The Hand of Kali Box Set Vol 2

by T. G. Ayer

  Maya, though, felt the words like a punch to her gut. “Hair and make-up would be the last things on her mind when she finds out that she’s lying there because of me.”

  Ria released her hold on Maya’s waist and turned to face her, eyes now flickering with anger. “Not everything is your fault, Maya. Things happen in the field that nobody can predict. And from what I was told, the sequence of events played out as it would have, no matter who had been there that night. You need to ease up on yourself a bit.”

  Maya stared at her friend, disbelief and frustration heating her cheeks. “It’s easy for you to say that. You weren’t there. I was reckless, thinking only of killing the demon. I didn’t even think it was possible that she’d try to take Joss. And that’s what a good agent would have done, Ria. A skilled agent would have considered all options, all outcomes. And I didn’t. I just acted on instinct and look what I ended up doing?” Maya flung her hand out toward Joss who hadn’t moved so much as an eyelash as her two BFF’s had cried and talked.

  And then argued.

  Ria snorted and shook her head before throwing Maya a look of disgust. “Self-pity doesn’t look good on you, Maya. I suggest you get over yourself and do it fast. I didn’t fly half way around the world to deal with this woe-is-me nonsense. So please, deal with whatever this is, while I get cleaned up. While I’m gone, can you find that badass, fire-wielding BFF of mine and tell her we need to get moving if we have a hope in hell of saving Kim Possible over there.” And with that, Ria turned on her heel, stalked over to the door and left the room.

  “I think you mean ‘A hope in Patala,’ “Maya called out as her friend disappeared into the hall.

  “Smartass!” was Ria’s only response.

  “Who was that and what has she done with Ria?” asked Sabala, the hellhound’s four eyes staring at the closed door with the same look of disbelief Maya knew was on her own face. “I am very confused.”

  You and me both, pooch. You and me both.

  Chapter 29

  Maya returned to her bedroom and sank onto the armchair in front of the window, her mind focused on the next in her list of tasks. She had to admit she wasn’t at all patient as she was forced to wait for Nik’s return.

  The silence enveloped her as she spent a long moment thinking, about the board and the doctors, about Joss’s health and Ria’s return. And about Nik.

  And then even as she conjured his image in her vision, the real thing materialized before her.

  Maya got to her feet, smiling at him, pleased to see him again, and glad her wait was over. He grinned back, though she was suddenly certain something was wrong. Nik’s eyes gave her enough of an idea of how he was feeling and even before he spoke she suspected he had bad news.

  “I’m sorry, Maya. My father is unavailable. There’s something going on, and it must be big since a good few gods are in a meeting and unavailable to their staff. Nobody knows what’s happening but there’s enough gossip to keep everyone busy.”

  Maya sighed. “Thanks for trying. Maybe this is fate and I should have spoken to Kali in the first place.”

  “Maybe, but even she may be in this meeting so don’t be surprised if you have to wait for her to respond.”

  Maya wanted to say that she may as well wait to hear from Yama because if Kali was also in the same meeting then she’d be waiting on the goddess anyway. Then she accepted how silly she was being and pushed away all thoughts of Kali’s rejection.

  Joss was in trouble. A demon was hanging out inside her mind and Joss was caught in a constant struggle to stay alive. Maya had saved the kids, many of whom were currently in a local hospital and were likely to fully recover. She had believed she’d also ensured the demon wouldn’t enter the human world, but in reality, she’d done much worse and gotten Joss in trouble in the process.

  Which was likely the reason she was afraid to ask Kali for help. The goddess could possibly blame Maya for Joss’s predicament. And if Kali believed it, then Maya would have to come to terms with the truth—she could possibly be instrumental in killing her friend.

  Now she forced a smile. She didn’t want to make Nik feel as though she didn’t appreciate what he’d tried to do for her. Then he came to her and held her in his arms, squeezing tight before he inhaled, as though about to speak.

  Maya cut him off, and said, “Don’t tell me. You’re needed back?”

  Nik smiled gently. “I’ll try to come back as soon as possible. In case you need me.” Nik kissed Maya softly then leaned back to study her face. He cupped her cheek with his hand and then vanished from Maya’s room leaving her alone again with her thoughts and her guilt and her doubts.

  The image of Joss’s pale skin, her gaunt features, hovered in Maya’s mind. She had to do something to save Joss, and right now she was prepared to do anything.

  Maya went to her closet and retrieved her go-bag which also held Chayya’s pot and Kali’s kapala. She walked over to the rug in front of her bed, sank to her knees and retrieved the skull-shaped kapala. Holding it in her palm, she tested its weight, recalling how she’d initially believed it to be a real human skull.

  She’d kept camphor, frankincense and a box of matches inside the bowl, and now she lifted the items out and laid them in a line on the rug. From inside the matchbox, Maya retrieved a silver pin, then readied herself, sitting cross-legged on the floor in front of the faux skull.

  She stabbed her finger with the needle and pressed the skin for the blood to well to the surface of the tiny wound. As soon as she was satisfied with the amount of blood on her finger, she rubbed it on the base of the skull. Then she placed the camphor and the frankincense inside the bowl and lit it with a flame she pulled from within her.

  She smiled at the memory of her first attempt at using the kapala. She’d reached for the matches and Kali had scolded her for not using her own abilities instead.

  Now, the camphor caught alight with a soft whoosh, and soon smoke rose from the skull and wafted up to the ceiling, the fragrant woodsy door odor of ancient bark and resin, scents which had always made Maya feel calm and comforted.

  She remembered using the kapala the first time to call the goddess to her and was still somewhat surprised that she needed no fanfare, no song and dance, no chanting. Only a simple request made from the heart.

  How complicated do people make the process of belief and of communing with the gods, with all the prayers and sacrifices and rules, when none are truly required? Perhaps that would explain why so many people never find in religion what they are searching for—because they are lost inside a rule book containing instructions that are convoluted, confusing and sometimes misleading.

  Maya took a breath and moved to lie on the bed, impatient now. How long it would take for the goddess to come to her? Ria had said she’d be back soon and Maya wanted to have a better plan arranged.

  Ria’s disappearance had set the Gupta’s world on its head. Unsurprisingly, Mr. Gupta had accused Maya and her parents of aiding in Ria’s escape from her obligations both to her husband and her father. He’d turned up on their doorstep, hammering on their front door, demanding to know where his daughter was. The Raos had maintained ignorance and Gupta had eventually grown tired of questioning, though there were times when he’d drive by and glare at the house as though evil lived within the walls.

  How ironic since he was near enough to evil himself. It must be something about human nature that people often see in others what they themselves are guilty of.

  And often they go to their graves still believing themselves innocent.

  Chapter 30

  Maya snuggled closer to the pillow, weariness drawing her into deep sleep. She’d have sworn she’d barely closed her eyes but when she blinked again, a pale blue glow snuck past the edges of the drapes and narrow shards of sunshine lit a network of paths across the wood floor.

  She blinked and stretched, her mouth open on a yawn, when her gaze fell on shimmering orange fabric, woven with gold and edged in a bright re
d paisley design.

  The Mother Goddess Kali stood within a column of sunlight, lit like a flame burning brightly to destroy the darkness and shadows.

  “Namaste, Maya. May the rays of Lord Surya bless you this new day.” Kali’s voice was music come alive and filled Maya’s ears and mind as though emerging both from inside and outside of her body.

  She inhaled and swallowed as she sat up, keenly aware that her breath tasted like something had crawled inside her mouth and died there. Maya returned the greeting with her palms together in front of her mouth, grateful for the distance between herself and the goddess.

  Kali tilted her head and smiled then glided over to the window where she peered out into the street. The goddess gave Maya a moment to collect herself and get out from under the covers.

  Maya sat on the edge of her bed and cleared her throat. “Thank you for coming. I wasn’t sure if I should call you.”

  Kali turned her head, her dark eyes studying Maya’s face. “Why would you have second thoughts about calling me for help, child?”

  Maya wanted to give her an honest answer but hesitated. How could she explain that she didn’t want Kali to fail her or deny her? That would sound weak and selfish.

  As though sensing the war inside Maya’s heart and mind, Kali gave a gentle smile and moved from the window to the armchair where she settled herself down, the skirt of her sari fanning outward to catch the sun’s rays.

  “Come child, tell me what you need. I can feel your grief and fear well enough.”

  Maya nodded and swallowed hard. “It’s Joss. She’s in trouble. We had a mission go wrong and I…I acted without thinking and Joss is now possessed by a demon.”

  Kali nodded slowly and, in that moment, Maya understood what she’d previously been blind to. Even if she’d wanted to avoid bringing the goddess into her situation, Kali would have likely already known what was going on. But, as with the rules the deities lived by, they could not intervene unless asked to.

  Then the goddess said, “I can help your friend, Maya. I would say you should have called me as soon as you knew but I can see you are struggling with something, so we do not need to discuss this further.” Kali got to her feet and waved a hand at the room door.

  Maya obeyed and hurried to the door, leading Kali to Joss’s room down the hall. The house was silent and when Maya entered the room, she almost expected to see Nurse Lark already in the armchair, knitting away. Thankfully, Joss was alone and asleep, with Sabala standing guard.

  The moment he spotted Kali, he trotted over to her and pressed his head against her knee. Kali’s smile was gentle and filled with love as she rested her hand on his head in blessing.

  When the hellhound stepped away to return to his post, the goddess approached Joss’s side where she stood watching the sleeping girl with a sad smile on her face. This side of Kali was certainly far more benevolent and motherly than people are led to believe. And Maya wasn’t complaining one bit.

  Kali sat on the bed and rested her hand on Joss’s forehead. With her back to Maya, the goddess’s expression wasn’t visible, which made Maya all the more antsy as time ticked by incredibly slowly.

  At last, Kali straightened and turned to face Maya. Her expression was sad and regretful and Maya felt a stab of fear impale her heart even before the goddess said, “I’m sorry, Maya. I’m afraid I cannot act against the mahavitala who has claimed your friend’s mind.”

  Maya’s mouth dropped open in shock and tears burned her eyes. She blinked them away and cleared her throat. “She can’t be saved?” she asked, her words low and crackling with devastation.

  Kali smiled gently. “Not by me, and only because I know this demon personally. A long time ago I gave Kripali the boon of immortality.”

  “Which means you can do nothing to harm her,” said Maya, the knees buckling. She stiffened her limbs, refusing to reveal her hopelessness. “Is there anyone who can help her? And if she’s been given immortality, then how can she even be killed?” Heart thudding, she sank onto the foot of Joss’s bed, glad her friend couldn’t hear this conversation.

  The goddess came to sit beside her on the bed. “Though Kripali has been gifted with immortality, the boon given to her was bestowed as a reward for her good deeds and devotion to me. Boons are never eternal, and should the recipient ever act in a way which nullifies what they did to earn the gift, they create grounds to retract the protection of the boon.”

  Maya nodded slowly, impressed at how contractual the gifting of boons from gods to mortals were. “But because you bestowed the boon, you are still held by the initial contract,” she said as she worked the finer aspects out.

  Sadness darkened Kali’s expression, deepening the blue tinge to her skin. “I’m afraid so, Maya. But there are many gods and mortals who are well capable of removing a demon from the person they are attempting to possess, you being one of them.”

  “Me?” asked Maya softly, hope and fear twisting within her like a tornado, propelling her to her feet. Sabala watched sad and silent as she stood there, arms hanging at her sides, fear sending her heart thudding.

  “Yes, child. You have powers capable of pushing Kripali out of Joss’s mind. Your friend is strong and very devoted, both to your parents and to me. And to you. She is the sister of your soul, Maya, and she will never willingly leave your side. She will protect you with her life, and she is so very strong in her convictions. That strength is what is keeping her safe from being fully taken over by Kripali. And which is giving you time to free her. It is up to you to act, to figure out how to cast Kripali out.”

  Maya sucked in a breath, suddenly afraid of the burden now weighing her down. If a god were to help save Joss, and things went wrong, there was someone else to blame. But if Maya bungled things herself and consigned Joss to an eternity as Kripali’s bitch, could Maya even live with the knowledge that she’d done that to her best friend?

  The air beside Maya shifted and Kali was suddenly at her side, the gold bangles around her wrists singing soft notes as she cupped Maya’s cheek. “Child, do not doubt your powers, especially not when every act you perform is done out of love and self-sacrifice. Trust in your power, in your heart.” Then the goddess stepped away from Maya and began to fade away. “And don’t forget, I will come if you call for me.”

  And Maya was left alone, suddenly afraid for Joss’s future.

  Chapter 31

  Maya was standing over Joss when the door to the room opened and Ria walked in. “I was looking for you,” Ria said as she came to stand beside the bed.

  Maya looked at her friend, unable to keep the worry out of her eyes. “What’s wrong, Maya?”

  Heaving a sigh, Maya whispered, “I spoke to Kali. She said she can’t help to get rid of the demon from Joss. It’s called a mahavitala, by the way, and Kali would have been able to help but unfortunately, she knows this…Kripali. Kali gave her the boon of immortality a long time ago.”

  “So Kali’s hands are tied.” Ria’s face was a mask, no hint of emotion revealed. “Did she say who can help?”

  Maya nodded, then aimed a thumb at her own chest. “Apparently, I can do it myself. The only problem is, I seem to be missing the How to cast a Superdemon out of a Mortal textbook. I have no clue what I’m supposed to do.”

  Ria sighed and curled a arm around Maya’s shoulders, drawing her out of the room and down the hall. Together the girls went down to the kitchen where Leela and Dev were having an unusually early breakfast of coffee and cookies.

  “Maya? Are you okay?” asked Leela softly, her gaze flicking to the hallway as though she expected the nurse to creep up on them without warning. Or maybe a part of her was hoping Joss would walk in, miraculously cured.

  “No. I’m not okay. I spoke to Mother Kali.” Maya updated her parents on what the goddess had said and what she was now expected to do. “Guess it’s up to me now.” Maya shrugged and sank onto the nearest stool then propped her elbows on the table to rest her chin in her hands. She knew she was su
lking, but she didn’t care.

  Ria sighed and went to the coffee machine. “Look, I know it might seem like an uphill battle right now, but I think this will all work itself out. It’s probably just a matter of your instinct and your own will.” She set a mug of coffee in front of Maya and fetched one for herself.

  Silence filled the kitchen as Maya sipped and she wasn’t blind to the worry in her parents’ eyes. But thankfully, neither of them did anything to add to her apprehension about having to cast Kripali out of Joss’s mind.

  To her other worries, yes, they managed to make things worse.

  Her dad looked over at her as she sipped her coffee and wiped her mouth to clear the crumbs. “We have the results of the blood and the neural measurements. And it’s not good.”

  Maya inhaled so suddenly that a few cookie crumbs lodged themselves in the back of her throat and she coughed hard, almost choking on double-chocolate-fudge.

  Ria thumped her a little too hard on her back, which did help though Maya was impressed at her strength. “Thanks,” said Maya, swallowing the last of her coffee to wash down the crumbs. “You been lifting weights or something? You pack a mean punch for a tiny thing like you.”

  Ria snorted. “As if you’re so much bigger than me anyway.”

  Maya made a face at Ria, then looked over at her dad, preparing for the worst as he said, “The neural activity reads as unusual, with fluctuations that we really can’t explain. But the blood tests tell us something completely different. Your mom used a little-known method to identify markers in Joss’s DNA that may have been altered by the presence of this mahavitala. What we found explains how pale Joss is, and why her physiological symptoms appear dangerously low. And the results also corresponds to the demon’s designation as a powerful vitala.”

  Maya set her mug on the table carefully, heart thudding as her mind followed where her dad was going with his conclusion. “So is she dying then? Has Kripali infected Joss with some disease in order to take over her body?”