by T. G. Ayer
"I’ve been ill . . . I think," Ria said, rubbing her upper arms, where a rash of goose bumps pebbled her skin.
"Don’t you remember anything?" Maya sat beside her, close enough to comfort the girl, but far enough to run for it if the Rakshasa should put in an appearance. It still seems strange and slightly surreal to think Ria was free from possession just like that. They were now sitting at the foot of the bed and Maya turned her head to look at her friend, patting her back a little in an attempt to comfort her.
Something caught Maya’s eye. At the bedside table sat a brass tray, filled with lamps and containers, a bowl of frankincense and one of white ash. Maya felt dread fill her from head to toe. The tray itself only meant Ria’s family had been praying for her. Maya’s mom had told her once frankincense had powers beyond human understanding. She said the smoke had the ability to banish demons and dark spirits and it had properties capable of clearing a person's mind.
Maya sniffed and sure enough, a faint memory of the scent lingered in the air. As if even a good airing wouldn’t erase the sweet fragrance.
"No. It’s been hazy. Like I’ve been drugged or something. My mom said I hadn’t been given any sedatives or anything but I’m not sure." Ria picked at one of the little purple silk bows sewn randomly into the coverlet.
"How do you feel now?" Unsure of what to say, Maya's mind buzzed. So. It seemed like the Gupta’s were treating the whole thing like a possession. And it looked like whatever they'd done had worked. Ria seemed herself, if a little confused. Maybe they'd really banished the Rakshasa.
"I’m fine, Maya. Thanks for coming." Ria’s forehead crinkled. "How come my father allowed you in? I remember him being very angry with you for some reason."
"He didn’t," Maya replied, her tone dry. She nodded at the open window. "I used the other entrance."
"Oh." Ria smiled.
"So, why did you call me? Do you need something? Can I do anything for you?"
"What do you mean?" Ria frowned, and smoothed her hair over her head. "I didn’t call you."
"What? You didn’t send me a blank text?"
"No. You mean like the ones I used to send you a long time ago?" asked Ria, her face red with memories and embarrassment.
Maya nodded
"I’m sorry Maya, I don’t remember sending you any text. But the way I’ve been feeling these last few days I can’t promise I didn’t."
A trill of fear zipped through Maya. Had Ria really sent the message? Or had the demon set a very clever trap?
But Ria looked fine. No trace of the Rakshasa at all. Not in Ria’s demeanor, not even in her face and eyes.
And Maya had work to do. At least she’d been able to confirm Ria was well.
"Okay, you’re fine. That’s good. If you need me for anything text me okay?" Maya said as she rose to her feet, her mind already touching on Nik's message and what she intended to do about Yama’s summons.
Pain fired up her arm as something dug into her wrist. Maya gasped and tried to yank her hand away, turning to Ria, aware now that her friend held on to her with a vice grip.
No. Not Ria.
The demon. It had to be. Maya’s arm throbbed, intermittent flares spiking her with debilitating pain. Only then did she look at her wrist, daring to take her eyes of Ria’s placid expression.
Ria’s fingers curved around her hand. And her nails- thick, long, blackened nails, dug deep into Maya's flesh, drawing blood. Lots of blood. Scattered red droplets stained the white bedspread. Maya tried to pull away but Ria held on, refusing to release her.
"Ria!" Maya yelled, pushing off the bed, trying to get closer to the window. Ria followed silently, her nails still buried within Maya's arm. "Let go of me."
But Ria's eyes remained blank. She was either unaware or fine with it. Maya doubted it was the latter. Ria didn’t have a mean bone in her body.
Blood pooled at Maya’s arm welling and dripping down her fingers and onto the paisley patterned carpet. This was bad. Not the blood. The demon. And Maya was alone. Sabala was outside, no way for him to help her. And other than him, nobody knew where she’d gone.
Smart move Maya. Real smart move.
Chapter 30
"What do you want, you evil bi-"
"We want you, Maya, daughter of Kali. We want you and your Fire." The words wound around Maya like a lullaby, gently singing her into compliance. But the pain served a different purpose- it helped her pull herself out of the intoxicating hold of the Rakshasa. "Come with us, child of fire. Come with us and be one of us."
Anger surged through Maya as she stared the demon down. Now she could see its amber eyes, behind Ria’s own dark eyes, moving beneath the shell that was once her closest friend in the world. "Like hell I will. Now let me go."
"You must come, or we will have to hurt you."
"You just let me go or I will have to hurt you!" Maya hissed, afraid to scream but desperately wanting to howl her anger at the demon.
The Rakshasa laughed and the sound echoed around the room, as if it were a real thing, bouncing off the walls and coming straight back. Maya frowned. A familiar odor drifted to her. Masked slightly by the frankincense, the rich spicy smell of blood lingered, gaining strength minute by minute.
How had the Rakshasa gotten away with it for so long? There’d been no smell when she’d hugged Ria only moments ago. The room didn’t reek of it either. Had the demon left for a while, leaving Ria conscious enough to call me to her?
The demon’s laughter died away, and Maya was now desperate to free herself. The Rakshasa’s claws went deep, probably an inch into Maya’s flesh. No getting those out of her fast and safe. The more she pulled against the demon's grip the harder it held on.
At her wits end, Maya almost sobbed in agony and despair. Almost. But she had a way to get free. Maya remembered her Fire. The power constantly simmered beneath her skin at her fingers, and her palms. Maya felt it surge within her veins, always at her beck and call, always waiting.
She called the Fire to her left hand, trying to guide it, to collect it in her palm. She had to direct it at the demon's fingers.
"Daughter of Fire, what will it be? Will you come quietly or do I have to kill your friend to make you?" Ria smiled and it sent shudders up and down Maya’s body. Even though she knew it wasn’t Ria who spoke.
The fire grew in Maya’s hand, the conflagration burning and yet her skin remained unhurt.
"You waste my time, human girl!" The Rakshasa screamed and stepped toward Maya, the movement so intimidating Maya lost her concentration and a little bit of her control of her fire. The demon raised Maya’s arm, holding in front of her face to watch as it dug its nails deeper into Maya’s skin.
As the collected fire dissipated Maya desperately called it back, hoping against hope it would return. And fast. The odor of the demon enveloped Maya, pulling at her senses with fingers of ecstasy. So easy to give in, so easy to stop fighting.
But Maya fought to hold it back. She held her breath, tried to clear her mind, concentrate on bringing back the Fire. She could feel it building up again, damming against her flesh, pulsing in heated waves against her palms. But the drug-like odor of the Rakshasa had weakened her control. Sapped her strength too, and it was harder than it had ever been to keep control of the Fire.
"Very well." Ria’s eyes stared back at Maya, and yet she saw the demon's face too, like one of those strange trick pictures where if one looked hard enough the picture became something else entirely.
And in the next instant the fire was ready, the heat overflowed and Maya's Chakra opened, channeling the flames straight out of her palm. She aimed at the hand of the Ria-demon, knowing she would hurt her friend, knowing she had no choice but still hating herself for it.
Maya opened her fingers, setting the flame free.
Molten heat streaked forth, at last unleashed, untethered. Maya gasped, struggling for breath as the power and the force of the fire channeled through her body, pulsing through her muscle and bone, cou
rsing through her veins.
The flame flew at the demon's fingers, enveloping her forearm. And the demon screamed. A sound that pierced Maya’s eardrums, hurt her deep inside her solar plexus. The fire seared her arm, but she paid little attention to the effect of the flame on her skin.
Maya’s body was just a vessel for the Fire. It seemed unable to harm her flesh or bone, not that it meant she felt no agony. Her attention remained fixed on the Ria-demon's arms. The Rakshasa’s screams were sure to bring Ria’s family rushing into the room soon. But even the possibility of being found by Ria’s father didn’t concern Maya.
She focused on the blistered, boiling skin on Ria’s forearm and fingers. Maya had burned her friend's hand. The demon was similarly affected, its screams of anger transitioned to howls of agony as the demonic nails erupted in flames. It released Maya’s arm, thrusting her away, the action sending stabbing knives of pain deep into each of Maya's now open, angry wounds.
The Rakshasa, still screamed in agony. But all Maya saw was Ria’s hand, burned beyond recognition. And the creature beneath Ria’s skin.
Maya felt light-headed. Seeing the amber eyes of the demon behind Ria’s eyes was one thing. It had given her the awareness the demon was still there. But now, the burning Fire revealed the Rakshasa beneath the body she wore.
Skin shriveled, dark and dead, the hand of a burned corpse. Maya shuddered, and wanted to cry. The Fire had drained her. Never before had she needed to draw the fire twice. Never before had she been faced with the double terror.
The Rakshasa barreled straight at Maya and she backpedaled instinct taking over. But she refused to only react. This demon wasn't going to have the upper hand. No way.
Maya’s brain flicked through a series of moves her dad had taught her, and she hit out at the oncoming creature, slamming her hand straight into the demon's throat.
The Ria-demon choked and spluttered, skidding to a stop as Maya spun about to keep an eye on it. With her back to the door, Maya felt vulnerable. Then she wanted to laugh. She was face to face with a deadly Rakshasa but she was more afraid of Mr. Gupta’s reaction.
The demon came at her again and this time Maya wasn't ready. The impact sent her flying backward to land flat on her back pinned by the Ria-demon. Ria was barely recognizable anymore. Her hair had come undone. Silky, neatly combed hair, held back by her usual barrette- all gone, replace by tousled knotted, almost oily looking limp strands, hiding most of her face.
She hovered over Maya like something from a horror movie and Maya was suitably terrified. A shout sounded somewhere in the house. The noise had alerted the Guptas and they would soon be here.
The sounds were closer now, on the landing and someone struggled at the lock outside. But they couldn't get in. Somewhere, within her fear, Maya knew the demon still straddled her but the Rakshasa’s attention was solely directed at the door. With one arm outstretched, she seemed to be holding the door shut.
"Ria! Open this door immediately," Mr. Gupta shouted. "I swear if you don’t open the door this minute I will break it down and then you will see."
Silence followed as the group outside the door waited for Ria to open up.
"Ria," he roared again, and something large and solid hit the door. And it would have cracked and broken in two if it hadn’t been for the Rakshasa's power to keep it shut.
Maya took the opportunity. As the demon stared at the door, attention and concentration focused on the entrance to the room, Maya drew her fire again. This time it came smoothly, like a silky liquid, summoned with her mind, and conducted through her body.
The Fire sluiced from her hand, and even though her arm remained beneath one of the Rakshasa’s knees, her palm was free. Free to throw the full force of the flames upon it.
And as Maya thought of her friend, a fist of ice closed over her heart. She was going to kill Ria.
Chapter 31
But what would Ria really be once the demon discarded her body? Or would she even be left alive at all? Her burns were bad, and the Rakshasa continued to draw more and more energy from her.
Maya had to make the decision. Kill the demon and possibly Ria at the same time or let the demon kill Maya. It all came down to self-preservation. And Maya refused to do it. She couldn’t, if it meant the tiniest possibility Ria would survive this horrible ordeal, then no way could Maya unleash her fire on her.
And in the next breath, the demon took control. The door remained locked and the demon placed both her hands around Maya’s neck and squeezed. It didn’t take long before Maya struggled to breathe. The edges of her vision darkened, the image of the Rakshasa began to blur. She fell slowly into oblivion, having lost her chance to kill the creature.
A howl rent the air, the sound coming loud and sharp straight through the open window. Sabala. The demon looked over its shoulder at the window, distracted by the call of the hellhound. Maya saw it stiffen, amber eyes swirled with fear. Its fingers loosened their hold.
And Maya let the fire loose.
The demon ignited. A living fire, a conflagration burning from the floor and almost to the ceiling. The Rakshasa screeched, anger, frustration, agony and desperation all balled up in one terrible scream.
Maya scrambled backward away from the demon pyre. And away from Ria as she burned alive. The screams, grated on Maya's ears, gouging at her heart and Maya felt bile rising in her throat. Hot tears singed her eyelids. What had she done?
Behind the burning demon the door shuddered, the Guptas not giving up their quest to enter Ria's room. The yelling and screaming outside couldn’t compare to the deafening screeching of the dying Rakshasa. Nor could it compare to the keening in Maya’s heart as she watched her best friend burn to death right in front of her.
Smoke began to fill the room, stinging Maya’s eyes. And the demon pyre collapsed, Ria’s body falling to the ground in a burning heap.
Then two things happened at once. The door flew open, and Mr. Gupta came tumbling inside yelling Ria’s name, his face boiling, seething with fury at his daughter. Another man followed, features Maya couldn’t identify in the smoke-filled room.
A pair of hands grasped Maya from behind, hauling her bodily toward the window. She glanced back, ready to draw her fire and incinerate her attacker.
Chayya glared at her and grabbed her arm. "Come we must leave now."
But they were too late to dive outside. The smoke thinned, wafting out the open window and the wide-open room door.
"Ria." Mrs. Gupta screamed and ran to her daughter. At the same time, Maya looked behind her, horrified to know Ria’s mother could see what remained of her beautiful child.
Maya stood transfixed as the smoke cleared to reveal Ria, unconscious on the floor, her simple white kurta scorched and smoking, her skin unblemished. She took in the scene: Mrs. Gupta, the red dot on her forehead smeared garishly across her face, Mr. Gupta out of breath, puffing in and out. Maya could tell he was unsure how to react. How could he be angry with an unconscious daughter?
He looked up.
Straight at Maya.
But he didn’t react. He didn't see her. Instead he looked at the open window, right though Maya.
Chayya shoved Maya into the darkness behind the drapes.
"Maya, we have to get out of here, now."
"Why didn’t he see me?"
"I am the ruler of the shadows," Chayya said, and winked as she peered around the curtains.
Maya remembered Ria. "She wasn’t hurt." She shook ahead, unable to believe it. "Ria, she was unhurt, I saw it."
"Yes, Maya, your friend will be free from any bodily injuries she may have received while the Rakshasa was using her body."
"So she'll be fine?"
"I do not know. And we do need to leave. Now." Chayya nodded at the room and lifted a finger to her lips.
Maya stiffened and she heard Mr. Gupta's slippers slap their way to the open window. He poked a head outside, then retracted it, staring around the room. As if on second thought he pulled the op
posite drape away from the wall and turned to do the same to the one hiding Maya and the Shadow Goddess.
And again, it was as if neither Chayya nor Maya were even there. Mr. Gupta shoved the fabric aside and it billowed forward, taking swirling clouds of smoke with it. He coughed, frowning as he stared straight at Maya. To be on the safe side Maya held her breath. Now she wished she hadn’t as Ria’s father was taking too long to complete his inspection. What did he expect to see?
At last, he returned to his weeping wife. "What’s wrong with her?" he grunted as he waited for a reply.
All he got was his wife's sobs.
"Uncle, she may need a doctor. It looks like she is in some sort of coma."
"What? How did that happen? What's wrong with this girl?"
"I can’t tell," came the other voice. "There doesn’t seem to be anything physical."
"You saying she’s mad? You mean I’m going to have to put her in a mental home? What will people say? What did I ever do to deserve this stupid child? And now we won’t be able to get rid of her. Nobody will want to marry her."
Maya’s mouth hung open as she listened to Mr. Gupta’s tirade. Of course, he had no idea what his child had been through, how close she’d just come to death. But then he’d never cared much for his sweet daughter. He’d always seen her as a commodity. Now he lamented being unable to get rid of her. Maya was glad her poor friend was unconscious and hadn't heard her father's words.
But something told Maya that Ria knew very well how little her father cared for her as a person. Maya’s eyes filled with tears. A simple comparison between their parents told her she probably had the best parents ever. Something she hardly ever acknowledged.
"Come Maya, we must leave," Chayya whispered, nodding again at the open window.
Maya followed her outside, sitting on the sill to take one last look at her friend. The young man who'd checked Ria’s vitals, now carried her to the bed while her father looked on, an expression of disgust on his face.
