The Search for Starlight

by Elyse Salpeter

  Robbie’s brows raised. “That is not in any of the teachings.”

  “But it is the truth. One that is kept hidden to protect her. Her father, Mara, of course vehemently objected when Tanha requested to leave. As punishment, he promised to hunt his daughter down, lifetime after lifetime that she tried to live, and murder her. But the call to the righteous path was so strong, Tanha still left his side, even with this greatest of threats hanging over her.”

  “Did Mara keep his promise?” Robbie asked.

  “Yes, for century upon century. In thousands of lifetimes, this girl’s soul in every human existence she has tried to live has died a terrible, tortuous death. She’s experienced pain and loss like no other human. She’s been torn from her mother’s arms and thrown to wolves, burned to death in house fires, shot, thrown into volcanoes, kidnapped and left to die in the frigid cold. She has been drowned, beaten, molested and starved to death. She’s watched her families be killed and tortured century after century before she, too, succumbed. There is no end to the torments

  that she has had to endure. Tanha never made it past her teen years until this epoch, and even in this incarnation Mara had his minions attack her brutally when she was just ten years old. Fortunately, she survived. She is an amazing young woman in this lifetime.” His teacher quieted for a moment.

  Robbie shook his head, dumfounded. His life in Pritvhi had always been so organized. So understandable. Suddenly, nothing made sense any longer. “I’ve studied my entire life here. Why was I not taught about her? Why didn’t I hear her story? And if she is so important, why has no one ever helped her?”

  “Who says she has not had help? There are things in the universe that we are not all privy to. I know you want to complete this task the Emperor and Empress set for you, but I implore you to be careful of Kelsey and how you conduct yourself around her. I would stress that you don’t kill her.”

  “But Teacher, my job is to kill demons,” he protested. “That is our role.”

  The man held up his hand firmly and Robbie could see the old scar slashed across his palm, which matched the one under his chin. Dov had received them when he’d been a student and had not been fast enough avoiding the talons of a demon his team had hunted. “That is where you are wrong. It is not our only role. Heed my words. I have been your teacher for thirteen years and I am imploring you not to fight with her. But you must still be careful. You have seen how powerful and skilled she is. And as for the other one, be even more on your guard. She’s a real demon, but also incredibly powerful with a father who is even more powerful.” His teacher stared at him, suddenly doubtful. “Are you sure you wish to continue this quest? You don’t have to do this for the Emperor and Empress. There are always choices. Do you wish to instead remain in Pritvhi and take some time to heal? We can have a more experienced soldier deal with what is going on. Especially with this second demon now in the picture.”

  Robbie vehemently protested. “No, I want to do this alone. There is a reason I am involved, and I want to see this through.”

  Master Dov stared at Robbie’s bruised and swollen face, but then acquiesced. “Fine, I’ll give you one week. After that, if this isn’t resolved we will assign a team of soldiers to hunt Raga down, unless she creates an imbalance before then. For some reason your path is taking this direction, and I will not stop it. But heed my words. Demons are not always what you think. You must open your eyes. You’ve had compassion for them before. While you have been given a task, you are ultimately a soldier who serves the universe, not just one couple. Remember that while Kelsey is Tanha at her spiritual core, she has become so much more. She is human as well. We do not kill humans. Perform your task, but leave her be. Take great care until we speak again.”

  Robbie had twisted the gemmed ring and portalled back to his hotel room on Earth. The parting conversation with Master Dov had stunned him so much that he’d had to sit and meditate for half an hour to collect himself. The Buddhist Devil’s daughter here on Earth and he wasn’t even allowed to kill her? In fact, ordered not to? Who was this woman to all of them that they would grant her this great mercy?

  Robbie bet she had some additional abilities his teacher didn’t bother to tell him, if he even knew. He’d observed Kelsey first hand, and had seen the pull she had on people. How men and women would be drawn to her, would glance in her direction, a look of need on some of their faces. Just as the Emperor and Empress had said. But for some reason she does not have that effect on me. He felt nothing sexual towards her. But he did sense a strange familiarity about her. Kelsey… what is it about that name… It nagged at the back of his mind. Raga, on the other hand, had put his body into overdrive. She had a distinctly different vibe than her sister, and the pull from her had been so strong he’d had to will himself to stay in control and on task. His teachings had helped and he came out stronger for it. The fact that she tried to burn him to death in the bookshop had helped as well.

  He tried to recall his teachings on polytheistic religions. The line between demons and gods was often twisted in many of them. Some gods committed great acts of evil while some demons were good. He didn’t adhere to that belief personally, but had to accept that he did not know everything and the concept could have some merit.

  Of course demons eventually use up their negative karma and can become human again. Why couldn’t this girl, even if she didn’t start as human? Especially if she’d seemed to pay her penance lifetime after lifetime by being killed by her own father again and again. And yet she still kept choosing reincarnation as a human. That had to account for something.

  But now Tanha’s sister Raga was also here. Robbie didn’t care what his master thought. There was no good reason for that to happen unless the two sisters were working together on some nefarious plan. And if he walked right into the middle of it, he’d be the only one to stop it. Robbie had told the elders how he’d followed Kelsey inside the bookshop and then encountered Raga. She’d tried to sway him first with her sexual powers, but he knew immediately she was a demon and he fought back, resisting her sway with all his training had taught him. She had retaliated with fire, releasing the flames from her fingers and lighting the shop ablaze. She’d only run when he finally impaled her with a flying dart to her leg. Raga fled the shop through the front door, and Robbie heard Kelsey moving in the back. He’d been torn over whom to go after. In the end, he’d gone after Kelsey because she was the one with the amulet, and he pushed through the flames of the burning store to get to her.

  He had barreled outside and saw Kelsey at the end of the block. She could not get away from him again. He’d taken off after her, but she amazingly escaped. She’d been on crutches just the week before. That she’d outrun him proved again she was not just a regular girl.

  So, he’d gone ahead and confronted her in her apartment, which had proven a disastrous mistake. Robbie mentally kicked himself for his stupidity. For not being more on guard. For not realizing who he was up against and what that meant. It isn’t my fault. They told me she had the powers of a lowly demon. No one even hinted at how strong she really is. It was the first time he’d been angry and frustrated at his elders.

  His teacher had given him one week to get this assignment finished, so he stuck to his plan. He followed Kelsey from her apartment and intended to confront her at the restaurant, in public, when all of a sudden Raga had materialized from the bathroom and breezed by him. His demon charm had gone crazy. Not to mention that her powers of seduction caused his body to go into overdrive, but he willed it aside and hid in the bar.

  Not for the first time since their conversation, Robbie wondered why he hadn’t asked Master Dov for help. He’d been taught that asking for help was a skill most soldiers never mastered. Their egos were too big and got in the way. Most soldiers eventually perished in the field for this reason.

  For a moment Robbie was wracked with indecision. Was he taking on more than he should? Did his pride obstruct the right path? Was he just too proud and thi
s was a test? One that he was failing? Robbie stared at his ring, wondering if the right path would be to go back to Pritvhi right now, heal, and let someone with more experience deal with this. Kelsey was just a human right now. What could possibly be so important about her?

  No, the Emperor and Empress wouldn’t have asked me to do this if they didn’t think I could handle it. He believed in a path, and for some reason this was his, one the Emperor and Empress had expressly asked him to take.

  He had to trust in them. They would never deceive him. Never deceive the elders in Pritvhi.

  Kelsey… that name meant something to him, though.

  With sudden clarity, Robbie realized he must have met this demon before and no one wanted him to remember it. Had he fought her when he was young and in training? But if she was human, why would that have happened? She’d have been young, too. He wracked his brain but could not ever recall meeting this demon temptress. Kelsey… wait…

  An image of a young girl with pigtails popped into his head. A memory? It was fleeting. The girl held a children’s book. She sat on the floor with her legs crossed. Someone sat next to her. A little boy. I can’t see his face. Wait… Is that little boy… me? There was giggling.

  And then, the images vanished as quickly as they had come. The vision alarmed him. He’d never met that child before. Had he?

  Frustrated, Robbie turned his attention to the trio finally leaving the restaurant. The man walking with the temptresses was the same one he’d seen with Kelsey at the funeral. Obviously a close friend the way he kept touching her. Maybe even her boyfriend.

  He thought of his options, but they were all complicated. He needed to steal an amulet from a temptress demon, but her perhaps even more powerful sister lurked nearby and her boyfriend might be around. No worries. He’d find a way to get that amulet back, get it to the Emperor and Empress. Then he’d return home to Pritvhi and delve back into his studies. He’d put this entire incident behind him, get it out of his mind, and immerse himself in training so he’d never be compromised again.

  Kelsey… pigtails… Robbie sucked in his breath. Wait…

  Another memory strained to come to the surface. Pigtails… big round blue eyes staring at him. A pyramid? Camels? A beach? He waited a full ten minutes in the bar, sitting quietly and concentrating. Hoping the memory would come forward, but it didn’t. The only other memory that returned was sweets after dinner. He didn’t even know what that meant. Robbie paid for his drink, and made his way back to his hotel room to remove his disguise and gather all his supplies. He’d try again tonight.

  Chapter Eight

  Raga glided around Kelsey’s downtown apartment. She took in the Tibetan artwork adorning the walls, the sumptuous furniture filled with colorful plush throw pillows and soft chenille blankets, and the decorative statuary. Kelsey had burned orange blossom scented incense before she’d left to meet Desmond at the restaurant, and the sweet, scintillating scent still permeated her residence. The entire space was refined and subtle. Raga picked up Kelsey’s Kundalini bracelet which Kelsey had laid on the counter and stared appreciatively at the phallus symbol etched into it. “And here you think you’ve forgotten everything,” Raga mused. “I’ll have to disagree. Look around you, Tanha. It’s quite luxurious by human standards and is exactly like your quarters in the palace. Well, without the servants laying naked and prostrate on the floor waiting on you or the beloved torture devices you used to have strewn about your suite within arm’s reach. Do you still use those studded whips you favored?” Raga asked, glancing at Desmond curiously.

  Raga stopped next to the sofa table and picked up a framed photo of Kelsey and her family. It had been taken when Kelsey was only seven. Benjamin and Margaret had their arms wrapped around Kelsey and her little brother Robbie, and they all smiled at the camera. Raga ran her fingers across the image of Robbie’s face, crinkled her brow in thought, and then laid the photo down and moved along on her stroll, a wry, knowing smile now on her face. She came to the couch and sat down. With a coy glance at Desmond, she patted the cushion next to her and beckoned him with her hand. “Come on over here, Desmond. Come sit next to your sister and let’s get to know each other better.”

  He didn’t move.

  Kelsey grasped Desmond’s hand and led him over to the other end of the sofa, away from her sister. Then she turned to Raga. Kelsey had conflicted feelings about her. Her memories of her time with Raga in the kingdom had returned, and they sent a wave of emotions through her. She felt torn, remembering now how much she had enjoyed being with Raga in the hell realms and the games they’d played, but also knowing that was not who and what she wanted to be.

  “He’s fine here with me,” Kelsey said. “So, tell me. Why are you here on Earth? You haven’t come since Mara had us visit Siddhartha all those years ago.”

  Raga’s face crinkled in distaste at the memory. “Yes, and look how that went. An epic fail for all three of us. Even you couldn’t get him to sway from his meditations. For a moment Arati and I thought you had him, the way he got all excited when you straddled him and started kissing you back. Your caresses would bring men stronger than him to their very knees. But alas, his call to the righteous path was too great. We can’t win them all, can we, Tanha?”

  Kelsey stared at her pointedly. “Raga, what are you doing here?”

  The seductress sat back on the couch. “Father sent me. You refuse to speak to him or listen to him, so he gave me permission to come if I would talk to you. I want Caim back, and Father wants you back, so it made sense for me to come and speak for him.”

  “I’ll get you Caim, but I’m not going back to the palace to live. My place is here.”

  Raga rolled her eyes. “You are so damn stubborn. Fine, then stay here for this lifetime. Just let me tell Father you’ll come back after you die. I’m sure he’ll be fine with waiting, and then he can stop trying to kill you every existence and things can get back to normal again.”

  “Normal?” Kelsey asked, amazed. “Nothing is ever going to be your idea of normal again. I’m not the same person any longer. Get this into your head. I am not going back, so you might as well go home after you tell me what Caim did to get imprisoned.”

  “All I know is that thirteen years ago Caim left my bed to do father’s bidding in the outer realms. He was legion of thirty realms and had permission to be there, as you may remember. A monk from Tibet caught him with the help of a soldier from Pritvhi and used powerful magic to put him into that amulet. The soldiers in Pritvhi use charms like these to help them find other demons, but mostly they use lowly Jikininki demons, so I have no idea why they’d try this with Caim. He’s so much more powerful than a Jikininki. Demons can feel each other with and without the talismans, if you haven’t figured it out yet. That’s probably how you’ve been tracked by that demon hunter.”

  “I’m not a demon,” Kelsey said, coolly.

  Raga scoffed. “Of course you are, and not accepting it is part of your problem. It’s part of your spiritual DNA, Tanha. Try to be as human as you’d like, but you are a demon goddess at your core. When you finally accept this, things will get much easier for you.”

  Kelsey changed the subject. “So how did you know Caim was even here?”

  “Soldiers in Pritvhi attacked a legion of demons soon after who were cavorting with the Asuras in Aihika. One of them was wearing a talisman with a Jikininki demon and it felt Caim. Our emissaries reported it back to Mara. Obviously many people want this talisman, including the soldier hunting you down.”

  “The Emperor and Empress want it, too, Raga.”

  “Do you know why?” Raga asked coolly.

  “Because he killed them?”

  Raga huffed. “Yes, so you at least know something. It must be infuriating to not be all-knowing any longer. Remember how we could see across the realms, Tanha? We knew with perfect clarity what was happening across all the hell realms at any time. We knew who had died and where they were going. Remember how we’d make our pers
onal selections amongst all of the souls coming through, and Father would bring them right to our quarters?” Raga smiled contentedly. “If you were home in the Naraka realm right now, you’d have full knowledge of everything, and every whim and desire would be met. Instead you sit here living in the dark, being made a pawn by the Emperor and Empress and only privy to whatever bits of flotsam those above you deem you worthy enough of knowing.”

  “Then enlighten me, dear sister. For old times.”

  “I don’t have to. Just come home and you’ll know everything. Tanha, do you have any idea of how powerful you’d be if you reclaimed your place in the kingdom? You’ve become infamous and are now known by every single creature across all the hell realms. You are the feared Tanha. The Temptress who dared to leave Mara’s side. After you chased Father from Xanadu and helped end the Devic war, you became a legend. You’re revered, Sister. Every demon in existence will bow to you. Come home and help Arati and me rule the hell realms like we used to. You belong with your sisters. Not here. We are your family. Your first one. Your real one.”

  “You’re wrong. I’m exactly where I need to be. On Earth.” Kelsey smiled at Desmond and squeezed his hand.

  “You’re pitiful, and your human side has weakened you. I can see I am wasting my time.” Raga stood. “So just help me release Caim and I’ll be gone. I’ll take him back to Naraka with me, or you can bring him back to the palace in the talisman and one of our sorcerers will release him. I’d take it myself, but I can’t transport the talisman through the realms. Apparently only you can perform that great feat. It’s amazing, actually. You’re human and yet you can do that. Just come back with me, even to the outer edge of the kingdom, and then you can return here. I won’t even tell Father you stopped by.”