by SGD Singh
“Sir,” Asha said. “Could I have that card? I—”
“Yes, fine.” Barindra handed her the card with her name scrawled across it. “Let me know the second you know more, understood? Aquila, put our numbers in her phone.”
Aquila approached Barindra and spoke softly to him, and the older man nodded. “Chakori. You and Uma will give Sandhu a tour of our security tomorrow at nineteen hundred hours.”
“But—” they both began.
“In case it escaped your notice, that was an order!” he shouted, the pupils of his eyes shrinking, giving his face a terrifying fierceness. “Goddamn it, we have a psycho, Dänav-riding Witch planning to open portals, handing out violent death indiscriminately, and as if that weren't enough, we also have crazed and uncharacteristically suicidal Goblins threatening to unleash the Zombie apocalypse! I do not have time for this bullshit! Sandhu is our Seer, and we will work with her and give her whatever she needs. Or you two can start thinking about a transfer!”
Javin took Asha by the arm and walked her out of the room.
“You have to understand,” said Javin. “Uma and Chakori are among the finest warriors The Guard has ever seen, but when it comes to dealing with civilians, and seemingly endless meetings and training, they… well, tend to lose patience. It'll be fine tomorrow.”
“Sure,” Asha mumbled.
Chapter 44
Bringing the stone out of the holy water, Asha read Adrian Smith, and blinked.
Lexi grinned and shrugged.
Finishing her dessert of steamed cinnamon raisin apples with honey pomegranate sauce, Asha took a sip of her ginger milk. “So Lexi. You still want to meet Ranya?”
“Hell yes,” Lexi said, putting her spoon down. “What's up?”
Nidhan, Mia, Karan, and Himat stopped eating and watched them.
“I have an idea.” Asha grinned, taking the card out of her pocket, waving it at them.
“You don't even know who wrote that,” said Nidhan.
“One way to find out. C'mon, we only have an hour 'til Chakori's Tempestuous Tour of Security.” Asha slid out of the booth and everyone scrambled to follow her up to her room.
They crowded in and sat on the bed expectantly. Asha brought two chairs from the balcony and sat them at the foot of the bed, facing each other, and said, “Okay, Hewitt, take a seat.”
Bowing low, Lexi sat down, and Asha sat across from her. Holding the card out, she said, “Okay. I think if you hold this, and I hold your hand and… find her, it might work. We never had anything of hers until now, so…”
“If that's even hers,” said Karan and Mia elbowed him in the shoulder with a hiss.
Himat said, “What do you want us to do if… ?”
“No darle un beso para despertarla, si eso es lo que estás esperando,” Mia said. Not give her a kiss to wake her up, if that's what you're hoping. Asha shot her a glare. Lexi tried not to smile and failed, which caused her to turn beet red.
“Just… take our hands apart if… you need to.”
“If you want me to kick your ass,” Lexi snapped.
“It's okay,” Nidhan told Himat. “I think I'll know what to do if… things go south.”
“So reassuring.” Mia rolled her eyes. “Okay, Asha. We'll be here, for whatever that's worth.”
“Ready?” Asha said, taking Lexi's hand. Lexi's personal weapon ring shone in the light, its interlocking bands of diamonds and agates sparkling.
Lexi held the card and nodded.
Asha closed her eyes.
Ranya stood by another green fire, this time at the edge of a river lined with trees. Her long hair blew in the breeze as she pulled an embroidered shawl around her shoulders. Asha felt a hand tighten on hers and turned to find Lexi standing beside her, looking pale in the darkness.
Asha let go of Lexi's hand and wiggled her fingers. “It's okay,” she whispered. “We're still holding hands in… reality.”
Lexi stared at her hand and started to say something just as Ranya turned.
“Asha!” She beamed, spreading her arms wide. “It's about time!” Ranya moved toward them a few steps, gliding gracefully across the weeds. Her face was arranged in a classic pout, and Ranya stopped to study her shining claws. “I was beginning to think you hadn't received my little gift.”
“I didn't really understand it,” Asha said.
Ranya laughed, high and musical.
Lexi tensed next to her, and Asha felt suddenly cold.
“Oh, Asha, Asha. It seems they made a mistake giving you all those rings.” She laughed again. “I think you'll figure it out.” She shrugged. “Or not.”
Turning to Lexi, Ranya's face brightened into an insane smile. “And who is this? Don't tell me you've brought me a gift! Really, it's too much.” She batted her eyes and looked Lexi up and down thoughtfully. “You know, my tastes usually run toward the much younger, slightly more… masculine, but I have to say, Asha, she looks good enough to eat.”
Lexi took a step forward, her sword suddenly in her hand. “Why don't you eat this, you homicidal bitch?”
Ranya clicked her tongue. “See, if you don't mind your manners,” her voice dripped sweetness, but as she narrowed her eyes at Lexi, wild rage flashed in their unfathomable depths. “I'll have to kill you.”
Lexi held her gaze, and a slow grin spread across her face. “Please… I would just love to see you try.”
Ranya lunged forward with a shriek, and Lexi sidestepped, spinning gracefully. She crouched for an attack, and Asha rushed forward, getting between Ranya and Lexi, arms spread wide. For a long second, the three of them stood still, the rushing river and crackling fire the only sounds in the night.
Ranya cackled louder than ever. “Well, well! I don't know if I should be flattered or insulted!”
Asha could feel Lexi glaring at her, demanding an explanation as she slowly lowered her sword, the giant diamond in its hilt flashing.
“You see, my golden-haired, monstrously tall friend, Asha knows that killing me won't stop destiny,” Ranya said, her voice soft as petals. “Not that you could kill me, despite what this ill-informed freak thinks.”
Lexi spun around Asha, bringing her khanda down with blinding speed. A piece of dark silk fluttered to the ground, but Ranya was already behind the fire as if she had materialized there. Shaking her head, the Witch smiled at them, as if they had sadly disappointed her.
“I really did enjoy our visits, Asha.” She was pouting again. “But, you see, you're beginning to interfere with my plans, and I can't have that… so.” Reaching into the folds of her dress, Ranya held up a bracelet, and Asha recognized Tvastar work.
“I wanted to tell you, before it's too late, that you're welcome for the lovely flowers. I hope you like them…” Ranya tilted her head back and laughed. “And I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to… enjoy my gift.” She kissed her hand and wiggled clawed fingers at Lexi.
And then she put the bracelet on.
Asha blinked at the faces of Nidhan, Mia, Karan, and Himat crowding around them.
She heard a low growl, and Lexi pushed Asha's shoulders so violently that her chair tipped over, knocking her breath out as she landed on the floor. Jumping up, Lexi held the chair down with one foot. “What the mother of a mangy inbred warthog, Asha! If you didn't want me to kill her, why the fuck did you bring me?”
Himat and Karan jumped to help Asha up as Nidhan and Mia pulled Lexi back. Twisting violently out of their grip, Lexi straightened her jacket. “Explain,” she hissed, pointing at Asha.
Asha's temper flared for a dangerous second, her glowing eyes reflected in Lexi's as they glared at each other. She waited for the light to fade and took a deep breath.
“It was an ambush,” Asha said as she picked the chair up off the floor and sat down. “There were at least four Revenants and one Asura there, waiting for her orders. I should have realized… stupid!” She raked her hands through her hair with a sigh. “I think… you being there, Ranya just—changed the plan and p
ut the bracelet on.”
Everyone looked at Asha in horror.
Nidhan said, “But you were here! I mean, what could they do to you?”
Asha studied her Seer rings. “Turned my brain to mush? Maybe Revenants can posses someone from, like, a ghost form.”
“If I had killed her, she couldn't give orders, could she?” Lexi crossed her arms.
“If you had killed her, we would both be dead.”
Chapter 45
Aquila came through the balcony, his eyes finding Asha's as Nidhan went to answer a knock at her door. The room was crowded, but uncomfortably silent.
Okay?
We can't stalk Ranya anymore. She has a bracelet that works like my necklace. No idea how.
Can't say I'm sorry about that. Barindra will be, though. Did you report?
“I'll do it now,” she said out loud, taking her phone out of her pocket.
Lexi glanced up, noticed Aquila, and rolled her eyes, motioning everyone out. Mia linked her arms with Karan and Himat, resuming their earlier argument about training game penalties, and left the room. Lexi moved to follow.
“Wait, Lexi,” Asha said. “I want you and Nidhan on the security tour.”
Lexi gave her a sarcastic salute and moved to the snack table, where she picked up a banana and filled a glass with clove water. Asha disappeared onto the balcony, and Aquila could hear one side of her conversation with Barindra drifting through the French doors.
Lexi turned to Aquila as Nidhan returned and helped himself to an orange. “You do realize she wouldn't let me kill Ranya tonight because she's your sister.” She glared at him as if she thought it would be his fault if Ranya killed everyone.
“Don't worry, you'll get another chance,” said Aquila absently. He sat on the bed and checked his phone. “If we live long enough.”
Nidhan threw his orange peel toward the trash and missed. “Why are you in such a hurry to kill someone anyway, Lexi?” He stooped to get the peel, threw it, and missed again. “You've never actually taken a life—Sphere kills don't count.”
Lexi looked at him as if he had suddenly sprouted a second head, and Nidhan hurried to add, “Why don't you ask someone who's done it how much fun it is?”
Aquila looked up from his phone. “What?”
“Tell Lexi what it's like to kill someone.”
Aquila looked at the ceiling for a couple of seconds. “What do you want me to say?” He shrugged. “It is what it is. You kill them, or they kill you. It's like self defense… except we hunt them down, so no, it's not really.” He went back to his phone.
“And is it fun?” Lexi asked.
“Fun? Yeah, I guess it can be fun. You almost die, but you don't. It's an adrenaline rush of combat with highly dangerous monsters… you're grateful to be alive… saving the world and all that shit.”
Lexi glared at Nidhan, who crossed his massive arms.
Aquila looked at them and laughed. “Dude, you might as well get used to it. It's in our blood to want to kill these fu—”
“Who was at the door?” Asha said, hanging up her phone and coming back into the room.
“Chakori,” said Nidhan. “She wants you to meet her in ten minutes at the front gate.”
Lexi put her glass down, coughing. “And you're telling us this now? C'mon, it's already been five minutes.”
† † †
Uma and Chakori sat against the roots of the ancient banyan tree, almost hidden by the fog. As Asha, Lexi, Nidhan, and Aquila approached them, the two women stood in a fluid motion, Chakori's orange eyes and Uma's bright silver hair shining in the night.
Chakori looked questioningly from Lexi and Nidhan to Aquila, who said, “Asha wanted them.”
With a shrug, Uma said, “All right, let's get started,” and moved up the forest path. The four Trainees followed, Chakori bringing up the rear.
They walked in silence through the dark for ten minutes until, at the edge of the forest, Uma turned, pointing. “These trees mark the perimeter, or fence if you will. The night you first saw Ranya, she was just beyond it, there.”
Chakori said, “This forest, as well as the animals that live in it, are fed by holy water, making the whole area a poisonous place for Underworlders. Imagine trying to walk through branches dripping with acid, and you'll get a small idea of what it would be like for them. Also, the animals—mostly monkeys and birds—are sensitive to Underworlders and would, uh, raise quite an alarm if any enter the forest.”
“You would be amazed how loud a monkey can scream,” said Uma.
Nidhan, Asha, and Lexi stared at each other. Asha looked at Aquila.
Monkeys screaming? That's our security?
Aquila laughed, wrapping an arm around Asha's waist, and whispered, “That's just the beginning.”
Following Uma back along a narrow path through the tangle of branches, Asha was grateful for her enhanced eyesight. Lexi and Nidhan stayed close behind her. Headquarters loomed like a dark ship in the fog across the water, warm light shining through carved openings at the top of its stone walls.
Uma stopped at the edge of the lake and pointed at the water. “The bottom of this lake is covered in tiles of blue agate, for protection and strength, as well as diamonds and jade. That's why its color is unnatural.” She pointed to the far ends of the lake. “Holy water is fed into it through pipes from various temples throughout the state. It is also distributed throughout the forest, as I've said, and into the building's drinking water, cooking water, healing baths, and even the weapons forgery. It's kept fresh and recycles back out constantly with some fancy system that I don't understand. If you really care, you can ask Yael; I think he has the blueprints in his office.”
Nidhan and Lexi looked more impressed, and Aquila smiled.
Chakori pointed at the fort. “See where the light comes through the wall?”
The three of them nodded, Nidhan and Lexi squinting in the fog.
“If, by some unheard of circumstance, Headquarters were compromised, weapons activated with your key rings shoot silver bullets, holy water cannons, and sunlight bombs. The silver bullets obviously aren't the ideal choice for civilian casualties, so—”
“Can we see how it works?” blurted Lexi.
Uma sounded like her patience was running out. “We can't use them unless it's an actual emergency, Hewitt. It sends alarms to every Jodha in the country and sets off flares.”
“How do we know they won't malfunction if they've never been used?” said Nidhan.
Chakori fixed him with a icy stare, her voice barely above a whisper. “Why don't you ask Avinash about that, Sandhu?”
Asha hid a smile as Nidhan mumbled something unintelligible and started fixing his black dumala.
“Moving on,” Uma declared, walking along the water's edge to the stone bridge, and they fell into step behind her. At the edge of the lake, Uma stopped. There was a gap of about twenty feet to the bridge. The fog drifted between the dark water and the moss-covered stone.
“As you can see, there's no way to reach the bridge without touching the water,” said Uma.
“I can't see a thing,” said Lexi.
“Me neither,” said Nidhan. “Some of us aren't Jodha—or are still sixteen,” he added quickly, glancing at Lexi.
Uma and Chakori looked at each other and smiled.
“All right,” said Uma. “Here's the latest addition to our security.” She jogged up the incline to the pillars across from the bridge, pulling out her phone. “Commander? We're turning the lights on.” She glanced at Aquila. “Yes, he's here… twenty minutes?”
With a grin, Uma turned to them. “I've been wanting to do this since Dhevan told me about it.” Her expression of adoration at a new weapon matched Lexi's so perfectly that Asha smiled just watching her. Uma held her revolver out.
“Me, too.” Chakori laughed, and it was a beautiful sound. Asha realized she had never seen Chakori smile, let alone heard her laugh. These women are truly Lexi's sisters.
They nodded at each other, and Uma told Asha, “So it's the flare bullets, and you just aim at, well, Headquarters. Okay, one, two, three!”
There was a loud pop, and ultra-violet light spread across the vine-covered wall of the fort. A moment later, the lake itself lit up, glowing bright blue through the fog. The forest surrounding them was suddenly flooded with daylight. The sound of startled birds filled the night.
Uma and Chakori cheered like little kids, giving each other a high five.
“Almost makes me want to drag an Underworlder in here to see what would happen,” said Chakori.
“Melted monsters!” Uma sang, laughing.
“So… you have to be outside Headquarters to do that?” asked Nidhan.
“I think so,” said Uma. “Like I said, it's new. Cool, huh?”
“How long does it stay on?” Asha said.
“An hour, I think,” said Uma, shrugging. “Civilians won't notice, don't worry.”
Chakori walked to the pillars across from the bridge, holding her ring up. “As you already know, the only way to get to the bridge is if you have a full security pass ring and put it against this symbol here.”
“When do we get full security pass rings?” said Lexi.
“When and if you graduate, Hewitt,” said Chakori. Uma leaned to her and spoke softly. Chakori conceded, “Maybe sooner.”
As she held her hand up to the pillar on the right, steps appeared in the weeds, and the stone of the bridge stretched to meet them. Asha, Nidhan, Lexi, and Aquila followed Uma and Chakori down the steps and out over the water. “If you touch this here?” Uma told Asha, pointing to a matching symbol in the stone. “The steps at the end of the bridge will vanish. Like that. You can also touch the pillar again, if you're on that side, or there's a symbol on the wall just inside of the door. If you don't, well then, the walkway stays open.”
Nidhan raised a hand, his Tvastar ring shining. “So, no Underworlders can fly?”
“A little less martial arts training in your free time, and a little more reading, Sandhu,” Uma said. “Vampires can only fly in their True Forms, and we haven't had any of those in quite a few years.”
