Monty's Master – Part 13

"You think that's what Bringdown is looking for?" Monty asked in a hushed voice. "He's trying to release the snake guards?"

"That'd be my guess," Perry agreed, sipping from his tea.

Aashritha returned with a bowl of crackers which she placed in the middle of the table before sitting on the floor next to them. Not a second later, a woman with her hair pulled in a tight bun poked her head through the door frame.

"If I had known you were bringing guests I would have started dinner early," she said.

"No problem, Mrs. Sharma," Perry said. "We're the ones who came without advance notice."

"Oh, that's alright, dear. The more the merrier. I just hope you two like my Sambar Stew."

"Ah, I think I know that recipe," said Perry, his mind going all the way back to his neighborhood's potluck parties. "Maybe I could lend a hand to make things go faster?"

"You know how to cook?" asked Mrs. Sharma in surprise.

"Of course, it's a basic survival skill."

"Hmm, that's good, very good in a husband."

Perry nearly choked on his tea, and carefully placed his cup back on the table.

"Mama!" Aashritha said in a reproachful yet somewhat amused voice as she patted Perry on the back. "Stop teasing our guests!"

Mrs. Sharma smiled slyly and disappeared behind the door.

"Sorry about that," Aashritha said. "Are you feeling alright?"

"Um, yeah, don't worry," Perry said, wiping his mouth and avoiding her gaze.

Aashritha nodded with a smile. She crossed the room to the window and parted the curtain, welcoming in the first soft lines of sunset.

"It's getting pretty late," she mused. "I think I should go put the stone back before it gets dark. Do you mind if you wait here until I get back?"

"Actually, I think I should come with you," Perry said, looking her in the eye again. "You know… strength in numbers and all that."

In hindsight, if those guys were still lurking around, then Aashritha would have had less chance of catching their eye if she went by herself. They would have recognized him for sure, but if it really came down to that, then he had no doubt that he could handle them. So it was probably best not to leave anything to chance.

"If you say so," Aashritha shrugged, pulling the curtain back. "Let me just grab my jacket!"

Perry watched her make her way to the door.

"Please wipe that grin off your face," he said, not even needing to turn to look at Monty.

"What grin?" asked Monty who had been trying very hard not to laugh.

"I know what you're thinking and I can tell you're delusional."

"Hey, don't look at me. After she led us to that bar even I could have sworn she might be trying to set us up."

"You know that was mainly your fault."

"Details," Monty said, waving a hand. "But does that mean you finally trust her?"

"I don't know," Perry said, folding his arms over his chest. "I still have the feeling she's hiding something."

Monty sighed and continued to drink his tea with the air of a disappointed parent.

They found the boulder right where they left it, and not even a mouse seemed to have passed by while they were gone. The last footprints in the sand belonged to them. He knew learning everyone's shoe size would eventually come in handy.

Perry had to admit that the desert twilight was quite a sight to behold, even if the temperature had dropped half a thermometer.

He stuffed his hands into his pockets as he walked past Aashritha who was admiring the crimson clouds.

"Hey, thanks for the help," she said, never taking her eyes off the sky.

"I would suggest using a rope ladder in the future. A one-way tunnel is not very practical."

Aashritha glanced at him.

"Or so I've heard."

Aashritha giggled. "You know, Steven, you really are a great guy, always thinking what everyone needs! I bet you have tons of friends back home!"

Perry looked down at the cracked earth growing grayer by the second. "No, not really."

"Oh," Aashritha said, slowing down, "well, Michael seems to care a great deal about you! You guys must be really close!"

Perry matched her steps. "Yeah," he said with a small smile, "I guess you're right."

They walked a little longer in what Perry hoped was a comfortable silence, and, after the sun had completely vanished behind the dunes, he drew to a halt.

"Are you sure this is the way we came?"

"Yeah, don't worry, I know this place like the back of my hand," said Aashritha. "All we have to do is take a left past the..."

But Perry stood still, his eyes fixed on a mound of earth by a dwarf shrub. Something twitched under the moon, silver light reflecting along sleek scales.

Aashritha made a sudden move. Perry shoved her behind his back.

"Don't panic," he whispered. "Snakes don't usually attack unless they feel threatened."

The viper watched them with its large, glassy eyes.

"Now let's back up very slowly..."

The snake shot its head forward and let out a low hiss. Perry gritted his teeth and made a tentative gesture to his pocket.

"Wait!"

Perry's hand stopped in midair and he turned to Aashritha who was trying to peek over his shoulder. And before he had any time to react, she ducked under his arm and dropped to her knees.

Perry quickly pulled out his snake repellent.

"Wait," Aashritha repeated in a softer voice, extending a hand to the snake, "it's okay."

Perry lowered the spray bottle. The viper cocked its head and let out a short hiss.

"Yes," replied Aashritha, "but that's not important right now. Where are you headed anyway?"

The snake spun once like a ring.

"Ah, I see. Well, good luck on your night hunt then!"

Perry could have sworn the snake nodded its head, then slithered on without even bothering to look his way.

Aashritha slowly rose to her feet. She stood still for a moment and when she turned to him again she was no longer smiling.

"You are a Snake Whisperer," he said in a quiet voice.

"Look, I can explain!"

"So when you said you trained Pickles, what you actually meant was..."

"Steven, please!" Aashritha grabbed his hand with both of hers. "You can't tell anyone what you saw, I mean it!"

He could feel a shiver run through her body and that's all it took to remember Hanul and Snake Crusher, as well as Grandpa Sharma's words and the Snake King's downfall. If the truth was ever to come out then Aashritha would never have heard the end of it, at least as long as she lived in the Snake Valley.

Perry nodded firmly. He then tilted his head and said with a smirk, "Don't worry, I'm pretty good at keeping secrets."

Aashritha studied his face carefully. After another moment she breathed a sigh of relief, and, still holding on to him, glanced at the spray bottle in his other hand.

"Is that...cinnamon oil?"

"Well yeah," Perry said, pulling his hand out of her grasp only to scratch the back of his head. "You know, keep the snakes away."

"I know that, it's just... you always carry that with you?"

"Well I wouldn't say always," Perry said. "It's just that I'm used to it." He took a few steps and sat down on a dry log, looking down at his dusty boots. "It was my mother's idea. My father died from a snake bite when I was little, so she didn't want to take any more chances with me. You see, Australia is full of snakes, but she was a ranger so she wasn't allowed to actually harm them."

Aashritha slowly sat next to him and put a hand on his shoulder. "Your father? The one with the carnival games?"

"No, that was... my second father," Perry said without elaborating.

But Aashritha didn't insist, following his gaze to the beetle that made its way between their feet.

"I could never resent them, though," Perry said, looking at the lines left in the sand. "They're just animals, they don't know any better. Or at least that's what mom used to say. Although…" He turned to look at her, "you must have a better idea. Do you often communicate with them?"

Aashritha smiled. "Whenever I find the time. After I started working, I wanted to find someone who could take care of my mom and grandpa while I was gone. Pickles was the only one who volunteered. They're afraid of people, you see."

"Mm, can't blame them." Perry put his hands on his knees. "Then your mother and grandfather... do they know?"

"Yeah, actually I think they were half expecting it since mom's grandpa was also a Snake Whisperer. I guess it runs in the family."

Perry looked down again. "Well, at least that means you don't have to lie to them."

Aashritha pulled her legs to her chest and wrapped her arms around herself.

Perry gave her a quick look, then sprang to his feet. "It's getting quite cold. Should we head back?"

Aashritha nodded and stood up carefully not to step on the beetle.

"And doesn't he sometimes get jealous that we have legs and arms and he doesn't?" Perry asked as the first glimmering windows lighted up their path.

Aashritha giggled. "Not really. He says they're only making us look like clumsy fools. But he likes my stockings. He uses them as pajamas sometimes, or maybe a sleeping bag."

Perry laughed quietly. He had to admit he did enjoy himself in the end, though probably not for the same reason Monty had expected.

"And after the cannon loads, it launches you twenty feet into the air," Monty explained to Grandpa Sharma who was simply trying to enjoy his stew.

Perry focused on his own plate, trying to ignore Mrs. Sharma's insistent gaze. Sitting next to Aashritha, who was feeding Pickles carrot pieces under the table, might not have been such a good idea after all.

There was a loud bang and a short gust of cold wind before Kaja bolted into the room, and, without further warning, slammed a wet fish with a large hole in the middle onto the table.

"Remind me again why we let her have the key," murmured Mrs. Sharma.

Monty curiously approached the fish.

"Don't touch that," Perry said, wrinkling his nose.

"That does it! I can't believe the nerve of that guy!" Kaja said, throwing her hands in the air.

"What guy?" asked Monty.

"Oh, please don't get her started," said Mrs. Sharma, exasperated.

Kaja took a deep breath and said in one go, "There's this freak who docked at the port about three days ago. As soon as it gets dark, he goes out fishing and starts shooting arrows everywhere! And not only does it scare my fish, but he almost drowned poor old Rishi the other day after he stabbed his boat!"

And she produced from her raincoat a thin wooden arrow with a metal point and an eagle feather tail which she also hurled onto the table. Pickles curled in fear around Mr. Sharma's leg, who continued his dinner as if nothing had happened.

"Kaj, we talked about this," Aashritha said in a tired voice. "I think we can all agree the sea is big enough for the both of you."

"Whose side are you on anyway?"

Perry took advantage of the fact that no one was paying attention to him and examined the arrow.

"Look, I'm sure it was just an accident," Aashritha said.

"Who still uses arrows anyway?! We're supposed to be in the 21st century!"

"Isn't it about the same as a harpoon?"

Kaja let out an offended gasp. "How can you say such a thing? And here I thought you were my friend!"

Aashritha rolled her eyes, and after Kaja began to share with everyone the detailed history of harpoons and why they were clearly the ultimate hunting weapon, she picked up the fish before Pickles could get to it and handed it to Mrs. Sharma who threw it straight into the trash can.

"Hey, can I talk to you for a second?" Perry asked, scooting closer to her. He glanced around and added, "In private?"

"Oh, sure," Aashritha said, scrambling to her feet. "Better come with me then."

Monty, who had been listening to Kaja rather fascinated, turned his attention to them, waited until Aashritha turned the other way, and gave Perry a thumbs-up with a not-so-subtle wink.

This was getting old, Perry decided as he followed Aashritha into the small hallway.