by T. G. Ayer
"Ah but that is where you are mistaken. This act is filled with devotion. Is not religion but an organized, focused devotion to ones faith?" Babaji challenged Dev and Maya could tell her dad wouldn't think twice to launch into a head on argument with the priest.
But Maya hadn't missed the guards posted at each entrance, nor the once standing at attention around the courtyard. She shifted her foot and covered her dad's foot with it. A discreet warning the old man missed entirely as he stared out at the stage with a proud smile.
"What you are witnessing is a harnessing of spiritual energy. Prayer, devotion, faith. They all create divine energy that feeds our gods. Why should we restrict the life-source of our gods by remaining within the boundaries of old tradition?"
Maya could see why not. If this was a means to harness energy, then the question would be which god benefited, and if it wasn't a god, then it must be a human.
Was Babaji a sorcerer priest with a hankering for the power that these devotees were creating?
Beside her, Dev smiled, his expression strained. "We will have to agree to disagree. If this is benefiting the devotees, then who am I to judge?" He nodded at Babaji Mohandas and raised his hand to check the time. "I apologize, Babaji, but we must return to hand in our reports."
"Of course, of course. I would not want to be the reason for any troubles with your superiors." The old man tilted his head and studied Maya. "But you must promise to bring your lovely daughter around again to dance for us."
Dev smiled and glanced over at Maya. "I will. We do have a lot of work to do though. Hopefully we will find some time."
The old priest smiled, perspiration glistening on his rounded cheeks. He stepped around Maya and Dev and beckoned them. Clearly he'd not been happy with Dev's neutral response.
As Maya turned, light glinted off the needle in the young boy's chest. Something was familiar about it but she just couldn't put her finger on it.
She breathed and let it go, knowing by now that straining to grasp what bugged her usually failed. It would pop into her head soon enough.
She followed Babaji Mohandas out of the house, pausing only to wait for her dad who’d bent to tie his shoelaces. They followed Babaji back to the temple where the priest took his leave, his tone a few degrees cooler than it had been when he'd so eagerly showed them through the Moksha Ashram.
Her dad texted Suran to come fetch them and they headed back to the narrow street where the demon had dropped them off earlier. In the car on the way back, Maya shifted to look at her dad. "That was a bit messed up," she said, resting her arm on the back of the seat.
Dev blew out a breath of air. The afternoon heat was stifling and Maya tugged the front of her tunic away from her body and blew down inside of the garment. It helped.
Or so she tried to convince herself.
"It was more than messed up. There really should be someone policing such things. It's a damned cult, for god's sake."
"Dad. I hardly think it's a cult. None of those people looked like they didn't want to be there. Even the skinny kid didn't look unhappy with his enforced labor."
Maya made a face. She'd have liked to rescue the child on their way out, but the warning glare her dad had given her had forced her to rethink the urge. They needed the old man on their side and causing trouble by rescuing the boy wouldn't help anyone, least of all the boy, who'd probably been sold to the Ashram in the first place.
Maya had been sick the first time she'd heard of beggars who mutilated their own newborns to increase sympathy for their plight. Selling one's child wouldn't be as bad as mutilating and disabling them for life.
Dev grunted as he stared out at the town. "One's outward expression is sometimes the furthest from the truth of how one really feels." He turned his gaze to settle on Maya's face. "You should know that."
Maya frowned. "Me?"
"Of course. You smile and nod, you practice with your fire and take every case given to you, and yet you are constantly hiding your fear and your doubt. The face you show to the world is filled with confidence, yet behind the facade is a girl filled with doubt and misgivings."
Maya opened her mouth. Her first instinct had been to deny his words. But then she clamped her jaws shut. What had her dad said that wasn't the truth? She stared at him. "Am I that transparent?"
"No. Only to your mother and me." He smiled tenderly. "And maybe Joss."
Maya sniffed. "Why haven't you said anything?"
"Because I knew the right time would come along to discuss it. Either that or you would bring it up out of need."
"And now is the right time?"
"Yes. Because it's pertinent to the situation." He quelled a grin.
Maya folded her arms. "How is it pertinent?"
"Because hiding behind that veneer of innocence is a girl who has seen worse than almost anyone her age. And older."
Maya's breath caught and she had to force herself to breathe. She leaned back against the headrest. "I'm tired."
"I know, honey. Life can feel that way sometimes, even for us normals."
She snorted. "No. I meant I'm physically tired. Remember, I danced the night away?" She shook her head in disgust. "For a teen, I'm a total weakling when it comes to partying."
He patted her shoulder as his phone buzzed. "Don't worry about it. You just need to build up stamina."
Maya grinned. "So does that mean I get to party all night more often?" she asked but when he didn't answer, a glance over at him confirmed he was already busy on his phone.
She shook her head and concentrated on the view.
Twilight filled the streets with gray and darkness, and soon the buildings fell away to open roads and farmland. Shadows draped the evening and Maya understood why it was that this time of the day, the moment when night overpowered the light of day, possessed such negative portent.
It was a time when good failed, fell beneath the power of the dark.
Its representation probably held more power than the actual sunset.
And yet, even knowing it, Maya still felt her stomach twinge.
The darkness stole away the light, its black mouth screaming its message.
Something bad was coming.
Chapter 39
"IT'S A DAMNED blasphemy is what it is."
Maya's dad was fuming.
His anger had simmered for the rest of the ride only to blossom again as he repeated the events of the afternoon to her Mom over the phone. While they'd been gone, Leela and Joss had been asked by Nik to investigate another case. A disappearance in Bangalore, this time, and one that made little sense to the police. It wasn't something dangerous or Maya would have instantly followed them to give them a hand.
Now, she and her dad sat on the sofas in the gigantic living room, with its ceiling two stories above them.
Definitely not cozy.
Dev sighed. "I'm going to do something about it."
"The best place to start would be with Babaji Mohandas."
"You think so?"
Maya nodded. "Absolutely. The man set off my suspicion sensors the moment we met."
"You sure it's not because he's old-school."
Maya snorted. "He's not old school. He's a sexist p-" Maya caught herself in time, giving her dad an apologetic glance. She took a calming breath. "And no, it's not just because of his attitude toward women. There's just something about him. The things that he says . . . His words seem to be a code, or an insinuation to something else."
"As in?"
"As in the mention of energy. And asking me to dance. And guiding us to watch the performance at the temple. And why take us to see an Ashram where spiritual energy is manifested on such a large scale."
Maya paused.
"Spiritual energy," she said softly remembering Nik's words.
Dev sat forward, his own attention peaked. "Energy manifested by dancers and by trance devotees."
"Exactly."
"What was he trying to tell us?"
"And if he really
was telling us something, then why would he put us on track to finding out the truth?"
"Hiding it in plain sight?" Maya suggested.
"Too dangerous."
"Arrogance?" Which was more believable in Maya's opinion.
"Likely." Dev rubbed his neck as he studied the wooden beams overhead. "It's possible he thinks we are too simple-minded to pick up on what he's saying."
"Or he could be testing us."
Dev nodded. "More than likely."
"Those needles are bugging me."
Dev squinted at her. "Needles? You mean the piercings?"
She nodded. "There was something about them that made my mind sort of stop. Like I should be remembering something."
Intrigued he sat up. "Can you track yourself back to see where you may have come across any needles? What about your dreams?"
Maya shook her head. "I've gone over everything I remember from both dreams and even from my visit to the Apollo. I'm pretty sure it's not anything to do with those."
"And what about Agrasen Ki Baoli?"
Maya stiffened. An image of something shimmering between two flagstones. She stared at her dad. "I knew we missed something."
"What is it?"
"At the well I saw something between two flagstones near the body. A long needle. I forgot all about it when Babaji Mohandas arrived. Come to think of it, what was he doing there in the first place? And why does he keep popping up wherever we are investigating?"
"Keeping tabs on us?"
"Or watching to ensure we don't find out anything significant?" Maya suggested, her gut telling her she was right.
Dev sighed and pushed to his feet. "Let's go."
Maya jumped up. "Where?"
"Agrasen Ki Baoli."
"Why?" Maya scowled. "I'd hoped never to set foot there again."
"Sorry. But we need to get that needle."
"Why? We already know that it's likely the property of one of the Ashram members."
"We can test it and confirm."
"How? It's not as if we can get DNA sampling off each of the cult members."
"We don't need to. The priest who oversaw the ceremony would have touched it." Dev shifted backward and retrieved a plastic packet. He unzipped it and showed Maya the contents.
Maya grinned. "How did you manage to get that?"
He shrugged and dropped the needle into his pocket. "It was lying on the floor. I merely palmed it when I tied my shoelaces.
"You got skills, Dad." Impressed, Maya smiled.
He shrugged, although he enjoyed the compliment if his wide grin was anything to go on. Then he sobered. "We should get moving."
Maya nodded and hurried to the front hall, calling out for Suren.
If Babaji Mohandas thought he'd succeeded in pulling the wool over their eyes he had another think coming.
Suren drove them to Agrasen Ki Baoli in a silence that was uncharacteristic for him since he'd begun to relax around Maya and Dev. It was likely his close call with the old priest had set him on edge.
He drove up and parked close to his original spot, a safe distance from the demon wards.
Maya’s neck muscles tightened. The energy of the demon wards was no different from what she’d felt in the commune.
By now Maya had grown used to sensing them. She wasn’t wrong.
Suran chose to remain in the car. Maya and Dev alighted and headed to the scene. As they picked their way across the flagstones, Maya drew fire to her palms, keeping them at the ready only because her gut told her to be careful.
They scene was now cleaned of chalk outlines and Maya guessed it may have rained recently. Even a short shower would have been enough to do the job.
Maya traversed the stones and positioned herself close to the location in her memory. She saw the needle instantly, almost hidden by a clump of grass.
She pointed. "There. Right where I remembered."
Her dad crouched and stuck a finger between the stones, wiggling it around as he tried to grab onto the smooth metal with his fingernail. When he sighed and straightened Maya’s heart tightened.
He'd failed.
Dev looked around, as if searching for something to use when Maya had an 'Aha Moment'.
"I have something." She dug inside her pocket for the little manicure set she always kept there, courtesy of her mom's insistence she always be prepared. All these years the manicure set had been unnecessary.
Until today.
She extracted the tweezers and handed it to her dad who swiftly retrieved the needle and deposited it into a plastic bag. He was getting to his feet when a dark figure leapt out from the shadows and hit him over the back of his head with something long and hard.
Maya froze.
She was about to send her fire blazing at the attackers when she noticed it wasn't her dad they were after. The three men, faces hidden by ski-masks, turned to Maya.
She wasn't too concerned. She knew she could protect herself, her fire being more powerful than any weapon she knew of - except for an actual bomb of course.
She was curious too, calm in that moment where her brain was telling her this was an opportunity to find out more about who they were and why they wanted her. And what they had to do with all the dead dancers.
As they closed in Maya caught sight of her dad, struggling to get to his feet. Behind him, Suran was running to them, intending to tackle the men despite the wards.
Maya narrowed her gaze at him and his steps faltered. He looked hesitant, as if he knew she didn’t want him to endanger himself within the wards, and he didn’t agree with her decision. His internal battle lasted mere seconds and he slipped through the wards and ran to her dad.
Maya gasped at the sight of Suran’s skin as it began to bubble, as if the ward contained a heated fire that was beginning to incinerate the demon. He ignored it and sank beside her dad, swiftly checking his head for injuries.
As two of the men grabbed hold of Maya's arms, she caught sight of the demon's blood-stained fingers as he removed his hand from her dad's head and swept him up into his arms, racing for the safety beyond the wards. Good thing the demon was strong and fast despite the power of the wards.
They'd injured her father, which made Maya all the more certain that she wanted to make them pay.
Soon.
She'd get her chance soon enough. Right now, she would play their game as a means to gain more information.
She'd expected them to drag her away, bundle her into a car hidden beyond the trees.
No-one was more surprised than Maya when the four of them simply disappeared into utter darkness.
Chapter 40
MAYA BLINKED HARD, trying to see within the blanket of darkness enveloping her.
Solid ground supported her feet while both of her arms were still within the grasp of her abductors. They paused only for a moment before propelling her forward.
She stumbled, righting herself quickly and tried to keep up with her attackers. All three were silent, and Maya hadn't had much of an opportunity to struggle.
Now she needed a distraction to set her phone to SOS.
Lashing out at the man to her right she kicked hard at his knee, satisfied with the grunt of pain he let out. He loosened his grip on her arm and she used her freed hand to swiftly find her phone inside her pocket and press and hold the volume button until she felt the device vibrate.
When they’d reached Patala, Maya and Joss had given her parents the rundown of what happened in Mexico. Dev hadn’t been impressed, but he’d managed to not tear Nik’s head.
Instead of resting, he’d worked on a program for their phones, linking it to satellite tracking they’d never need cell towers to call for help. Dev had fitted each of their cellphones with his easy-to-activate GPS locator switch they could use in times of need.
This was a time of need.
The GPS locator would ping her dad's program intermittently, and worked even if the phone was shut off or if the battery was removed. You'd have to obl
iterate the phone before the signal would be destroyed.
Done, Maya proceeded to punch the man in the ribs. After all, she had to appear as if she was making a concerted effort to get away. Babaji would become suspicious if she suddenly became meek.
When her knuckles connected with skin and bones, she stiffened. It felt like punching a skeleton through a blanket.
Maya stiffened and instinctively held back as the remaining two men struggled to rein her in. Despite being Babaji’s henchmen, she didn’t want to hurt them. Their loyalty to the man could be forced for all she knew. Then she cursed herself for taking pity on them. They were the ones doing the attacking.
But Maya's memory flickered with an image of a little boy, scrubbing a pot with a mindless determination. Were these men part of the Moksha Ashram?
She was forced to concentrate as the men shoved her along the pitch dark tunnel - if it was a tunnel. The darkness permeated the long hall so thickly that Maya was unable to identify even a hint of her location.
She left it to her abductors to guide her until at last she located a faint glow of light. It grew thicker and stronger as they walked. Maya was unsure if she would be better off not feeling relieved. She'd had some semblance of safety within the darkness, surrounded by three starving men who'd thought they could contain her.
They had no idea as to the breadth of her power.
For now, though, she was stuck with obeying and following the men into the light ahead.
They emerged into a large cave that had been converted into a grand receiving hall. Giant white stone pillars rose from the floor, dotting the corners of the room, six on each wall. At the back of the room was a dais, reached on each side by two steps. Paint peeled from the walls and columns, the flecks piling on the floor in little heaps.
The stairs and the dais were covered in an old, discolored tapestry carpet, so threadbare the stone could be seen through various gaps in the material.
A large stone throne took up much of the dais, wide enough to seat three men. The space was now occupied by Babaji Mohandas. Benevolent priest, chauvinist, and bigot.
