LEGEND OF THE VIPER(COMPLETE)

CHAPTER 11

It's been a week ever since the incident occurred and she had been busy looking at candidates for her Oracle. She had lost seven of her priests and priestess and she had to fill the gap. Among her Oracle there was only one lead priestess and tow young priests.

She was going to choose her own Oracle, people she knew and trusts; people who have abilities to fulfill their roles and never betray her in the process.

She smiled at the candidates she had chosen. She called in the first candidate.

'Why are you looking for me?' Lee asked.

'I just gave you a promotion,' Haven said.

'I don't want it. I just want to be by your side and serve you.'

'That will be serving me. I need you to serve me and I need you to take that post. You can help to keep the Oracle in check.'

'What do you mean by the Oracle?'

'I want you to become my second priestess.'

'But..'

'No buts, you qualify to be part of that. You have skills that no one else has and I trust you. Do this for me Lee,' she said earnestly.

'I will serve you with all that I have,' she said and gave a bow.

Haven smiled and knew she had conquered the hardest one.

'That's good then. On your way out please call Gina in for me and tell to bring me something to drink.'

'Yes, ma'am.

Lee left her office and minutes later Gina walked in with a glass of juice.

She gave it to her and she took it. Haven took a sip of the juice and instructed Gina to take a seat.

'Is there something you need?'

'Yes, there is and I don't want you to say no. if you refuse I will make you pay dearly,' she threatened Gina and she wasn't joking at all.

'Whatever you want I will do it.'

'I know though that doesn't apply sometimes.'

'I'm sorry.'

'No need to be. I am promoting you.'

'What? I just want to be your assistant.'

'I know and you will be my assistant but you shall serve a greater purpose. You will become my fifth priestess for the Oracle,' Haven said.

'You want me to be part of the Oracle?'

'Yes and like I said you are not allowed to say no,' she reminded Gina.

'I won't say no to this. I have always dreamed of being one and now I am. How can I say no to that? Thank you very much,' Gin said happily.

It was a good thing she wanted it otherwise it was going to be more trouble.

'Good. On your way out please do call these people for me,' Haven said giving Gina a list.

'Yes ma'am,' she said happily leaving her office.

Since everything was going so well she wondered how Amber was doing at the moment.

Haven spent the rest of the day meeting the newly appointed priests and priestesses. She had to meet Police Chiefs to cover the bodies and control the media coverage too. Just dumping the bodies or burying them wasn't her thing. She wanted their families to know that they were dead and bury them themselves. It was a pitiful thing for people not to know that you were dead. She experienced it once and wouldn't want to repeat again.

Amber couldn't believe it at all. She thought she was dead but woke up in a hospital bed with her mother crying at her side. She heard a very funny story from them. Apparently Haven had cooked one for the police and she was never there. The whole thing had been covered as if it never happened. Just how powerful was Haven? She thought she knew everything about her but she was mistaken. She couldn't even tell anyone about what she heard or saw. They wouldn't even believe her if she snitched. But how did she survive when she was stabbed like that?

'I'm glad you woke up pumpkin. I thought I was going to lose you,' her mother said.

'I'm fine now. But how am I alive?'

'Baby, you are special. Apparently your heart is on the other side. The knife stabbed you but not your heart,' she explained.

She was shocked by that. So did it mean that Haven knew this beforehand and stabbed her fully knowing she wouldn't die? She didn't care she was going to make a mess of Haven when she leave the hospital.

'I didn't know.'

'It's shocking. I didn't know it too,' her mother said.

'How long have I been here?'

'One week now.'

A week and what had been Haven been doing in that time.

'When will I leave the hospital?'

'Your father and I will let you leave after you recover fully; now just don't do anything.'

'Okay and did Haven stopped by?'

'She did once but she is out of the country now.'

'Did she say why?'

'It was business related but she calls often. I thought you were with her when you didn't come that night,' she said.

'No, I went out for a walk and ended up that way.'

'Don't go anywhere alone. We were worried sick. It's a good thing someone dropped you at the hospital or we would have never knew what was happening.'

'I'm sorry mother, I will be careful.'

'I'm just glad you are here with us pumpkin, don't make me worried again.'

'I won't mother.'

She looked at her mother. She had never seen her like that. Her face was all puffed. She had been crying nonstop. What she needed to find out now was about what she heard. Somewhere on the internet she was going to try to find all the information about this Viper business.

'Can I have a laptop?'

'Why do want it?'

'I just want to check on something.'

'You need to rest.'

'No mother, please.'

'Okay.'

Her mother left the room and she looked for her phone and found it. There was a text from Haven and it only mentioned the words she whispered to her before she blacked out, 'I'm sorry but it had to be done.'

Was she kidding her? She nearly got killed and she knew about it and didn't do anything. Why would she do that to her?

Her mother came I holding a laptop and gave it o her.

'The doctor said you shouldn't be doing that for long, you need to rest.'

'Okay, I will be done soon. Can I have some fruits?'

'I didn't bring any since you were unconscious.'

'Cant you buy me some? And bring father with you when you come.'

'If that's what you want, I will do that. Your father is already on his way so I will go and wait for him.'

'Okay mother. I love you,' she said and her mother kissed her on her forehead before she left her room.

She began to search for every single word she heard when she was tied to that chair.

She typed Viper and only those vicious snakes came out. She tried Viper legends, myths, sects and cults and then it popped out.

What she saw was so scary that she needed to print the pages out and read them carefully without the interference of the light. Lucky for her a nurse came in to check her vitals again.

'Do you mind printing these pages for me?' she asked.

'Anything for you,' she answered with a bright smile.

How could they say no? It was her family's hospital after all.

She gave the laptop to the nurse who returned minutes later holding a huge pile of printed pages. She returned the laptop to her.

'Thank you, I won't forget this.'

'Just take a rest. Don't overwork yourself.

'I won't, thanks.'

The nurse left and she began to browse through the pages again.

Her mother and father came in twenty minutes later and she smiled.

She had missed her dad so much. He went to her and hugged her.

'I thought I was going to lose you,' he confessed.

'I won't go anywhere dad,' she said smiling at him.

'I'm glad. What are you reading?'

'Oh, it's something I found on the internet. I wanted to look at myths and legends. It was interesting.'

'Which one did you find?'

'Have you ever heard of the Viper sect?'

'I have but I don't believe they exist.'

'Why do you say so?' she asked taking an apple from the basket.

'It's really absurd. It is said that they have a leader who must be chosen by the Goddess herself; someone who first started the sect.'

'Is she alive?'

'She is long dead. It's been thousands of years.'

'So how is she chosen?'

'That's the scarier part. It is said you die first for one to be a chosen one.'

'So you mean that one must kill herself to become the leader of the sect?'

'Not really. You can only die by the bite of the sacred viper and no one knows what kind of viper that is. Once that viper bites you, you won't be alive for long. The bite will kill you and make you live again. By passing that test one automatically becomes the Viper.'

'So anyone who is the Viper died already?'

'Yes dear but it's just a myth. You need to focus on recovering and your studies. Don't go around reading such lies like these.'

'Okay daddy, I will stop after I finish reading through. Now that you have told me that I am more curious.'

'I can't believe you.'

'Where is my brother?'

'He left yesterday, he was here all along. When he is done with his business trip he will come back.'

'I'm okay now. Its better if he concentrates on work.'

She was more curious than ever. She heard that old man calling Haven the Viper and her dad just told her the Viper died already. So did that meant that Haven was a ghost or a spirit? Is that why she had been suspicious ever since the day she met her? She was going to look into everything, confront Haven and end it with her. She was not going to date such a scary person.

She was going to look into everything she could find including Haven's background again. She was not going to miss out on anything ever again.

                                                                                                  ....

Gina was smiling waiting for her chance to go in the front and personally receive that bite from the Viper. It's been two weeks ever since she was appointed to be part of the Oracle.

She finally realized what Haven had been up to when she saw the guards running up and down the night of the ceremony. Haven tried by all means to keep the casualties very low and she did that. Everyone who participated on the coup died. Only a few ended up paralyzed and never to talk again. She had always known Haven was cruel and ruthless but after seeing the body count she finally believed that Haven was really as vicious as her name.

She looked at Eric who stood on the other side. Eric managed to get appointed to be a priest too. It was really their time. The ladies were first and her time came. She walked towards the Viper who was wearing her ceremonial robes covering her latest tattoos imprinted all over her body, the courtesy of the Goddess.

She walked to her and the Viper scratched her on her hand. She could feel the venom running through her veins and left the podium. It was customary for every priest and priestess to share what the Viper had and that included the deadly venom within her body. They had to make sacrifices on behalf of others. She was taken to the other room where the lead priestess was waiting for her. The others were wriggling in pain and so was she. The ones in front of her fainted and she watched as the lead priestess gave them small pills. She had seen Haven making those some other time.

She too finally blacked out and when she woke up she felt nothing. She looked at her hand where the Viper had scratched her and she found a tattoo on her hand. She had always been part of the family but never got one of this before. Because she was the fifth priestess she had a tattoo of a viper with one star. It was that star that determined her rank. All normal members of the family never got stars at all. It seemed the tattoo specialists were busy drawing them when they blacked out. It made sense since she realized that they had been asleep for three hours. After they all woke up they all returned to the hall where they were welcomed warmly by everyone. She looked for Eric and she found him. It was done and the Viper was seated there with her eyes closed again.

The lead priest and priestess concluded the event for that night. The rest of the people left the hall for their respective homes leaving the eleven of them.

The Viper finally opened her eyes and looked at them. There was something different about her; ever since that night three weeks ago. Haven had become more powerful, you could feel her even when you were far. Her venom intake also increased, sometimes it felt like she was in so much pain and yet there was no one she could tell or talk to. Ever since the incident she only went o see Amber once before stopping. It felt like she was giving up on her life and concentrating on her life as the Viper and that was scary.

'I'm tired so I will get to the point. Your leaders will tell you how things are done but let me warn you. If you happen to have any silly thoughts like your predecessors I will just kill you but I will erase all your family from this world. Do your roles diligently, serve your people and make them better. Don't disappoint me and don't get into trouble. Let's be a family and not enemies. I don't have any strength to kill one of my children again,' she said looking at them all.

For the first time Gina noticed something. Haven's eyes changed for a few seconds. They turned red and went back to normal. She just kept quiet. It was bad to provoke her since she had been moody all these weeks. She just hoped she will be back to her senses soon.

'We will abide by your words!' they all said.

'You can do whatever that you do. I have somewhere I need to be,' she said and stood up.

They all stood up and watched her leave the hall. After she left they all sighed.

'Had she been like that?' the lead priestess asked.

'Yes and its kind of scary,' Gina replied and looked at Lee.

'Don't look at me.'

'You are her shadow guard. Is she okay?'

'You want the truth? She is not okay. If that continues, I'm afraid she is going to kill herself,' Lee said.

'We have to do something about her first before we think of others. If she is not there then we are doomed.'

'That's a good idea. What should we do?'

'Let's attack her heart first. If we resolve that then we might get her back.'

'Yes, we need to find her girlfriend. Where is she?'

'At her home, I guess. I and Lee will deal with her; you look into other pressing issues.'

'Good point. Since all had been said, let's update each other and solve this issue as soon as possible.'

The meeting finally got adjourned and she went to Eric.

'You look beautiful priestess,' he said holding her hand.

'So do you,' she said smiling at him.

'It's been a tiring and scary night. Let's go home and have something nice to eat.'

'Good idea. I'm starving especially after that.'

'Exactly!'

The two of them left the sacred lands and drove to Eric's place. She had been living with him for the past two weeks now. She loved him and so does he. She didn't want to spend her time weeping but enjoy the moment.

The next morning she was going to look for Amber and settle their issue once and for all. She didn't like the person Haven was turning into at all.

                                                                                          ..

Amber was at school when she heard that someone was looking for her. She went to the reception and found Gina, Haven's secretary. What was she doing here?

'I need to talk to you for just a moment,' she said.

'I don't have much time so make it quick.'

'Okay, let's go somewhere private.'

'Sure.'

Amber took Gina to the car; it was more private than the classes.

'So what do you want? Did she send you to see if I didn't say anything?'

'She didn't send me. I wanted to talk to you.'

'Be quick then.'

'Do you no longer lover her?'

'Why do you ask?'

'Because you never contacted her ever since you woke up.'

'She is the one that did wrong. Why should I do everything?'

'I understand that what you saw or heard was shocking but you need to come clean to her about how you feel before she does something crazy.'

'What do you mean by that? Is she going around killing people again?'

'She will be soon if you don't talk things out. Since you have seen what she is capable of I would advise you to just go and see her.'

'You want me to go to her house? I don't even know where her house is. Last time I tried to go to her house I couldn't even fin the damn road. Is she a ghost?'

'She is human just like you. You have touched her, didn't you?'

'I did but she is not my Haven,' she said tears filling up her eyes.

She was the same Haven that saved your life that night, the same one that rejected you, did something she had never done with any other girl and gave her heart to you. She is the same girl Amber. I can understand if you no longer love her but what I need you to do is be honest with her. If you are scared of seeing her then just call her and end it. What she needs now is clarity, please give it to her.'

'Fine, I will. If that's all, you can leave. I have classes to go back to,' she lied.

'Thank you for meeting me. I hope you make the right choice,' Gina said and left her car.

Her heart was heavy, she couldn't break up with her but she had a choice to make. She couldn't go and see her again especially after what she did to her. So she took out her phone and texted Haven, 'I'm sorry but I must do this. Let's break up.'

With that she switched off her phone and returned to class.

                                                                                       ..

After school Amber returned to her house, removed her bag and washed up. She changed into fresh clothes and went downstairs for supper.

Her brother was back and the family was together. They said grace and began to eat when an unexpected guest arrived.

'Gina what are you doing here?' Amber asked.

Gina looked very furious, angry; all emotions were on her face.

'I'm sorry but I need to borrow you for the night,' she said looking at her.

'Why? I'm not going anywhere.'

'It's an emergency. It's a matter of life and death Amber.'

'What's wrong with her?'

'We can't tell but you need to come before it worsens,' Gina said.

Amber saw the worried look on Gina's face and she knew the issue was grave. They couldn't talk more when her parents were listening like that.

'You have to go. She was there for you when you needed her,' her mother said.

She looked at her mother and nodded.

'Fine, let's go,' she said and followed Gina out of the house.

'What really happened?' Gina asked.

'I broke up with her. You told me to show her clarity and I did,' Amber explained.

'Then that's why.'

'Is she killing people?'

'No, she is dying,' Gina said.

'What?'

'You will see for yourself when we arrive.'

Now she was worried. Was she trying to kill herself over her? Why did she do it? She just hoped and prayed that she won't be late. There was so much she wanted to talk about and ask. She wanted to look deep into her eyes and ask so much.

They arrived and she saw people outside.

'What's happening?' Gina asked.

'It is now worse, she told us to leave and we are all waiting outside.'

'Who is inside now?'

'It's the lead priestess and priest.'

'That's good then. Follow me Amber,' Gina said.

So everything she hears was true. They really existed and she saw those tattoos on everyone's hands. Was this a movie?

They went inside and when Gina opened the door to Haven's bedroom she just gasped and fainted.