by T. G. Ayer
"Very amusing, human girl. I suggest you use your tongue less and concentrate on strengthening your powers. Or perhaps we can languish here in Kas's prison forever?"
Maya returned to her practice but not before she saw the curve of Varuni's lips and the hint of a smile. At least she had a sense of humor. Soon fireballs were flying around Maya and she began to tire. At last, she sighed, huffing out a strong breath. A breath that sent two fireballs floating off to the furthest corner of the cell.
"What was that?"
"Yes, I saw that too. Have you tested the limits of your powers?"
"Yes, with Nik. A lot. But we never tried using my breath to control the fire."
"Well, try now," Varuni ordered, grinning.
Maya drew a ball of flame and sent a soft breath at it. The fireball responded and floated away toward the wall. Maya breathed in, almost sucking the air back into her lungs and the flame followed, floating slowly back to her.
Next, she blew the flame toward the door and the iron bars, her pursed lips directing the air in a thin stream, sending the little fireball floating through to the passage outside. Varuni gasped. "How clever. And how useful too." She nodded her approval more to herself and Maya wondered what type of plan the goddess was busy concocting.
Then Maya paid no more attention as she sank deeper into her routine, pushing herself further than ever. When she finally stopped to rest, she grinned. The stone sidewall of the cell was pock marked with overlapping black rings; remnants of the hundreds of fireballs she'd thrown at it.
But for all the physical strain she put her body under, her sleep was restless and fitful and filled with strange dreams of Kali and Yama and Nik calling for her help.
Chapter 54
"Maya, wake up. Someone's coming." Varuni whispered. But when Maya tried to rise the goddess pushed her back onto the pallet of blankets. "Stay down and pretend to still be weak."
Maya lay down and closed her eyes. A guard flung the wooden door open, sending it clanging hard against the stone wall. Boots stomped on the floor and two guards lifted Maya roughly from her sleeping position.
"What are you doing? She is very ill." Varuni yelled at them but they paid her no heed.
Maya peeked out every so often, as they half-dragged half-carried her, and soon confirmed she was heading back to the sorcerer's chamber. Her heart sank. She wasn't afraid, not really. It was the pain she wasn't sure she could handle.
As the guards entered the room and deposited Maya on the stone table, she prayed Varuni's Amrita had done some good.
Balraj approached Maya, tapping her on her cheek. She responded with a moan and fluttered her eyelids pretending to struggle to open them.
"Pathetic human." Balraj clicked his tongue. "You are supposed to be the Hand if Kali? I have to wonder what Kali was thinking." He held Maya by her chin, his fingers digging deep into her flesh and pressing into her bones. He must have spent those moments staring at her face and Maya wondered why. Was he frustrated with his attempt to take her power from her? He shoved at her face and moved to his table for a moment.
Balraj returned and went through the same procedure as the last time only now he seemed more determined, more vicious and although Maya would have loved to open her eyes and see what he was doing she pretended weakness. And her fire still refused to comply.
After a while he growled, the sound deep and visceral, ringing around the room and making her blood freeze in her veins. She felt cold steel press into her wrist then searing pain as something sharp pierced her flesh. Warmth flowed over her skin and Maya knew the knife had drawn blood. Her heart thundered but she tried to regain control.
Balraj circled the table and repeated the procedure with her other wrist. Maya recalled the holes in the stone table. The memory made her heart beat so fiercely it hurt her ribs. What was he up to?
When he moved behind her head and placed the knife against her neck, Maya almost shuddered with terror. She swallowed hard when she felt the moist heat of blood at her throat. Balraj left her, probably to return to his table and Maya shivered in terror. She was bound to the table by thick chains. How was she supposed to get herself out of here before she was killed?
It wasn't long before she heard the drip, drip of a liquid falling into a container beside the table. It wasn't long either before she began to feel faint. Maya breathed slowly, trying to remain calm despite being terrified she was soon going to meet her end.
Footsteps drew closer. Maya heard the clink of metal against the stone floor as Balraj return to retrieve the container filled with her blood. His footsteps receded and the sorcerer spent a few minutes at his table, chanting. The smell of incense and smoke filtered to Maya as she became slowly weaker.
Balraj returned, nudging her in the ribs until she opened her eyes. This time she didn't need to feign weakness. She could barely keep her eyelids open. He strode to stand at her feet and began to chant, pulling the fire from her hands with no resistance from Maya. Fire thrust from her palms and streamed toward Balraj. He laughed as the fire filled him. He drew it from her until the flames became a weak trickle. At last, he stopped and seemed very happy from the cackling chuckles coming from his table after he was done.
He summoned his guards and moments later they threw Maya back into her cell, her clothing and hair sticky with blood.
"What happened?" Varuni rushed to Maya as the guards departed. "Are you okay? You are bleeding, Maya."
"I'm fine I think. He bled me. Then he did something with the blood. But Balraj seemed happy afterward. It was different this time when I didn't resist." Maya sat up and leaned against the stone wall behind her while Varuni prepared her a drink. She looked at her wrists where blood still seeped through the cuts Balraj made. She touched a finger to her neck, and they came away wet.
Maya grabbed her scarf and tore it into three strips, glad she'd chosen to wear it She was about to tie them around her wrists when she remembered what Nik said to her not too long ago. Healing with fire. What would it hurt if she tried?
She placed her finger on the cut and relaxed, breathing in and out slowly. Focusing her power, she aimed it in a thin stream at the wound. Nothing happened. She tried again and again, finally giving up in disgust.
"Patience and focus, Maya." Varuni said as she poured Maya's drink. "Try again."
"It's not working." Maya scowled.
"Focus your attention, Maya Rao. Before all your life's blood leaks out and you expire here on the floor of this cell. Now try again. I need to get out of here. Please." Varuni patted Maya's shoulder and handed the drink to her.
"What's this?"
"Amrita." Varuni whispered. "Drink quickly."
Maya obeyed. She watched Varuni as she moved so gracefully across the floor. This was the last place a goddess should be, locked up in a cell, held captive by a demon king. Maya handed the empty cup back to the goddess. "How did you manage for so long? He's had you for a century now. That's a very long time. I'm not sure I could manage without going insane."
"Who said I was still sane?" Varuni grinned and laughed. Then her face fell. "It's been hard. Especially when nobody came to save me. I couldn't believe all they did was wait."
Maya frowned. "You must have been very angry."
"Not so much angry as hurt." She managed a small smile. "But in the end they sent you."
"Much good I am. Look at how I got myself caught."
"I hardly think that is your fault. You did not do anything alone did you? Not until now. And now you are doing something yourself."
"What? All I'm doing is getting tortured." Maya snorted. "And having my Fire torn from me. Not much of a Hand of Kali, am I?"
"You have submitted to Balraj's torture and you are still alive. That says a lot. Most humans would have died before he finished his first round."
Joss’s face appeared in her mind's eye. Joss wouldn’t back down. Not now. Maya nodded and gritted her teeth. She felt a little stronger after the Amrita and at last ready to try again t
o heal her own wounds. She rubbed away the grit of dried blood from around the still seeping cut.
She calmed herself and concentrated, remembering how the fire felt as it filtered within her veins. She drew a breath from her belly and sent a stream slowly into her hand, focusing the power in a fine flow through to her finger. She held her fingertip to the broken skin of the wound, feeling the warmth of the flame as it seeped through her flesh. She didn't fear she would burn herself. Just that she would fail.
Maya rubbed her finger against her skin and tears blurred her vision. It worked. Her skin was clean, marked only by a thin raised line. She smiled and looked up at Varuni who grinned and nodded. Maya relaxed and repeated the process with the other hand. Her neck proved slightly more difficult, and with no mirror to guide her she roped Varuni in to place her finger on the moist wound.
When she finished she began to push herself to her feet.
Footsteps thundered along the passage outside. Varuni threw her a glance and whispered, "Pretend you are sick."
Maya obeyed and sank low, hunching her shoulders. She hung her head and closed her eyes, allowing her hair to fall across her face.
Chapter 55
They stepped into the cell and dropped something onto her pallet.
"Get dressed and be quick. Lord Narakasura will see you now." The guard said, then turned and left.
Varuni rushed to Maya, grabbing the three strips of fabric she hadn't used to bind her wounds. "Lift your arms." Maya obeyed as the goddess helped her out of the blood-drenched overdress. Varuni flung the dress on the floor and rushed to the tap to wet the fabric, while Maya dug into the little pocket in the pants for Nik’s weird stone. The goddess hurried back to Maya and rubbed vigorously at the dried blood at the bottom of her hair, and from her neck to her hips. "Quick, the pants too. Hurry."
Maya kicked off her shoes and tugged at the knot at her waist, pulling off the drawstring pants. She stood there in her underwear while Varuni cleaned her back and hair of as much blood as she could.
Done cleaning Maya's bloody back, Varuni turned and grabbed the pile of clothing still on Maya's pallet and clicked her tongue in disgust. "This is what they want you to wear?" She screeched.
Maya's jaw dropped. A small beaded blouse with capped sleeves that ended under her bust. And a skirt that looked likely to flare to a full circle. They were serviceable enough except for the part that women usually wore these types of heavily beaded garments for weddings. Not for what Maya planned to do. "That's it?"
Varuni nodded and Maya sighed as she assessed the dark blue and silver beaded creation. "Well, let's get it on, I don't want the guard to catch me in my underwear thanks."
Less than two minutes later Maya stood ready, tucking the stone into her unique hiding place with the little vial of poison. Without the deadly sharp Madus to deliver the venom, she'd have to rely on her fire and her wits.
"Very clever." Varuni approved. Then her face stiffened as if she'd just remembered something. She rushed to the table and poured a cup of water, then performed her Amrita creating ritual. Once done she hurried to Maya and almost thrust the drink at her. "Quickly. Before they come back."
Maya swallowed fast, and it was just in time, as she wiped at the moisture left on her lips she heard the thundering of the guard's boots as they returned for her. She sank quickly onto the pallet, feigning weakness, and waited.
They dragged her off again although this time they were a little more careful, looping her hands around their shoulders and keeping her off the ground so her feet didn't sweep the floor. A few flights of stairs and a few marble lined passages later they approached a pair of double doors made of what Maya thought was gold.
The doors opened as the guards led Maya into a gigantic hall, much larger than Yama's in Patala. Filigreed screens covered every window, the work large enough to see the world outside, but small enough to provide privacy for the room's inhabitants.
All this beauty wasted on Kas. Maya gritted her teeth as the Rakshasas halted and let go of her. She teetered on her feet and fell lightly to her knees her head lolling forward.
"Why is she so weak?" Maya heard Kas ask and lifted her head slightly to meet his very worried gaze. She kept her lids heavy and her shoulders hunched.
"I had to bleed her before I succeeded in drawing out her Fire." Balraj's voice echoed around the room.
"I believe I told you I did not want her harmed." Kas spoke, his own voice soft, even and cold as ice. Maya raised her eyes in time to see the tamped fury darkening his face.
"I apologize, my lord but it was my last resort. The spell worked and in the end, she is weak, yes, but she is fine. She will recover soon." Balraj, dressed in his sage-like robes, now wore a dagger at his waist. He bowed to his demon king, but his posture and his expression seemed perfunctory. Maya could tell his loyalty did not lie with Kas. A shiver of fear ran through Maya. So many different people with so many agendas. And she sat right in the middle of this mayhem.
Maya dropped her head forward, hoping to hide her expression of surprise and her concern. Fabric moved and soft footsteps drew closer. An arm encircled her shoulders and she shuddered, lifting her hand to throw him off. "I'm sorry Maya, this was not what I mean to happen." The demon king helped Maya to her feet and supported her with an arm around her waist. He walked her to a stone bench beneath one of the carved windows. Maya sighed as he settled her. He was definitely convinced of her weakness and that was good.
As he rose from beside her his thigh brushed against hers and she froze with shock. "Don't worry Maya I won't hurt you." She released her breath. He'd taken her stiffened body as fear. And she couldn't be more grateful. Not that she believed him. He'd tried to hurt her before and she was pretty sure he'd try again.
He left her on the bench and returned to his throne where Balraj still stood, his face stony. "Explain how the blood worked." Balraj bowed and began to speak, his voice low. Too low for Maya to hear. Their voices rose and fell until Kas's came through loud and angry. "I said no."
Kas stood up, and Maya watched him, watched the fury flowing off of him. He stalked away from the sorcerer whose expression revealed vehemence and disgust. Clearly, he didn't agree with his master’s decisions.
Kas walked toward her, visibly bringing his emotions under control as he approached. "Maya, I know I asked you this before and you refused but please can you reconsider." He stopped in front her. "Come to my side, Maya Rao. Come and join me. Let us join our powers and we can rule all the planes of existence."
Maya watched his face. He seemed so sincere; as if he truly believed what he requested of her was so easily given. Could he not see how wrong he was?
She shook her head, hesitant, slightly afraid to say no. “I can’t. And -” Maya paused, her mind going over and over Kas, his behavior and now his offer. She continued “-I won’t. I’m sorry Kas. You have the wrong girl. I won’t come over to your side for the very fact that it represents the darkness and everything wrong with the balance of things. I am Kali’s Hand. I do her bidding and her bidding only. I am not an instrument of power to you or to anyone else.”
He remained still as she spoke. The hue of his face darkened as his rage threatened to overflow. Again, Maya saw his struggle with control. Saw his understanding of her choice overtaken by his anger that she'd refused his offer.
“You don’t understand do you, human girl?” Kas stepped to Maya, forcing her to rise to her feet, to meet him face to face. “With me you will have everything you ever dreamed of. Riches, power, your heart's desire. With me you will reign over all of existence.”
“And what if that isn’t what I want?” asked Maya softly. She searched his face for that tiny part of him which seemed real and maybe even partly good. “I don’t want riches and power. I didn’t even want this power that I have. But I see now I do have a purpose and it's not to give my power over to evil.”
Narakasura’s face changed, his skin darkened, resembling the dead skin of a corpse, dark, rubb
ery and lifeless. His eyes lightened to almost golden before orange flames lit his irises. He turned and strode to the sorcerer, hand outstretched, spine erect. Fury rolled off him in waves and even Balraj took a moment to stare at him in surprise.
Balraj handed the demon King a golden cup, spoke a few words Maya couldn't hear, then disappeared into the shadows. Kas stood on the dais, slowly turning around to face Maya.
Chapter 56
She almost flinched; expecting unadulterated fury but Kas had regained control and gave her a tight smile. “You will not come willingly but I do believe we can make you come despite your reluctance.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Maya snapped.
“Balraj has created a potion to help me draw the Fire from you,” Kas swirled the contents of the golden goblet. “Once I drink this you must choose - suffer the agony of having your Fire stripped from you, or join me and save yourself the pain.”
“I don’t think so.” Maya walked toward Kas and stopped a foot away from the marble step leading up to the dais. “Go ahead and try whatever magic you have on me. You’ll never win. So I say bring it on, King of Demons.” She flexed her fingers and waited for the moment to come when she would pounce.
He lifted the goblet to his mouth and paused to stare at her over the rim. His eyes changed from black to brown, gold to fiery. He threw her a sad smile, raised the goblet in salute and tipped the contents into his mouth. He swallowed, his lips left the cup stained red and Maya tamped down the urge to retch. He’d just drunk her blood.
She took a deep shuddering breath and waited. It seemed he did the same. When, after a few moments nothing happened, he glanced at the shadows beside him, a questioning glare on his face. Balraj stepped forward and spoke a smattering of Sanskrit at him. The grin of satisfaction on the sorcerer's features sent chills up and down Maya’s spine.
