by T. G. Ayer
She said nothing, just watched as Chayya reached behind her and snapped off the arrowhead. With a sigh, she straightened then pulled the arrow out of her stomach and tossed it aside.
Maya watched in fascination as the arrow landed within the grass a few feet from them.
"What's going on?" she whispered. Her eyes searched the grounds, hoping to see the archers.
"I don't know, but I should have come earlier to help."
Maya snorted. "They would just have shot you earlier."
Chayya chuckled softly and Maya stared at her for a moment. She'd just been shot in the stomach with a freaking arrow, but now she's chuckling. Maya blinked, trying to remind herself that she was looking at a goddess, not a normal human being.
"You are probably right, Maya." Chayya slid lower and touched the ground just in time. An arrow slammed into the tree-trunk, and would have gone through her eye if she'd remained where she'd been.
"Who the hell is shooting at us?" Maya asked through gritted teeth. "Surely they recognize you, even if I'm not a familiar face."
She stared between the leaves of a jasmine bush in front of her, more than a little sick to her stomach.
Yama's underground garden had been a beautiful place, the animals being the highlight, especially the peacocks. Now, one of the largest males lay just beyond the bush, his body still, his neck almost severed, probably by a flying arrow. Whoever these people were, they had no mercy.
Which didn't bode well for Maya.
But she'd come to find Nik and see if Kas was okay, and that was what she planned on doing. She adjusted her position again, watching the furthest end of the garden where the lawn ended and the palace began. She could see movement on the shallow verandah, and guessed the archers were among those shifting shadows.
A flash of color moved again, dark red, a little hint of black. Maya squinted and managed to make out two men, both bearing bows which were now empty of arrows.
She watched as they hunkered down, scanning the garden through the elaborately patterned screens. They were safe behind the screens, with Maya unable to hurl her fireballs and burn them to a crisp.
She had to get closer.
Maya glanced around at Chayya who was on her stomach watching through the trees with Maya. "Can you get to them?" whispered Maya.
Chayya nodded. "I can. I will distract them for you."
She disintegrated into snaking shadows that swirled and danced, then turned and streaked across the garden, a demonic black cloud that seemed alive.
Arrows slammed into the dark swarm of shadows but they simply passed through and stabbed into the lawn. Maya ran behind the cloud, keeping her distance and hoping that Chayya was able to hide her.
Arrows whizzed past her ears, a little too close for comfort, but Maya kept running. Chayya reached the stairs and swarmed up onto the balcony, enveloping the three archers. Startled, they spun around, batting at the shadows, all three disconcerted enough to be distracted.
They didn't see Maya creep up the stairs and sit with her back against the balustrade. She snuck a glance around the corner and sent a fireball at the archer closest to her. She kept the flame tempered, low enough not to kill, but hot enough to singe, just in case they were the good guys.
When the ball of fire hit him full on the back, he yelled and spun around, his amber eyes enraged. Maya contemplated for a moment the consequences if he really wasn't a bad guy, but she no longer had a choice when he ran straight at her, arms flailing, empty bow going wild.
He was a foot away when Maya burnt him to a crisp.
She didn't wait to watch the last bits of him disintegrate. She ran past his remains, straight at the second demon, aware now that whoever they were, they certainly were not on the good side.
The second demon went down in a ball of flames, flailing back as he fell. Chayya in her shadow form, was busy driving the last demon insane as she immersed him in her darkness. She'd grown heavy, opaque and exuded an almost evil feel. One that sent shivers up and down Maya's spine.
The goddess who'd been so calm and serene had a serious dark side.
Chayya materialized and slammed her semi-solid fist right into the demons chest. Whatever she did with her fingers inside his body, it ended his life within seconds. Before she even removed her hand from his torso, he was disintegrating into soot and amber sparks.
Maya heaved a sigh of relief. "What now?" she asked, urging her heartbeat to slow down,
"Now, we hide," said Chayya before disintegrating into shadows again. "And I know just the place."
She floated down a slate-tiled corridor, heading towards the rooms Maya and Joss had been given when they'd come to Patala the first time.
On the way, they passed dozens of plants and trees which now lay on the floor, their hand painted pots smashed to smithereens, soil strewn across the tiles.
Maya ran lightly, following Chayya as she headed through the open double doors, into the central lounge area that lead to six rooms. The once beautifully-patterned brass doors now hung on broken hinges, as if they'd been smashed open in a frenzied search.
Chayya chose a room at the furthest end, two doors away from the one Maya had once occupied. They hurried inside, their feet making no sound on the marble tiles as they locked the door behind them.
The room bore a striking resemblance to the one next door, brass pots and vases, beautiful paintings on the walls, luxurious silk cushions and bedcovers. It even contained the steaming bathing pool, half hidden by a forest of potted trees and a beautiful painted screen depicting Krishna dancing with his maidens.
The goddess crouched low and duckwalked closer to the three doors on the far wall that led to a balcony. Maya followed and hid beside the screen to peer out of the door closest to her. The balcony opened out onto a central courtyard on the other side of the palace.
A small rectangular garden occupied the space below, a lone peacock wandering around miserably, warily watching a group of half a dozen demons, all armed to the teeth and looking particularly ferocious.
Maya backed away slowly, retreating inside the room. Turning to Chayya she asked, "What are we going to do?"
Chayya glanced at the courtyard and appeared a little stunned. Maya assumed Patala didn't exactly get taken over very often.
"We must wait and assess the situation. We must find a way to ensure Lord Yama and Nikhil are safe." Chayya cleared her throat and her eyes seemed to lose focus a little. Neither she, nor Maya, were battle hardened.
Maya nodded. "So, we go from one room to the next, secure the building, then get to the main hall?"
Chayya nodded. "You will need to be very hard, Maya. These demons are strong. Show a moment of weakness and it could spell the end. You must go into this well aware of the dangers. And you must promise not to be rash." Maya opened her mouth. The hard expression in Chayya's eyes made her snap her jaw shut. "You cannot risk your life."
"Not even for Lord Yama?" asked Maya, her stomach hardening. She tried not to think about Nik, tried not to think about how she would handle it if something happened to him. So she didn't mention his name, but from the tender understanding on Chayya's face she knew the goddess was aware of who was on her mind.
"Not even for Lord Yama," said Chayya. Her voice sang with sadness. "You are far too valuable to risk your life. You can certainly attempt to save him, but should the danger be too great, I will have no alternative but to take you back home."
Maya nodded. The goddess wasn't exactly giving her a choice. She probably knew Maya had no intention of obeying her, but she pretended otherwise.
Probably for the best.
Chapter 34
The last thing Maya wanted was to waste time hiding out. The balcony outside the room did provide them with a good view. They could see into the rooms on the other side of the courtyard, as well as a few yards into the rooms on the ground floor.
Chayya pointed across the way. "That is Lord Yama's private dining room."
"Can't you go all
smoky and check it out?"
Chayya was studying the open doors to the dining room, but glanced at Maya as she responded. "It would be dangerous to assume that such a well-guarded room would not be warded. Or at least contain measures to warn the attackers of my entry."
Good point.
"But if an arrow can't kill you then how can these creeps stop you?" Maya didn't like the idea that Chayya would be vulnerable.
Chayya's attention had returned to the dining room. The rust-colored silk drapes fluttered in the wind, shifting deeper inside the room. Deep enough for Maya to catch a glimpse of a foot and a set of chair legs.
"I may not be able to die through normal means, but I am not immune to dark magic. Anyone with magic powerful and evil enough can bind a god. Perhaps it won't be for long, but it would be enough that our plans could be destroyed."
Maya grunted. "So we enter the room as a last resort. Especially since there are people in there, the last thing we need is to get the hostages killed."
Chayya's dark eyes shifted to Maya, a honeyed brown flecked with shadows that seemed to shift and undulate as Maya stared. The goddesses voice broke through her trance. "I see you are observant." Then she sighed and turned back to her gazing. "I can see at least four people, each seated around the main table, all very still."
"Very still?" asked Maya. "Are they tied up?"
"In a sense, yes. There are no ropes, though. I would say it is a spell of sorts. One that will immobilize them for as long as their abductors desire."
"Do we know who they are?" Chayya's forehead creased. "The hostages, I mean."
The goddess's head jerked left and right, one sharp movement that bore a sense of tempered fury. It gave Maya a rash of goosebumps. "I cannot say just from their feet. But it could be Lord Yama."
"Or, it could be someone else and they have him hidden in another room." Maya sighed. "Or, he could have managed to evade them and is now completely safe, getting help."
Chayya said nothing. She could probably tell that Maya was trying to make herself feel better. More than that, she was hoping that none of those legs at the table belonged to Nik.
Maya's chest tightened, making it a little hard to breathe. The mere thought of Nik being in danger, of Nik hurt and in need of help, paralyzed her to the core.
She took a shuddering breath. "We should get going."
The goddess shifted, her sari rustling. "One room at a time."
"We head for the main hall?"
Chayya nodded and then became shadow.
Maya followed the undulating shade as she headed out of the room, checking the living area and each of the rooms while Maya stood watch.
A voice filtered to Maya. Disembodied, it echoed in her mind. "Empty." Chayya.
Creepy, but the goddess had turned into an effective spy. She followed as Chayya entered the corridor outside.
For the second time in the last hour, an arrow came flying at Maya. This time it sliced open the sleeve of her leather jacket, and nicked her arm. Pain heated her skin as blood welled to the surface and began to trickle down her arm.
She sent a pair of flaming fireballs at the two demons bearing down on her, then clamped her fingers against her wound, paying little attention to the squawks of pain and horror as they were devoured. Instead, she drew her heat from her core and sent it straight to the mouth of the wound. She left it to do its work as she scampered down the passage after Chayya.
Chayya, working in her shadow form, was a force to be reckoned with. She cleared room after room, with Maya frying the odd demon guard. The pair managed to make it all the way to the double doors of the main hall without being skewered by arrows or swords.
Once they'd ascended the grand staircase and entered the wide corridor leading to the main hall, they found the hallway occupied only by the people in the painted frescos adorning the walls.
The ten-foot-high carved brass doors that led to Lord Yama's main hall stood ajar.
Maya and the goddess shared a glance. "That can't be a good sign."
"I do have to agree with you. The lack of guard at the main hall is curious. Either they have all gone." Chayya fell silent but her unsaid words rang like a bell in her ears. Or they were all dead within the hall.
Maya swallowed hard and pushed the door wider slowly. The giant brass hinges made no sound so if the hall was occupied, their entry would go unannounced. Small mercies.
Inside, the grand room, with its elegantly pained columns, and its walls containing ancient relics from around the world, appeared to be deserted. Maya and Chayya stood there for a moment, staring at the dais where one of the royal guards lay mortally wounded. Most of the demon guards would have disintegrated into nothing once they'd died, so this man must still be alive. They crept closer and his eyes shot open, startled and afraid. He relaxed only when his frantic gaze settled on Chayya's face. Everyone in the land of darkness and shadow would recognize their goddess.
He even seemed relieved to see Maya, though she wasn't sure why. She certainly hadn't met him before so he wouldn't recognize her by sight.
"Are you okay?" she asked softly, keeping her voice down just in case.
He gave a short nod then pointed at his side. When Maya tilted her head to get a better look, the pool of blood in which he lay sealed the deal. It smelled rancid, even for demon blood scent. He didn't have much time left. Maya turned her attention back to him, wanting to lie to him to make him feel better he waved her into silence before pointing at one of the fat pillars beside the main dais. Her heart tightened at the sight of the small table where Chandragupta had kept the giant book of the dead. Now the table was in pieces and the book lay closed on the floor its leather bindings scuffed in places.
Beyond his book, Yama's right hand man lay propped against a column, blood dripping from his mouth.
"Lord Chandragupta," said Chayya, her gasp shattering the room's silence. She flitted to him, half-solid half-shadow, landing beside him in full form. Maya drew closer and remained at his side as the goddess checked his wound and patted his cheek.
His eyelids fluttered and Chayya looked up. "I should take him somewhere safe. I shall return immediately. Stay here." She pointed a commanding finger at Maya before grabbing hold of the scribe's shoulders and disappearing.
Maya glanced around at the dying demon and found herself hurrying over to his side. Demon or not, nobody should die alone. She sank to her knees, not caring of she soiled her jeans with demon blood.
He seemed to be fading, blinking only when she touched his arm. When he looked at her his eyes widened, his dark skin going ashen.
It took Maya precious seconds to realize he was not looking at her. And then it was too late.
A pair of strong hands grabbed a hold of Maya's arms, while the sharp tip of a knife was pressed against her throat.
"Don't even think about using your fire. You'll be dead before you can blink."
Maya obeyed.
Chapter 35
Maya tried to inhale without getting herself impaled. The only problem was the idiot with the knife didn't seem to care that simply moving her to a standing position would draw blood.
She gritted her teeth and wished he'd move to her side so she could breathe a little heated air into his stupid face. But he remained safely behind her, holding one of her arms curled up high behind her back. Her other hand remained within the fierce grip of a second demon who faced her palm straight to the ground.
Smart, these two.
They knew her. Knew her power and how it worked.
And that worried her. How did they know her so well? And were they expecting her? Neither of them had seemed surprised to see her. In fact, their attitude bordered on triumphant, and that Maya didn't like either.
They marched her down the corridor past the main hall, heading in a direction that Maya guessed would take them to the dining room off the private courtyard. It didn't take long to get there as Yama's palace wasn't very large. Certainly not as expansive as the one Kas h
ad lived in during his previous stint on earth.
They reached a bronze door, hammered with a convoluted leaf and flower pattern. While still holding Maya's hand, the second demon grabbed the large doorknob and pushed the door open.
He was there, right in front of Maya. She could have grilled his ass. But something stopped her. They were bringing her to the hostages. What if killing the demon in front of whoever was in charge could endanger the lives of his hostages?
Maya was shoved deeper into the grand room, and brought closer to a large table. It gleamed like black stone and Maya guessed it was a piece of rock fashioned into a table. Probably obsidian. Not an extravagance for a god who lived this far beneath the surface of the earth.
Around the table sat four people. A stranger who looked at Maya as if she was nothing more than a filthy cockroach, Lord Yama and Nik.
And Kas.
Maya eyes widened as she took in the sight of them all sitting so still at the stone table. They didn't even look like they were breathing.
Only the odious man, a pink scar running from the corner of his lip to his temple, seemed able to move. Just Maya's luck the creep would be the one responsible for taking over Patala.
When he gave Maya a cold smile, his scar crinkled and Maya's stomach tightened.
"The Hand of Kali. Welcome." He didn't look welcoming.
Maya just stared at him, the dagger still pressing a little too close for comfort into her neck. Her chin remained slightly raised, making it obvious to everyone at the table that she was hurt. Nik's eyes narrowed while Yama's darkened, both not thrilled to see Maya in their midst. She wasn't sure if they were angry at the treatment she was receiving or, at her for being present.
Her attention moved to Kas, who watched her in a similar manner, a combination of concern and annoyance.
The demon in charge raised a hand and Maya was shoved forward. The knife remained where it was, only now the demon used a little less pressure, allowing Maya to straighten her neck.
"Are you alone?" asked the scarred demon.
