A PALE HORSE

There were shelves lined with containers and large vials and jars. Inside those were the carcasses of creatures. Nothing that Maggie had seen before but a few that she thought she had recognized from stories in children’s fairy tales. A gigantic, bloody and raw bone took up the center of the room. Maggie had been inside plenty of museums, and also to a few crime scenes in her day, and bones as a rule didn’t bother her. Where the hell did this come from, she thought. This bone had a section of it cut out to reveal the meaty core, bloody and grisly, not like a museum-display bone at all, but a fresh bone that had once been part of a living creature, and probably recently. As if in answer to her silent query, she spied a forgotten saw sitting forlornly off to the side of the bone on a cement block. Next to the bone sat a table with a rather large jar on it. In the jar was a small human-like figure, it was completely green with webbed feet and hands. On its back was a shell-like carapace, like that of a turtle. She tapped the side of the jar and followed it down to the neatly scrawled tag. Kappa, found in in Japan ca. 1838. Maggie wasn’t sure what a kappa was exactly but she was finding the lab more and more intriguing. That was the type of person she was, horror gave way to curiosity and intrigue more often than not. It’s what made her one of the best at what she did. She surreptitiously reached up to her pendant to ensure it was switched on. Max had moved over to the small couch settled by a wall in the corner and had arranged a place to settle his mom. He walked over to Maggie and flicked the glass jar with his finger. “Have you ever seen this before, Max?” Maggie asked him.

Max looked at her and said, “I have. Some of them are recent purchases, but some of them I have not seen before,” Max told her.

“What does he do with them?” she asked him.

“I am not sure. He keeps the information to himself. It looks as though he has someone running tests and experiments down here, though,” Max said. “Look over here,” he pointed in a direction and Maggie’s gaze automatically followed to where he pointed. She saw a stainless steel surgical table with the body of a small child upon it. Maggie recoiled until she saw that it was not a child at all but a small humanoid creature. A dwarf, maybe? It was covered in hair with a beard that was half the length of its body. Two small horns projected from it’s head and Maggie noticed it was covered in bruises and had small patches of hair removed along with the skin. Maggie shivered and moved closer to Max. He placed a protective arm around her and pulled her to him.

“The poor creature. Do you know what it is, Max?” Max looked around and spotted some notes on a clipboard by the corpse. He let go of Maggie and scanned the writing on the clipboard.

“It says it is a domovoi!” Max said with wonderment. He shook his head, “It cannot be. They do not exist except in children’s tales.” Maggie had never heard of the domovoi and said as much to Max. “I forget that you did not grow up here. The domovoi is like a helper or house elf. It can be mischievous and sometimes harmful.” He thought for a second and brightened, “I believe you may call it a ‘brownie’?”

“Ah, ok! I’ve heard of those! But, Max, this doesn’t seem… logical.” Maggie thought that maybe Max was having some kind of meltdown. House elves sounded very magicky to her. They turned to look around some of the other tables before Max could see her smile. She made her way to a very promising desk in the corner. The papers that were scattered around the desk showed tables and graphs on various tests completed on numerous subjects, all stamped in large red letters UNVIABLE. All of them. Maggie wondered what experiment or test could they all have been subject to, but none would pass? It seemed that no matter the subject or data entered the result was still the same. All of the test subjects tested were deemed failures . Maggie was not sure what or who the subjects are or where they are currently, but if the domovoi on the table back there was one of the “subjects” then she could guess the rest. Max had moved back to his mother’s side and Maggie could see that she had once again gained consciousness. Max was stroking her hair away from her face and the look that passed between them was heartbreakingly sweet. Maggie watched for a moment longer before turning her attention to the filing cabinet beside the desk. She quickly scanned the various contents stopping briefly on the file marked dragon and another marked elf. It seemed that each file held a brief summary of the creature and if a specimen had been found and tested. Maggie shook her head at this nonsense. Dragons and elves weren’t real. Domovoi weren’t real, either. She stole a quick glance at the small creature on the table. Real enough to be dead and dismembered on Lev Avatov’s table… She heard that slithery sound again off to the right of where she stood. It was a lot closer than it was the last time she heard it. Maggie was just getting ready to shut the cabinet again when another folder caught her eye. Magueritte’s name was listed on one of the files in the drawer of oddities:

SUBJECT: MARGUERRITTE CHARLOTTE-LAVAL MANETTE AVATOV

She pulled the folder from the drawer and shoved it in a garbage bag she pulled from the front of the cabinet. She noticed a few other files in the drawer:

UNNAMED VAMPIRE

UNNAMED VILA

UNNAMED WEREWOLF

Maggie wasn’t sure what they meant, but she took those files too. A hissing sound came from behind her. Maggie spun around and let out a scream. Standing behind her was a great snake, standing on two feet. Maggie threw the first thing that came to her hand, a coffee mug, at the thing behind her. She spun around and ran back towards Max and Margueritte clutching tightly to the bag in her hands. Max had stood and was halfway to the frightened Maggie when they heard another yell, although this yell was weaker but recognizable as Margueritte. Max spun around quickly and retraced his steps, but was only quick enough to see the door closing on a frightened Margueritte being held by one of the snake people.

“Mother!” he yelled as he made it to the door just in time to hear the locks click into place. “Maggie, help me!” Max screamed as he pounded on the door with his fists. He quickly abandoned this tactic and retreated a couple of steps, only to rush as fast as he could, ramming the door with his massive shoulder.

“Max, stand back.” Maggie said grabbing his arm to keep him from ramming the door once again. She stopped and, using the same hairpin, worked her magic once again. Alohamora!, she thought. They heard the sweet sound of the door lock clicking free, and Maggie barely had time to get out of the way before Max wrenched it open and flew through. Maggie watched as he ran down the passageway to another entry at the end. The door was unlocked and opened easily. Max burst through before she could shout for him to be cautious. It wouldn’t have mattered; nothing would keep him from rescuing his mother now. With no regard for his own safety, he bulled through to whatever lie in wait on the other side, and Maggie followed, clutching the file bag in one hand and a metal pry bar she found laying next to an open crate in the previous room in the other. This new room was cavernous. Maggie could tell that this really was a cave that Lev had dug into when creating his wine cellar. The existence of the cave either came as a wonderful surprise to Lev or he already knew of it. He had lights put in place, but they were only placed in the middle of the room, leaving the periphery dark. Maggie could hear the hissing and slithering sounds again, but this time it was all around them. Max had stopped moving and was watching and listening as well. From the shadows a figure appeared. Max was able to get a better look at the thing, and in better light, than when they were in the dark lab.

“Come into the light,” he spoke. He wasn’t even certain he would be understood. What sort of language do snake people speak, anyway? It didn’t matter; he wasn’t leaving here without his mother, period. The creature half-walked/ half-undulated into view, and Max was greeted with the strangest sight he had ever seen: a serpent’s head covered in pale gray and brown scales peered at him with human-like eyes. The head moved constantly, twitching slightly left or right or up or down, hovering sort of the way a helicopter would, and a black tongue that darted from between slightly parted jaws. Below the hooded head, the creature had a mostly human form, with lanky yet powerful limbs that terminated into webbed-fingered hands and feet. It was like something out of a comic book or movie, and he half expected a creature like this to be sporting some brightly-colored costume or armor and have a great weapon at his disposal, but this monster did not look formidable. It looked tired, desperate, and frightened. Desperation makes anything dangerous. He reminded himself of his training. Despite not knowing the first thing about it or its type, Max got the impression that this creature was a youth. Max brought both of his hands up slowly, empty with palms out and exposed to the creature; the universal symbol for being unarmed and coming in peace. Maggie watched this exchange and she hoped desperately that the snake-thing understood. The creature’s head stopped twitching long enough to nod slightly in acknowledgement of the gesture, tongue still flicking away frantically as if tasting the air.

“Exsssschange.” The creature suddenly spoke, high and wispy, and gestured to two figures flanking it. Maggie could see that they were all nearly identical, although the one on to his left seemed slightly smaller of build and seemed to have…

...breasts? A female?

“What are you? Exchange for what?” Max asked, hands still raised. He appeared to be relieved at the speech from the creature. The creature did not respond audibly, but pulled its hood in to its body, and its companions on either side did likewise, revealing Margueritte standing dumbfounded behind the one that appeared to be female. She was looking a little pale and had silent tears running down her cheeks. Maggie’s heart went out to the older woman, to be rescued from one monster only to end up with another. The hoods extended from the snake heads once again, and she disappeared from view.

Max looked at the creature and said in a loud voice, “Give her back!”

The creature tilted its head to the side and said in a hiss, “Return yourssss. Return ourssss.” Max looked confused until he noticed the snake man point to the bag that Maggie clutched in her hand.

“Maggie, give me the bag,” he told her, holding out his hand.

“Max, there is information in here that you need to read...” Maggie said. Max just shook his head and held his hand steady. Maggie sighed and put the bag into his hand. Max took the bag and walked toward the snake man.

“I give you this, you give me her,” Max told him. Again, the snake man tilted his head in that odd way some animals do and flicked a forked tongue out of his mouth.

“Yessss.” Max held out his right hand to Margueritte and the other hand with the bag he held out to the snake man. The snake turned to the female and nodded slightly. The female retracted her hood and gestured for Margueritte to come forward. As she walked towards Max, the snake man reached out to snatch the bag that Max had let go of in order to use both of his hands to catch his collapsing mother. Max pulled his mom to him and backed quickly into the light beside Maggie. The snake man pulled the bag toward him and faded into the darkness. Maggie, Margueritte, and Max stood and listened to the slithering recede until they could no longer hear anything. Margueritte, who had been clutching Max’s arm for support crumpled to the ground.

“I told you about the snake people!” she said, looking up. Max stooped down and lifted her into his arms.

“Which way should we go?” he asked, looking at Maggie.

Maggie looked at Margueritte who pointed weakly and said, “One hundred paces from this point then turn to your left. Another passage will lead you out of here to the river. The naga will not bother us now that their possessions have been returned. They are very territorial but they keep their word,” she told them.

“Naga? Is that what they were?” asked Maggie.

“Yes, they are an old race, Lev struck a bargain with them when he dug his wine cellar into their nesting area. I was told of their existence only when he showed me the way out. He said that he told them to protect his ‘pet’ if she should come down into the cellar to get away. I reminded them of their duty.” She smiled and closed her eyes as if resting. Maggie used her phone’s flashlight to light the way into the darkness. She kept count as they walked and when she reached one hundred they turned to the left. The promised passage was there in front of them. They turned and followed the new passageway, every once in a while they would hear a slither or a hiss from nearby, but it seemed that the naga were only following to make sure that the pets reached safety as they promised. After what seemed like hours, but in reality was only fifteen minutes, they reached the entrance to the cave. It seemed that it dumped out near the palace grounds. Max sat Margueritte on a boulder near the entrance and pulled his phone from his pocket.

“Who are you calling, Max?” Maggie asked.

“Leclerc,” Max told her. “I am going to have him get our bags and meet us here. Then I am going to call some friends to get us out of Russia and away from my father.” Max ground out the word father like it left a bitter taste in his mouth. As Max talked to Leclerc on the phone, Maggie sat by Margueritte’s side.

“Are you okay?” she asked.

Margueritte looked at Maggie and said on a sigh, “I am better now that I am back with my son.” She had great dark circles under her eyes and looked like she needed a good meal, but all in all, Maggie thought the older woman looked determined. She had the same look in her eyes that Susanna had after she had been rescued from her own personal hell.

“I had a friend that went through a similar experience. You’re going to be fine. Max won’t let anything hurt you again. He really is extraordinary!”

Margueritte smiled at her and said, “You are correct. My little Philippe has grown so...I’m afraid I will have a lot of catching up to do. There were so many things that I missed. , like shopping. I think that will be the first, no, second thing I will do!” she said with a smile.

“Oh, what is the first?” Maggie asked.

“The first will be to get my hair and nails done. It has been too long since my hair was cut last!” she told her and then laughed. It was the first genuine laugh that Maggie had heard from her and it sounded wonderful. Max returned and smiled at the sight of his mom laughing with Maggie.

“Leclerc is on his way. The pilots will have the plane gassed and ready for takeoff when we get there,” Max told them. Maggie was eager to get somewhere safe.

“What about your father? How do we know he won’t pursue us?”

“He is with the Chairman, which means he is not to be disturbed. He will not know of our escape until the conclusion of that meeting. Besides,” Max said, thoughtfully, “he either is not concerned with where we go and what we do, or he needs us alive. Otherwise, he would have ordered his men to kill us already.”

“Where are we going, Max?” Maggie asked. “We are going back to New Orleans, to see a friend who I hear can help us,” he said. She cocked a questioning eyebrow at him, but said nothing. He didn’t offer any explanation, so she shrugged and lightly kissed him, then turned toward the river. She walked a few paces, rubbing her temples and looking skyward, wondering how she had gotten through everything, and how so much could transpire in less than twenty-four hours. They had confronted Lev, Max’s mother was alive, they had found some sort of secret laboratory, and, to top it off, she was pretty sure they were the only people besides Lev and his select lieutenants who knew of the existence of, and had met, the fabled naga. What a day, she thought. It’s not over for you, girl, a thought intruded. Not by a long shot. You HAVE to tell him! You were on the receiving end of one of the most sincere and heartfelt declarations of love in the history of history, and you are STILL lying to him. She felt a tear slip from her eye and roll as a silent, guilty witness of her shame and dishonesty down her cheek. He deserves better than me, she thought. I am what I do and my crusade is my love, right? Hasn’t it been, since… well, since Suse? Isn’t she why I do what I do? Human trafficking, and murder, and conspiracy, and sedition, and corruption… that’s my husband, my love. This is bigger than me. It’s even bigger than Max Avatov. She pondered this and thought about how, in her heart of hearts, she never felt like she deserved to be happy. Not really. She always figured that she was destined for a life of sneaking and deception and sensationalism, and, if she were honest with herself, that’s what would probably get her killed. Young. She laughed to herself chidingly. The thought of settling down or even having someone think she was important enough to protect, to love, was laughable to her. She was a bad person. If she needed any further evidence, she had seen it in those cloudy blue eyes. Those honest eyes- the ones that looked on her in love and admiration, while she could only manage self-loathing and self-pity. She angrily wiped her face and knelt to splash water onto her hot cheeks. Look at you, she thought, seeing her reflection in the crystalline and cold water. After all of that… after everything that had happened, she still looked runway ready, other than her hair being down around her shoulders, and, even then, she noted it still had just the right amount of body. You’re a flouncer and a fake, lady. You couldn’t tell the truth if someone held a gun to your head, and you don’t deserve him. Go on being Ms. Perfect and leave the poor man alone. He’s been hurt enough by his father, by fate, by circumstance, and, yes, like it or not, by you. How much more will you make him suffer? You come clean… then what? All is magically forgiven? Happily ever after? I don’t think so. Think about this: who would ever trust you? You don’t just deceive people for a living, it’s your passion! You get off on it! Someone like you should not be with someone like him. Period. Max’s beckoning snapped her out of her thoughts, and she splashed once more, took one last look at the rippled, perfect face in the water, and turned to meet Max, all the while trying to think of how best to let him go.