Chapter VIII
Ghotak had sounded the temple bells and called his followers, and as I approached, dragging the creature behind me, I saw his guards dash inside in excited alarm. I left the creature at the bottom of the temple steps and took them two at a time. I glanced back to see Khaleen coming on the run. I waved to her and entered the low-roofed meeting hall at the rear of the temple. Ghotak's men had alerted him, and as I made for the stage, he pulled the revolver from beneath his robes and fired at me. It was a move I hadn't expected, and the first shot sent a splinter of wood from the wall an inch from my head. I hit the floor and the second shot winged past harmlessly. Ghotak's move told me he knew the game was over. There was no longer any pretense at being the lofty holy man before his people. The shots had sent the crowd racing for the exits and I looked up past rushing forms to see Ghotak disappearing at the back of the stage where it led into the temple itself. I vaulted the platform and went after him. His men seemed uncertain, unsure of what to do. I saw two of them leap down and flee with the crowd. One tried to bar my way. He lunged at me, and I cracked his jaw with a sharp right cross. He went down, a sprawling blue bundle. I ran through the narrow passage linking the temple with the meeting hall. I heard my name called, and I halted to see Khaleen running up after me. She ran into my arms and we embraced for a moment.
"Get out of here," I said. "Ghotak will be desperate. He might do anything."
"You go," she said, stepping back. "I will follow. You may need me."
I hadn't time to argue with her. Besides, I knew her tradition-minded stubbornness made it imperative she be here.
"Stay back," I yelled as I ran forward into the temple. I had the thing wrapped up if I didn't let Ghotak slip through my fingers. With these people and their superstitions and ancient beliefs, he could start the whole bit over again. Besides, the bastard had had four tries at killing me. I deserved a shot in return, and I was going to make mine stick.
The temple was silent, and I halted, listening. I heard scurrying footsteps and saw one of the blue-shirted figures racing up from a small stairway at one side of the building. He wanted no part of me and raced for the doors. I let him go. I wasn't interested in the small-fry, the hired hands. I headed for the stairs and glanced back as I started down. I saw Khaleen coming up, and from the open doors of the temple I saw a blonde head appear. I headed down the stairs. A shot creased my shoulders as I reached the bottom step, and I fell backwards and lay still a moment. It wasn't followed by another, and I pulled myself up to see that I was in a large, wood-beamed cellar with statues of various deities lining the walls. I caught a flash of saffron at the far end of the room and Ghotak stepped into view. He aimed his revolver at me and I ducked. I heard the dull click of a hammer hitting an empty chamber. I got up and headed for him. He tossed the gun away and stood waiting for me. My hands opened and closed in eager anticipation, and I was halfway across the room when the floor opened beneath me, and I plunged down. I looked up in time to glimpse Ghotak's arm reaching behind him, pressing a wall panel, and then I was on my hands and knees on a dirt floor. I heard a door open and slam shut and the monk's voice echoed back in wild laughter. The trap door hung open some ten feet over my head. There was no possible way to reach it.
Then I saw I had company in the sub-cellar as the entire end of the pit began to move, to come alive in a writhing, twisting mass that began to curl and twist its way into separate snakes. I saw king cobras, deadly adders, green mambas and a variety of cottonmouths, each one of them capable of killing a man with one strike. They were hissing now, starting to slide toward me. I looked around desperately. There was nothing, only bare walls. I tried jumping for the edge of the opening but it stayed just out of reach. The snakes were moving with speed, obviously hungry and anxious for a victim.
"Nick!" I heard the half-cry and looked up to see Khaleen at the edge of the opening. Hilary's head appeared beside her. "Oh, God!" I heard her exclaim. She tried to reach her arms down but the distance was too great.
"There are draperies over there," she said, looking out across the temple. "I'll get them."
Khaleen stayed at the edge, gazing down at me. Hilary had raced away and I could hear her tearing at the material. But I knew it was going to be too late. The serpents were almost at me. By the time she knotted the ends together and lowered it, they'd have me. Khaleen saw it, too.
I saw her swing her legs over the edge and drop. "No!" I yelled at her. "Stop!" But it was too late, not that she'd have paid any attention to me, anyway. She landed beside me and I grabbed for her, but she slipped away and plunged into the mass of crawling snakes, kicking at them, screaming at them. Hilary was lowering the drapes now, and Khaleen looked back at me, her face contorted with pain as snake after snake struck at her, sinking fangs deep into her legs and ankles. She had diverted their attention from me to give me time to escape, and now her eyes implored me not to let her sacrifice go to waste.
"I tied the ends to the pillars," Hilary said, shaking the drapes. "They'll hold, only for God's sake hurry."
I looked at Khaleen and her cheeks were stained with tears, not all of them tears of pain. "Go, Nick… go," she gasped. I started to climb up the drapes and then dropped back.
"Dammit to hell," I swore. I raced to Khaleen, still standing with snakes imbedded in her legs. My shoes were heavy enough to withstand a few fangs. I kicked at those nearest her, grabbed her by the waist and lifted her from the mass of lunging reptiles. I jumped back, holding her with one hand around her waist, and started to pull myself up the draperies. Some of the snakes had sunk their fangs into the bottom of the cloth but I clung to it, gathering it in as I pulled the girl and myself up. Khaleen was half over my shoulder and I managed to shift her slight form to get use of both hands. At the edge, Hilary took the girl's limp body from me, and I pulled myself onto the floor.
Khaleen was breathing shallowly already. The massive doses of venom she had gotten would act in minutes. I saw her eyelids flutter, and she looked up at me and her hand moved over mine.
"I am yours," she breathed, and her lids softly closed over the deep eyes. Her small form shuddered and lay still. I put her small hands together and stood up. Hilary's eyes were misted over and I swore out loud.
"Damn, damn this stinking place!" I swore. "She didn't need to do that."
"Need and want," Hilary said, her voice catching. They're two different things."
I turned and ran out the door at the rear. Ghotak wasn't anywhere in sight but I saw one of his men, fear in his eyes as he spied me. I hadn't realized till now how omnipotent a figure I'd become to them. I'd survived a battle with a cobra and slain the yeti. You couldn't bat much higher in this league. He tried to run but I grabbed him, lifting him off the ground with one hand and slamming him against the wall of the temple.
"Where did he go?" I yelled.
"I do not know," the man said, shaking his head to emphasize his words. I slammed him into the wall again and heard his bones rattle.