Nikola moved quickly through open spaces, but stopped and listened behind pillars and at doorways. There were very few monks in the halls except for groups of six or more. He had no trouble hearing them long before they could see him and he avoided them easily.
He headed out of the more populated areas, back toward the arch and the big cavern. He had to find out what was in that cavern and who had placed that vision of green eyes in his mind to block his memory. Meditating hadn't pierced the block.
Nikola had thought to bring candles with him and when he reached the end of the lighted halls he lit one of his own and continued onward, down stairs, through halls, around a bend, and there was the arch. He slowed and proceeded cautiously.
The odor was still there, but the odd scraping sound had ceased. He went down the stairs into the large cavern holding the candle out before him and moved cautiously across the floor toward where he thought he had seen the monks meet.
There was something lying on the floor in front of him. Nikola bent down to pick it up, but stopped before he touched it. It was a shed snake skin, or at least a piece of one. But from the size and shape it could only have come off of a huge creature. Somehow, that did not surprise him. He stepped over it and continued on.
He spotted other shreds of skin as he proceeded, some from a huge creature but others smaller, down to something an inch or so in diameter. That meant a lot of snakes used this cavern. Why hadn't he seen any yet?
Nikola heard something moving off to one side and stopped and listened. If the snakes truly were aggressive he could be attacked. He'd survived one bite, but it had incapacitated him. If he was bitten and collapsed here, he could be bitten and envenomed beyond his vampire body's capacity to heal. That meant his life was actually in danger in a way it hadn't been in a very long time. He found it both frightening and exciting at the same time.
The sound didn't seem to be coming any closer, but he heard another scraping sound off to the other side. Nikola was fairly sure he was hearing scales on stone. He should go back, get out of the cavern before it was too late. But he needed to know what was going on, what had messed with his head. He went forward, increasing his pace.
"Tesla," an accented voice said from in front of him. He stopped and two monks walked into the area lit by his candle.
"You speak English?" Nikola asked, surprised.
They shook their heads, and just stood waiting. There was a louder scraping noise from behind them, something heavy, something big coming up on them. The monks didn't move or seem concerned.
The bulbous head of a huge snake came into view, followed by its slithering body. Nikola saw its large, green, preternaturally intelligent eyes as it crawled up one monk and over to the second, distributing its weight between the two men. They stood stolidly, but Nikola could see it was a strain for them to support the creature.
On the second monk, the snake wrapped itself around his torso, then up on his shoulders, and finally rested with its head rising above the monk's. In silhouette, the monk would appear tall and misshapen .
A third monk followed the snake and picked up the tail, easing the burden on the other two. All three men stretched their mouths open wide, slender fangs folding down off their palates, and then closed them again, the fangs refolding- a demonstration, but of what Nikola wasn't sure. The snake flicked its tongue at Nikola, not touching him but coming close enough to make him want to step back.
The monks smiled at him. The one hosting the snake's head spoke.
"Yes, I am what you call an abnormal creature. My name is Jade. These, my slaves, speak for me since my mouth is not shaped to form your language sounds. I take the words from you, almost my slave, and they mouth them. Why are you only almost my slave?"
Nikola's mind raced as he tried to comprehend the situation. "Because I was bitten, or was it in the blood I was given to drink?"
"Some of my offspring carry the same venom as mine, but unfortunately, none has inherited my intelligence, not yet. Injected, the venom is a neurotoxin, not to paralyze, but to give me control. When you came here close to me, I felt you through my son's venom, and took you. The blood was to show you the advantage of joining with me, for without it now you will crave it."
"I'm not your slave and I never will be," Nikola stated more boldly than he felt.
"No, not yet. You are already partially under my control, but you are not like the others, already a blood drinker from a different source. We will see about the 'never'."
The three monks stepped forward toward the vampire, moving easily in concert with the snake connecting them. Nikola found he was unable to move. Even though he was not exactly Jade's slave, the snake could control him physically, at least when they were so close.
"What do you want?" the vampire asked desperately, stalling.
The snake stretched its head forward so its face was inches from Nikola's. "I want more- more slaves, more comfort, more food, more offspring. I have seen in your mind other places with these things, and you can take me there."
Nikola shook his head and did his best to dissuade the snake. "It won't work, Jade. Those places have more people who will see you, find out what you are, and kill you."
"You will help me, Nikola Tesla. I see into your mind more clearly now, and whether you are my slave or only a servant, you will show me how to be safe. Last time I merely blocked your mind, but now I realize you can do much for me. I do not know if my own venom will work better than my son's, but let us see."
Frozen in place, Nikola could do nothing to stop the creature. He did the one thing he could without moving- he vamped, eyes going black and red, fangs sprouting in his mouth and claws on his hands. Jade hesitated.
"What a fascinating creature you are, Tesla. You shall be mine." The huge snake opened its own mouth, and slid its fangs into the vampire's neck. Nikola felt only a mild sting, and then the poison spreading into his body as he weakened from the snake drinking his blood. It was over in a few seconds.
The two additional monks that had been recently bitten emerged into the lighted area. Nikola still couldn't move. One of them approached him and held out his arm in front of the vampire's mouth.
Nikola was hungry, and he wanted that tasty blood that carried a hint of the snake's venom in it. Jade was right, with the man's arm so close, he could smell the enticing scent of it and he did crave it. But he resisted, refusing to open his mouth to drink.
But the snake gave him no choice. It made him open his mouth, made the monk insert his arm, made Nikola close his fangs lightly into the flesh. Blood in his mouth, Nikola swallowed but kept his mind blank. The snake didn't need to know about his feeders or anything else about what he really was or could do.
Jade released him. Nikola took the arm and licked it perfunctorily, cleaning off the remaining blood and clotting the wounds with his saliva. With one hand he pushed the monk out of the way, and with the other he swiped his claws at the snake, but narrowly missed. Jade jerked back and hissed angrily.
Nikola found himself once again under the creature's control, but the venom in his system was starting to affect him. His vision dimmed, his knees sagged, and he was out before he hit the floor.
He awoke in his cell. By the sounds in the large Abnormal cavern, it was time for the morning feedings. Nikola started to sit up and pain lanced through his head. He felt like he had the king of hangovers, which he resented since he hadn't had the pleasure of getting drunk on wine first.
But he remembered everything that had happened, at least up until the venom had taken him over. Jade could invade his mind, could control him physically to some extent, but he wasn't her slave and didn't intend to be. Nikola wasn't sure how he could avoid it, though. The best he could do at the moment was to hide as much information from her as he could.
Helen arrived with a group of monks. She was dressed in her own clothes, with monk's clothing over them. They let him out of the cell, and some of the monks watched him warily as two went in and picked up his cot with the oversized gate controller on it. Two other monks removed the legs, and the cot was carried out. Nikola went back into his cell and put his own vest on over the clothing the monks had made for him, picked up a bag of tools and one of spare parts, and then he and Helen followed the monks through the halls.
They went down and off in a direction neither was overly familiar with. Eventually they came to an outer door and proceeded out into a small courtyard of sorts up against the mountain. Nikola squinted in the bright light; it was making his headache worse.
There were many other monks there and two enclosed wagons drawn by yaks. The cot was loaded into one, and another slightly larger cot was placed standing over it, protecting and partially concealing the device.
The wagon itself was barely large enough to hold it, and was crammed with bags of rice, blankets on built-in shelving, cooking equipment and various supplies. There was a small space to walk in next to the cot, and a chest at the far end that could be used as a seat.
The yetis were there too. Koden and Tonga were dressed in robes with cowls over their heads, but there was no doubt what they were even with their faces nearly invisible. They stood behind the second wagon and waited.
The head monk arrived. Doug spoke for a moment with the yetis, who then climbed into the second wagon. He and another monk came over to the Westerners.
"Helen, I am sorry to see you go. Perhaps you will come again, and perhaps I will be here still, but perhaps I will only be dust by then."
Helen just nodded at the truth of the statement. "Doug, thank you for your hospitality." Nikola grimaced a little at that, he hadn't exactly enjoyed his stay in the cell. Helen continued, "I hope you are able to discover who has been attacking your people and stop the killing. If there is anything I can do from the Sanctuary, please let me know."
Doug gave her a small bow in gratitude at the offer, but they both knew it was unlikely she would be able to assist him from so far away. He said, "Thank you." He turned to the monk with him and said, "This is Masra, he speaks English and will be leading the group. He knows the location of the caverns you wish to reach and will see you safely there."
Masra bowed slightly and said, "You and the yetis must remain in the wagons during the day so you are not seen. We will camp out of sight of others and I will also try to pull aside during the day to give you the opportunity to leave the wagon, but that may not always be possible. Patience is necessary."
"We'll keep a low profile," Helen agreed. Nikola looked around during the conversation and spotted a monk who looked like one of Jade's slaves, but the man turned away and he wasn't sure. The vampire scanned the crowd and thought he spotted another one of the snake's servants as well, but there was nothing he could do about it.
"If you are seen by the wrong person, there will be reports made, and soldiers may come. We cannot move quickly."
Helen and Nikola just nodded. The man was anxious for their safety which was good; it meant he would be careful, as long as he wasn't too fearful to act sensibly.
There was a stair hanging off the rear of their tall wagon leading to the door. Nikola went up first and offered a hand to Helen, who didn't actually need any help but took it anyway. They had both been trained in politeness in a different age. She closed the door behind her and they found themselves in the dim interior. There were no windows, but there were several small hatches that could be opened for a view of the outside. The one facing forward over the yaks was open.
Nikola could smell snake as soon as he entered the wagon. The odor was far too mild for a human to detect, especially with the other scents in the wagon. Well Doug's problem was likely solved, if Jade and her slaves were traveling with them. Unfortunately, that meant their problems were only beginning.