by T. G. Ayer
"My name is Maya Rao."
"You are human," Varuni responded, a cold edge to her voice. "And how is a mere human supposed to help me?"
"I'm apparently more important than I look." Maya lifted her chin a fraction of an inch. "I'm also known as the Hand of Kali." There, she said it, even though she never thought she'd ever throw her title in someone's face. She didn't have a reason to dislike Varuni, except the goddess was quite sarcastic and a bit cold. Not that Maya could blame her after being in the captivity of a demon for decades.
"The Hand of Kali?" Varuni spoke the words slowly. Taking a small step toward Maya. "Can it really be?"
"Yes, that’s what they call me. Now whether you believe me or not, you really have to come with me before we outstay our welcome. The last thing we need is for Narakasura to appear."
"Very well, if you are my only way out I will take it," said Varuni as she tucked her knives into her belt and stepped to Maya.
Maya nodded, and walked backward. She kept her eye on the door as she led the way back to the balcony. Varuni was a few feet away from slipping between the parting in the drapes when the door crashed inward and bits of mahogany went flying all over the room.
Chapter 47
Maya pushed Varuni behind her and growled, "Go out onto the balcony. Now. Nik’s waiting to get you out of here."
Varuni froze as half a dozen demons flowed into the room, the last gripping onto Joss's arm. Maya's heart sank. She'd known Joss coming along would put her friend in danger. And she'd been right. Joss stared at Maya, a silent plea in her eyes.
Maya didn't feel in the least bit confident. She felt more hopeless than ever since she'd discovered she carried the power of Kali in her fingertips.
Maya reached into her satchel for her weapon, hoping the Madu and their sadistic spiked edges would serve her well. Slowly the chamber began to fill with the odor of demons. Maya sucked in a breath, almost choking on the thick aroma of rotting meat and incense. This time the meaty smell also contained a hint of rancid, making her stomach swirl with the desire to hurl. Perspiration dotted Maya's forehead and her hands shook.
She gave her head a swift shake and focused on the gathered guards. Joss's guard shoved her forward, sending her flying into Maya, but she saw his intention and moved slightly out of the way, allowing her friend to stumble past.
"You okay?" she asked Joss, keeping her eyes on the demons.
"Yes," Joss responded through gritted teeth. "Let's get 'em."
"You got your knives?"
"Yup." Maya could see in her peripheral vision, the glint of light on the blades of the swords Nik had given Joss. Now she hoped Joss being a natural fighter would pay off. But still, a nagging twinge in Maya's gut spelled bad news. "Stay behind me at all times," she said.
"Yes, ma'am."
The demons surged toward them in one go, a wave of gleaming swords, amber eyes and the putrid odor of rotten meat. Maya had no time to think. It was all she could do to put her set of Madus to work, blocking a swipe of a sword there, knocking another dagger from a demon's arm.
Maya stiffened. She had an idea. She'd been close enough to knock the weapon from one of the demon guards. Close enough was perfect for Maya's plan. She waited, bouncing on her toes, blocking here, slashing there. Waited until one guard took the opportunity to lunge forward with an upward slash. But instead of allowing him to slice her open for her guts to spill on the ground, Maya dodged the attack, slammed the heel of her hand into the hilt of the guard's sword and knocked away the deadly blade. A breath later, giving him no time to think or move or breathe, Maya grabbed his arm and set off a burst of fire as strong as she could summon on short notice.
Flames ripped through his body and soon even his amber eyes flickered with the flames of Kali's fire. In a burst of burnt fabric, orange embers and the odor of cooked meat, the Rakshasa disappeared, imploded, leaving not an inch of himself behind.
But Maya couldn't waste any time enjoying the victory. She glanced back to find Varuni still frozen in place. "Go to the balcony," she whispered loudly to the goddess. Maya turned her attention back to the guards, hoping Varuni would move.
Five left and who knew how many more were on their way. She tamped down the thrilling mix of excitement and distaste at killing the demon, and bounced on her feet, looking out for the next guard to attack.
She quickly dispatched two more guards who hadn’t seemed to learn their fellow demon's lesson. Three left. Three is good. But a movement at the door caught her attention. Priya, slipped into the room throwing Maya a hateful glare. So time apart hadn't improved Priya's feelings toward Maya. But Maya didn't waste precious seconds thinking about the beautiful demon and her unwarranted dislike.
Maya mentally crossed her fingers that Chayya and Nik were safe and hadn't abandoned her. She threw Priya a quick glance before defending herself against the thrust of another sword. Behind her Joss squeaked and Maya heard her short blade skim the edge of a demon's weapon. Maya dispatched her opponent, gripping his arm in hers until he was nothing but a puff of smoke and a residual flame.
She swung around, stabbing her Madu right into the abdomen of Joss's attacker. Joss choked, struggling for breath, a pained expression twisting her shocked features. Maya understood her reaction. The demon tipped over, and fell to the ground, groaning and shuddering. A moment later he was dead. Naga poison apparently worked at super speed.
Only two Rakshasa left. She could handle them easy enough, although Priya should certainly make things easier. But Priya just stood in place, unmoving and equally untouched by the attacking guards. Maya frowned.
"Come on Priya, let's get these guys good and dead and let's get out of here," said Maya, although her gut did that incessantly negative wobble again.
"But Maya, that is not part of the plan," said Priya, her eyes amber, her face as stiff as a poker.
"What do you mean?" Maya got the words out between gasps, dispatching one more demon, and bouncing on her feet while the last guard stared at the disappearing husk of his comrade.
Outnumbered, he gave Priya a quick glance and ran straight out of the door as if hellhounds were on his tail. Damn, no doubt he was off to fetch reinforcements.
Priya was light on her feet and faster than Maya had expected her to be. Maya stumbled backward from a blow to the abdomen where Priya had landed a solid kick with the heel of her foot. Maya struggled to get the breath back into her lungs and was about to rise when Joss ran at Priya, a screeching war cry echoing around the white room.
The demon was ready for her, parried each one of Joss's advances, easy as taking candy from a child. Maya, breath all back and in one piece, ran for them but it was too late. Almost in slow motion, Maya watched Priya step away then lunge, tricking Joss into moving forward and running right into Priya's vicious curved blade.
"You should have listened to me, human. This game is not for you. It doesn’t matter if they call you the hand of Kali. It's not meant to be. No human should have such power," she said, all the while holding onto Joss who remained impaled on the demon's sword. Priya gave the injured girl a disgusted glance then pushed her backward, letting go of the hilt of her dagger and dusting her hands as Joss staggered backward.
And then it all made sense.
"You betrayed us," Maya said, her voice flat and devoid of all emotion as she watched Joss struggling to breathe, an expression of twisted shock contorting her features..
"Of course I did," Priya said, triumph overflowing in her tone. "Lord Nikhil was stupid to think he could trust me especially when he wanted us to support you, a mere human. He should have known better."
"So you all betrayed us?"
Priya gave her shoulder and elegant shrug. "No. Most of Yama's Rakshasas are too damned loyal for their own good. Unfortunately it's just me but I think I did very well on my own."
"Yes she did."
Those three words dropped the temperature in the room several degrees.
At the door, another small co
ntingent of demon guards flanked a young man as he entered. He wasn't much older than Maya or Nik, tall, fine boned, with piercing green eyes.
Maya only had a moment of doubt before she said, "Narakasura."
"Well spotted, my dear girl," he said, his voice rough and low and almost sexy. Nuh uh that cannot be possible. I'm here to smoke the dude if I have the chance. He waved his hand and Maya followed it to Varuni who now stood stock still behind Maya.
Maya had hoped she'd listen and leave but she hadn't. Varuni stared at Maya, an unhappy look on her face. Maya's focus had remained on fighting the demons. She hadn't noticed Varuni's capture. Now, a demon held her roughly by the arm, the sharp point of his dagger threatened to rip into her jugular. Two of Narakasura's guards ran to her, grabbing her by the arms. "Take her to the cells.” Once the demon with the dagger relinquished the goddess, they left.
Narakasura paced before Priya, hands folded at his back as if deep in thought. Then he said, “Thank you Priya, for your kind assistance."
"Thank you, my lord for giving me the opportunity to show I'm worthy."
"But Priya, my dear the last thing you showed me was how worthy you are. You’ve shown me very clearly you would turn on your master in an instant to fulfill your own purpose. And you’ve also shown me you feel jealousy and envy is a justifiable reason to betray your entire kingdom." Narakasura took a few steps and turned to Priya. "You've demonstrated precisely why I could never trust you as part of my guard. I'm sorry, my dear, but I have no further use for you."
The demon king snapped his fingers and a column of fire wound around Priya. She gasped, shock widening her almond eyes as the flames grew higher and higher and enveloped her body. She began to scream, so loud the sound hurt Maya's ears as it echoed around and around the room.
Narakasura snapped his fingers again and although Priya didn't seem to stop screaming, they could no longer hear her. While the column of fire raged behind him, he turned to Maya and smiled.
Maya's gaze shifted from Narakasura to the pillar of fire. What a cool trick that is. She had to stop herself from looking back to the demon king. How could someone so bad look this good?
It just wasn't fair.
Chapter 48
"Well, Maya Rao, the hand of Kali," Narakasura said as he circled Maya. She wasn't at all comfortable with his inspection. His probing eyes made her feel naked, and she wasn't entirely sure what she was expected to do surrounded by guards, facing the great demon king.
Maya glanced at Joss who stood a few feet from the balcony, still teetering on unsteady legs. Maya raised her eyebrows and tipped her eyes at the drapes, hoping her friend would understand. Joss, gave a tiny, pained nod and took a little step back, and though a guard drew closer to her, he didn't do much else.
Maya faced Narakasura, lifting her chin a tiny bit. A quick glance at the balcony and Maya jumped for joy inside. Joss was gone and she hoped they didn't forget Maya was still here.
Maya shook the thoughts free and paid attention to Narakasura as he stood smiling at her. "Now where did your friend go?"
"That's for her to know and you to find out, don't you think?" Maya glared at him.
Narakasura frowned. "Do you really want to waste time playing these little games, human girl?" The demon king paced, arms held behind his back as he walked.
"My name's Maya and it's not really a game. We both know you're powerful, and certainly capable of getting what you want.
He clicked his tongue and paced again. "Well, Maya, why don’t we start by you calling me Kas?” When Maya didn’t respond he glanced at her and scowled. “I do not like trespassers. Especially those who enter my home to steal from me."
"Varuni wasn't yours to begin with."
"The Amrita belongs to all of the gods. Therefore so does Varuni. What gives Yama and Shiva the right to keep her for themselves?"
Somehow, Maya suspected he didn't want or expect and answer. She glanced at the drapes hiding the balcony.
Fear bolted through Maya lightning fast. Had Chayya abandoned her when she'd needed her the most?
"See, Maya. Not everyone will stick by your side even if you are the Hand of Kali."
"I guess people are the same no matter what their race or the plane of existence they occupy, right?" Maya responded, her tone dry. She didn't believe for a minute Nik would leave her here. Did she?
Chayya's disappearance threw a dark cloud of doubt over Maya's confidence. Would any of them even return for her? Who was she anyway? Just a mere human girl. She may have some of Kali's power but surely there were other people in the world like her, on whom Kali had bestowed similar powers.
Besides, she'd never believed in Kali in the first place. For that reason alone she probably didn't deserve the power. And Narakasura seemed to sense her fear. He took a step toward her and raised his hand.
Instinctively Maya blocked, siphoning her power to her palms but before she could do anything Narakasura sent a ball of spinning flames directly at Maya. She yelped and ducked automatically.
"What the hell was that?"
"Oh, I wanted to see how talented the hand of Kali is. I'm not even sure what this power is that you have. What powers has the Dark Mother bestowed upon you, my dear Maya?"
Wouldn’t you like to know. Aloud she said, "I'm not here to fight you."
"But that wasn't what I was told." He moved closer.
Maya stood her ground. "Well, you really should make sure your informants are trustworthy then, shouldn't you?"
In her ear he whispered, "A beautiful young woman like you, all alone in the palace of a demon king. Imagine what fun we can have together. What a force we will be against the gods and the demons?" His voice almost lulled her into a happy calm. Almost.
Maya's hands still burned with roiling fire and she ached to release it but not yet. He was too close. And pray tell why was he so close to her? She turned her head and looked him straight in the eyes. "I will never, ever be on your side so don't waste your breath trying to control me and trying to convince me the side of a demon king who has to resort to abducting gods for his own nefarious needs, is a good side to be on. I'd rather be alone, thank you very much."
"Come on Maya show me your fire. Show me the power Kali has given you. Show me you have the power to fight me," said Narakasura as he circled Maya.
Maya wanted to grit her teeth but he was so near her, she knew he'd pick up on her frustrations. She wanted him out of her face. She'd failed her mission and the longer she stood there and waited the more she convinced herself Nik and Chayya had abandoned her. The urge to cry swept through her throat but she swallowed it down. No, they wouldn’t abandon her.
The demon King, or Kas as he apparently preferred, stepped away from Maya, stopping a few feet from her. He turned his head and said, "I quite like you Maya Rao. Therefore, I won't kill you. Not this time." He spun around and sent a flash of fire at Maya.
Maya gasped and threw out her hands, eyes fixated on the flickering flames of pure white fire speeding towards her. Somehow, she knew her fire would do nothing to fight Kas’s menacing flame and yet she let it fly anyway.
Two streams of flames met in a shower of orange and white sparks. Maya took a few steps backward and braced herself. White seemed to gain, moving closer to Maya, taking over the orange. She drew on everything within herself. She thought of her parents who'd taken care of her all her life, of Claudia who'd sacrificed so much for her, of Joss who'd had a knife stuck into her and might be dying, of Ria whose life depended on Maya succeeding at this task.
She breathed deep and pushed back, sending the white fire hurtling along the line to Narakasura. He stumbled backward, a look of surprise mingled with rage marring the beauty of his face.
Maya grinned, triumphant as the demon king steadied the flame at his end and began to push back at her. She readied herself, waiting for the perfect moment to give him another taste of her Kali-given power. The reassuring weight of heavy silk fabric hung right against her back, with the
balcony a mere inch away.
Maya watched the king as she took one final step back pulling the drapes with her. He strode toward her, purposeful, unhurried. The edges of the fabric closed, cutting off Maya's view of the approaching demon king.
Maya was about to bolster her fire when she heard a voice behind her. Chayya waved at her. The goddess had one arm around a now unconscious Joss as they hung onto the outside of the balcony. Chayya put a finger to her lips.
They were mere feet away from the advancing Narakasura and his angry white fire. Nik hung from the balustrade too, beckoning her forward and she scrambled to climb over it to him, keeping a close eye on the drapes as Narakasura roared his anger and as his footsteps reached the balcony.
"We don't have time to scale the façade and get back down," said Nik. Maya stared at him, eyes round and larger with consternation. "We have to jump."
"Jump? Are you insane?" she hissed as the footsteps drew closer. A glance beside her confirmed Chayya and Joss had disappeared safely leaving Nik and Maya hanging from the balustrade.
"We have to. It’s the only way to be free of the palace wards." Nik shook Maya's arm, pulling her into the swirling arms of panic. "Listen to me. We have to jump. Once we're free from the wards I can transport us right back to Patala safely. But we have to jump away from the wall."
Maya nodded and gulped, staring from Nik's face to her fingers as they grasped the rope. Above them, any second now, Narakasura would be upon them.
"Okay let's do this before my brain tells me it’s the worst idea I've ever had in my life." Maya gulped down a breath and tried to steady her stampeding heartbeat.
"Right," said Nik. "On three okay. One two three."
And Maya closed her eyes and jumped with Nik. One moment she was flying through the air, the sound of Narakasura's furious roar ringing in her ears, the next she was lying flat on a bed of soft cushions breathing as if she'd just run a marathon.
They were back in Patala. Safe and sound.
