Gift of the Serpent Read online

  Nikita roared her battle cry as she used her magic to launch some already levitating snake scale daggers into the backs of eight of the 20 enemies. She leaped at Bomani Shadid and used one of her daggers to slash him across the face before he could strike Angel. He staggered backwards as he covered his left eye, and tried to stop the blood. Bomani looked at her, anger in his one good eye, and he recognized her at once. “You! But I saw Long Fang kill you!”

  “It takes more that a few flames to kill me, weak warrior,” Nikita taunted before she twirled her dagger so that the blade hilt was facing the ceiling, then slashed downward on the rope that bound Angel.

  “You will die this night, witch,” he cursed before he attacked, swinging his tekko-kagi wide.

  “I’m no witch, weakling. I am the Reptilian Protector.” Nikita said as she dodged his wide attack, and pulled Angel down to the floor.

  Nikita commanded Angel as she blocked several weak attacks, “Angel, run. Now!” Angel ran towards the door dodging falling people. The boys were fighting the Dagger clan soldiers to keep them out of Nikita’s way. Nikita blocked with her daggers, cutting into Bomani’s arms. He cried out when he saw the blades enter his arms.

  “Time to face Dracona fury,” Nikita hissed as she brought her face close to his. Nikita shifted her appearance in an instant. Her eyes were those of a Basilisk snake, her fangs and venom just as deadly as a monocle cobra’s. He closed his eyes before she could use her Basilisk gaze, but could not get away since his arms were trapped by her serrated blades.

  “Just sneak a peek, what harm can come from a peak?” Nikita tried to soothe him into opening his eyes, “Fine, don’t open your eyes the easy way. I have other means to get you to look at me.”

  With that Nikita pulled out her serrated daggers and as they cut up the inside of his arm, Bomani cried out and opened his eyes in surprise at the pain. His mistake was that she was right in front of him, his eyes met her eyes and she cast her Basilisk gaze on him immediately. He began to turn to stone where he stood, within moments he was a stone statue stuck with a look of fear on his face and his body frozen in the position of attempting to run away.

  “Your name may mean strong warrior, but I’m cunning.” Nikita shifted back to normal instantly as she smiled and turned around to face the continuing battle. She saw the boys were winning. She roared an ear-splitting, dragon roar to end the fighting. Everyone froze in place and looked at her as they covered their ears. “

  Your leader is defeated. The Dagger clan has lost,” Nikita said loudly so she could be heard by all of those that were still standing. The Dagger clan soldiers looked from her to the stone statue of Bomani and back again, then fled.

  The boys and Angel walked up to Nikita with smiles on their faces. Horus noogied Mikey when he tried to give Horus a fist bump. Nikita couldn’t help but laugh.

  Once they were all gathered together near the stone statue Oliver introduced Nikita to Angel. “Angel, I’d like you to meet Nikita Blade; she’s become a great friend. Nikita, this is Angel Lang, one of our best allies and friends.”

  Angel said surprised, “Wait, your name’s Nikita Blade?”

  Nikita inquired, “Yeah. Why do you ask?”

  “I was researching someone named Nikita Blade when I was attacked. I’d been hearing stories of strange things happening in the city. In one instance, some guy turned himself into the police because he’d been stopped (and beaten) while mugging a girl by some creature that looked like a girl, fell from the sky, and had snake fangs. You know me, I’m curious, so I started doing some searching on the internet, and found out about this Nikita Blade.”

  “No, I don’t know you, but do tell: what did your research say?”

  “That someone named Nikita Blade was once known as Rosa Jemina or the Wicked Snake—over 150 years ago. She was wanted for a total of 47 murders.” The boys looked at Nikita in wonder and concern; Angel looked at her with a hint of fear.

  Nikita said half-heartedly, “What a crazy coincidence. Let me guess. She liked to dress up with snakeskin clothing.”

  “Uh… no she was said to have snake-like abilities and magic.” Angel paused, then continued, “Are you Rosa Jemina?” Nikita looked at each of the boys and saw the fear and worry, and for a moment, her eyes became blood red instead of reptilian yellow.

  Nikita yielded with an edge, “Just ‘cause you do some stupid research, doesn’t mean you know me girlie. Also the killings only started 140 years ago.”

  “You killed innocent people, men, women, sheriffs, and deputies! You're a murderer,” said Angel.

  Something was gnawing at Nikita about this conversation with Angel. She knew that all of this information wasn’t on the internet about her—but Angel had it right. Somehow, she’d gotten a lot of information about Nikita’s history—a history that would be almost impossible for anyone alive to know. But she couldn’t think it all through right now.

  “That was a long time ago. Besides those people were guilty of burning my home and nearly killing me. I’m trying to makeup for all those lives that I ended,” Nikita said trying to regain the trust that was slowly fading away.

  “You're a monster!” yelled Angel.

  Those words hit Nikita like a sucker punch to the gut. The boys did nothing to end the argument, caught up in their surprise at how this introduction had gone so wrong. Nikita looked at each of those in front of her and saw only fear—she hated what was happening. She turned and fled as Oliver tried to catch up to her, but she was too fast for him.

  She looked over her shoulder at him and saw the fear in his eyes was different. She pulled one of her larger snake scales from her arm and wrote a message on it with a spell as she ran, then dropped it in her path.

  As Oliver approached the point where she had just been, he stopped when he saw the glint of the snake scale as the light of the moon hit it. He walked up to where it lay and picked it up. Tears filled his eyes as he watched Nikita disappear into the shadows.

  Oliver turned back, and began walking back towards his brothers and Angel. He studied the snake scale he found, and was confused as to why it had suddenly dropped off of Nikita. Then he saw the message. He held it close trying to see what it said, but the message was written too small.

  He was now only a few feet away from his brothers and was still looking at the snake scale. Angel saw what he had in his hand and exclaimed, “You got a scale! We can do a DNA scan so that Dakota can track her.” She snatched the scale and studied it loosely. “Now she can’t run from the law. Hey, wait there’s something written here.” She had found the message.

  “It’s too small to read. I wish it was bigger,” said Oliver. Suddenly, the scale began to grow until the message was readable. To Oliver there seemed to be tiny black and red scale floating around the message. The message itself read:

  Oliver,

  I’m sorry I have to flee. You will always be in my heart. If you ever need me just speak into this snake scale (when it is miniaturized) and I’ll hear you. The world is not ready for me yet.

  Love,

  Nikita

  P.S. Only you can read this Serpantra, so I can say—knowing that you are with your brothers—that this is also a tracker scale.

  Oliver was snapped away from the message when Angel stated, “What kind of language is that I can’t even read it.”

  Oliver said softly as the scale shrunk back to its original size, “It’s a special type of Serpantra.”

  Chapter 11

  Journeys

  Oliver and his brothers headed back home once they had made sure Angel was home safely. When Master Kappa saw that they had come home alive he was happy to see them. Then he realized that Nikita was missing. He inquired, “Boys what happened? Where is Nikita?”

  Oliver answered, “She helped us win, but afterwards Angel revealed something about Nikita’s past and she ran away, Master Kappa.”

  Horus replied, “She was wanted for 47 murders, Master Kappa.”

  Dakota answer
ed, “She lied about who she was.”

  Mikey commented, “She was amazing in battle. She stone-ified Bomani!” They just glared at Mikey, and he closed his mouth.

  Kappa scolded them, “Do you not remember Nikita’s favorite quote? The past is the past. Don’t let it get in the way of new friendships.”

  Oliver said, “Master Kappa, she ran because she saw that we were afraid of her and Angel called her a monster. We all know how that word makes Nikita feel unwanted.”

  Kappa suggested, “Then you must find her, regain her trust, and apologize to her. Bring her back if you can. Remember she is alone and scared now. You begin in the morning.” With that the boys headed to bed. Oliver put Nikita’s snake scale on a necklace after using a needle gun to make a hole in the thickest end of the scale. He then placed it on the table beside his bed before he layed in bed. It was the last thing he saw before he fell asleep. Nikita filled his dreams.

  In Oliver’s dreams he saw Nikita standing before him under a cherry blossom tree, smiling at him. He walked towards her with a smile on his face, as his heart skipped a beat. When he was standing right in front of her, Nikita kissed him desirously, and Oliver relaxed into her embrace with shared hunger.

  Oliver pulled away and looked at her, “You're not really here. This is a dream.” Oliver brushed Nikita’s hair with his hand. “I miss you Nikita very much. I love you.”

  The next morning Oliver and his brothers prepared themselves for a long journey. Oliver put on the snake scale necklace before he and his brothers left. Oliver took the lead as they headed to where Oliver had last seen Nikita. From there they would follow whatever trail she had left behind.

  They reached Nikita’s last known location easily, since the Dagger clan had abandoned the warehouse and their stone lieutenant. Oliver reached the place where he had picked the snake scale up first and began looking for a hidden path. His brothers helped him look once they caught up to him. They looked for an hour and found nothing.

  Suddenly, Oliver remembered part of the message on the snake scale that hung around his neck, “... this is also a tracker scale.” He looked down at the snake scale once he had taken it off his neck and was holding the necklace by the ends. He said to the scale, “Track down Nikita Blade.”

  The snake scale levitated to his eye level and seemed to nod at him. It began to move off in the direction he had seen Nikita run off in. He called out to his brothers before he allowed the snake scale to lead him, and his brothers followed him.

  The boys continued following the scale for several days, as the tracker only worked in sunlight. They had left New York City not long after they began to chase the levitating scale.

  It was now the fifth day of their journey and night had fallen, and the snake scale had ceased to point them in the right direction. Oliver had caught the scale in his hand as it had begun to fall and was now putting it around his neck before he went to bed. He fell asleep with ease and dreamed a familiar dream.

  Nikita was standing before him under a cherry blossom tree, smiling at him. He walked towards her with a smile on his face, as his heart skipped a beat. When he was standing right in front of her, Nikita kissed him just as she had in his dreams every night of their trek. But this time, Nikita pulled away and looked at him with a glare. “Seriously Ollie? You dream of kissing me.”

  Oliver jumped away startled, “Nikita? What the hell are you doing in my dream? Why do you sound like you're far away?”

  “Oh, not much, other than seeing what an idiot you are.” Oliver looked at her in confusion as Nikita walked up to him. “Hello, you're walking into a trap,” Nikita said as she knocked on Oliver’s head.

  “What do you mean? What trap? And ow.”

  “Benefit to me being in your dream, you can now feel pain. And I mean trap, as in if you come to my location, you will die.”

  “If you're in trouble then I want to help you,Nikita.”

  “You wanna help. Fine you can help if you can answer these three riddles. First: I am ancient yet young. I go unseen yet am always there. I bear little hate, but my people hate many. Who am I?”

  Oliver crossed his arms and rested his head on his left hand, and thought carefully about the riddle. After several minutes Nikita began to turn around and head towards a door that wasn’t there before.

  “Wait! Nikita is the answer. You are 324 years old, but look 18 years old. You haven’t been seen throughout those years, but were always there. You don’t hate anyone other than those that have angered you, but reptile kind hates mankind naturally.” Nikita hissed her displeasure as she turned around to face him, eyes a blood red color now, but immediately went back to reptilian yellow.

  “Second: I fly high unseen. My breath is too hot to bear, yet useful. My skin is as black as a moonless night. What am I?” Oliver again thought carefully and several moments past.

  “You are Nikita Blade’s dragon form!”

  “One left. I see all in my home, but am unseen. Kind as I am, I have an edge to my blade. Shifting eyes of light. I bear only love for the friends I have. Who am I? Try to be quick. I don’t have all night.”

  Oliver thought hard on this one studying every phrase. Oliver smiled as he chimed, “You are Nikita Blade.”

  Nikita shook her head slowly, yet sharply. Oliver’s smile turned into an expression of disbelief and shock, he was so sure he had found the right answer. Oliver asked, “Then who are you?”

  Nikita smiled as she cooed, “I am you, Ollie.” Oliver looked at her in amazement as Nikita continued on in a more serious tone, “Never believe all clues point the same way or you won’t get far. Unfortunately, since you solved only two of the three riddles you must turn your search party around and head home.”

  Oliver strained, “I would, but I can’t Nikita. I— my brothers and I— need to set things right, and I think Kappa misses you.”

  Nikita scoffed and said sarcastically, “Wow, that’s a first. I’ve never been missed by an old man before, but that doesn’t matter. I’m at least a day’s travel away from you. What is ahead, only a Reptilian Protector can survive. Are you really going to risk you and your brothers lives? You're a team that should never be broken.”

  “Then I’ll leave early and leave a message for my brothers to turn back and head home. I’ll tell them there is trouble back home, but I’m not giving up on you,” answered Oliver.

  “I see I can’t deter you with words. So, I will have to shatter the path you’ve been following,” Oliver looked at her confused as she enchanted, “Shattlemar paros scalista Lenstora. When you awake the snake scale will be shattered and you will be forced to turn for home.”

  Oliver looked at her in utter disbelief as his jaw dropped open, “What? But I’m just trying to help. Nikita don’t do this, please.” he called after her as she disappeared into the doorway.

  Suddenly, Oliver was awake and bolting upright, he looked all around him as he turned his head sharply from side to side. His brothers were still asleep and it was still dark. Oliver looked down to the snake scale necklace that was on a large shard of glass that Oliver had found. Nikita had done it. She had shattered the snake scale and his only hope of ever seeing her again.

  Oliver saw the sun was peeking out over the horizon and carefully took the biggest shard of the scale in his hand. He whispered pleadingly to it, “Lead me to Nikita Blade.” He waited and waited, but the scale shard did nothing. He took the glass shard and found a hole in it so he put it on the necklace.

  When the rest of the boys had awakened and were done with breakfast Oliver told them about Nikita’s visit. Dakota asked somewhat dumbfounded, “What? She shattered the snake scale? But she wasn’t even here. Was she?”

  Oliver answered, “No, she wasn’t here. I looked for her tracks, but didn’t find any this morning. Besides in my dream she sounded far away and she said that she was at least a day’s travel away from us.”

  Mikey asked, “So what do we do, continue forward or turn back?”

  Hor
us said as he smacked Mikey on the back of the head, “We can’t continue. We don’t know if she is straight ahead or if we have to turn somewhere to find her.”

  Oliver felt defeated, but directed, “We head home and pray that Nikita finds a way back to us.”

  At this the others nodded agreement and began packing up for the long trek home. Oliver stood gazing, longingly, in the direction that they had been heading. Oliver’s thoughts drifted to Nikita, and he stood lost in thought for several minutes. When the others were all ready to go Horus hit Oliver on the arm to get his attention. Oliver looked at Horus and grabbed his bag and they started for home.

  They continued for two days before Oliver received another message. He was once again dreaming of Nikita, but this time they were on different sides of a crystal, clear river. Nikita was smiling at him and waving for him to come over to the riverbank that she was standing on. He walked through the gentle river to where she stood. Nikita’s gaze changed with her eye color, from emerald green eyes and a gentle smile to reptilian yellow and an unamused glare.

  Oliver’s smile disappeared as he realized Nikita was in his dreams again. Nikita growled, “Do you ever dream of anything else?” Oliver blushed as he shrugged and attempted an innocent smile. Nikita smacked herself in the face with her palm. “Well, at least you took my advice and turned for home with your brothers.”

  Oliver asked, “That’s what you entered my dreams to tell me?” Nikita hesitated a moment then nodded. Oliver pointed out, “You never told me what trouble you were in or what the trap was.”

  Nikita glared teasingly, “Curiosity killed the cat. The trap was a deadly canyon pass that is guarded by one of the oldest reptile ancestors. And the trouble that I’m in is that I’m being held captive in a giant tank by Long Fang. How Leatherface got past the trap with a small army is a mystery much like how she escaped the hideout.”

  Oliver looked at her with worry before he finally noticed the wounds that almost covered her showing flesh. Then his expression changed to one of true concern. Nikita had bruises all over her body and some on her face, a cracked lip, and many cuts that had dried blood or were still bleeding. That was just what Oliver could see. Though he knew that there were probably more injuries hidden by her clothes or internally. “Are those wounds from Long Fang and her men?”