TCHS Part Six

My head, what happened? Hailey wondered. Slowly she began to awaken from her deep slumber. It almost felt like a hangover, but she didn't have anything to drink last night. As her eyes slowly opened, she noticed that her vision was slightly blurry.

As Hailey's eyesight cleared, she realized that she wasn't in her tent. She was in a cave, laying on a bed made of animal skins-completely naked. At that moment, she noticed a man's arm wrapped around her waist, but oddly enough there was also a giant serpent's tail wrapped around her legs.

Then just like that, a wave of memories came crashing down on her. Last night, the naga, and even his sexual assault on her, all of it was coming back to her in an explosion of horrific events. As she turned around to look at her bunk mate, she let out a horrified gasp. It wasn't all a nightmare, as Hailey had hoped. She was actually in the tight grasp of her sexual predator.

"Good morning my beautiful human lamia," he said with a smile. He went to stroke the side of her face, but she flinched as she turned away.

"Still afraid of me, I see," he told her. "You don't have to fear me my lamia. I will only protect you, I will never harm you."

"W-why do you keep calling me a lamia?", she asked.

"Because, that's what you are—to me anyway," he replied. "The lamia is known as the snake goddess. It has been said that a lamia's beauty was so great, that wars would be fought over just for the taste of the snake goddess's lips. I think that describes you quite well my dear."

"I thought she was a queen who had an affair with Zeus," said Hailey, "his wife Hera became jealous, and turned her into a monster that ate children."

The naga began to laugh.

"That's just a superstitious story that mothers would tell their children to keep them in bed."

Soon the smile on his face began to fade.

"It doesn't matter, anyway," he said. "I am now the only one of my kind to exist in the world, but not for long."

Her eyes widened, as his wicked smile slowly began to return. Her heart began to race, as her body began to tremble.

"W-What do you mean?", she asked. Again he just laughed.

"You know the answer, my dear," he replied. "I have chosen you to be my queen, my Eve."

"Why me?", she asked as tears began to fall. With the back of his fingers, he gently began to wipe them away.

"Shh..," he whispered, "please don't cry. I assure you that I am bestowing a great honor upon you. Not only will you become the mother of a long forgotten race. But you will become my queen, and rule by my side."

"Queen of what?", she asked. "The rain forest?" Once again he let out a wicked laugh.

"You amuse me so, my pretty one.", he replied. "I have much bigger plans than that. We are going to rule the world."

"No!", she cried. "You can't! I won't!"

"My dear Hailey, as I told you before," he boldly stated. "I'm not asking! Anyone who enter's my kingdom, their lives belong to me! Your life belongs to me! You! My lamia queen, belong to me!"

She looked at him with much confusion.

"How do you even know my name?", she asked. He looked at her with an evil smirk upon his face.

"I've known about you for quite sometime my dear," he replied. "I've waited a long time for a woman of both inner, and outer beauty to enter my kingdom. The locals are afraid to enter my kingdom, they know my wrath. So women in particular haven't been in this part of the forest for over thousands of years. Most outsiders, who explore this area have been men. But I never had any use for them, so their fates end up becoming most unfortunate."

"Oh my god!", she cried. "You kill them?"

"Yes," he replied. "My forest is sacred to me. I don't want male human primate filth contaminating it. The female of your species, such as yourself, are not repulsive. Then again I am a man that appreciates true beauty. A woman's naked body, human or lamia, can be a work of art. As for knowing about you Hailey. Let's just say I sent my own, what you would call a sleeper agent, to find you and bring you to me."

"Agan?", Hailey inquired.

"I did spare one human male, who happened upon my forrest some thirty some odd years ago.", the naga replied. "How a small human infant was left alone in my forest, and still alive, I'll never know. But as much as I hate man, even I couldn't bring myself to kill an innocent. Then it dawned on me, the snake god protected him. I was meant to find him. So I cast a spell on him, and created a psychic link between the two of us. Although, he never knew about it."

"You left him at the orphanage," said Hailey, "You were his mysterious benefactor. The psychic link, that's why he's been getting migraines ever since we arrived here."

"Yes," the naga said as he smiled. "I left him at a local orphanage, with a large treasure of gold. I also left a note that said only half the treasure was for the orphanage, the other was for the boy. It was run by Nuns, I knew they would honor my request. I know all that he knows. The Nuns thought the gold, and the boy were a gift from their god. I even named the boy in the note. I named him after myself."

"Oh my god," she replied, "Agan King! Naga King! Agan is naga spelled backwards!"

"Correct, my dear," he replied, "You are as smart as you are beautiful."

"I still don't understand," she said, "What does all of this have to do with me?"

"After he went to college, and eventually received his Ph.D.", the naga began. "He got a job teaching at a university, where he soon fell in love with one of his students. But as I stated earlier, unbeknownst to him, we shared a psychic link. He was not the only one who fell in love with the beautiful girl, who seemed so full of life. It was then when I first realized why Agan was sent to me. It was to find my queen. So I used my link with him, to urge him to find away to bring you home to me."

"That's why he's wanted to return here ever since he met me," she asked, "Isn't it?"

"Yes," he replied. "Being the smart man that he was, or at least thought he was, he convinced the university to put together his little exposition. And just as we had each hoped, you signed up for it. You were the only woman, sadly my men were disappointed by this. Oh well, they'll just have to wait for our daughters to mature."

Once more Hailey's eyes widened in fear.

"D-daughters, what do you mean our dau—", she began. Just then a giant snake entered the cavern. Hailey soon became terrified, as she grabbed some of the pelts to cover her naked body. To her surprise, the snake began to talk.

"Sire, I—", the snake began.

"Don't look at your queen in a state of undress!", the naga exclaimed in anger. "How dare you enter my chamber without permission, knowing full well that she could be in here—in a state only appropriate for my eyes!"

He released his grip on Hailey, and vehemently made his way over to his snake soldier. He grabbed the hapless snake just below it's head, lifted it off the ground, and stared at it with burning hatred. Hailey could see the fear in the snakes eyes.

"Forgive me sire—", the snake began. But before he could even finish his words, the angry naga crushed him to death with just the squeeze of his hand. Hailey screamed in horror. The force was so great, that the victim was actually crushed in two. She began to cry as she saw him release what was left of the body, and just let it fall to the floor as if it were nothing.

As he looked into her beautiful, yet frightened teary eyes. He couldn't help but feel regret. Not for what he had done, but for making her witness such horror. Making his way back over to her, he gently cupped her face in his right hand. He then began to delicately rub her cheek with his thumb, hoping that it would help comfort her.

"I'm sorry you had to see that my love,", he told her, "But he should have known better. They all know better. You are going to be their queen, and they will behold you with the upmost respect. And any man, snake or human, who sees you as less or looks upon you with desire—will experience my deadly wrath."

He then turned around, and looked at what was left of his former dedicated soldier.

"Pity," he said, as he turned around again to face Hailey, "he was a good soldier, and I was rather fond of him. But my loyalty to you, my queen, is far beyond my loyalty to them. Don't worry, they are all psychically linked. They all know not to show disrespect towards you ever again. Especially since they all now know the consequences."

"What's going to happen to my friends?", she asked as tears kept welling up in her eyes.

"They are no longer your concern, my queen.", he replied.

"Please don't hurt them.", she pleaded.

"I'm sorry, my dear," he replied. "But that is one request I cannot grant you. If I let them go, than mankind will know about my kingdom. I have sworn to my god that I would never let man destroy this sacred part of the forest."

'What's so sacred about it, that people have to die because of it?", she asked.

"You will know in time my dear.", he replied. "That soldier on the floor, was a friend of mine. He died for intruding on his queen, at a moment when she was not presentable. So what do you think I will do to my enemies who intrude on my land?"

Hailey became frightened. He might have been half man, but his heart was that of a cruel beast. But maybe she could use he obsessive love for her to get him to eventually reconsider.

"Even the one you saw as a gift from your god", she asked, "even Agan?"

He then cupped her face with both hands, kissed her forehead, looked her straight in the eyes, and then sighed.

"Especially Agan.”

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