The Hand of Kali Box Set (Books 1-3)

by T. G. Ayer

  Maya opened her mouth then closed it, not trusting herself. There was every chance she would burst into tears. Or scream at her mom for being so brave.

  But, how could Maya shut her down?

  Chapter 50

  The room remained silent for a little too long and at last Maya sighed and shook her head. "Mom, are you insane?"

  Maya knew it was a last ditch effort to change her mind, to make the idea seem silly, illogical. The expression on her Mom's face was enough to tell Maya that she was failing at her attempt.

  "Maya, insane is the last thing I am being."

  She was speakings slowly, which was a really bad sign. Usually, slow deliberate speech translated into seething anger. Strangely enough she didn't blow.

  She merely continued, "I am doing the logical thing. And I can also understand your resistance to the plan."

  "The plan?" asked Maya. "It isn't a plan, so don't call it a plan."

  Her voice held an edge of hysteria that she knew she had to temper. They may not allow her to fight Kas if they thought she was losing her mind.

  But her mom just shook her head. "We don't have any other options and arguing with me is only going to waste time. I'm pretty certain that even though Nik looks like he's just sleeping, he's probably getting worse as a result of the poison."

  She looked over at Chayya and the goddess acknowledged her assumption with a sober nod.

  Great.

  "So what are you planning on doing? How in heck are we supposed to tell Kas that you are here. Anyone know how to tap into his mind?"

  Three pairs of eyes stared at Maya as her words faded away into the room.

  "Oh," she said. She was the only person that could access his mind. "Um . . . how about we just place an ad on TV. He'll see it. I'm sure he's holed up somewhere watching the news to see what a huge effect his actions have been on the world."

  Her dad shook his head. "Maya, the last thing we need is to be publicizing this. We're keeping it as under-wraps as possible. It doesn't make sense to let the world know that this whole thing was strategic. People aren't ready to know the truth. Not yet."

  "You know the truth and you're not locked up in a mental institution."

  "True. But you have to admit we are a little different from normal." Dev smiled.

  "Yeah. About that. Can I have a do-over please?" Maya asked.

  Everyone laughed and even Chayya smiled. "Okay, so I guess I'm the plan then." She started walking, pointing a finger in the direction of the lounge as she said, "I'll be over there, time-traveling."

  She stalked off to the living room and gave the television an angry glare before sinking into the sofa. Her lip quivered.

  All that posturing and anger was taking its toll on her nerves. She wasn't sure how much longer she could manage.

  Finally she conceded that perhaps ending Kas was the best way to solve the worlds problem.

  And she had to do it fast, because who knew how long Nik had left.

  She sat there for a moment, appreciating the fact that they'd all left her alone, thinking about where in time was the best to go to change things so Kas would get the message.

  But all she got was a whole lot of nothing.

  The last thing she needed was to tip him off before they left the cell in case he didn't let them escape. Best to leave that part the way it really happened.

  Kas when he left Maya's house?

  That was probably the best point in time to hijack his time-line.

  Maya put her feet up and settled back against the cushions. She closed her eyes and relaxed, preparing to join Kas's mind.

  She drifted back to the moment they'd arrived in the front room. She stayed with him as he stabbed Nik, trying not to remember her visceral reaction to Nik's injuries.

  She held on tightly to Kas's mind as he melted into nothing, disappearing from the house. When he materialized, nobody was more surprised than Maya to find where he'd gone.

  Around her tree's soughed, and the wind breathed between the leaves.

  The clearing in which Kas had killed his pet tiger.

  Maya's heart ached for the young boy. She pitied him, but she didn't want to feel any kind of sympathy. Not for him. Not when he'd hurt Nik.

  She staunched her emotions, trying to keep them free from Kas's tumultuous ones. She'd done this so many times, and now she sensed even the most minor nuances of his feelings. And she didn't like it one bit.

  I'm glad they know exactly who they are dealing with, he thought

  And who are they dealing with, Maya thought back, deeply annoyed at his satisfaction.

  Maya was startled when he replied, They are dealing with me, Narakasura, demon king, the eternal one.

  "As if that's so incredible. What did Nik do to deserve being stabbed in the neck?"

  Kas grunted, as if frustrated and it occurred to Maya that maybe he was actually hearing her thoughts. "He's a demigod. Spawn of Yama. Why does he get to be special and all I get is banishment and death?" His voice rang out around the clearing, uncertain and confused.

  "Probably because he doesn't want world domination?" suggested Maya.

  "He has privilege. He thinks he deserves what he has."

  "I doubt that."

  "Of course, he does. Walking around feeling all superior, looking down on me. He deserves what he got." His voice rose.

  "You seriously need your head checked."

  Kas stopped in his tracks, coming to a sudden halt, as if it occurred to him only then that he wasn't talking to himself.

  She could feel him tense, feel his suspicions begin to rise. He looked around him, scanning the area, the expansive field of grass, the thick jungle encircling him.

  "Who's there?" he yelled.

  Maya wanted to laugh. Was he so stupid that he thought a voice in his head was talking to him from within a stand of trees twenty yards away?

  "Who is that?" he shouted again.

  "Calm down before you bust a blood vessel."

  "Don't tell me to calm down. Who are you?"

  Maya sighed. "Look, it's not important who I am." Maya shook her head unable to believe what she was about to say but doing it anyway. "Your mother wants to see you."

  "My mother?" confusion flooded his mind. Confusion, and grief, and a lot of shame. Then he wiped then away. "My mother is dead."

  Maya frowned. His avatar mother would be dead, but Bhumi was very much alive. If not the world would have found out by now.

  "I think you're mistaken. I know where she is, but if you really don't care to see her, then I'm wasting my time and I'd better be going."

  Kas stiffened and the muscles in Maya's face shifted as he raised his eyebrows. "Do I know you? Why do you sound so familiar?"

  "You are wasting time."Maya sighed. "Your mother is waiting to see you. Do you want to meet her or not? I can't hang around forever waiting for you to make a decision."

  Maya went silent, deciding to let him stew for a bit.

  He did.

  So many emotions all mixing together. Maya could barely define any of them and found it exhausting. He sure carried around a lot of emotion.

  And a lot of anger.

  At last he said, "Are you there?"

  "Where else would I be?"

  Kas paused, probably unsure of what to make of her response. He cleared his throat. "Fine. I'll see her. Where is she?"

  He turned on his heel, as if he was listening around him for the voice.

  "She is waiting for you at Maya Rao's house."

  The words scraped their way up, and out of Maya's throat.

  "What?" he asked, his voice rough. His mind flickered to an image of Maya's mom and he gasped softly. "I knew it. There was just something about her."

  Maya said nothing.

  She had to accept that he was pretty astute, but she wasn't going to give him any further praise.

  "Who is she?" His voice shivered, desperate now.

  Maya gritted her teeth. "You'll find out when you get there
. And don't waste any more time, please."

  She was done talking to him. She'd come to give him a message, not be his friend. Maya ignored him for the next few minutes as the echoes of his yells danced among the leaves and the branches of the jungle.

  When he demanded a response she ignored him, and when he begged for confirmation of his mother's identity, she ignored him then too.

  At last, with the sound of his voice still ringing in her ears, he stopped and Maya listened to his thoughts as he weighed the reasons for going against the non-existent ones for ignoring the invitation.

  She almost pitied him for the sick feeling that pooled in his stomach.

  Almost.

  Chapter 51

  Kas solidified in Maya's front hall and it annoyed her immensely. The really nit-picky part of her brain was asking why he hadn't appeared outside, and knocked like a decent human. But there was the obvious answer to that question.

  Maya pulled away from his mind, happy that he'd followed through on her request. She returned to her own body in the living room, and sat up with a jerk the moment she opened her eyes.

  For a second, she teetered, a little off balance. And odd pressure seemed to push against her and she wondered if someone, perhaps her parents or Chayya, had strengthened the wards around the house. It would have been the smart thing to do and they were all more than capable.

  From where she sat in the darkened room, she could see him standing still in the hall, his profile shadowed, his stance defensive. He was a loose cannon.

  Maya pushed to her feet, fighting fatigue, and forced herself to walk to him.

  "You came," she said, her voice traveling down the hall.

  "Your powers of observation are unparalleled." Kas's eyes were cold but he was watching her with an odd expression. "It was you." He nodded after he spoke convinced he was right.

  Maya sighed as footsteps echoed from the kitchen. "Your powers of observation are seriously lacking."

  Kas snorted. "Touché."

  Maya shook her head. Who even says Touché anymore, she wondered.

  "Where is she?" he asked

  "I'm right here," said Maya's mom from behind him. They'd come up with minimal fuss, Chayya and Maya's parents, and the god and the husband flanked Leela, as if they offered her some form of protection.

  Everyone there knew they couldn't.

  "Who are you," he asked, his voice flat as if he was trying very hard to keep the emotion out of it. His body told another story; taut muscles stiff spine. Tense jaw. Even his fingers were balled into fists.

  "I'm Leela Rao."

  "Rao?" Kas looked at Maya then back at her mom and then her let out a short bark of laughter. "She's your mother?" he asked.

  Maya nodded. "Your's too," said Maya gritting her own teeth at the admission.

  He shook his head, "This is ridiculous. It's all a trick."

  With a soft laugh Maya said, "Deep down you know its true. You saw it when Mom came to the cell in Patala. You knew then and you know now."

  Kas turned his head to stare at Maya. "How the hell were you in my head?"

  Maya shrugged. "I have skills," she said.

  She caught sight of the smile that curved her mom's lips, but kept her attention focused on Kas.

  He was the unpredictable entity here.

  "What do you want?" Kas asked, biting the words out as he stared at Leela.

  "I want you to stop this craziness. You're so much better than this." Maya noticed her mom wasn't addressing him by any name and she knew why. How do you get personal with a killer, even if he happens to be your son?

  Kas sneered. "And what do you know about me?"

  Leela took a step forward. "I know everything about you. I know that you were kind and innocent once. That a long time ago you loved those who loved you. And I know that you can be saved from this path that you're treading."

  Bad move mom.

  Kas stiffened, if that was even possible considering how tightly strung he was. He took a step toward her.

  "You don't know anything about me. Whatever knowledge you have given to you by my true mother isn't enough for you to understand me." His voice and face were filled with bitterness. "You are just a sad version of her."

  Leela smiled softly, her skin glowing. "Perhaps I am, but I am the only part of her here right now."

  He stared at her for a long moment and Maya could feel the tension around her. Here they were again, in the front hall, confronting the demon king.

  Kas shook his head. "No. You are nothing. All of you. Whatever you think you're trying to do here you will fail."

  "What do you think we're trying to do, Kas?" asked Maya, taking a step forward. Behind her she held the discus, ready to aim it the second she got the opportunity.

  "You want to convince me to be nice and normal. That I have family." He laughed and gave another odd jerk of his head, his expression bordering on deranged. "That's not going to happen because I know the truth."

  "Why?" asked Maya, gaining his attention. "Because Bana told you that?"

  He frowned and stared at her. "You were in my head then too? How-" he stopped speaking as he stared at Maya. At last, he moved his head sharply, as if the question was not important. "He showed me the way it really was. He opened my eyes to the way people used me."

  "People didn't use you, Kas. Bana made you see things differently and it was the wrong way." Leela spoke softly as she took another step closer to him. Her bow hung at her side, and Maya knew she'd never be able to use it. Not at that distance. Still she continued to speak to him. "We never wanted to manipulate or use you. Nobody wanted to betray you. You were manipulated by Bana because he was a lonely, angry old man. And he succeeded in turning you into something you are not."

  Maya watched her mom's face, entranced. Leela's skin shone and Maya knew it was no longer her mom who spoke. The goddess Bhumi was at last talking directly to her son.

  Kas stood there, shock tightening his features as he stared at his mother's face.

  He said nothing to her.

  He just stabbed Leela in the stomach and disappeared.

  Chapter 52

  Maya's ears range, and everything around her moved slowly.

  She'd watched, unmoving, as Kas plunge his knife into her mom's abdomen.

  But, as if her faculties had been closed off from her, she hadn't processed the reality that her mom had been badly injured.

  Not until her gaze drifted to the blood, thick and glistening as it soaked into the fabric of her mom's peach blouse.

  Maya sank to her mom's side, caring little that she hit the wood too hard, barely feeling the jarring impact of bone to wood.

  Her hands shook as she reached out to check the wound. For the second time in a few hours, she was frantically stemming the flow of blood from a wound inflicted on someone she loved, a wound inflicted by Kas.

  Kas had disintegrated in a flash of pale light, which seemed illogical considering what he'd just done. A bright, blood-red would have been more appropriate.

  Maya couldn't get her head around how Kas could have done such a thing to his own mother. What kind of heart does a person have to possess that would allow him to stab his own mother in cold blood? Maya's head began to hurt.

  Kas was gone, but he'd left Maya and her mom behind. That didn't help considering they'd been meant to kill him.

  Leela sighed and shifted to look at Maya. She lifted her head off the floor, supporting her body with an elbow and grabbed hold of Maya's arm. "We don't have time for this Maya. We have to go and find him," she said. "There is no time to lose."

  Desperation filled her voice, edged with confusion. It couldn't be easy being in her position. He'd escaped, her son. He was gone, and she had to find him. Only it wasn't for another reunion. She had to find him to kill him.

  But Maya shook her head. Despite their mission, despite what they had to do to save the world, she had to consider her mom's health. "Mom, the last thing we need to think about right now is K
as."

  Leela's grip tightened, her skin pale with blood-loss and worry. "You don't understand, honey. He's too unpredictable. It's all just a jumble of emotions his head. The way he's feeling now, he can't be trusted." She shuddered as she took another breath. "And besides, we have a job to do and time is running out."

  With her mom's determination staring her in the face, Maya couldn't deny that she was right. There were too many things at stake.

  Leela pushed Maya's hand away and moved into a sitting position, only her faced revealing the agony she was in.

  "At least let me heal of the wound," said Maya, putting a little steel into her voice. "You can't afford to bleed out before we manage to succeed."

  Her mom glared at her, but she finally gave in when Maya's dad touched her shoulder. She glanced up at him and they shared one of those silent, meaningful looks.

  Then she sighed and looked back at Maya, giving her a pained nod. "Fine. Just be quick about it."

  Maya huffed, then proceeded to send ripples of her fire into the wound. The blood was sticky now, and coated Maya's palms. She ignored it and worked on filling the wound with energy.

  "It isn't that deep." A small miracle considering he'd deliberately stuck a knife into her.

  At last Maya sat back and said, "Okay. That's about all I can do for now."

  When Maya got to her feet, Chayya stood beside her. "May I speak to you in private?"

  Surprised, Maya nodded and followed the goddess into the kitchen, leaving Dev to help Leela to her unsteady feet, and guide her to the living room.

  Maya barely came to a stop when Chayya said, "That blade was also poisoned."

  The room stilled around Maya, even her breathing stopped. Those five words echoed over and over in her mind. And suddenly Maya's muscles numbed and she sank against the edge of the table, glad it was supporting her weight or she would have sunk straight to the tiled floor.

  "It does not change anything, Maya. Narakasura must still be stopped. His death will release both Nikhil and your mother from the hold of the poison."