“Let’s not think about that right now,” said Zarku. “How can five children not come up with interesting hiding places, in a forest? Say yes. Oh please say yes!”
He looked so normal, thought Tara, so harmless, until she looked into his eyes and saw the madness nestled there, the ruthlessness that would erupt in an instant if he did not get his way. In this form he was he was even more dangerous than he had ever been before.
“Give us a moment,” said Ananth. He jerked his head and they all moved away to huddle beside Kabir.
“What do you all think,” said Anath. “Do we say yes?”
Kabir looked at them, his face shiny with sweat and streaked with his own blood. “I don’t like it one bit, but we don’t have a choice. I want to see Sadia.”
“It’s a trap!” said Raani. “We shouldn’t agree.”
“Let’s go for it,” said Tara. “Our chances are better out there in the forest than in here. And you never know — we might get lucky and win! And Zarku might even keep his word if we play his game.”
“All right,” said Ananth. “Let’s do it.”
“We’re ready,” he said to Zarku, who had been watching them carefully.
“Wonderful! I knew you’d see things my way,” said Zarku. He stood up and brushed the mud from his pajamas. “You can leave whenever you are ready. Playing in the dark is so much more fun, don’t you think?”
No one replied. There was nothing to say.
“Kali,” said Zarku. “Serve my friends some good food.
I wouldn’t expect anyone to play on an empty stomach.
I must go now and prepare. I’m soooo excited.”
Zarku skipped out of the room humming Suraj’s favourite tune. “Whoops! Almost forgot one important thing,” he said. He stopped just outside the door and turned around.
Tara’s stomach lurched.
“The hyenas will be helping me. Please, please, don’t get caught! They haven’t eaten in two days.”
— eight —
The Final Feast
Zarku was gone, but he left behind a deeper gloom and a bitter taste of fear. A pale-faced Kabir lolled weakly against the wall, wincing each time Raani dabbed at a wound with her dupatta.
“My back,” Kabir groaned. “It’s on fire.”
“Show me,” said Raani.
Kabir twisted around and pulled up the edges of his tattered shirt. Tara could not suppress a gasp. His back was a mass of scratches. Torn skin hung from some of the deeper wounds, still oozing blood.
“Oh my God,” said Raani. “You must be in a lot of pain!”
Tara glanced at Ananth and saw her worry mirrored in his eyes. This looked really bad. Some of the wounds were sure to get infected and with that came fever and weakness.
How was he going to play a game in this condition? She wished now she had never let him go for help. She should have known he would have been caught.
“What happened?” asked Ananth. “After you left here, that is.”
“I was really unlucky,” said Kabir. “I managed to get into the forest, but barely did I start running when I was surrounded by hyenas. They waited till I was in a clearing and couldn’t climb a tree. Then they attacked. I didn’t have a chance.” Kabir’s voice fell. “I’m sorry. But what I don’t understand is how they learned of my escape so quickly! I thought they wouldn’t discover my absence till tomorrow morning.
“It’s my fault,” said Tara. She could barely meet Kabir’s eyes. “I told Suraj about it, not realizing that I was really talking to Zarku. I’m the reason you’re in so much pain.”
Kabir’s hand closed over Tara’s. “Don’t blame yourself. How was anyone to know Zarku could do this? The last time we saw him, he was a pile of ash in an urn. And you didn’t tell me to squeeze through the bars and run for help — that was my idea.”
“What now?” asked Raani. “I don’t want to play hide-and-seek. Something tells me he will never let us win.”
“We have to,” answered Vayu. “I don’t think we have a choice.”
“Don’t you dare tell me what to do,” snarled Raani. “It’s because of you that we’re in this mess.”
Vayu opened his mouth, then changed his mind and walked away without saying anything.
“You had better stop this right now,” snapped Tara.
“We’re in this together, Raani, whether you like it or not.
Fighting is not really going to help anyone. If you can’t say something helpful, don’t say anything at all. Vayu’s right— we have to play. And if we fulfill his childhood dream, he might just let us go.”
Raani faced Tara, her eyes flashing. “I’ll say what I like, to whom I —”
“We should never have let you come with us,” said Tara. “You’re rude, arrogant, and foul-mouthed!”
“And you think you’re the cleverest of us all because you faced Zarku once,” said Raani. “If you’re so smart why didn’t you do a proper job of finishing him off the first time?”
“Enough,” yelled Kabir. “We have to save my sister and your brother, Tara. We have to play hide-and-seek with a maniac in your brother’s body and survive till dawn, and all you two can think of is fighting? Focus!
Our lives depend on us working together.”
The doors slammed open before anyone could answer. They all looked up. Tara’s heart pounded, fearing another surprise. Instead, Kali walked in bearing a thali of food that gave off a heavenly fragrance. One more lay on the floor just outside. Saliva flooded Tara’s mouth as the aromas of freshly cooked food sped into the room, overpowering the other foul smells lingering in the air.
“Come and help me,” Kali said, prodding Tara with her toe.
Tara jumped up and stamped on Kali’s foot, grinding down with her heel.
“Get off,” shrieked Kali. “How dare you?”
“You’re nothing to me anymore and I won’t be treated like a beggar,” said Tara. “You prod me with your toe once more, and I’ll chop it off.”
Kali looked so mad that Tara was sure she would hurl the thali of food straight at her head. Instead Kali slammed down the steel platter with a resounding bang. Bits of rice and vegetables spilled onto the floor.
“You’ve got it coming, Tara,” said Kali. “I will help Zarku in any way I can to make sure that you don’t get out of this forest alive. That is my promise to you.”
Kali brought in the second thali and plonked it down. Her eyes glittered with rage and her lips were a thin, straight line. “Eat and get out,” she said, her small black eyes sweeping over them. “May the worst luck be with you all!”
With her dire words still hanging in the air, Kali stomped out of the room.
They stared at the food. One platter was filled with steaming white rice, yellow dal, an assortment of vegetables, pickles, and papads. The other thali had her favourite food; mithai. Fat, golden laddoos squatted regally in a corner. Rasmalai lay smothered in a creamy blanket of milk in smaller container, sprinkled liberally with pistachios and almonds. Diamond-shaped coconut and cashew barfi, glittering with silver vark, peeped from under the fronds of a banana leaf.
Zarku and Kali had gone through a lot of trouble to provide such a sumptuous meal; almost as if they were fattening pigs for slaughter. Her appetite vanished and she shrank back against the wall.
“I’m not hungry,” she said. “You all eat.”
How could she eat a meal provided by people she hated the most? This was so wrong. She met Ananth’s eyes. He seemed to be going through the same dilemma.
The food steamed away gently, perfuming the air. No one moved.
Vayu grabbed Tara’s hand and made her sit down. He beckoned to all of them. “Listen to me, this could be the last decent meal for a while. Don’t pass it up. We’ll need every bit of our strength. Even one of us not being able to run could be the difference between life and death.”
“How did you get to be the wise man of the group?” said Tara. She could not help but smile.
&
nbsp; “You’re right,” said Ananth. “Who cares where the food came from? We better eat if we’re going to be running all night.”
Raani snorted and Kabir scooched closer.
They sat, encircling the enormous thalis, and dug in. The food was tasty and hot. She crunched up the vegetables and bit into the spicy papads, feeling her tastebuds tingle after being hungry for so long. With each bite her tiredness and exhaustion lessened.
Then they started on the sweets. The mithai melted in her mouth and Tara ate till she could eat no more. Moonlight splashed in through the small window and for a moment, surrounded by her friends, her belly full of good food, she almost forgot that in a short while they would be running for their lives.
“That was excellent,” said Kabir. He patted his stomach.
Ananth nodded, licking his sticky fingers.
There was a contented silence in the room. Tara wished it would last forever.
The very next moment there was a sound like a firecracker bursting inside a gunny sack, then a tiny sputtering which petered away into silence. A foul odour filled the air.
They all looked at Vayu in shock.
“You farted,” said Raani. “That’s … that’s disgusting!” She made a great show of fanning the air in front of her face.
Vayu shrugged, not looking the least bit upset. “Now you know why I’m called Vayu.” He reached for the last laddoo in the plate and chomped it, staring at Raani. “I’ve had this … um … problem since I was a little boy,” he said through a mouthful of food.
They all burst into laughter at the mortified expression on Raani’s face. When she stopped, Tara felt more energized, more hopeful that she had just a few moments ago. She smiled warmly at Vayu, who winked at her.
“I think it’s time we moved,” said Ananth. “Ready everyone?”
Tara patted the anklet in her pocket. “Ready.”
Kabir got to his feet slowly. His face had a bit more colour to it, but a flicker of pain still showed on it when he walked.
“You okay?”asked Vayu.
Kabir nodded. “I’ll be fine. With all of you to help me, we’ll make it.” He made a fist and held it out. They looked at him in confusion. “A fist is stronger than five fingers,” he said. “Think we can all remember that for the next few hours?” He looked pointedly at Raani and then at Tara.
Tara’s eyes locked with Raani’s. What Kabir had said were only words till they truly believed it with their hearts.
— nine —
Hide and Seek
Tara stood on the steps of the temple, looking out at the undulating sea of darkness and whispering shadows. They were about to start a game of hide-and-seek. What’s so hard about that? It’s just a game, she told herself over and over again. But it wasn’t. They were playing for their lives and the lives of Suraj and Sadia. They could not lose.
“So, how did you like that fantastic meal?” said Zarku. He sat at the top of the stairs and leaned against an ivy-covered pillar, a grin plastered on his face. “You should thank me. Kali was all for giving you dry bread and water, but I said absolutely not. My friends deserve a good meal if they’re going to play well. You can’t say I haven’t been fair, now can you?”
“Fair,” spat Raani. “What’s so fair about this? You make us play some stupid game in the middle of the night. And you’ve got hyenas to help you!”
Zarku’s smile drooped. His forehead pulsed.
When would Raani learn to keep her mouth shut?
Tara expected Zarku to fly into a rage and probably kill them immediately. End of game.
“You’re being very mean, just like all those other children years ago. I don’t like it,” said Zarku, a sulky expression on his face. “I’ve fed you well and I’m giving you the chance to win. Five clever children against poor old me. What more can you ask for?”
Freedom, Tara wanted to yell but she didn’t. All she wanted to do was get away from him. There was an edge to his voice that she did not like at all; the calm before the storm. She shot a warning look at the group around her, hoping they would understand. No one said a word.
“I want this game to be fun,” said Zarku. He beamed at them, his annoyance and hurt from a moment earlier seemingly forgotten. “Tell me, aren’t you just a bit excited?”
“I think we should leave now,” said Vayu.
“Uh-uh, not so fast,” said Zarku. “First, a few rules.”
Tara tried not to roll her eyes or sigh deeply. There were rules now? And would he really follow them? She gritted her teeth and paid attention.
Zarku paced in front of them. Stopped. “Rule number one — you must all stay together, no splitting up.”
As if, thought Tara. They wouldn’t dream of going their separate ways. Their only chance was to stay together.
When no one spoke he continued. “Rule number two — if I catch you before sunrise tomorrow, I win! And you will all do exactly as I say. Agreed?”
I’d rather die before I let that happen, thought Tara. Zarku looked straight at her almost as if he could read her mind and smiled again. It broke her heart and she had to look away. This is not Suraj … not Suraj, she chanted silently.
“And what if we win?” asked Kabir. “You’ll let us go and give back my sister and Tara’s brother. You promise?”
“But of course, you have my word,” said Zarku. His eyes glittered. “I do have to say, though — I’ve never lost to anyone yet.”
Tara looked at him, she couldn’t help it. She hadn’t intended to meet his eyes, but she couldn’t help that, either. For he had lost to someone. To her. She lowered her eyes again, but too late. He’d seen the look in them.
Zarku’s face was a mask of hatred. She couldn’t believe that the sweet features of her brother could rearrange themselves into such an ugly expression. Goosebumps rose on her arms.
“Ahhh, yes,” said Zarku. “I had forgotten. Let me correct myself, I have only lost once to Tara here. It will not happen again.”
The hyenas circled them quietly, breathing in their scent.
“Get a good sniff, my beauties,” said Zarku. “For tonight we go hunting.”
The hyenas whooped with laughter. Tara stepped back, praying she would never have to smell their breath up close again. The largest hyena swept his beady eyes over them and wagged his stump of a tail.
“Can we go already?”said Raani. She had twisted her dupatta around her finger so tightly that the tip of it was white. “The sooner we go — uh, the sooner we can start playing.”
“My, my,” said Zarku, smiling at Raani. “You can’t wait to start, either! I knew you’d be excited after all. I’ll close my eyes, count to a hundred and then come looking for you,” he said. “At last, a game I have waited to play all my life. This will be a night to remember.”
Tara glanced one last time at Zarku. She focused on the little boy, trying to avoid the eyes that would give away the horror that resided deep within him. I will win for you, Suraj. You will be free, I promise.
Zarku turned his back on them, leaned his forehead against the pillar and started counting. “One hundred, ninety-nine, ninety-eight …”
They raced across the courtyard as fast as they could.
Tara’s legs trembled. She stumbled. Fell. Vayu pulled her to her feet and they continued running.
“Ninety-seven, ninety-six, ninety-five …”
They ran past the fire, leaped over the low wall and hurtled into the forest.
“Ninety-four, ninety-three, ninety-two …”
They ran, crashing through the trees like a herd of elephants on a rampage.
They ran, dodging low branches and thorny bushes that reached out to grab them and slow them down.
They ran till they couldn’t hear Zarku’s voice at all.
Sweat trickled down Tara’s face in rivulets. Her clothes clung to her body like a wet sheath. An agonizing stitch gripped her side in a vice. Her heart thundered in her chest. She had no idea how much longer she could run, bu
t she did not want to be the first one to suggest that they stop.
“Can’t … run,” gasped Vayu. He sat down abruptly on the forest floor, coughing.
Everyone stopped and tumbled to the ground. Silently, Tara thanked him. A sliver of moon, hanging silently in the night sky, bathed them in a weak, milky light. Panting, Tara lay on her back, staring at the patches of sky visible through the treetops. This same moon must be shining over Morni, over her mother and father, over home. She felt a pang of guilt for not having told them that she was going to look for Suraj. What if neither of them returned?
Lightning cleaved the sky and thunder rumbled overhead. Fat clouds moved across the face of the thin moon. Rain! At last, some respite from the sticky heat.
“At this rate, we won’t last very long,” wheezed Ananth. “We’ll have to pace ourselves if we’re to survive till tomorrow morning.”
Tara’s muscles throbbed in protest. Tomorrow morning? She was ready to give up right now if it meant she could lie still for just a while longer. A persistent cloud of mosquitoes had taken a liking to her once again, and stuck closer than her own shadow. She waved her arms, cursing them. The cloud got thicker and her skin itched with a million tiny bites; she didn’t know where to start scratching.
Kabir groaned loudly and Tara sat up immediately.
In their dash for safety they had forgotten he was injured. It was amazing that he kept up without a single word of protest. His face was paler than the moon and slick with sweat. Tara reached out to touch his forehead. Hot!
“Kabir, you have a high fever!”
“I’ll be fine,” he said. “I needed a short rest. We can start again soon. Very soon. Just give me a few more minutes.”
“Let me see your back,” said Tara. “Now!”
When Kabir didn’t budge, she crawled over to him.
“What are you doing?” said Kabir. “I’m all right.”
“Be quiet,” said Tara. “I just want to have a look.”
She lifted his shirt and heard him moan softly. When she saw his back, she almost moaned, too; the wounds were slightly puffy and had a faint rotting smell.
“I don’t like the look of this at all,” said Tara. “If only we had some time, I would have put some herbs on it to slow the infection. Maybe if everyone helps me look for them …”
The Silver Anklet Page 8
