by Nick Carter
Then I saw I had company in the sub-cellar as the entire end of the pit began to move, to come alive in a writhing, twisting mass that began to curl and twist its way into separate snakes. I saw king cobras, deadly adders, green mambas and a variety of cottonmouths, each one of them capable of killing a man with one strike. They were hissing now, starting to slide toward me. I looked around desperately. There was nothing, only bare walls. I tried jumping for the edge of the opening but it stayed just out of reach. The snakes were moving with speed, obviously hungry and anxious for a victim.
"Nick!" I heard the half-cry and looked up to see Khaleen at the edge of the opening. Hilary's head appeared beside her. "Oh, God!" I heard her exclaim. She tried to reach her arms down but the distance was too great.
"There are draperies over there," she said, looking out across the temple. "I'll get them."
Khaleen stayed at the edge, gazing down at me. Hilary had raced away and I could hear her tearing at the material. But I knew it was going to be too late. The serpents were almost at me. By the time she knotted the ends together and lowered it, they'd have me. Khaleen saw it, too.
I saw her swing her legs over the edge and drop. "No!" I yelled at her. "Stop!" But it was too late, not that she'd have paid any attention to me, anyway. She landed beside me and I grabbed for her, but she slipped away and plunged into the mass of crawling snakes, kicking at them, screaming at them. Hilary was lowering the drapes now, and Khaleen looked back at me, her face contorted with pain as snake after snake struck at her, sinking fangs deep into her legs and ankles. She had diverted their attention from me to give me time to escape, and now her eyes implored me not to let her sacrifice go to waste.
"I tied the ends to the pillars," Hilary said, shaking the drapes. "They'll hold, only for God's sake hurry."
I looked at Khaleen and her cheeks were stained with tears, not all of them tears of pain. "Go, Nick… go," she gasped. I started to climb up the drapes and then dropped back.
"Dammit to hell," I swore. I raced to Khaleen, still standing with snakes imbedded in her legs. My shoes were heavy enough to withstand a few fangs. I kicked at those nearest her, grabbed her by the waist and lifted her from the mass of lunging reptiles. I jumped back, holding her with one hand around her waist, and started to pull myself up the draperies. Some of the snakes had sunk their fangs into the bottom of the cloth but I clung to it, gathering it in as I pulled the girl and myself up. Khaleen was half over my shoulder and I managed to shift her slight form to get use of both hands. At the edge, Hilary took the girl's limp body from me, and I pulled myself onto the floor.
Khaleen was breathing shallowly already. The massive doses of venom she had gotten would act in minutes. I saw her eyelids flutter, and she looked up at me and her hand moved over mine.
"I am yours," she breathed, and her lids softly closed over the deep eyes. Her small form shuddered and lay still. I put her small hands together and stood up. Hilary's eyes were misted over and I swore out loud.
"Damn, damn this stinking place!" I swore. "She didn't need to do that."
"Need and want," Hilary said, her voice catching. They're two different things."
I turned and ran out the door at the rear. Ghotak wasn't anywhere in sight but I saw one of his men, fear in his eyes as he spied me. I hadn't realized till now how omnipotent a figure I'd become to them. I'd survived a battle with a cobra and slain the yeti. You couldn't bat much higher in this league. He tried to run but I grabbed him, lifting him off the ground with one hand and slamming him against the wall of the temple.
"Where did he go?" I yelled.
"I do not know," the man said, shaking his head to emphasize his words. I slammed him into the wall again and heard his bones rattle.
"You've got some idea," I yelled. 'Where did he go? Tell me or I'll break every one of your superstitious bones."
The man gestured to a small, shingle-roofed house about a hundred yards away. "Maybe he hide there," he said.
"He's not hiding, he's running," I yelled. I hauled back and let the man have a sharp crack across the face. He fell to the ground screaming more in fear of what might happen next than in pain.
"The river! The river!" he screamed. He pointed to the right, past the temple, and at once I remembered glimpsing the swift water at the edge of the village on one of my walks. I ran for it, passing women returning with their fresh washed clothes. At the river's edge I saw men looking downriver, and in the distance I spotted a log dugout being paddled by a bright saffron spot. Three of the men had drawn the inflated buffalo skins onto the shore, having just paddled across the river on the unique rafts. I grabbed one and a paddle and pushed it out onto the river, falling across it to lie with my body straddling the inflated skin. The animal's four legs jutted upwards and the whole thing looked somewhat like a four-poster bed floating upside down. But it was light and maneuverable and I found myself gaining on Ghotak's heavy log dugout. The current was swift, and we were downriver quickly, passing overhanging trees and sloping banks. The river curved, and I saw Ghotak disappear around the bend, glancing back to see me catching up to him. I paddled furiously, and the balloon-like buffalo skin almost skimmed over the top of the water. Rounding the bend, I saw the dugout at the shore and Ghotak clambering out of it. I headed for him and saw him draw his revolver. I was still a good distance away and a poor target, unless he was a lot better shot than I thought. But he wasn't trying for me, I found out. The slug hit the inflated skin and I heard the whoooosh of air escaping and I was in the water, swimming against the swift current.
Ghotak was off and running, and I was slowed once again by the wily monk. I cut across to the bank, feeling the current carrying me downstream as I swam. Reaching the shore, I pulled myself up, tossing off my soaked outer jacket. I clambered up the bank to see a stone house standing some fifty yards away and back from the shore. The windows were shuttered, and it looked deserted, but it was the only house around and I headed for it on the run, crouched over, trying to make myself less of a target. I had to cross completely open ground to get to it but there were no bullets sent winging at me, and I reached the house, yanking at the door. It opened and I went inside to find it was a kind of stable. Two burros and a loaded sled stood in the center of the place, the burros harnessed and ready to go.
"Where are you, Ghotak?" I called. "I know you're in here someplace." I moved forward cautiously, glancing up to see a second floor balcony above. Bales of hay were stored on what was a small second-story landing. Four stalls lined one end of the stable and two more of the sturdy Sherpa burros looked at me over the top of the wooden stalls. There was no sound but that of the restless shifting of the burros and I walked over to them. Heavy saddle bags hung from each animal and I opened one and reached in to draw out a handful of gold coins and Nepalese rupees. I went to the sled, and tore open the tarpaulin over the boxes and packs tied onto it. I ripped open one box. Jewels and precious stones stared back at me. Ghotak had been prepared for any eventuality, I saw, and was ready to move out and set up housekeeping with a bundle somewhere else.
But where the hell was he? Maybe, with me so close on his heels, he'd given up the idea of trying to flee with the stuff. I took out Wilhelmina and started up the short ladder that led to the second-floor landing, wondering why, if he were up there, he hadn't taken a shot at me. On the landing, I found only bales of hay but there were a lot of them, each one some five feet long and three feet wide, more than large enough for a man to hide behind. A narrow passage was open between the bales and I moved down it, Wilhelmina in hand, cautiously peering behind each bale as I passed it. Suddenly, from behind the very last of the bales at the end of the landing, I heard a noise and saw the flash of saffron move. Ghotak looked up for an instant and then flattened himself behind the bale. I went after him quickly and found out, too late, that he had set me up beautifully. My foot landed right on the spring mechanism of the animal trap and the vicious steel jaws crashed together on my leg. The excruciating pain shot
up through my body and I dropped to one knee. Ghotak was up and I took a vicious kick in the face and fell backwards, my leg twisting in the heavy steel trap. Wilhelmina went skittering out of reach and I saw Ghotak's evil smile, his small eyes bright in final triumph.
He stood over me and laughed. "I could kill you, but that would be too easy for you," he said. "You have cost me a great deal. You shall not have an easy death." The trap was sending great stabbing pains up my leg but I tried kicking out at the monk with my other foot. I caught his shin and he backed away in pain, his eyes clouded.
"You are very much like a cobra," he said. "Always dangerous unless completely dead." I watched as he took out a packet of matches and lighted the bales of hay, going from one to the other until tongues of flame began to curl up around the corners of the bales. He smiled at me again and disappeared down the ladder. I sat up and looked down at the trap to see if I could pry open its steel jaws but I saw at once I was doomed. It was the land that, once sprung, only a metal key could unlock, releasing the powerful spring mechanism.
I could hear Ghotak below, starting to mount the lead burro. I dragged myself forward, past the smoking, burning bales. The chain on the trap was long enough to let me reach the edge of the landing. Ghotak was atop the burro and the door was open. I saw him kick the animal and the burro started to slowly move out. I let Hugo drop into my palm, raised myself on one knee, aimed and threw the stiletto with every bit of strength at my command. I saw it hit just where I'd aimed, the back of the monk's neck. As his head jerked upwards I saw the point of the stiletto jutting out the other side at his throat. He raised his hands and clawed at his neck, his fingers spasmodically twitching as he tried to find the handle of the stiletto. He had finally gotten one hand on it when his body stiffened and his hand fell away. He half turned in the saddle, his eyes glancing back and up to where I peered over the ledge, his mouth open, and then he fell heavily from the saddle to lay on the floor, staring upwards with the sightless eyes of the dead.
The smoke was growing heavy now, and the flames higher. I crawled back, following the chain to where it was attached to a wooden peg in the wall. I took a handkerchief and tied it around my face as the waves of smoke choked my lungs. The heat was becoming intense and the bales were starting to burn with fury. I kicked at the wall with my other foot and saw it was soft plaster. I dug frantically at the plaster surrounding the wooden peg, gouging out chunks of the material. The smoke was so thick now I could no longer see the roof above me. Luckily, it still had room to rise, and did not completely engulf me. I kept digging frantically, the face of death giving me strength and urgency beyond normality.
Finally, I put both feet against the wall and, straining every muscle, pulled on the chain attached to the peg. I felt it give. The pain of the trap on my leg was almost unbearable, but I pushed my legs hard against the wall again and pulled. The peg came out of the wall with the pop of a champagne cork and I fell backwards. Dragging the trap and the chain, I crawled across the floor, staying low to get air. The heat seared my face and the crackle of flames filled the stable. I found the ladder and half fell down it but I reached the bottom and crawled into the open. I lay there and drank in deep gulps of air. Finally, getting to my feet, I saw that the burros had moved out of the building, no doubt as soon as the flames had started. I dragged myself to where they were standing, managed to mount the lead burro and headed back to the village. I glanced back at the building. It was in flames now. Despite the terrible pain in my leg, I felt strangely satisfied and at peace, as though a lot had been put to rest by those flames.
Chapter IX
Hilary met me as I rode into town, looking like the much beaten sheriff in some western movie. I piled the jewels and gold coins in front of the temple, explaining to the assembled people that Ghotak was fleeing with the temple's money. Then we found an ironmaker who had the tools to cut the trap loose, and she took me to her room and got my ankle bandaged. Later, 1 returned to the silent house and collected my things. I didn't linger, staying only long enough to pack the few things I'd brought. I kept seeing a small, delicate form poised in the doorway, drifting through the empty rooms. I got the hell out quickly.
My ankle still hurt, but thick bandages swathed it, and I could walk without limping. The door to Hilary's room was ajar and I called out as I pushed it open. She was standing in the center of the room and as I entered she sprang at me, letting go with a roundhouse blow that caught me on the cheek.
"You louse!" she yelled. "Give me those batteries." She swung again and I ducked away.
"Why, Hilary, honey," I said. "Whatever are you talking about?"
"I'll kill you," she yelled, lunging at me. I grabbed her wrists and whirled her in a semi-circle. She landed on the bed, bouncing three times on it. She came off the third bounce swinging, arms flailing the air at me, pure fury in her blazing blue eyes. I ducked the blows and she paused, her breasts heaving.
"You'll get all hot and bothered carrying on like that," I said. "Why don't you sit down and tell me what it's all about?"
"You know bloody well what it's about, you big, ugly louse," she said. Suddenly her voice broke and tears flooded her eyes. "You've no right," she choked out. "No right at all. I worked my bloody ass off for this story."
I moved over to her and took her in my arms, and suddenly she was on the bed with me, clinging to me and sobbing. She had worked hard for it and I knew how much it must mean, but I couldn't let her send it.
"Look, doll," I said. "Maybe you can do your story but I have to get clearance first. I've got to speak to my boss who'll check it out with British Intelligence. But I can't do anything till I get in touch with him."
She sat up. "Then let's get out of here and fast," she said. Her arms encircled my neck. "For other reasons, too," she added. "I want you again, Nick, but not here, not in this place. Come back to England with me, for a few days, anyway. My folks have a little cottage in Surrey where we can hide away."
"Now there's a good idea," I said. "Let's work on it.
We got up, collected our few things, and walked from the Inn. As we headed toward the mountains I knew that the trip back across them to Khumbu, no matter how hard it was, would be easier because we were heading home. I gazed back at the roof of the Royal Palace flashing in the afternoon sun. His Majesty had not been seen accepting outside help. Not only was his image intact but so was his strange kingdom. Only a handful of people knew, and half of them were dead now, that a clever attempt to take over a nation had been tried and had failed. I saw a line of marchers carrying long streamers snaking their way through the streets.
"Do you know what that's all about?" I asked Hilary.
"A procession celebrating the death of the yeti," she said. I nodded, and an image of the terrible creature flashed before my eyes. Like Hilary, I would not be quick to scoff at old legends any longer. We knew less about the strange things of this world than we realized, that much this land had taught me.
At Khumbu, I made contact with British Intelligence, and a special airliner picked us up and flew us to London. I'd gotten Hawk on the phone and briefed him fully. He was pleased, and he sounded approachable. I brought up Hilary and her story.
"It means a lot to her," I said. "And seeing as how it's over and done with, what harm can it do?"
"Nothing is ever over and done with, N3," he answered from three thousand miles away. "We don't want to start another diplomatic row which will end in military action, you know."
"I take it that means no story," I said.
"Oh, what the hell, let her send it," he said in a sudden rush of words. 'The Chinese will scream denial and call us liars but they do that all the time, anyway."
"Thanks, Chief," I said. "Shell be grateful."
"And you'll get the benefit of that gratitude, I'm sure," he said crisply. "Make sure you're back here no later than the weekend."
"Yes, sir," I said. The phone went dead and I told Hilary. Her enthusiasm was delirious. I smiled, thinking of
Hawk's words. She filed the story and we drove to her house and met her folks and her kid brother. Her brother, like all twelve-year-olds everywhere, was full of questions, energy and enthusiasm.
"Come on into my room," he said. "I'll show you my new pet." Hilary and I followed the youngster as he led the way into his model-airplane-bedecked room. He pointed to a cage standing on an end table.
"It's a black racer," he said. "They make awfully good pets."
He reached in and brought out the serpent, a gleaming jet black.
"Golly, I hope you're not afraid of snakes," he said to me. Hilary's eyes met mine with suppressed laughter.
"Where is that cottage you told me about?" I asked quietly.
"I'll get the keys," she laughed.
We left her brother and his black racer and found the little cottage in Surrey. The English countryside, the orderly, uncomplicated atmosphere and Hilary. It was a great parlay and I drank in all three. It was dusk when we reached the cottage and we went out to dinner first. When we returned, I made a fire to take the damp chill out of the air and we sat on a thick throw-rug before the fireplace. Hilary's cheeks glowed in the firelight, her blonde hair sending out sparks of glittering brass. I turned off the lamp and the rest of the room faded into blackness. There was only us, the circle of firelight and the warmth. We were back in our cave in the Himalayan mountains, and Hilary fell into my arms, her lips thirsting, eager, her body throbbing with desire. In moments we were naked beside the fire, the warmth of the flames flowing over us, heightening the fever of our own bodies. Hilary's large, full breasts found their way to my lips as she pressed against me, and she moaned and cried out as I traced a slow pattern of pleasure with my tongue.
Hilary held my head against her stomach, her thighs, her breasts. She was feverish in her hunger, small sounds of ecstasy rising from inside her to fill the little room. When I held her very essence she gasped, and her small cries changed into an incessant plea for more. We made wild, unbridled love for three days, losing track of time and the world, making the cottage into our own, self-contained world just as we had that little cave.