Serpentine Love Read Online Free Page A

removed his sunglasses, which he
had been wearing while pretending to be asleep--a perfect way to
study his stunningly elegant companion without her knowing about
it. After stepping out of the car, he stretched his arms high above
his head.
    They had been on the road for four
hours without a break, but their destination was worth the long
travel. Behind the cottage, at a distance of less than two miles,
stood the majestic Mount Kenya, its ragged peaks covered in snow
and white fluffy clouds.
    “ Wow!” he said, gaping at
the wondrous sight that met his eyes.
    “ Kind of takes your breath
away, doesn’t it?” a voice called out.
    Arya looked and there stood the man he
was searching for. Isaac Lois was seventy, if not more, but looked
fifty. A tall man, he was slightly stooped at the shoulders and had
a thick mass of white hair that reached down to his shoulders. His
face was sun-baked but there was a healthy glow to his skin. His
eyes were the same piercing blue as the overhead sky.
    “ It sure does.” Arya smiled,
and walked up to shake his hand. “I’m a great admirer of your
work.”
    “ Well, I am no celebrity,
but it’s kind of you to say so. Come in,” Isaac said.
    Arya walked in, aware that Maya was
close behind him, observing his reactions, as he walked
inside.
    “ This is one hell of a place
you live in,” Arya said, impressed by the cozy and warm décor of
the cottage, complemented by huge unadorned glass windows that
brought in the beauty of the landscape inside.
    “ Well, if one has to retire,
might as well do it in style, don’t you think?” Isaac Lois motioned
for him to sit on the couch. He sat next to Arya.
    “ You’re hardly retired.”
Maya sat on a straight-backed chair placed opposite the couch.
“You’re busier than most men I know.”
    “ This and that. I try to
fill the day.”
    “ Yeah right, and what is
that I hear of the safari you’ve started?”
    “ What’s that?” Arya watched
the interaction between the two. There was clearly a lot of comfort
and love.
    “ It’s a thing my boys have
started for the tourists who come to hike on Mount Kenya. The
ambitious ones go right to the top with professional guides, but
we’ve some staid ones who wish to enjoy the experience but don’t
want to climb all the way up. Leon and Zeba came up with the idea
of taking them on a two day trek around the highlands, combined
with some game watching, snake spotting and fishing in the streams.
It’s bringing in some tourists, to be sure,” Isaac said.
    “ I hope you’re not going on
the trek yourself?” Maya said. There was a worried frown on her
forehead.
    “ Don’t fuss so, I’m not dead
yet.” Isaac shifted in his seat. “I’ve been training the boys on
how to handle the big snakes in case they come across any dangerous
species. We don’t want any injured tourists now, do we?” Isaac
laughed off his granddaughter’s concerns, a twinkle in his eyes as
he talked about his beloved snakes. “Now, you two must be tired.
Maya, you know where your room is. And Mr. Manav,
right?”
    “ Please call me
Arya.”
    “ Well, come with me, Arya.”
Isaac stood. “I’ll show you to your room. Your cottage is right
next to my research lab.”
    “ Wonderful.” Arya walked out
to take his luggage out of the car. He put Maya’s bags in her room
before taking his to the cottage. “Maybe I can get a tour of your
lab while we are at it?” he said to Isaac.
    “ In a hurry, aren’t
you?”
    “ No point in wasting time.”
He wanted to discuss the inagimi with Isaac as soon as possible.
Time was one thing he was short of. Archan would not tolerate any
delay or failure.
    A while later, he was standing in
Isaac’s study.
    Isaac poured coffee in his mug and took
a delicate sip. “Maya told me you are interested in myths and
folklore regarding African snakes?”
    “ Yes, I’m,” he admitted.
He’d already taken the tour of the lab and found nothing unusual
about the place. “Are there