by T. G. Ayer
Joss and Maya looked at each other, unsure what to do with their sobbing friend. Maya held her around the shoulders and guided her to bed. Ria sat without protest and reached up to wipe away her tears. A box of tissues appeared in front of her nose and she gave Joss a watery smile.
After Ria dried her eyes and dealt with her nose, Joss pulled up one of the chairs and the girls gathered close together. Maya grasped Ria's hands in hers. "Do you want to talk about it?"
Ria sobbed and then took a deep breath and nodded. Her eyes were misted with tears, underlined by purple smudges now visible on her makeup free skin. Below her chin, the marks on her neck were obvious too. But neither Joss nor Maya commented on them.
They waited for Ria.
"Maya. You were right all along. He couldn't be trusted." She squeezed Maya's hands together so hard that it hurt. Maya winced but she didn't pull away. "I'm so, so sorry for the way I behaved, Maya. I wish I could take it back."
"You don't have to apologize to me, Ria. You know that. And I understand. I really do. You thought he was an escape from your dad," said Maya softly.
Ria snorted and the sound was wet and sad. "Out of the frying pan into the fire. Burned either way you look at it."
"You're not blaming yourself are you?" asked Joss. When Ria glanced at her, giving her a guilty look, Joss said, "Look, you can't pick your family any more than I can pick mine. You shouldn't blame yourself. What you should do it figure out what your next step is."
Ria frowned. "What do you mean? I just came to speak to you two. Did you think I would leave him?" When Joss and Maya exchanged knowing looks she said, "You did think I was going to leave him. Well, let me tell you something. You know nothing about what I'm going through. He's dangerous and angry. I have no chance."
Maya squeezed her hands. "Of course, you have a chance. You just need to take it."
Ria pulled her hands away. "That's where you're wrong. Where will I go? Where will I hide? There's nowhere that I can hide from him." Then she laughed and sound was almost cruel, and definitely self deprecating. "Know a way into the Witness Protection Program?"
Maya wasn't sure what to do. She patted Ria on her back awkwardly and said, "We'll figure this out okay. Give us your mobile number. And mine is still-"
"Don't bother. He doesn't allow me to have a cell."
Maya stared at her friend's face. "How did you manage to get here?"
"He left to visit the casino with his cousins. He does that every night."
"And he leaves you behind alone?" Ria nodded. "How does he know you won't make a run for it?"
"He has my passport. And beside where would I go in a strange country? Who'll help a strange girl who whines about her abusive fiance? He owns me."
Maya touched her arm. "He does not own you. So don't you go believing that for a single second.You hear me?" When Ria nodded Maya bent her head to meet her friend's eyes. "We will figure something out. Just keep the card."
Ria shook her head. "I can't. It's too dangerous. What if he finds it?"
"He won't." Maya smiled. "Take one of you sanitary pads and cut a neat slit in it. Hide the card there. No way he's getting anywhere near the ladies stuff."
Ria giggled. "Maya, you are brilliant. He'd need a hazard suit to go near my stuff and then he'd still probably think twice."
The three girls laughed and then Ria got to her feet. "Thanks, you two. You've made me feel a lot better."
But Maya didn't let her leave so fast. She hugged Ria getting a bit too close to the bruises on her neck. "Be careful okay?" she said looking at Ria's neck.
Ria flushed, the skin of her face and neck reddening, setting the blue and purple of the bruises out in stark contrast to her pink skin. But Maya left it at that, deciding it was better not to interrogate her friend. There would be time enough to find out why the bastard had done that to her.
After tucking the card into her bra, she gave both girls a wave and left. Maya stood in the doorway watching her as she disappeared down the hallway. Back to her prison.
Maya sighed as she closed the door and headed back into bed.
"I'm worried about her, "said Joss. "What if he finds out she left the room?"
"Chances are he'd do worse that try to choke her if he does find out. Let's hope she's super careful." Maya sighed as she plumped up her pillow. Sleep didn't come easy. Maya couldn't figure on being able to sleep when Ria was in such danger. But late into the night, her eyes grew too heavy and she fell into a deep sleep.
Chapter 29
Maya got a wake up call the next morning.
One she never remembered requesting. Nik. She smiled as she put the phone down and headed into the shower. Soon both girls were ready. This time Maya had admitted to herself that considering she was visiting a holy man, more appropriate garments were in order. She'd dressed in a simple white salwar kameez.
She was fiddling with the scarf at her shoulder when she noticed the odd look Joss was giving her. "What's wrong?"
"What about me?" asked Joss, hands on her hips.
"What about you?"
Joss waved a hand at her jeans and tee. "Where's my clothes?"
Maya inspected her friend's clothing and nodded. "Did you bring a dress?" Joss glared and her and nodded. "Then the dress will have to do. I only brought this one in case we visited a temple or something. "
As Joss slipped a hot pink knee length dress over her head she asked, "Do you think she's alright?"
"I damn well hope so," said Maya, gritting her teeth. "I'm not sure I'm strong enough to stop myself from burning Viren alive if he so much as touches a hair on Ria's head."
"I'm down with that."
"Of course, you'd be. You won't be the one on the run from the law."
"I'm with you all the way. I run where you run."
Maya laughed and pulled her handbag over her neck. Armed with her Amex, her phone and a few Rupees she was ready to hit the streets of Mumbai. They left their room and walked to Nik's.
"Just be prepared okay?"
"What for?"
"Outside."
"What's wrong with outside."
"You'll know when it hits you." Maya snorted.
Maya was rummaging in her bag for the address Chayya had given her when Nik opened his door and stepped out into the hall with them. The trio hurried downstairs not one of them thinking of breakfast.
They headed across the gigantic reception area and passed a beautiful bright red piano. The instrument looked strange in the middle of the large sparsely furnished area but it seem to work well enough. With the piano distracting Joss, Maya kept an eye on her as they approached the double set of automatic glass doors. The two doors allowed hotel visitors to exit the building without allowing too much of the outside in.
As the heat of the day hit them Maya counted off the seconds on her hand with Nik grinning as she reached one. "Oh. My. God. What the hell is that hideous stink?" Joss shrieked, and held her nose with two fingers. Her face was red as she tried not to breath the scent of Mumbai into her lungs. "That is just wrong."
Maya grinned.
"So that is what you meant." Joss glared at her. "You could have given me a better warning you know."
"I know."
"You are no true friend of mine, Maya Rao."
Maya was still grinning as the bellhop opened the door to a black four-wheel-drive, the hotel's name prominently displayed on the door panels. The driver twisted to look at the girls as they climbed in and grabbed window seats on the right. Maya bristled as he skimmed over them and clearly dismissed them, continuing to seek out a male face. He looked relieved to see Nik and said, "Where can I take you, sir?" he asked a the rolling, sing-song accent.
Nik glanced blandly over at Maya as he climbed in and took a seat beside her. "Miss Rao will give you the address." The driver at least had the grace to flush.
As Maya stifled a grin and read out the street name, careful not to give the driver too much information about where they were headed. O
ne never knew who was watching them right now.
The vehicle rumbled into life and they jerked into the street. Soon they were crawling through Mumbai morning traffic. Nik sat beside her, oddly silent as he repeatedly glanced at his phone, as if he was waiting for a message or a call. Maya didn't bother him too much. He's seemed distracted since they'd arrived in Mumbai.
Drivers were honking their horns with such constant persistence it seemed as though they were all part on a large uncoordinated orchestra. Cars and trucks veered so close to each other that Maya had squeezed her eyes shut a few times when it seemed certain they were destined for a head on collision with an oncoming vehicle. But at the very last second, in what seemed like a dance well known to all Mumbai drivers, they swerved apart and continued on their individual paths, passengers and vehicles all in one piece. Maya could not say the same for her sanity
Maya shook her head as she watched the mayhem of the traffic. She'd heard many times what a pleasure it was to drive on American roads, where law and road rules actually apply, and that the recklessness of Indian drivers are only due to their utmost belief that God will protect them no matter what. The rites were done, the chants were chanted, and a new driver sets off on a driving future left in the hands of the gods.
Maya snorted.
Last time she checked there were no Traffic Gods in the Hindu Pantheon. She was staring out the window at the huge bright blue truck beside them when Joss gasped. Maya glanced over her shoulder and looked in the direction of her friend's gaze.
Down.
A daredevil on a bicycle zoomed between their vehicle and the blue truck and Maya held her heart in her hand, sure the man would be squashed flat soon enough. But he zoomed through the tiny gap and swooped in front of their car.
"Wow. He's got guts," said Joss, shock clear in her voice.
"Not guts. Faith," said Maya scornfully.
They both watched as the cyclist weaved in front of their car then moved to the right again. Around them horns honked in a strange chorus, then set into a momentary lull. Their driver sped forward, catching up to the cyclist until he was alongside his window. When their driver rolled down his window, Maya expected him to greet the cyclist or talk to him.
Instead he slapped him upside the back of his head, the sound so loud and sharp it traveled inside the car through the open window. The girls turned and watched as the stunned cyclist wobbled on his bicycle a little until he slowed almost to a stop, rubbing the back of his head in a daze.
Maya and Joss stared at each other in silence, then seconds later they both burst out laughing.
"You'd never see that back home, " said Joss.
"For sure, you won't," Maya said glancing at Nik who sat eyes downcast concentrating on his tablet, oblivious to the poor cyclists predicament.
A few minutes later the driver drew up at the side of the road and said, "I can drop you here. I can't go any further or I'll never get out of these roads. Too busy."
"That's fine, thanks," said Maya. "I'm not sure how long we will be but I shouldn't think it would be more than an hour."
The driver nodding in the signature side to side way of most native Indians. "I will wait here then."
They nodded at him as Nik passed jumped off to hold the door open. Outside they were bombarded with heat and smells so thick they were almost palpable. Maya wanted to hold her breath but she knew she needed to get over the odors now or it will continue to pose a problem throughout the trip. Joss didn't look like she faring too well.
"Breathe," whispered Maya.
"No. How can you stand the smell?" she said without breathing.
"You need to get used to it. Then you'll forget about it. If you wanted perfumed malls you should have stayed at home."
Joss glared at her but she looked like she'd accepted what Maya was saying because in the next moment her chest heaved as she let out the stale breath she'd been holding and inhaled the streets of Mumbai. "Fine, but if the stink kills me I'm coming back to haunt you."
"It's a deal," Maya grinned as the trio began to walk down the narrow street. The road was wide enough only for one vehicle yet a few brave drivers were maneuvering their little cars through the tight squeeze.
"So, Nik. You've been pretty quiet. Any advice on how to behave with the sage?" asked Maya.
"Sorry, Maya. I'm waiting for some information from a source. My mind is a little preoccupied." Nik glanced at Maya and gave her a thin smile. "Don't worry about the sage too much. The key is to just be yourself. He is a simple man, I'm told. If long-lived."
"How old is he?"
"A few hundred years old at least. I don't know his specific age."
Maya was about to answerer when she was shoved aside by a pair of oncoming men, walking as if they owned the sidewalk. And elbow caught her in her side and her first instinct was to blast his ass with a ball of fire. "Maya, control." Nik said in her ear and Maya blinked. How had she been so close to losing it.
"Asshole," Joss shouted, waving a fist at the backs of the men who continued on their journey oblivious of how close they'd come to being barbecued. Maya was turning back to continue down the street when she saw him.
A shudder ran down her spine as the odor of blood wafted acress to her. On this street, filled with the stink of sweat and roadside food mingling with the rank odor of urine and god knows what else, Maya could barely smell the demon's blood. But she'd gotten enough of a whiff to peg him as a Rakshasa.
She linked her hand with Nik's and smiled adoringly up at him. Just as he frowned at her sudden change in behavior, Maya said, "Don't look but we're being followed."
Nik gave a small nod. "Demon?"
"Yup. You know how much I adore them."
"Right. We have to get rid of him. We don't want them to know where we're going."
"I was hoping you'd say that." Maya grinned then pointed at a shop at their left. The strong smell of brass cleaner filled her nostrils and she said, "Hey Joss. Let's go in here. I want to show you something."
Joss followed and as the girls entered the cramped shop Maya whispered an update into her friends ear. Joss stiffened. "My Madu's are inside my bag. Can I get it out without having the whole shop watching the show?"
"Not likely. That's why once we enter we need to split up. I want to draw him deep into the shop." Maya paused in front of a gigantic brass vase that came as high as Maya's shoulder. It was filled with brass spears and tridents almost as tall as she was. She lifted a trident and tested its weight in her hand. "This will do."
"Do we have to split up? I want to see you shish kabob him," Joss complained.
"Behave yourself."
"Whatever. You just want to keep the fun for yourself," said Joss as she rounded on Nik, grabbed his arm and pulled him into a small passage filled with shelves overflowing with brass pots and trays. For a moment Maya was sure that nothing was balanced as well as it looked and it would all come toppling down on the two. Then she figured it wouldn't matter anyway. They were unlikely to be murdered by a stack of pots and platters.
Maya moved further into the shop and from the corner of her eye she could see both Joss and Nik keeping their eyes on her. The scent of rotting meat became stronger as the demon fell for her ruse and followed his inside the shop. He come up behind her thinking she was easy pickings, so when she spun on her heel the trident firmly pressed into his throat, he gurgled with shock.
"Why are you following me?" Maya growled softly. "Who are you working for?"
He just stared at her insolently, clenching his fists at his sides. Did he think he was going to get away from her? Not much chance of that buster, she thought.
The trident at his throat didn't seem like much of a deterrent as he stared at her, eyes glowing red and gold. He pressed against the triple tips, uncaring as they broke skin and drew three spots of blood. It was as if her was taunting her, daring her.
Was this loser uninformed or dumb? Did he not know who he'd been following? Or did they know something that s
he didn't?
When he raised his hands to reach for her neck she decided enough was enough. She shoved the trident into his throat so hard all three spikes popped out on the other side of his neck. At the same time she didn't waste a single second. She called her fire, balled it up in both her palms sending the heat of the flames into the weapon. The metal pulsed and shivered as fire swam through it, shimmering as it raced up toward the triple points.
The Rakshasa stared down at her in consternation. "Guess you didn't expect that did you?" Neither had Maya. She'd taken the trident as a means of defending herself. She'd never for a moment gone into this planning to imbue the trident with her fire. But she was glad she had.
In the few seconds it took for the fire to enter his body, he realized he was dead or close to it. He struggled, stepping away, trying to flee. But each point of the trident ended in a small triangle, like an arrowhead. Making it rather difficult for him to free himself.
He was stuck.
His eyes widened as fire filled him, as the glow inside him grew brighter and brighter. Even his glaring eyeballs glowed. And then in a puff of breath he disintegrated in a cloud of bronze and gold embers. It never ceased to amaze Maya that these demonic creatures came to such a beautiful end when she put them out of their misery.
The last soot and embers floated to the ground celebrating the end of another Rakshasa.
Chapter 30
Nik and Joss closed in on Maya. "Good job," said Nik.
"Yeah, that was pretty cool, what you did with the fire in the trident thing." Joss was nodding with approval but Maya didn't feel like celebrating just yet.
"We're being followed and I don't like it."
"I'd take you the sage but there is a possibility he is being watched. If I take you and they have wards set up then all we will do is endanger him by alerting them as to where we are going."
