The foliage, what little there was, made our new guides initially challenging to notice. Their colored, scaly skin, coupled with camouflaged ponchos, blended well into the background, allowing them to creep partially up the path before being detected.
I’d read brief depictions of their appearance, but seeing them in action was a shock to the system, reminiscent of the ‘lizard people’ conspiracy theory. The comparison had not escaped me in my studies, but it was even more striking now.
These Agarthians were almost 7” tall, with thin, primarily flat, scale-covered faces. Their snouts protruded slightly from their face ending with a slit where a nose would be, and their skulls extended back in a manner not unlike the elongated skulls our ancestors had artificially induced. Holes replaced their ears, and their neck extended an entire extra head length between their skulls and chests. Colorful scales sharp as a rattlesnake’s covered every inch of visible skin, protruding slightly over their short claws. They only had four fingers, but their hands were similar to ours in structure. The undersides of their hands were unscaled, possibly allowing for a greater sense of touch. Long fur-lined sleeves and pants poked out of their ponchos, and leather boots covered their feet to their knees.
The two Agarthians had different colored scales and slightly different facial structures. Bright blues and greens, reminiscent of a peacock, complimented the slit-purple eyes of the one who appeared to be male. The second one, slightly shorter with more delicate features and apparent breasts under her poncho, had duller, grass-green scales that brought out her shimmering ruby-red eyes.
It hadn’t been mentioned in any of the books I’d read, but from my limited pool, I assumed the males of their species were like many male bird or lizard species and more colorful than their female counterparts.
His ribbon-like forked tongue became visible as the male opened his mouth to speak. The words escaping his mouth were fluent English, echoed by a serpent hiss. That, I presumed, was the origin of the rumors that Agarthians had split tongs to speak in dual languages.
His tone was casual, and he sounded so normal that, when coming from his serpent face, it was all the creepier. It was the type of voice that would be buried in a crowd, forgotten. His purple eyes darted between us as he spoke. “Hello. I see your guides have led you well.”
“They’ve done an admirable job.” Cove agreed. In the background, the female’s gaze traced my face as I nodded.
“I am Ninelithe, and my wife is Persephonix.”
Persephonix stepped within arms reach of me, offering a very human handshake as Ninelithe did the same to Cove. The tips of her cold scales crested gently across my knuckles as her large hands wrapped firmly around mine.
Like many lizards, they must have been cold-blooded.
As they’d only offered a first name, Cove and I followed suit. “Hayden,” I said, tilting my neck back to meet Persephonix’s eyes as we dropped. She gave me a regal nod. “My familiar is Ani,” I felt compelled to add. Her eyes hardly paused on his form, and she and Ninelithe switched places.
Ninelithe’s hands were so large the clawed tips of three of his fingers wrapped all the way around to his tumb. Like his wife, his hands were cool to the touch, reinforcing my theory. He, too, looked at Ani as though his presence wasn’t equal to that of the dirt on his boot. Worth a casual glance, but no more.
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Once introductions were complete, they temporarily dropped their attention fully from us, focusing entirely on Raj and Arjun.
“Thank you for delivering them to us. You’ve done well.”
Raj and Arjun bowed a polite 90 degrees in return, with their faces tilted toward the ground. “It is our pleasure, wise ones.”
Arjun shot Cove and me an acknowledging minute nod as he straightened, letting us know we weren’t entirely forgotten.
“If all goes well, Cove and Hayden will use the portal they’ve created to return to their village. You may leave.”
“Of course,” Raj agreed. “Farewell.”
“I’d be happy to show you around if you ever decide to visit Delhi,” Arjun informed Cove and me.
Ninelithe’s face distorted into an expression that, on a human, would be called disdain.
Perhaps reading the same expression, Arjun hastily corrected himself, “Of course, it pales compared to the splendor of Agartha,” he bowed again to the Agarthians and retreated. “Goodbye.”
Persephonix made a sound not at all, unlike a scoff, and the two’s full attention returned to Cove and me. She eyed our clothes. “Agartha is an advanced city, and we ensure the climate is temperate year-round. Garments will be provided for you upon reaching the city.”
“We thank you for your consideration,” Cove answered politely.
Ninelithe inclined his head and motioned for us to follow. “Come. We have a great distance to travel before we reach our stunning city.”
We climbed higher up the mountain, following a winding foot-trodden path up and around, before descending slightly on a way that led between the two mountains. Our envoys were light-footed for their statue, and their footsteps were silent, like our cats. Cove and me, meanwhile, were heavier-footed, and dirt, rock, and branches constantly cracked beneath our feet.
It wasn’t often that I paid close attention to my footsteps, but the growing irritation on our guide’s faces forced me to reconsider. This just made things worse, and I skidded a few feet down the mountainside, catching myself on a tree branch. After, I considered the structural placement of my feet over the sounds I was making. Even with my new fitness levels, I was the first to tire, my breath coming in short pants as the Agarthians strode further and further ahead. Cove, I was pleased to see, wasn’t much better off.
Ani clawed at my leg, begging to be picked up. Our guides disappeared from sight as they turned around a bend ahead, and I collected my cat in my arms, pushing myself to move faster.
They waited in front of a dark, 8-foot-tall arched cave entrance, looking more disdainful than they had previously. Notus slid his hands out from where they’d been stored in the poncho, pulling out several odd, clear balls.“The caves are full of deterrents, so please notify us if your human constitution is having difficulty with the conditions of our travel. These will serve as our lights.”
As he said the words, the balls lit from within lifted from his hands, flying to hover above our heads like floating lanterns in the sky. The light stretched further down the path than even the best flashlight, but even it couldn’t reach the end of the deep depths of the cavern before us.
“We appreciate the concern but will not need to take you up on your generous offer,” I said, taking their scorn as a challenge resolving to keep moving forward even if I died from exhaustion. Cove’s eyes, when I caught them, reflected my offense and my resolve.
We would not give them any reason to feel superior to us.