Selena Rose, Daughter of the Moon

Chapter 9

Apophis

In a large house set overlooking a valley in the mountains outside the town of Ellville, North Carolina, Selena's father hangs up the phone. He smiles, though it doesn't make him look happy. With skin the color of clotted cream and the sinewy grace of his body, Apophis was a sight to see, even if he wasn't happy. He presses a button on the intercom mounted on his desk and announces that he will need a car pulled round in ten minutes. After he releases the button, a voice replies, "Yes sir."

He sits behind his desk and begins to write in a journal that lay open and waiting for his attention.

"I have found her. Luna can run but she can't hide from me for long; she has our other child, I will need that one too. Selena's bonds were released today. A blow to my plans certainly, but I intend to see to it that she submits willingly to a new set. I must act quickly, her mother will be trying to get to her now that she is not kept away by my spell. I see now that it was a mistake to connect the bonds and the banishing spell. If only Luna would have cooperated, she could have been part of Selena's life all this time. Without her to breed with me, I must have Selena to breed with the right lineage. Kya is, unfortunately, not from the right lineage, but she will do to get Selena back in my power if I cannot renew the bonds tonight. Once I collect the other child of my lineage from Luna, I will have another to breed and perhaps I can bring Luna back under my command with control of both our children."

The intercom beeps and a voice says, "Sir, your car is ready."

He stands and leaves the study, eager to see where his wife has been hiding.

He drives the winding mountain roads to town, continuing on to the other side before turning off onto a barely noticeable dirt road with no street sign. He pulls into a long unused driveway and shuts off his car. Getting out he looks around and seeing no one he waves his hand, making his car unseen and becoming a smaller version of his other form, that of a large white snake.

Luna's house should be only a short distance from this spot and in this form she would be unlikely to notice him. He slithers in the general direction of her home, stopping occasionally to taste the air and survey his surroundings.

He spots her house and the vines surrounding it. Roses! Always the damned thorniest roses possible because those were her favorites. He curses, knowing that he will not be able to get as close as he would like or see as much as he needs. He gets as close as he can, slipping his way up a tree for a better view. He smiles, a half-open mouth snake kind of smile; he chose his vantage point well. He can see directly into the living area where the other daughter is, not so much a child as she is not much younger than Selena. She is clearly talking to someone on the phone, but he can't tell about what as she is texting. Luna is letting a dog out and looks concerned by all the racket it is making. She stands watchful at the doorway as the dog runs around sniffing and looking very agitated. Suddenly, the dog lifts its head and looks dead at him. The eyes! Shit, that is no dog! It's a Hel hound! It knows I am here! The dog runs to the fence and is barking madly, Apophis sighs and throws himself out of the tree to hit the ground below and slither away as if he were a regular snake. The dog continues to go mad but now he can hear Luna calling the dog back to the house, satisfied that the dog is only overreacting to a snake.

Back in his home, Apophis paces deep in thought before sitting at his desk and picking up the phone to call Selena.

"Hi Dad! How are you doing?"

"I am doing great kiddo! You and Kya were on my mind today, anything interesting happen?"

"Well, now that you mention it, yes, some very strange things happened today. But I don't want to talk about it over the phone, it was just too crazy."