The Medusa Deception

Chapter 30

MANDY AWOKE, BOUND and bare on the stone altar; the metallic stench of Gary's blood intermingled with her own, the drums deafening. She was cold and weak. Already, much of her blood had flowed before they'd revived her, but revive her they had.

Mandy's heart pumped to the beat, a fast frenetic pace. Taking a ragged breath, she tried to calm it, slow it down. But the beat pulsed in her veins, keeping the rhythm. She knew without looking the cause of the icy, searing pain in her wrists.

Knowing it was futile, she tried to move. Her wrists and ankles were lashed securely to the altar, her body pinned. An insurmountable force of gravity sucked her down into the hard rock, still holding the residual warmth of Gary. Vile, she thought, like lying in someone else's death, awaiting your own.

Having just watched the live feed of Gary's ritual made it worse. She could visualize the end - not good for fostering hope. That was the point, she supposed: complacency, defeat, and acceptance. This was her nightmare now, her turn. But it wasn't just her life; it was Ryan's too. Whatever happened to her, happened to him.

Lightheaded from blood loss, she struggled to focus. Her eyes blurred; her thoughts muddled.

Digging deep, she inhaled and readied her mind. Chanting, disembodied heads invaded her thoughts, disrupting her focus.

She weakened further.

Brother Dan edged forward, a look of triumph on his face. It spurred Mandy to try again. The devil can be overcome, she thought.

Inhaling once again, she fought hard to clear her mind, searching. She needed to find it.

Brother Dan leaned in and inhaled deeply, his eyes rolling back as if in ecstasy

Mandy tuned him out and found the connection. She began a careful, deliberate exhale, locked on, purging. Her jaw widened. A nebulous shimmer emerged from her breath. The molecules organized. Two shapes formed in the mist.

King cobras.

Deadly, venomous snakes. Toxin so deadly, the smallest amount killed the largest of mammals. A neuro- and cardiotoxic stew causing death in stages: intense pain, swelling, elevated blood pressure, blurred vision, paralysis, unconsciousness and death.

The pair of king cobras had been respired from the Brookfield Zoo following her insightful visit with Zeus - another validation of Crystal's Tarot reading - the Emperor, a powerful father figure, had provided guidance.

He'd taught her how to swallow living beings. Contrary to ancient lore, it wasn't so much swallowing as breathing them in. Under the powerful influence of their godly breath, the molecules of an organism disassembled and could be sucked into their lungs where they were nourished and held in stasis. Releasing was the tricky part, especially when releasing some beings and not others. Extreme focus was paramount.

The king cobras at the zoo had been the obvious choice - her eager, obedient allies, and more. The closest modern relation to the ancient asp, they were practically family. Mandy dared not bring back life forms from ancient Greece to the present, unsure if they'd remain alive.

The drums beat on. The Brotherhood stood frozen at the apparition.

The first cobra turned to face the closest threat, Brother Dan. Its eyes locked on. It growled, a low baritone, deep vibrating growl that rippled the air, stunning its prey in fear. Unfurling its neck hood, it struck, lightning fast.

Fangs sank deeply into the soft, tender flesh of Brother Dan's face below his left eye. His eyes widened in shock.

The snake unloaded its deadly venom, reserving plenty for the others.