The Hand of Kali Box Set Vol 2

by T. G. Ayer

  Maya turned on her heel and hurried upstairs. Sabala trotted at her side as she headed straight to Joss who was busy packing her backpack, looking a little confused. She looked up at Maya. "Have you seen my jeans?"

  "Just grab what you need. Mom already packed everything else. If you're looking for something it's probably downstairs in a suitcase waiting for you."

  Joss's eyes widened. "What's going on?"

  She was already throwing her rucksack over her shoulder and hurrying to the door.

  Maya filled her in as the three headed downstairs.

  “Good thing we won’t miss school,” was all Joss said.

  When they entered the kitchen Maya was relieved to see her mum had found Nik. The five of them gathered around the kitchen table, tension simmering between them.

  "Right, we'd better get-"

  The window shattered, Sabala yelped and a teargas canister landed in the middle of the kitchen, narrowly missing the wooden table.

  Nik grabbed Joss and Maya. "I'll be back. Sabala will stay with you. Keep down and hold your breath," he said to Maya's parents before jumping the girls to Patala, leaving them in the room Maya had used on their last visit.

  He left without a word to fetch her parents.

  Maya stood frozen in place, her mind going over and over the craziness of the last few seconds, even the beauty of the room with its fountains, and wide balconies did nothing.

  Her heart hammered just at the thought that this could all be Claudia’s doing.

  The shattering of glass echoed in her ears. The clatter of the canister as it hit the terracotta tile. Her mom's gasp as she caught sight of the cylinder rolling along the floor.

  Maya's life was slowly coming apart at the seams.

  And as Maya stood there, frozen in shock and frustration, all she could think about was the burn mark in the middle of the wooden table in their kitchen.

  The burn mark she'd made the day Nik had told her who he really was.

  And strangely enough, the thought she'd never see that mark again, or the table itself, made her want to fall to her knees and burst into tears. But she had to be strong. Joss stood beside her, hugging herself tightly.

  Maya curled her pinky around Joss's little finger, and the two girls stood there, waiting for Nik to bring Maya's parents.

  She only let out her breath when they all appeared what felt like long moments later. Both girls rushed to Maya’s parents as soon as they materialized. Maya didn't resist when her mum took her into her arms and held tight. Even the hellhound stood to the side to give them space.

  For now, neither of the girls were bad-ass demon killers.

  They were just kids without a home.

  Chapter 31

  MAYA'S FAMILY SPENT only enough time in Patala for a good night’s sleep and breakfast of sweet chai tea and delicious soji halwa pudding.

  The decision was made to split the family into two groups with Leela and Joss heading to Rarotonga a few hours later to investigate another dancer’s death. With the time difference they had a few hours to play with before sunrise in the pacific island.

  They would be accompanied by Sabala, to investigate another dancer’s death, and Maya and her dad were going to a safe house on the outskirts of Mumbai because so many of the victims originated within the Indian subcontinent.

  Lord Yama was of the opinion that the sorcerer was located in the Mumbai area. Maya had had the very same suspicion when Nik had given her the list of the most recent deaths.

  Maya had kept two things to herself so as not to worry her parents any more. The seductive pull of the dancer’s energy on Maya, and the vision of Claudia in Rosa’s memories. No sense in worrying them about something that could just be Maya’s imagination.

  Father and daughter arrived with their luggage into a muggy Mumbai evening. Nik had delivered them inside a large airy hall that looked like it belonged in Victorian England.

  Not your typical Indian home.

  Beyond the air of desertion, Maya could see how grand it had once been. The house would have belonged to the British during their early occupation of the country, which explained the state of disrepair. In some parts of India, the hatred for the British was still strong.

  Seconds later, as if their arrival had tripped an alarm, the tapping of two sets of boots echoed along the hall to their left. Two men arrived, and it took one sniff to identify them: Rakshasas.

  Maya's instinct told her to attack, but she knew well enough that Nik's personal guard contained more demons than humans. She studied each of their faces, making a note of their unique scent.

  Once she knew their individual essence, she'd be able to tell just with her nose, exactly where they were within the house.

  Sometimes Maya really liked her nose.

  The guards stopped just inside the door and bowed to their Lord. Nik waited until they’d straightened then beckoned them closer.

  "Please show Maya and her family to their rooms."

  "Yes, My Lord. The Jungle Wing has been prepared for your guests as per your request."

  Jungle Wing?

  Though curious, Maya remained silent as the guards led them inside, showing them to rooms up on the second floor, toward the rear of the house.

  They walked along cracked marble tiled floors, and stared at wall hangings and tapestries that showed frolicking maidens, cows and cowherds in expansive fields.

  Once they'd left their bags in their rooms, both with expansive views of the jungle, obviously, they returned to meet with Nick.

  He was holding a file, studying the contents. As they drew closer he reached for a small travel bag and handed it to Dev.

  Inside were passports and paperwork and ID cards verifying their roles with Interpol.

  Then he dropped the file he’d been reading onto the table beside a thick stack of brown folders. ”These are the documents from dead dancer cases that have been reported over the last two months. It would be a good idea to discreetly investigate them while you're on the ground. The guards will arrange transport for you, as and when you require it. They will also provide weapons should you need them."

  "What is this place?" asked Maya studying the airy ceiling as her dad scanned the files.

  "A base we use when we send people to this part of the world, not that we have anything near the size of KALIMA. I use this house every so often, and we have two guards here permanently. We keep the outside looking as unkempt as possible to deter nosy neighbors."

  Maya gave the guard standing beside the door a discreet glance.

  Nik nodded. "Yes, they are both Rakshasa. I knew that wouldn't get past your nose." He gave a smile and Maya was well aware he was trying for a little bit of levity to ease the tension in the room.

  She was still a little angry with him even though it had not been his fault. Things had been so hectic during the last few hours in Patala they hadn’t had time to talk. Maya supposed more time would pass before they managed it.

  For now, she smiled even though she didn’t feel like it. Her dad though, was busy combing through the files.

  Maya took Nik aside. "You don't have to worry about us. Just leave the papers and we'll have everything sorted. If you can, let us know if there are any new cases to investigate. We'll get to those as soon as possible. I prefer to see a fresh case rather than one that happened a month ago."

  Nik cocked his chin at the report. "I hate to say it but we do have a recent one. It's just outside Mumbai city." He glanced at his phone, clearly distracted by whatever job he had to do that had nothing to do with Maya or dead dancers.

  Maya smiled. She wished she could tell him not to go, but she understood Nik had a job to do. She was not the clingy girlfriend.

  "I'll be fine. Now stop worrying and go do what you have to do." She made a shooing motion with her hands.

  "I wish I could stay and help. But there are other reports needing attention."

  Maya lifted a hand, imperiously waving his excuses away. "Stop explaining. Yo
u have a job to do, and responsibilities. You don't need to be looking after me."

  Nik didn’t smile. "Look what happened the last time I said I'd look after you."

  "Yeah. There is that." Maya said, her tone emotionless. Then she gave his chest a small punch. "Whatever you do, don't go blaming yourself for that."

  "Sure. I'm definitely not responsible for your near death experience." Maya could hear the self-deprecation in his voice. "I promised I'd be there to take you to safety. But I put you in such danger." He stopped talking and ran fingers along his temples.

  She leaned forward and hugged him. "You'd better get going. We don't need you hanging around here wasting our time." She wiggled her fingers at him while giving him a small smile. He shook his head and smiled back before disappearing in a flurry of bronze and copper smoke.

  Maya turned and strode to the table and studied the folders. "Which is the most recent?" she asked her dad.

  He handed her the folder. "Last night."

  Maya felt her stomach tighten, nerves like giant spears stabbing her into readiness. "This is exactly what we need." Her eyes widened as her words sank in. "Shit. I didn't mean that. What I meant to say was that the best way I can help is by studying a recent crime. The new scene may tell me more than the dream did."

  "Then we'd better get going," said Dev as he turned and waved the guard forward.

  Maya controlled the urge to wrinkle her nose at the Eu de Demon as the Rakshasa drew closer. The familiar scent of rotting meat and spices made her want to hurl.

  The demon seemed oblivious to Maya's problem, and stood beside Dev, listening intently as he was given instructions to bring round a vehicle.

  Maya opened the folder and studied the report.

  Agrasen Ki Baoli. An ancient well on the outskirts of Mumbai had been the location of another body. From what Maya read the police had only just left the scene. She was disappointed she wouldn't encounter the body of the girl, but she had to admit, even if it was only to herself, that she was a little bit glad. She was still afraid. What if that strange energy threatened to take control of her again as it had in the theatre in London.

  It didn't take long before the car was ready, and Maya and her dad climbed in. Their demon chauffeur drove away from the large house, toward a ten-foot-high fence. Even the iron gate guarding the main entrance was monstrous.

  Exiting the grounds of the estate, they headed south towards the city. The Mother's Temple was somewhere out there and Maya felt a deep desire to visit. She figured she'd get the opportunity before they left India, but didn't forget the place had a strong link to KALIMA.

  Another part of her life she may have to sacrifice because of Claudia and the agency.

  The driver headed across the city keeping to the outer road. As they drew closer to their destination he glanced over his shoulder and met her father's eyes.

  "Do you know anything about this place you're going to?" he asked. The look he gave Dev implied he didn't have much confidence in Maya's dad.

  Dev Rao wasn't exactly Vin Diesel. He was a quiet, unassuming man, small in stature. But for his size, he possessed a power within him that could rival the strongest men.

  He cleared his throat and said, "From what I remember, the well is said to have been haunted almost a hundred years ago."

  The demon nodded as he took a turn into a narrow side road. "One hundred and eighteen years ago, three teenaged girls killed themselves in the well."

  Dev nodded. "I believe the well has dried up?"

  "Yes. The water disappeared about two decades ago, although that didn't stop the tales of the place being haunted. It did, of course, stop the drownings."

  Maya wondered why the body would have been found in this particular location. A well, of all things.

  Only when the demon brought the car to a stop on the dusty road that overlooked the well, did Maya understand why a dancer might come here.

  She also understood why she shouldn't have come at all.

  Chapter 32

  IT WAS TWILIGHT, and the shadows grew longer, making everything seem much more ominous. The well though technically a hole in the ground, was all bricked up nice and symmetrically designed, and looked as far from a well as was possible.

  No, this well was something ancient. Hundreds of steps descended down into the rectangular entrance of Agrasen Ki Baoli. Along the three outer walls, dozens of alcoves and stone shelves looked out like empty eyes.

  At one time they would have contained statues of gods and goddesses and dancing maidens, but those had been gone a long time. Now, dark shadows played along the walls, bringing into stark contrast the cracked and broken brickwork.

  Not a place that welcomed you with open arms.

  Goosebumps covered Maya’s skin as her body picked up the strange energy of the place. An energy that was horribly familiar to Maya. She almost expected to hear drums and the jingle of bells.

  At the top of the stairs, Maya turned her attention to the wide landing. Its open space and smoothly laid stone floor would be easy to dance on.

  And, remote.

  The seclusion would have provided a place to practice in private, as the papers had confirmed the well was closed to visitors after hours.

  Again, Maya glanced down into the depths of the well. A sudden image clouded her vision, water glinting in the depths of the well, the alcoves filled with deities gleaming with gold and jewels, and thousands and thousands of clay lamps, filling the walls, and lining the steps all the way to the bottom.

  Maya blinked the thoughts away, unnerved by the intrusion of the sudden vision and by its strength. She shivered and shook the feeling off as she got closer to the platform.

  The chalk lines that had outlined the corpse of the girl, gleamed in the moonlight. The police had also cordoned off the scene of the crime; large concrete poles that squared off the scene, yellow fluorescent tape kept people off the evidence.

  Although the scene was macabre, Maya's attention was repeatedly drawn into the depths of the well. She abandoned all attempts to concentrate on the scene and walked to the edge of the stairs, staring into the very center, searching for what had triggered her instinctive curiosity.

  Darkness flooded the depths and Maya couldn't be sure how far the steps went. From what she remembered hearing, these ancient wells were constructed to access the water which had been a precious commodity. It wasn't unheard of for the constructors to dig hundreds of meters into the ground.

  Near the bottom a waterline marked the walls, delineating where the water had last risen to. Greyed and dusty, it was clearly old and confirmed the demon's information.

  Below the waterline, the walls were smooth and remained without decoration. Above the line they were beautiful. Some alcoves were much deeper, almost acting as a balcony.

  Who knew what the well had been used for in the past.

  "Maya," called her dad.

  When she turned, he was crouched beside the chalk outline, studying something, his forehead a mess of wrinkles. She walked carefully towards him, ensuring she didn't step onto any evidence.

  She crouched beside him and waited.

  Dev glanced up at her, and she could see understanding in his eyes. He knew how hard this was for her. And he was trying to make it easier.

  What he didn't know was how very strong the pull of that dream was. Maya fought it when it came, all the while pretending she was fine.

  "You see anything that could help us?"

  Maya took a breath to calm herself and then studied the scene. The evidence lay around her, staining the stones, almost exactly what she remembered from her dream, almost exactly what she'd seen at the Apollo.

  The girl - the victim - would have been sprawled on the ground. Where the tape marked the location of her feet, a pool of blood had soaked into the sand, leaving a dark stain.

  Beyond the body, the stone floor was covered with ragged streaks. Footprints almost beyond recognition, footprints that were bloodstains, covering the stone
s in a pattern that would look random to the average onlooker.

  Something glinted in the weak light of the moon but Maya forced herself to pay attention.

  As Maya studied the pattern of the footprints, she felt a strange sensation take her over. Her awareness seemed fractured, as if she was in two places at the same time, and she could imagine the entire dance from beginning to end. All from looking at the patterns the bloody footprints made.

  She could see how the girl had moved, how her feet had been placed. And even what movements she'd performed with her hands, her body. Worse yet, Maya could imagine the expression on the girls face as she danced.

  The desperation, the fear.

  Maya jerked herself free from the vision, and got to her feet.

  She shook her head, and pressed her fingers to her forehead.

  "Maya? What's wrong?" asked her dad. He looked like he was about to walk over to check on her.

  She shook her head and held out a hand. Then she took a deep breath. "It's nothing. I'm fine. I think I know how she danced, but-"

  Maya stopped in mid-sentence, a thought suddenly attacking her like a wasp. She turned on her heel and stared at her dad. "She was dancing. All over the place. So, where did the music come from?"

  Dev frowned and began to look around, studying the stone floor and the grass and trees surrounding the small piece of land on which the well had been built. "There was nothing in the report about a music player or any kind of MP3 player."

  "What if she had it on her body? The way athletes have their phones strapped to the arms.” Maya wondered if she was reaching.

  And though her father nodded, he didn't appear convinced.

  Had there been a music player at the scene, surely it would have been in the police records. The list of items had included everything the victim had been wearing, from her nose ring, to the bells, to her toe rings. So why would it have not included the music player.

  Maya stiffened, frowning as she tried to remember where the music had come from in her dream.