Chapter Three
The night was ripe with the sounds of singing crickets and hooting owls. Maya adjusted the rearview mirror of her car and eased out from the driveway. The full moon hung like a shining jewel in the sky. The city was silent, its inhabitants fast asleep in their cozy abodes.
The past few days, she felt exposed, naked...almost as if she was being watched. However, despite her best efforts, she was unable to detect anything strange.
Perhaps it was the arrival of Arya Manav that led to the heightening of her senses?
Why did he want to research the inagimi? The inagimi were a myth, a legend, and no one had cared to venture beyond the myths to test if there were indeed any facts hidden in them.
Until now, that is.
Arya Manav appeared to be a determined man. Maya knew he was staying in Nairobi, and had been visiting the local libraries and sources of information regarding the African snakes. Sooner or later, he would come back to her, seeking information regarding her grandfather.
Maya had no intention of helping him.
She navigated the streets, eager to get to her beloved park. It was her special place, a sanctuary. A fallen log blocked the road. After stopping the car, she got out to take a closer look. Due to the lateness of the hour, no another vehicle was on the road. All around her were the whispers of the jungle.
The log was old and rotten. It had not fallen from any of the trees that stood as silent sentinels to the forest that edged the road. Maya realized that it was placed deliberately on the road. Even as that fact registered in her brain, a furtive movement to her left alerted her to danger.
“Who’s there?” she said in Swahili.
Three men emerged from behind the trees and surrounded her, knives gleaming in their hands.
“Put your hands up,” one of them said.
“What do you want?” Maya edged closer to the car. She judged the distance and knew that she would not be able to get inside and drive before they caught her.
This situation required a rather delicate hand.
One man laughed, licking his lips with his tongue in a suggestive manner. “Give us your bag and your jewelry, and we might let you go…in one piece.”
“Leave me alone,” she said, hoping to avoid any bloodshed.
The men leered and shuffled closer, one of them shifting his knife from one hand to another in a restless manner. The look in their eyes told her another story; they were high on drugs.
She sighed, and tightened her body, mentally preparing herself for the attack. What she needed was a diversion, something that would take their minds off her for a few seconds.
A car stopped at the side of the road. Arya Manav got out. “Leave her alone,” he said, echoing the same words she had uttered not long ago.
The three men turned around, ready to face their new opponent.
That was all the opportunity Maya needed. With a fierce yell, she launched herself at the man closest to her and gave him a good kick in his back. Even as he fell, she turned her attention towards the other and delivered a solid hand jab to his neck. He fell with a surprised look on his face. She eyed the third. Seeing his two fallen companions, he looked from her to Arya, and jumped back.
“Come. Take what you want.” She strutted up to him.
Making perhaps one of the best decisions of his life, he dropped his knife and ran back into the forest from where he had emerged.
Maya turned, and saw the first man she kicked rising on unsteady feet, his knife no longer in his hand. With a resounding thwack she delivered a hand jab to his neck, rendering him unconscious. With a groan, he fell on top of his friend and lay still.
Maya looked up at Arya who was staring at her as if he’d seen a ghost.
“Ah…” He cleared his throat. “I guess you didn’t need my help after all?”
“I’m a karate expert,” she said.
He looked down in awe at the unconscious men. “So, I see.”
“You were following me,” she accused, walking closer.
“Well, yes,” he admitted with ease. “I thought you were perhaps visiting your grandfather and…”
“I see.” Maya stood not four feet away from him, debating what to do. He really was most annoying. Sighing, she turned and walked to her car. “I thought I was being followed, but I could never see anyone. You’re good at stalking.”
“Thanks, I guess,” he said. “I apologize…”
“Don’t bother. You would do the same thing all over again, given half a chance. You’re a persistent man, Mr. Manav.”
“And you’re a dangerous woman, Ms. Lois,” he countered with a wicked gleam in his eyes. “I’d be scared to meet you alone, any day, any time.”
She opened her car door and turned back to face him. “Well, what now?”
“What do you mean?”
“Oh, don’t play the innocent with me. Why don’t you save us both any further misery and just stop following me?”
Arya smiled. “As you said, I’m persistent, and I do need your grandfather’s help. I’m sure he has some anecdotes or folk tales he has heard during the course of his research regarding the inagimi.”
“Why are so sure that the inagimi exist?” Maya could not help but ask.
He ran a hand through his hair. “Consider the possibility. What if they do exist? Wouldn’t it be wonderful?”
Maya eyed him speculatively. Their eyes met and a spark flew between them. With great effort, she managed to ignore the butterflies in her stomach.
“That’s all you’re going to ask him? Just stories regarding the inagimi?”
“What else?”
“And what if you ever found evidence that the inagimi do exist?”
“I would love some evidence. It would do wonders for my book sales.”
“Ok.” Maya sat on the driver’s seat. She closed the door and unrolled the window.
“What were you doing out so late anyway?” he said.
“I like late night drives,” she said. “Meet me day after tomorrow at seven sharp at my house. We’ll be gone for three days. Pack a bag and don’t be late.”
The perplexed look on his face was almost amusing.
“What?” he said.
Maya buckled her seat belt and switched on the car engine. “You want to meet Isaac Lois or not? Come prepared because you won’t get a second meeting. And remember that you’ll behave on my terms, and there will be rules--the first one being that you need to stop following me.”
“Hey, thanks. It’s a deal.”
“Someone should get these vermin off the road,” she said almost as an afterthought. “Do you have a cell phone?”
“Yeah, sure.” He took it out of his pocket.
“Use it. Call a hospital.” Reversing the car, she zoomed off.
Arya stared long after her car disappeared into the dark.
“Tonight’s my lucky night,” he muttered. This was just the break he was looking for; a chance to meet Isaac Lois, an expert on snakes and allegedly the only man who was rumored to have seen an inagimi in Kenya. Perhaps, this was the break he was looking for?
After sparing one glance for the thugs lying on the road, he called an ambulance. Having no intention to be questioned by curious medics, he sat in his car intending to leave the area before anyone arrived.
His cell phone rang, jarring him out of his dream. “Hello?” he said. Few people had his number.
“Archan here,” a rough voice rasped back. “Report your progress.”
Despite the warm night, Arya felt a shiver of cold run up his spine. How the hell did Archan manage to contact him on a cell phone from another world? The vibrations of a spell seeped through Arya’s hand even as he held the phone. Archan was indeed a potent wizard to use magic to access the technology of this world. An ambitious man, his ultimate goal was the inagimi.
“I’m close,” he reported. “There is a man, Isaac Lois. He might’ve useful information that could put me on the right path. He knows
more about snakes that anyone else in the world. I shall be meeting him in person tomorrow.”
“Has he ever come in contact with an inagimi?”
“My source said he once accidently divulged some information regarding the inagimi at a herpetologist conference, even going as far as to claim he saw one. Later, he backed out and claimed he was joking. I believe he saw one, or knows where to find one.”
“I need results…and soon,” Archan said, imperious even at a distance.
“You’ll get them,” Arya promised, a cold fist around his heart as he contemplated the mess he would be in if he did not deliver. Although not desirous of immortality, he also had no wish to die at an early age. He had entered into a contract with Archan for money, but now it was matter of life and death. Archan wouldn’t tolerate failure another time. Just this once, Arya could not afford to make a mistake.
Maya Lois was the key; he needed her. She was his access ticket to Isaac. As he heard the distant click on the other side when Archan switched off, Arya understood that he was running out of time--fast.
Chapter Four
Maya Lois was an enigma, Arya decided. She was cool, calm and collected…and yet, underneath that tranquil exterior lurked a passionate woman, one who was not afraid to speak her mind or stand her ground.
She was beautiful, too. He would have had to be dead not to notice the smooth mahogany of her skin, the perfect teeth beneath perfectly sculpted lips and the curly black hair that threatened to spill from the bun she so carefully made at the back of her head. No wonder he found it hard to stay focused on his mission when he was in her presence.
Today, he was determined to ignore her charms.
At seven sharp, he rang Maya’s bell.
“Come in,” she yelled from inside.
Opening the door, Arya walked in. “Wow!” he said. The house décor reflected the owner in every way possible. Snake—shaped ornaments, snake lamps and even a glass bowl shaped like a coiled snake on the coffee table showcased her love for her chosen career. “You’re really into snakes, aren’t you?” He laughed.
“It’s my life’s work,” she said. “Are you sure you’re a writer?”
“What?” Arya stared at her. Did she suspect something?
“Just a thought. Aren’t all writers supposed to be nerds, with their noses into books or research papers…or whatever it is that writers do?”
“Aren’t all snake handlers supposed to be sun-baked with snake bites all over them?”
“Touché!” Maya smiled as she took the car keys off the bronze snake peg. “We’ll take my car.”
“And what do I do with mine?”
“You’ll call the rental agency and tell them to pick it up.”
“You seem to have thought of everything,” he said as they stepped out. She turned to face him. Outside, in the warm sunlight, her skin glowed like dark honey. Unable to resist, Arya ran a hand over her smooth cheek.
Startled, Maya took a step back.
“May I?” Not giving her a chance to speak, he leaned forward to take a taste of her warm luscious lips.
At first, he kept it light, just a soft brush of his lips against hers. Slowly he deepened the kiss, leaving no room for her to back out. The taste of her mouth was addictive. He wanted more. Without realizing, he put his arms around her waist and pulled her close. Softly, he explored the soft recesses of her mouth, mingling his tongue with hers in a stimulating dance.
Arya raised his head, his mind blurred. What had just happened? Wanting a mere taste, he had become engulfed in a sea of sensation never experienced before.
Maya stepped out of his arms. “We’re not doing that again.”
Giving himself a moment to collect his wits, Arya walked over to his rented car and took out his luggage. He dumped it on the back seat of her car.
What was he doing? He never mixed business with pleasure. It was a rule that kept him sane in this world of insanity. What was so different about her? Why couldn’t he resist her?
“Did you hear me?” she said with a sharp bite to her words.
“You didn’t exactly resist me, did you?” he said and snapped the car door shut.
“What? Now wait here…”
Arya raised his hands in a gesture of defeat. “You know what? I’m sorry. It was my fault and it won’t happen again.”
She muttered something under her breath and stalked off to the driver’s side of the car.
“Where are we going?” Arya said in a businesslike manner. It was important to put some emotional distance between him and the very attractive Ms. Lois. He sat on the passenger seat and buckled up.
“Amoria.”
“Where’s that?”
“It’s where my grandfather lives,” she said. “It’s a small village near the base of Mount Kenya.”
“What does he do there?” Arya decided to keep things strictly professional between them.
“He runs a small snake farm. They do research on snake venom, especially its medicinal properties. He believes snake venom can be used to cure deadly diseases.”
She navigated through the busy Nairobi streets where everyone was rushing off to work or school.
“Did you take time off from the zoo’s snake house?”
“The park’s closed for a few days for renovation.” Maya turned a corner and stopped at a signal. “I was planning to visit Isaac anyway. Since it got a bit tiring to be stalked, I thought it best if you got over this itch you’ve to see him.”
“I would apologize, but I don’t think you’ll buy it,” Arya said. A smile crinkled at the corner of his lips.
“No, I won’t.”
“Well, then, no point in making an effort to do so.”
She glared at him. “You think you’re smart, don’t you?”
“I am smart.” He smiled back at her, pleased to see a flush of annoyance on her cheeks.
She really was a gorgeous woman. Intelligent. Intriguing. However, she was also totally off-limits, he reminded himself. That kiss was an aberration, an act of madness. He was here for work and she was a means to an end. There was no way he could afford a dalliance at this point. Archan had him on a short leash and he simply couldn’t afford to waste any time with personal pleasures.
What a waste! He closed his eyes. It would take immense willpower to stand firm against this particularly tasty temptation, especially now that he had tasted her already.
“I’ll take a nap, if you don’t mind,” he drawled.
“Be my guest,” she said.
Silently, they made their way to the small village of Amoria. As their destination edged closer, the road became narrow and rutted, clearly showing a demarcation between the big urban cities and the largely ignored smaller communities.
“Here we are.” Maya maneuvered the car onto a dirt road and negotiated a narrow bend. She stopped in front of a small cottage covered with ivy on all sides. “Home, sweet home!”
Arya removed his sunglasses, which he had been wearing while pretending to be asleep--a perfect way to study his stunningly elegant companion without her knowing about it. After stepping out of the car, he stretched his arms high above his head.
They had been on the road for four hours without a break, but their destination was worth the long travel. Behind the cottage, at a distance of less than two miles, stood the majestic Mount Kenya, its ragged peaks covered in snow and white fluffy clouds.
“Wow!” he said, gaping at the wondrous sight that met his eyes.
“Kind of takes your breath away, doesn’t it?” a voice called out.
Arya looked and there stood the man he was searching for. Isaac Lois was seventy, if not more, but looked fifty. A tall man, he was slightly stooped at the shoulders and had a thick mass of white hair that reached down to his shoulders. His face was sun-baked but there was a healthy glow to his skin. His eyes were the same piercing blue as the overhead sky.
“It sure does.” Arya smiled, and walked up to shake his hand. “I’m a great a
dmirer of your work.”
“Well, I am no celebrity, but it’s kind of you to say so. Come in,” Isaac said.
Arya walked in, aware that Maya was close behind him, observing his reactions, as he walked inside.
“This is one hell of a place you live in,” Arya said, impressed by the cozy and warm décor of the cottage, complemented by huge unadorned glass windows that brought in the beauty of the landscape inside.
“Well, if one has to retire, might as well do it in style, don’t you think?” Isaac Lois motioned for him to sit on the couch. He sat next to Arya.
“You’re hardly retired.” Maya sat on a straight-backed chair placed opposite the couch. “You’re busier than most men I know.”
“This and that. I try to fill the day.”
“Yeah right, and what is that I hear of the safari you’ve started?”
“What’s that?” Arya watched the interaction between the two. There was clearly a lot of comfort and love.
“It’s a thing my boys have started for the tourists who come to hike on Mount Kenya. The ambitious ones go right to the top with professional guides, but we’ve some staid ones who wish to enjoy the experience but don’t want to climb all the way up. Leon and Zeba came up with the idea of taking them on a two day trek around the highlands, combined with some game watching, snake spotting and fishing in the streams. It’s bringing in some tourists, to be sure,” Isaac said.
“I hope you’re not going on the trek yourself?” Maya said. There was a worried frown on her forehead.
“Don’t fuss so, I’m not dead yet.” Isaac shifted in his seat. “I’ve been training the boys on how to handle the big snakes in case they come across any dangerous species. We don’t want any injured tourists now, do we?” Isaac laughed off his granddaughter’s concerns, a twinkle in his eyes as he talked about his beloved snakes. “Now, you two must be tired. Maya, you know where your room is. And Mr. Manav, right?”
“Please call me Arya.”
“Well, come with me, Arya.” Isaac stood. “I’ll show you to your room. Your cottage is right next to my research lab.”
“Wonderful.” Arya walked out to take his luggage out of the car. He put Maya’s bags in her room before taking his to the cottage. “Maybe I can get a tour of your lab while we are at it?” he said to Isaac.
Serpentine Love Page 2