MUSIC of the gods, soft and entrancing, played from the flute and travelled on soundless wings across land and sea, sounds only a Nagin could hear.

Far away, in a small South American land on an estate plantation, a Nagin girl turned and murmured in her sleep as the sounds touched her snake senses.

“Rani,” a strange, warm voice whispered.

Rani awoke with a start and looked around, feeling a warm breath on her cheek as though someone had been close to her. There was no one in her room, so she stepped out onto the veranda, looking across the sprawling green lawns to the field of daffodils beyond, but saw nothing. It was quiet, shadows veiling the borders of thick, flowering shrubs that concealed a Nagin entity from her eyes, though she could feel its dynastic presence. She stood for a while, breathing in the perfumed scent of the chameli flowers below, and then, with a hint of a smile, she returned to her room. Whoever it was, their presence did not spell danger.

A few moments after she returned inside, a silent figure stepped out from the shadows—a princely figure with a flute in his hand.

He knelt by the tomb that lay between the daffodils and said quietly, “I have found her.”

Rani could not sleep for a long while afterwards, wondering if it was a calling. Since the Snake Goddess, a Hindu deity, had bestowed power on her—the power to combat evil and restore life—it had become her ultimate duty to answer calls from the snake world.

The last call she had answered had taken her back across the seas to her ancestral home, where she had to battle a demon Nagin Queen to save the people of that district. It had been a long battle, raging into the night, and from the shelter of a Shiva temple, Rani had won.

The people had celebrated the return of one of their own, blessed with such divine powers, and wanted her to stay, but she couldn’t.

Home was the land where she had lived and died as a human and had been reborn as a snake-girl—a life restored to her by the Snake Goddess. It was where her resting place lay in the daffodil field and where she shared a home with her best friend, Kate, a human girl. They had been friends since they were young, ever since Rani had disclosed her true identity to her. Now young women, beautiful in their own way, their unique friendship remained unbroken. Kate was always afraid whenever Rani answered a call, fearful that one day she might not return and that one day the Nagin world would claim her.

As they slept in the embrace of the night, neither girl knew how close that time was coming.

The next day, as the two friends worked in Kate’s flower shop, Kate noticed Rani’s unusual quietness.

“What is it?” she asked.

“I’m not sure, but last night, I felt a strange presence.”

“Is it bad?”

“I don’t think so.”

It was a busy day, so their worrying thoughts were not dwelled upon until dusk when Rani felt her eyes drawn to the field of daffodils, but once again, she saw nothing. That night, as she slept, the divine music from the flute aroused her senses, and again, a voice whispered her name. His figure was shrouded in mist, so she could not see who he was. All week, the dream played in her sleep, drawing closer and closer until the mist cleared. Now, he was standing there, a warm smile on his face—the prince of the royal Nagin dynasty.

Rani awoke gasping, “Oh no, oh no.”

The voice was calling her, “Come to me, Rani.”

She obeyed, almost in a trance, walking to the daffodil field where he waited.

“You are indeed beautiful,” he said.

A few words of prayer she whispered broke the trance, and Rani, awed by his presence, asked,

“Why, dear prince, why have you come this far?”

“To see you,” he said, “a girl with power and passion.”

She smiled just a little as he continued, “With the blessing of the king and queen, I have crossed lands and seas, looking for the perfect bride, and now, I have found her.”

Rani was stunned; she knew this would happen one day, but she never thought it would be a royal prince—and not so soon.

She shook her head, “I can’t, not now.”

“You belong with your own,” he said, “How long will you stay away?”

She turned and looked at the house and saw Kate on the veranda, watching her.

“She’s the only friend I ever had. She believed in me and took me into her home when I had no one. How can I leave her?”

The Nagin prince touched her lightly on the cheek and said,

“I’ve chosen you to be my bride, so I will wait for you.”

He faded away with the mist, and Rani breathed deeply, relieved that he understood—for now.

How long will he wait?

She returned to the house, to her friend, knowing that she would live and share her life with her until…