyone knew each other and safety was not an issue.
The muffled sounds coming from her grandfather’s office surprised Maya. Quietly, she crept up to the door and opened it. The lights were off and the room was in complete darkness. With her keen eyesight, she detected a man bound to a chair behind her grandfather’s desk. Throwing caution aside, Maya stepped in the room and switched on the lights.
It was Arya. He was tightly bound with thick ropes, his mouth gagged and a blindfold covered his eyes. There was no one else in the room.
“What happened?” Maya said. Rushing to his side, she removed the ropes and took the gag off his mouth. “Where is Isaac?”
“They took him.”
“Who did?”
“Archan and his men.” Arya stood up, his legs trembling with fatigue.
“Archan?” Maya took a step back as anger bubbled deep inside her. “You…you’re involved with Archan?”
She knew about Archan, although she had never had met him personally. The man was evil personified; a mad wizard who had gone awry and sought the gift of immortality to further his thirst for power. Her mother escaped his clutches forty years ago by coming to this world, and yet it seemed he was still after the grand prize of an eternal life.
“I had a contract with him. To deliver the inagimi.”
“Why did he take Isaac?”
How could she have trusted this man and sent him back to her grandfather when she knew that he had knowledge of her true identity? He must have called Archan and told him to come.
Arya rubbed his wrists. “I don’t know, ok? Do you think he would’ve tied me and left me here if I was a part of his plans?”
She stepped forward and jabbed her finger at him. Her breath came out in one long hiss. “This whole thing was a setup, wasn’t it? No one tied you. You just made them do it so that you could take me to Archan yourself? You’re a wizard. You could have fought them off, taken off your gag and ropes any time you wanted.”
“They are wizards too…some of them have great power. I’m no match for the Archan who has used decades to study this craft. In any case, I can’t do magic if my hands are tied.”
“I don’t believe you.”
“Why would I remain here?”
“Why?” Maya raised her hands. “Didn’t you just say you had a contract with Archan? You want me to trade places with Isaac. Well, you win. I’ll do it. Let’s go.”
“Wait!” Arya grabbed her arm. “Archan doesn’t know that you’re an inagimi.”
“Don’t you dare lie to me.”
He let go of her arm. “I’m not lying. I didn’t tell him anything. He took Isaac because…before coming here, I’d told him that Isaac might lead me to the inagimi. He just got tired of waiting for me to get some results. He followed me here, and kidnapped Isaac because he believes that Isaac can lead him to an inagimi.”
Maya didn’t care if he was telling the truth. At this moment, all she cared about was to save her grandfather. She turned around to leave the room; she could pick up their scent in no time. Following them, she would find and free her grandfather--and then there would be hell to pay for the man who had betrayed her trust.
“Wait!” Arya blocked her path to the door. “You’re not going out there alone.”
“Move,” she said.
“Did you not hear me? He doesn’t know you’re an inagimi.” Arya shook her hard. “We can try to free your grandfather without handing you over.”
“How?”
“We’ll find the place and sneak in,” he said.
She realized what he was saying. If Archan did not know that she was an inagimi, he would certainly not be expecting a covert attempt to free Isaac. It was a desperate plan.
But it was the only one they had, so it was important to make it work.
“Do you know where they took him?”
“I don’t think
they would take him far,” he said. “The magical portal they used to come here must be nearby. He must have created it in a secluded place…but not out in the open as that could be accidently discovered. An empty building would be the perfect place to do.”
“The old warehouse an hour’s drive from the village,” Maya guessed. “The company that built it is planning to pull it down, but for the moment it is unused. It’s a likely hiding place. No one ever goes there.”
“Let’s go.” Arya limped to the door.
“I’ll drive.” Maya shot past him and into the car.
She was worried for Isaac. Despite his youthful looks, he was an old man and would not be able to endure hardship or torture. In pain, he might even betray her true identity--but that wasn’t her prime concern.
She did not want any harm to come to the old man, he was her only family, and whatever she had to do to protect him, she would do it…even if it meant exchanging herself as a hostage in his place.
Chapter Eight
An hour later, they stopped at the dirt lane that led to the old warehouse.
Arya noticed the signs of new activity; fresh tire marks on the lane and the unlocked gate that had been left partially open. No guards stood at the perimeter. Clearly, Archan was not expecting any trouble.
“How many men does he have?” Maya said.
“I saw six, excluding Archan himself,” Arya replied, his keen eyes taking in the appearance of the abandoned building. Somewhere in its depth were the old researcher and his kidnappers. “He brought two wizards with him, and the other four are foot soldiers, useful in a hand combat.”
What horrors were they inflicting on Issac? And how long would he endure before giving them Maya’s name?
The mere thought of Archan getting his hands on her sent a chill of fear down Arya’s spine. No. he would lay down his life to see that such a thing never happened.
Serpentine Love Page 4
