Monty's Master – Part 20

I must have been about fifteen years of age when I first met him. When the guards brought me before him I expected a grand figure glittering with jewels like the nobles who sometimes visit the bazaar, but he wasn't much more than a boy himself. And who would have thought that the story of the stolen apricots would make him laugh? Instead of throwing me into the dungeon, he offered to take me under his wing and teach me everything he knew.

Since then the palace had become my home, but getting the bazaar out of the boy proved to be the difficult part. Back then I couldn't imagine how reading books or maps could prove useful to my survival. But Nagaraj was patient and showed equal interest in my stories.

"You see, Shahab," he told me one day, "to me, the places you tell me about are as far away as one of the foreign lands you can only see on a map."

"How so?" I asked him. "Don't you own this land?"

Nagaraj laughed. "That only in theory. The truth is, I've never been beyond the walls you've so skillfully climbed."

Indeed Nagaraj had led a life cut off from the rest of the world. Among the many reasons was the fact that the young king had been born with one leg shorter than the other. He often used the staff with the royal insignia to move around.

And I'll never forget the day he discovered my secret. Although I was ready to put my wandering days behind me, I could never forget my friends who helped me face the unforgiving streets. Sometimes I would sneak rice or raisins from the kitchen and meet them in the garden under the apricot tree. It didn't take long for Nagaraj, wise as he was, to piece everything together.

But even then it never occurred to him to cast me away. He even promised me that he would help me protect my secret but that I had to be careful and avoid prying eyes.

Then he sat down next to me and stuck his staff in the ground, saying that he always looked those he was addressing in the eye. The snake with a yellow spot on its head, the one that used to help me distract the Gulab vendor, without hesitation curled around the staff, climbing to the top and watching Nagaraj intently but with no malice.

From then on I was allowed to take as much food as I needed. For the first time in my life, there was no need to steal. To show my gratitude, I started giving more importance to my studies. Sometimes my snakes would return with important news about people's lives outside the walls, information that Nagaraj seemed to treasure.

So it was that after a while I became the most trustworthy adviser to the king and his family. And when the young queen fell ill, I was entrusted with the king's most precious possession.

I tried to teach her everything he taught me, but the garden was the only place she wanted to study. I almost had no choice; I had to introduce her to the snakes.

Luckily, Princess Eki was a vibrant and curious child, much like her father, and the snakes loved being around her, especially during her flute lessons. That's when I realized they could help me keep an eye on her even when I wasn't around, although I rarely left her side. Watching her grow was a privilege, almost as if she were my own daughter.

But as bold and bright as the princess grew, so fragile and withdrawn the king became. Although he tried to hide it, the queen's death had left a big mark on him.

One day he called me to him and said, "People are restless. Nagaghati has always abounded in snakes, but never as now. They started getting closer to the villages, and people are afraid to leave their homes. Don't you know what this is all about?"

"No, Your Majesty. Neither my snakes nor I have left the palace walls in a while."

"Then do you have a suggestion?"

"I could send my snakes to ask the others."

"Very well, but Shahab, take care. There are many things that go far beyond my power."

That night I waited for them in the garden, but great was my surprise when my five snakes returned with twenty others. They told me they were curious to know if I could really understand their speech. And they didn't even get to tell me what they were all doing in the valley when the king came out of the palace.

"Shahab, what is the meaning of this? The garden is crawling with snakes?"

I tried to explain myself when a single rustle of leaves made Nagaraj jump in fright.

"You must tell them to leave!"

I did as I was told, and by the next morning, I had almost forgotten all about it, except the king certainly hadn't. Without much detail, he told me to gather my belongings and leave.

After all this time, it seemed that I had finally crossed the line, and I could only agree with him. But the king said nothing about my five snakes that had already settled in the palace garden for a long time.

"Take care of her," I told them before I left.

I found it quite difficult to get used to the hustle and bustle of the bazaar after more than twenty years. And yet only the rumors passed on by vendors and merchants who had nothing better to do seemed to have changed while I was gone.

Indeed the people seemed scared, but not of the snakes. The king's name was on everyone's lips. They called him a Snake Whisperer and believed that he had summoned all the snakes to the valley to ensure that no one could ever leave the kingdom of their own free will or oppose him while he was king.

Was this what Nagaraj had meant when he said that many things were beyond his power? But then why did he ask me to keep my ability a secret? Was that the real reason he told me to leave, just so he could claim what was rightfully mine?

Nagaraj had never struck me as the kind of man to intimidate his subjects or betray his friends, but the evidence was hard to deny.

Once in the desert, I encountered many snakes who assured me that they meant no harm to humans or their four-legged companions. They all seemed to be going in one direction, so I followed them.

Soon we arrived in front of a pile of huge stones built on top of each other and with a large opening in the middle. It was dark inside, which made it difficult not to step on the snakes that twisted beneath me like stitches in a carpet. But when I looked up I almost turned back.

I had only read about the Snakemen once before, early in my studies. They were just a myth, a mere story not even a child would have believed, but they were as amazed as I was when they found out that I could understand them.

It turned out that the Snakemen knew a lot about the world. They knew everything about forests, seas, and oceans as well as the rest of the animals, they even knew the stars in the sky by name. The other snakes gathered around them because they liked to listen to their stories.

The only thing they knew almost nothing about was man. So I told them about plowing fields and milking cows, growing vegetables, and picking fruits, I even revealed my favorite mango cake recipe. They were fascinated and very grateful. So when I asked them for a favor they accepted.

With them by my side, I returned to the palace. I sought nothing more than answers. Yet once we arrived we did not encounter any guard but a gate torn to pieces.

The long halls were dark and empty. Nothing could be heard except a sad flute melody. I found Eki kneeling in front of a table on which something large stood covered.

It was then that I finally understood what Nagaraj had done.

It appeared that one of the servants had seen us in the snake garden that fateful night and had informed everyone that a Snake Whisperer was among them. The king had taken all the accusations upon himself and must have sent me away for fear of revealing the truth.

And the simple folk of Nagaghati proved to be braver than I would have thought.

I picked up the king's scepter that had been torn in half and knelt down next to Eki. The yellow-spotted snake stood curled around her shoulders. They had all done exactly as I required and had protected the Princess even at the cost of their lives. But all the royal guards had fled from the bloodthirsty crowd.

Then I noticed the Snakemen scurry across the room scrutinizing every shard of broken vase and dark stain on the rug.

I asked them if they wanted to stay, and in exchange for our knowledge, they agreed to become the new palace guards. Thanks to them, Princess Eki was able to reign for a long time without fear that anyone would ever rise up against her. And I became her trusty advisor.

The Serpent Guards quickly got used to life in the palace, and even started lending a hand to the blacksmith and the gardener, not to mention the kitchen staff. As for the other snakes, they soon left the valley, which gave the people more faith in their new queen, especially since the Snake Guardians never left the palace walls.

The Guardians made sure that no one would ever desecrate the king's remains and remained loyal to the royal family for many years. And yet, no one but us ever understood the king's sacrifice.

Even long after I am gone, I hope they will carry on my friend's secret as well as the memory of the Serpent King.

Ashritha stopped reading and turned the parchment over to make sure it didn't contain any more text. "Wow, guys, this is amazing! Where did you say you found it again?"

"Gift shop," Monty said.

"Antique store," Perry spoke at the same time.

They looked at each other and Monty quickly added, "It was an antique gift shop."

"Oh, I haven't heard of it," Aashritha said, folding the scroll and setting it next to her on the wooden bench.

Perry looked up at the thick foliage blocking the strong midday sun. "I think your grandfather would like to hear the true story."

"So you mean it, can I really keep it?"

Perry nodded, then took another bite.

"Thanks, guys, you know this means a lot to him. I just wish I could repay you somehow."

"You already have," Perry said softly, glancing at the apricot in his hand and then back at her, "more than you think, actually."

Aashritha gave him one of her many warm smiles. "I'm sure going to miss you guys! We'll keep in touch, right?"

Monty looked at Perry, only this time he patiently waited for him to reply: "Right."

Perry made sure to give Aashritha his citizen-mode contacts. He had been to a lot of places and met a lot of people, but few made him want to return. Aashritha had tried her best to make them feel welcome. He knew this was technically her job, but he was still grateful. After all, they now shared a secret. And who knew, her kind voice had gotten him out of a tight spot once, maybe it would do it again someday.

"Too bad the Snakes didn't give you two scrolls," Monty said, putting his fake ID card back in his pocket. "I'm sure Mister Fletcher would have liked to know the real story."

"It would have been hard to explain anyway, as far as he's aware I should be camping with a bunch of six-year-olds right now."

"That's too bad, I can't wait to tell Dad everything we've been through!"

Perry adjusted his backpack strap over his shoulder. "In that case maybe you should write the report."

A small twinkle appeared in Monty's eyes. "Can I?"

"Yeah, just maybe leave out the drama."

"Oh, but that's the best part!"

Perry cocked his head to the side and arched an eyebrow.

"Just kidding!"

Perry shook his head with a fond smile and reached behind for the zipper, "Speaking of which. I almost forgot to give this back."

"My fire baton!"

Perry ran his finger over one of the marks left by the metal arrows. "You never know when it will come in handy."

Monty took the stick and started twirling it in front of him, following Perry to the metal detector. He was just about to throw it into the air when the red lights burst out with a loud beeping noise. Monty let out a long groan, dropping his arms to his sides.

"Don't worry. I'll save you a seat."

Monty glanced from Perry back to the metal stick in his hand and could only shake his head as well, chuckling to himself.

Perry set his backpack against the wall and hung up his jacket. The sun was already close to setting, flooding the living room in an apricot-like orange.

It was quiet except for the chirping of birds in the tree outside and the screeching of Candace's pen as she sat bent over the coffee table next to her Ducky Momo mug.

"You're back," she said without looking up from her notebook.

"You almost sound disappointed. Where're the others?"

"Dad's still at the store, Mom's at Mrs. Garcia-Shapiro's, and the boys went to Baljeet's house to work on a school project."

"Oh," Perry sat down on the couch next to her, "and what are you up to?"

"Well, I was doing my homework until you started interrupting me."

Perry looked towards the patio door. "You shouldn't study in this light anyway. It's not good for your eyes."

"You sound just like Mom," said Candace, closing her notebook with a resonating thud.

Perry looked at the colorful stickers on the front cover.

"What?" Candace snapped.

"Nothing. I just thought you threw them away."

Candace turned her head away and murmured, "They're fine on books, laptops, and stuff like that. It's normal, everyone does it!"

"Of course," Perry said in an amused voice and sat back with his arms folded under his head and his legs stretched out on the coffee table.

Candace turned to him. "Hey, what happened to your ankle?"

"Ah, that," Perry said without switching his position or the tone of his voice. "Funny thing happened."

Candace gave him an impatient look.

"I tripped over the campfire."

Candace scoffed. "Typical… I swear you never watch where you're going! It's like your eyes are facing opposite directions sometimes."

Perry grinned at that. "Hey, where are you going?"

"To fetch mom's burn salve. You never take care of these things, idiot."

Perry let out a chuckle that only he could hear and leaned back again. It was good to be home.