Namaste by Platt Sean & Truant Johnny B. & Realm and Sands

Author:Platt, Sean & Truant, Johnny B. & Realm and Sands [Platt, Sean]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Publisher: Realm & Sands
Published: 2013-12-19T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter 16

SIX YEARS AGO

THE KING cobra was nearly 20 feet long, and by the time Amit was circling behind it, the snake stood at Amala’s full height, hood flared. Amit had never seen one this close. He knew they were large, but seeing one in life sharpened that in a way nothing else could. It was one thing to understand the concept of “large snake,” and another to see it slither in the flesh. It almost looked fake, like a parody, too large and terrifying to be real.

“Amit?” Amala wasn’t moving a muscle, not even her eyes. Her chestnut hair — a trait that seemed to suggest a Caucasian or two in her lineage — caught the sunlight, and a large dark birthmark on her neck stood out like a blood stain, as if already bitten and bleeding. She was 17 and had been with the Sri her entire life. She had the same physical and muscular control that they all had — but as the snake hissed and swayed erect before her, Amala became like the shy girl Amit had first met. She had grown more confident as she’d matured, and could be as deadly as Amit if she were ever let off of her ethically restricted leash. None of that showed now, and Amit couldn’t blame her.

It wasn’t easy to sneak up on a snake, even for a monk. He didn’t want to startle it and cause an attack on Amala, nor did Amit wish to get bitten himself. He knew little about snakes (they didn’t usually get them in the monastery — even the smaller ones), and didn’t know if they were spiteful. Did the thing want to attack her because she’d startled it near its nest? Or would it be happy to let her go if she backed away? If he could draw it toward himself, would their positions reverse, with him facing a 6-foot-tall hooded snake and Amala unable to help?

The ground beneath him became like a puzzle. He took precise steps, not stepping on so much as a dead leaf. He didn’t want to rustle the grass. He didn’t want the snake to hear his breathing, if the creatures could hear such things. How well could they smell? Could the snake smell him? Amit remembered that they “smelled” with their tongues, but didn’t know if his scent was offensive and had approached downwind to be sure.

Once close enough, straddling the snake’s gigantic tail (between its head and nest, Amit realized with a start), he leapt and grabbed it by its huge, broad head. The snake was impossibly strong. It thrashed and buckled as Amala turned to run at his shouted command. At first, it looked as if Amit might lose control, but then he remembered that control could be surrendered, but never lost.

He rolled with the snake, allowing it to win. Behind it, he used its own momentum to slam its slithering body to the ground. Realizing he was actually knocking into the monster’s

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