Rain (The Quest Trilogy-Book Two) by Iram Dana Page B

large gap between her front teeth.
    Was that how she knew about sequestors? Because she had probably met Marine at the well of immortality?
    She stood up slowly, supporting herself on her thin arms and legs. It was only when she stood up that Rain realized how much taller she was than him. She was literally towering over him.
    “So, do we have a deal?” she asked, flicking her tongue out again as she looked down at him.
    Rain wanted to speak but his jaw seemed to have locked itself up. She was too close for comfort, and he felt his composure slipping a notch. He felt a soft, feathery touch on his shoulder and looked to his right. His Geeya stood there, smiling reassuringly at him. She nodded at him when their eyes met; telling him not to be afraid and Rain felt the muscles in his jaw loosen and some of his fear lessen. He was not alone in this.
     
    “What do you want me to do?” he asked, modulating his voice carefully so that it gave away none of the fear he felt.
    “I want you to go the Queen Mother. She has just given birth to her young. When she gives birth, she regurgitates a very special stone … the Nahla…” hissed Kaami, looking manically excited at the mere mention of the word.
    “That stone has enormous magical powers. That, and that alone, can break the curse on me. It will remain outside of her body for the next twenty-four hours. Get me the Nahla. With it, I can choose to either become fully human, or fully a snake, and then … I can die in peace.”
    “What will you choose to be, once you have the Nahla?” inquired Rain, wanting to be sure he had all the facts before he entered into a deal with a damned creature.
    She looked at him slyly with her slit-like eyes.
    “Now, I am more animal than human. I can never fit into the human world again…” she hissed softly.
    So she would choose to become an animal. Rain tried to analyze how he felt about that and failed, given his current circumstance and the pressure he was under.
    “So tell me, sequestor!” she growled, angry all of a sudden. “Will you do it? Will you bring me the Nahla? In return, I will give you the wisdom that you seek.”
    “All right.” said Rain, finally. “I will bring you the stone. But in return I want you to promise me two things. The first is my wisdom, and the second is my complete safety.”
    She gave him an evil smile.
    “Of course, sequestor. I promise you … you will be safe at the Queen Mother’s.
    “That’s not what I meant.” said Rain, understanding her game perfectly. “I want you to promise that you will not harm me.”
    “Mercy me! You cannot possibly be saying that you are afraid of me?” she said mockingly.
    Rain knew she had him trapped with those words. He could not admit he was afraid of her and thus expose his vulnerability; neither could he say that he wasn’t, for in that case she would simply say that if that was the case, then he didn’t need any guarantee for his safety. He wisely decided to drop the matter and pursue another topic instead.
     
    “Where does the Queen Mother live?”
    “Do you see the winding path that leads down from this mountain?” said Kaami, pointing to a dirt path. Rain followed the direction her finger was pointing to.
    “Yes.”
    “Just follow that. Her cave will fall along the way, to the left.”
    “How will I recognize it as the Queen Mother’s cave?”
    “It is fairly easy to recognize. Her cave is made entirely of bones … human bones.”
    She didn’t need to tell him that, he knew. She was trying to scare him. Rain was sure of that now. And it seemed like she fed on it, because each time she made a remark like this, she would flick her tongue out and taste the air, looking excited. He would not let her do this to him, vowed Rain. He would not let her scare or intimidate him.
    “All right. Wait for me here. I will be back with the Nahla as soon as I can.”
    “I will go nowhere sequestor. This … I promise.” she said, taunting him as he turned