I pull my eyes away from the tail and back up to his serpent face. I jump to my feet and back away until I hit the railing in front of the chairs. I don't know how fast this thing can strike me. It hasn't moved since I got here. I'm being played with like a mouse. I need to run, but I'm locked in.

Master Sarpedon chuckles. "I guess that answers my question."

I'm annoyed that he finds my fear funny. I scan the room for anything to use as a weapon, but it's bare.

"Good. You have excellent instincts. Gurador removed all weapons from this room in case this was your reaction."

He's so calm. His tone drains the adrenaline from my veins. I'm defeated and foolish. I wouldn't even know what to do with a weapon if he handed it to me. Exhaustion hits me so hard I wobble on unsteady legs. I might be falling under a spell or something. My stomach's in knots and I'm dizzy.

"I'll wait. Your reaction is normal. Climb over the rail and sit in the chair. You will be much more comfortable."

I leap over the rail and flop into the closest chair. Why are there so many? Who sits in them? I'm not asking any questions or speaking to the snake. I'll wait here until it either kills me or lets me go.

I find a loose thread on my blazer and pull at it. When I accumulate enough, I wrap it around my thumb and turn the tip purple. I free my thumb, pull more thread, and wrap up two fingers.

I don't know how much time passes, but I've made a nice-sized hole in my borrowed jacket, and my entire hand is tied up in a messy knot. Sarpedon hasn't moved since I first saw him. He hasn't looked around or dropped his hands, not even when he spoke to me, or when I jumped.

The heavy tiredness eases. My breathing and heartbeat have returned to normal, and my nausea and dizziness have disappeared. I cave. I can't take the silence any longer. "I don't like to sit."

"Then stand."

I get up, muster my courage, and hop over the rail. "What I mean is, why am I here? Are we just going to stare at each other?"

Sarpedon drops his hands and uncoils his long tail. His body rises only a few inches as he stands at his full height. Now he really looks like a snake. The dizziness returns. I flex my fingers to stop them from shaking. I'm not running away. I have to stand here and do whatever he wants so I can leave. I hate snakes, especially giant talking ones.

I jump and let out a yelp when a door slams in the hall. If another snake comes in, I'm done. I'm ready to make a dash for it when Jonah steps out from behind the curtain.

The rush of relief is almost as overwhelming as the panic attack. I race to Jonah and fly into his arms. He gives me one of those hugs I'm getting used to. I needed this comfort. He holds me tight and waits until I move away from him before he speaks.

"I'm sorry I'm late. You were not supposed to come here without me. Stay by my side. Everything's fine."

He grabs my hand and takes a step toward Master Sarpedon, but my legs refuse to move. I'm not going anywhere near that thing, with or without Jonah.

He smiles at me, drops my hand, and walks over to Master Sarpedon. When he reaches him, Jonah salutes him by putting his right hand over his heart and making a slashing motion down and away from the front of his body. Standing at attention, he quietly says, "Jwi héxé en koitep."

Master Sarpedon makes the same salute and says in response, "Nan lapè în sül avètk," Their hand motions form an X, and I wonder if they know that.

Jonah drops to one knee, and Master Sarpedon has to raise his hand to reach the top of Jonah's bowed head. He mutters some strange words that might be a greeting or a prayer, and then Jonah rises. They face each other. Jonah grabs Sarpedon by the shoulders, and Sarpedon reaches up to do the same but can only reach Jonah's elbows. It's some sort of hug. It only lasts for a moment before they both drop their arms.

"Sir Jonah, I am so pleased to see you. How fare you?"

"Well, Master. How do things fare here?"

"Stable for now."

They both want to say more but won't in front of me. They turn their attention my way and my face gets hot.

"She is very brave," Sarpedon says.

"Yes, she's been through a lot over a short period of time and has adapted well."

Now my face is burning. I'm not used to praise. What am I supposed to do?

"Do you feel confident enough to come over here now?" Jonah asks.

I slowly walk over. I still don't want to talk to the snake.

While I'm making my way to them, Jonah says, "She's more at ease if she can ask a dozen questions at once."

Sarpedon smiles wide, making his gentle face turn wicked. "Curiosity, the weapon of the brilliant. Ask your questions."

My brain refuses to form words. I twist my sweaty hands around each other. Think! I command my dying brain cells. I blurt out the first question that comes to mind. "Do you have feet?"

Sarpedon's eyes widen in surprise, but he quickly recovers. "No, I have what humans describe as the torso of a man and the tail of a serpent."

My eyes immediately go down to the long tail extending from the bottom of his robe. I force myself to look at his face, only to find he's studying my face as well. He's waiting for more questions. Now that Jonah's by my side, I feel a lot safer and definitely calmer. Jonah would never let anyone harm me. My confidence is back, so I let the questions fly.

"What are you called? What species, breed, or whatever? Are you venomous? How come I've never seen your kind in a book or movie or something? How tall are you? What is this place?"

Sarpedon looks to Jonah and then back at me. I try to read his expression, but his face never changes. "Now, repeat your questions back to me, individually, and in the same order you asked them. Only this time, leave me room to answer."

He's talking down to me like I'm a child. I didn't want to ask the questions in the first place, but he made me. Now I have to repeat them and try to keep my voice calm and the tears from falling. I take a deep breath to steel my courage and do my best to remember what I said.

"What is your species called? I know that's not exactly what I said before, but that's what I meant, and I asked it more concisely now that I've had more time to think about it."

"I am a Nüwa."

"Are you venomous?"

"No, we are not snakes. We share common features," he says and then adds, "Besides, my teeth fell out ages ago."

"Oh, I remember," I say, after too long of a pause. "How come I've never seen a Nüwa in the movies or books and stuff?"

"My homeland does not have a portal. We had to travel a great distance to get to one. It led to the human area of Asia. Although we were not prolific on Earth, our culture influenced the human Asian cultures. In other words, if you were born on the other side of Earth, you would be more familiar with our kind."

"Oh, okay," I say, trying to remember my next question. I want to get this right because I don't want this mean creature to chastise me in front of Jonah again.

"How tall are you?" I almost forgot that one.

Sarpedon pauses for a moment, then speaks in that way that makes me feel like a child. "Well, if you are asking my height, I would say in—you are from America, correct?"

I nod.

"In American measurements, I am about eight inches below six feet tall. Now, if you are asking my length, I would be just over fifteen feet long."

I listen to his answer, which of course leads me to another question. "Can you change your height? Can you stand on different parts of your tail?"

"That was not one of the questions you asked before. You need to control your thoughts better."

I'm dragged here and held captive by a monster. I get talked down to like I'm a simpleton, and when I relax, just a little, he reprimands me. Asking these stupid questions is invasive. I should've worked them into a conversation and not just interrogated him. But he's the one who insisted that I ask them in the first place. "Well, if an answer leads to another question, when am I supposed to ask it?"

Sarpedon raises one of his eyebrows at me. "If you ask questions one at a time and wait for the answer, you can then easily ask another question. Your style of rapid interrogation leaves many questions unanswered."

I don't understand what he's telling me, so I don't know what to do next. "Are you going to answer it, or should I ask the last question?"

"Yet another question?"

I've had enough. I am never coming here again, no matter how much they push me. I take a deep breath to make sure my voice is steady and ask the last question. "What is this place?"

"This is the Temple of the Knights. You may have heard of it as the Knights Templar. The Temple was replicated many times on Earth, but this is the original Temple."

"Like a church?" I cringe when I remember that I'm not supposed to add any questions.

"No, most temples on Earth are used for worship, but this Temple is used for the high functions of the order of the Knights Templar."

I'm confused and speak before I think. "You named yourself Knights of the Temple and then built a temple to be knights of?"

"Are you always so literal?" Sarpedon asks.

I shrug because I don't know if I'm supposed to answer that.

Sarpedon continues. "This is our main meeting place. We call it a temple. This is not the Temple we are referring to in our name."

I wait and when he says no more, I lose my patience. This snake enjoys confusing me. No matter what anyone says, I won't be taught by him. "Okay, then where's the temple?"

"You're standing in it."

Now I'm just mad. "Does everything here have to be a puzzle? I'm really tired of getting half-answers and riddles, and then getting ridiculed for being stupid when I don't understand."

"With patience, you will find more answers and fewer questions," Sarpedon says.

I don't want him to talk anymore. I shift my weight back and forth, and take turns standing on the sides of my feet. Then an idea hits me. "Ashra's the temple!"

Both Sarpedon and Jonah nod.

"Why is Ashra a temple?"

Jonah chuckles and Sarpedon sighs because I just asked another unauthorized question.

"I will answer only one more question. Think about it and then ask what it is you truly want to know."

I don't hesitate. "I want to know about the height. Can you change your height?"

Sarpedon is stunned by my choice, and Jonah laughs. Their reaction makes me defend myself. "You'll eventually tell me about the temple. It has to be part of this training. But if I don't ask about the height thing, I may never know."

I finish with my voice strong. I'm proud of myself for shocking him. It's probably rude to ask such a personal question, but they should've given me a book on these creatures instead of letting me figure it out on my own.

Sarpedon looks at me with what might be admiration. "You are clever. I am built to be this height. I am not a snake. I do not slither along on my belly. However, if the need arises, I can raise or lower myself for short periods with effort on my part. Have I answered your question satisfactorily?"

I smile back at him because I'm relieved to be done. I think he wants to answer the other question too, so it's only polite that I give him the opportunity. "Yes, you can tell me the Temple thing now if you want."

Jonah chuckles.

"You will have to be patient," Sarpedon says. "I only wanted us to meet. You will begin your training on the morrow."

Jonah bows and salutes. "Satisfaction in harmony be upon you, Master."

Sarpedon bows and returns the salutation. Then Jonah grabs my hand and leads the way out of the temple.