Chapter 2: Out of hand.

Chapter 2: Out of hand…

“Nearly a month ago, I met with an old friend who I had pressing business with. His name was Herman Monroe, but since he hated his first name he insisted that everyone call him Monroe. He wasn’t a bad man by any standard, in fact he was probably as good as they come. Well, as good as they come around where I used to live at any rate. He was always prepared to help anyone who needed it, and he was loathe to draw a sword unless absolutely necessary.”

Isador felt the story wash over him, and he was about to sink into his usual story telling position, but he paused in mid movement, unsure of how the Naga would react to this. Crisis however seemed to read his movement clearly and she flicked out a hand from under her chin, passing a log sized pinkie finger under Isador, sending him sprawling backwards onto her soft palm. He lay there still for a moment, Crisis grinning down at him.

“Go on…”

“Oh… ok.” He glanced briefly at the two fingers that had wrapped around his middle, not tightly but just enough to remind him where he was.

“So yeah… Monroe was in a spot of trouble it seemed when I met with him. His gold supply had almost run out, and he was getting desperate for any way to make some income so he could support the family…”

Isador took a breath to continue, but was interrupted by Crisis rather audibly clearing her throat to ask a question. He stopped and looked at her, waiting for her to speak, resisting the temptation to look down at her chest, which he was fairly certain would not be welcome.

“What’s gold?” She asked curiously.

Isador was stunned for a moment,

“Is she serious?” He thought in wonder. How could anyone not know what gold was?

“Am… You…” He wanted to ask her if she really didn’t know what gold was or if she was just joking, but one look at her pearly white teeth was enough to dissuade him from risking her anger.

“Well… gold is… do you know what currency is?”

“Hmmm I think so, it’s something that the little humans use around here, they give each other little shiny discs and they give each other food and little pointy sticks.” She let out a sigh and rolled her eyes up to look at the sky.

“I’ve always thought it’s a pretty silly idea… if I want food I eat it.” She smiled and her tongue briefly poked between her teeth.

“Well… those shiny discs, that’s gold. If we humans try to just take food, people well… they aren’t happy about it. It usually results in an fight, and quite possibly with someone’s death.” He looked up and found her looking him dead in the eye with her bright blue peepers. “Though I suppose death isn’t a big worry for you Crisis… is it?”

For a moment, the smile disappeared from Crisis’s face. Isador couldn’t see it, but a series of blurred images were flashing through her mind just as had happened to him earlier. A tangle of scaly legs, a long exoskeleton, a cluster of beady eyes peered at her from over a drooling fang filled maw… Her hand twitched as she remembered the long gash across her back. Then it passed and she returned to the present, instantly forgetting that dreadful day.

“Sometimes… What happened with Monroe?”

Isador looked her up and down carefully before continuing.

“Well anyway… Monroe came to me for help, because he was going to make a deal with one of the local money mongers, his name was Cassidy. The man was less than reliable when it came to his word, but he knew how to handle money with the best of them. At the time, Monroe had no choice… So we planned a way to get the most out of Cassidy without getting too deeply involved… The plan was that I would hide in one of the side rooms of the warehouse where the meeting was to take place later than month, and I would burst in just when the money exchange was occurring. I was going to rob Cassidy of everything he had, flee the scene and give the money to Monroe later.” Isador sighed and hung his head in Crisis’s grip.

“We figured Cassidy couldn’t hold anything against Monroe if the money never got to him, he’d be after me but if everything went as planned then there’d be no way he could ever identify me… It seemed like it could work. But nothing ever goes how we want it to…”

Crisis was still listening intently, but now she had lowered herself onto her side, her long golden hair streaked across the ground.

“Everything was going well… until I tried to interrupt the exchange. What I hadn’t counted on was Cassidy’s backup plan. I figured that he’d have heard of Monroe’s excellent reputation as a good man and wouldn’t have worried too much about security… I was wrong. Apparently Cassidy was insanely paranoid about traps, so he had brought… well, more than I’d expected. Before I’d even crossed half the distance over the rafters, arrows were flying at me and Cassidy had a knife out and was lunging at Monroe. I only barely managed to dive out of the way in time, but Monroe… he…” Isador fought back the hot rush that was surging through his skull.

“Monroe went for his sword, but he was off guard and moved too… too slowly.”

Isador closed his eyes and his dark hair hung over his face.

“All I remembered before I made my escape was Monroe dangling obscenely from the rafters, his shirt snagged on a rusted nail, Cassidy’s knife protruding from his belly…
I grabbed his pack before I left, and rescued the one thing I knew meant something to Monroe… His sword… He forged it himself and it has defended his town countless times over. But now… Now it’s in my hands, and I’m just… I’m useless. I cant even run away properly, let alone take care of something this precious…” He sighed deeply and reached behind him to unsheathe the sword, holding it out to Crisis, hilt first.

“I’m sure this story can’t have been the kind of entertainment you’re after… So I won’t hold it against you for eating me. But if you would please just make sure this sword finds a safe resting place, I would count my death worthwhile… Monroe deserved better, and it’s my fault he’s gone…” He gritted his teeth bitterly, “Go ahead Crisis… eat me… make the world a better place.”

And with that, he finished his story and just closed his eyes.

There was a few seconds of silence, broken only by the ambient sounds of the jungle around them. He felt Crisis’s fingers wrap around him more until only his shoulders and head were uncovered, and he felt her lifting him over towards her face.

A pair of boiling tears trickled down onto his lip and he breathed deeply, awaiting the end. But no bite came, no hot foetid breath.

“Hey…” He opened his eyes at the single word and looked at Crisis, whose eyes were squinting sadly.
“Don’t cry little guy,” and to his shocked surprise, Crisis rose up to her full height and pressed Isador against her cheek, holding him there with one hand as she cooed comfortingly.
“I’m not going to eat you Isador… You didn’t do anything wrong. That story was so sad… I’m sure Monroe is happy wherever he is...”

Despite the fact that he felt that hearing words from this Naga was a privilege few humans enjoyed without ending up in her stomach like the soldiers earlier, Isador felt strangely comforted being pressed up against Crisis’s warm soft cheek. He felt the strength leave him and he fell limp with fatigue.

“Sleep now little Isador… You need it.”