A pained hiss passed my cracked lips. “Sandhya?”
A startled and relieved expression came over her beautiful face. “I found you out in the pool. You were nearly caught in the sun. Let me warm you some blood.”
I clutched her hand. My voice rasped, dry from my throat. “I thought you were her.”
“Who?”
“The Mother.”
Her eyes fixed on mine. “Me?”
“Not in fierce form—like a goddess of love.”
Her face fell into a pious mask. “You’ve lost a lot of blood.”
“He…put something inside me.”
A gasp of dismay escaped her lips. “This maltreatment isn’t allowed on a dasa of the Mother. It is sacrilege. I must protest to the Exalted Father.”
I grasped her wrist. “No…don’t make a fuss.”
She pulled her hand away. “Diego can’t use an adept so.”
“Giulietta threatened me if I said a word.”
Real hatred flared inside Sandhya’s eyes. “She hates all adepts, but I fear she hates you most of all. Your star burns brighter than hers, and she can’t bear it.” She took my hands and softened her voice. “Cedric, when Lord Liu visits, you should seriously consider his offer.”
“I can’t leave…”
Sandhya turned away with a troubled look to take a bag of blood from the small fridge, setting it into some warm water that she ran into the sink. She performed this small task as beautifully as if she’d been serving one of her lovers.
Her graceful hands took up the cup she’d filled and pressed it into my hand, guiding it to my lips. Our fingers brushed, and a tremor ran through me. It occurred to me that a great deal of her blood now mingled with mine, just as Raj’s did. Would it exercise some hold over me as well? When I shared with Raj, it was if all his being filled me. Had she really kissed me? If it was a hallucination, it was a nicest one I’d ever had.
I drank down the blood. She refilled the cup several times until I felt a bit better. When the final cup stood empty, she sat down beside me on the bed. “Fortunately Diego will be leaving at nightfall. You won’t have to go to him again.”
“Did the knives leave marks?”
“Only burning leaves permanent marks.”
“Giulietta told me Gaius brands his slaves.”
“It’s forbidden to brand an adept. The henna marks of our order identify us as consecrated to the Mother.” She rose from the bed. “I’ll leave you to rest. Sleep is the best thing to regenerate tissue. You are excused from all service when you wake this evening, so that you may fully recuperate.”
I grabbed her hand again. “You gave me so much of your blood. Doesn’t that create some kind of bond between us?”
She tried to draw her hand back, but I hung onto it with my returning strength. “Raj made me. I am already your sister in the blood.”
I kissed the wound on her wrist where she’d fed me. “I’ll never forget this honor.”
She abruptly pulled her arm from my lips. “Don’t be silly. I’d do the same for anyone.“
She whirled away and snapped off the lights as she went through the door. I listened for her footsteps as she went down the corridor to her room, but they made no sound. The jungle outside exploded into the avian morning chorus and the screeching of monkeys.
I closed my eyes. Sandhya danced behind the lids. No matter what she said, she moved in every cell of my being. My heartbeat accelerated. What was it about this thing that made us Immortyl? How did it recognize the blood of another and embrace it as its own? I felt good when I drank mortal blood, but drinking from another Immortyl was completely different, gripping me like a mind-altering substance that lingered long after the act was done.
Despite the pain of my injuries, desire flowed through my veins, for once not terminating in the region of my groin, but continuing on and on, through my heart and brain. My mind muddled up with inconvenient emotion. Ick. Was I falling in love with my guru? Impossible. This was just a passing fancy, because Sandhya was so juicy and sweet. I lay awake, rolling from side to side on my belly to avoid the knitting skin and muscle of my back, unable to relax. My thoughts raced against my pulse. Every kindness she’d shown me, the wisdom she’d imparted, the jokes we’d shared, even the sharp smacks on the back of my skull played on an endless loop. No one but Sandhya had ever cared enough to expect the best from me. In spite of my pain, I wanted to jump up and shout her name to the heavens.
This wouldn’t do at all. I switched the light back on and once again, rummaged in the drawer next to the bed for some of the ritual narcotic to ease my mind and wounds. The vial had gotten alarmingly low somehow. I managed to tip out five wee drops onto my tongue. Easing facedown on my bed again, I winced at the burning sensation inside and out. My fingers reached over to the bed table and found my iPod. I fitted the buds into my ears and cranked up Bowie.
ELEVEN
The healing process was agony. No position felt comfortable. Sandhya brought soothing herbs mixed into blood, but they didn’t help. I admit to crying like a child for opiates. Seeing my distress, she replenished the store in my adept’s chest, mixing some into blood for me to drink. I drifted in and out of sleep.
My eyes opened on a smoldering plain strewn with corpses. A woman in armor strode toward me, beautiful, but fearsome, armed with a bow and arrow.
Shardul! Cast off your chains and come to me.
I fell to my knees before her. Pain wracked my body. Bones cracked and lengthened. Skin split like in a werewolf film to reveal orange and black striped fur over bulging muscle. Claws sprouted where my fingers had been. My fangs grew into saber-like teeth. A roar of pain tore from my throat.
“Cedric—are you all right?” My door creaked open. The lights snapped on. Sandhya stood there. I lay on the bed panting and drenched in sweat. She mopped my forehead with a damp cloth. “You were screaming.” Laying her hand against my brow, she said, “You’re burning with fever.”
“Water…”
She filled a glass and lifted my head to help me drink. “The fever is good, it means you are healing.”
“I…had a dream. The mother turned me into a tiger and rode on my back.”
Sandhya pressed her fingers to my lips. “Hush, you’re raving.” She poured out some blood and added a few drops of opiate. “Drink this. You need to rest.” Her bosom cradled my head as she held the cup for me. The warmth spread through my veins. Colors danced all around Sandhya. She lowered my head to the pillow and turned to go. The lights went out and darkness fell. I slipped out of consciousness.
* * * *
Recovery took a full week. Marco dropped in from time to time to share palace gossip. Even Avijit stopped by with Sita and Padma to offer prayers for me. Raj sent a gift of new silks and a message via Naveen. I ache for you. The clothing ended up in the bin, and I didn’t return the greeting. Raj could go to whatever hell the gods could devise.
Kalidasa left for New York to question the alleged rebel, Kurt. He took along Giulietta and a large contingent of dogs, leaving Raj in charge of operations.
A knock came at my door that night. Naveen stood there trembling. “Master says you are to put on the clothes he sent and go to him.”
“Tell Raj he can stuff it.”
The wee one trembled all over. “Please Cedric, he’ll bleed me if you don’t come.”
I couldn’t let Naveen bear the brunt of his anger. “Tell him I’ll be there as soon as I’m dressed.”
Twenty minutes later, I made my way across the compound to Raj’s apartment. The two blondes, Patsy and Kirsten, lounged naked on his bed, disheveled as if they’d slept through the day with him. He waved them away. They murmured pleasantries as they passed by me to the door, but in my annoyance with Raj, I hardly noticed what they said.
He looked me over. “You look well.”
“Nice isn’t it? How someone can tear me to bits inside, and in a week I’m right as rain? You bastard. You just let this happen.”
/> Raj reached for his cigarette case and flipped it open. “I had no idea what he had in mind. You think I like handing you over to disgusting things like Diego? It’s politics, my darling, a dirty business all around.”
“I hate you.”
He didn’t even blink. The fag dangled from his lips when he spoke. “Do you think I care?” The case clicked shut and he set it on the table. He took up the lighter and clicked it. The flame flickered. A curl of smoke rose. He drew in and held it his lungs.
To a sociopath like him, I meant as little as that cigarette, something he craved with no emotional investment. “No…you don’t.”
He exhaled. Now a little smile played on his lips. Sinking down on the bed, he patted the covers. “Well then, let’s get on with it.”
What choice did I have? I shut off all remaining emotion until I was as cold as him inside and did as he ordered.
* * * *
In a week’s time, Kalidasa and Giulietta were home again. Marco and I served a meal in the chief’s private quarters for he and Raj. Giulietta joined them. The three discussed the rebellion—not the usual protocol for a concubine to be in on such discussions—but from what I’d observed, Giulietta wasn’t the sort to merely sit around looking beautiful. Oh no, she seemed hell-bent on dipping her dainty claws into the political pie.
Kalidasa stuffed roasted meat into his mouth as he spoke. “I’m one-hundred percent certain that Kurt is behind the rat uprisings.”
Raj’s mouth tightened in distaste. “Then we should act quickly, kill the upstart and stamp out this rebellion.”
The chief let out a belch. “No, it is best to watch this conflict between he and Gaius and see how it plays out.”
The mistress smiled at my master and fluttered her golden lashes. “Why waste our resources now, when Gaius can clean up the problem for us?”
“I’ve contributed to Gaius’ efforts with a judicious outlay of cash,” Kalidasa went on. “There is no need to risk our forces yet.”
“But if the boy wins?”
“Then we make our move.”
Giulietta simpered and stroked the chief’s arm. He turned to her with a chuckle and pinched her cheek. “My dove assures me that Gaius will come out on top.”
Raj shook his head. “The rats outnumber the houses three to one. This won’t stop until we’ve cleansed ourselves of them.”
“Gaius will win, trust me. I have some good news to share with you. I’ve decided to name Lady Giulietta as my Rani. Soon, you will be off to govern your own territory, my son, and I need someone beside me whose advice I trust implicitly. We will plan a coronation and invite all of the elders—once this business in New York is concluded—music, dancing, feasting. A celebration such as has never been seen.”
Raj’s face retained its reptilian slipperiness, eyes fixed and black. No telling what he was thinking. “An excellent move, Exalted Father. Lady Giulietta is indeed an asset to your rule.”
My master turned and smiled on Giulietta. Was it my imagination, or did Raj look at her a bit longer than one should look at his ruler’s mistress and future queen? The mistress cast down her eyes, but a tinge of color flushed her snowy cheeks. Could he be mad enough to woo her? I reckoned it was a good thing we were leaving soon. Life would be unbearable where Giulietta ruled. She’d find a way to kill me, or she’d continue to assign me to sadistic bastards, and I’d end up doing it myself. Only our impending departure would save me from her. But would things be any better? Yes, if Sandhya were there it might. She was the only hope left me.
* * * *
I counted the mind-numbing nights of an object of beauty in Kalidasa’s court. Funny, how someone can be lonely in a place where dozens of others dwelled. Aside from my duties in the ashram, I looked after Raj upon his rising, waited at table and practiced my music and dancing for a few hours.
Raj often made excursions around Kalidasa’s holdings and this left me with hour upon hour alone in my room with nothing but my iPod and books from the ashram library for company. Fellow adepts engaged in their own duties and had little time to socialize. Kalidasa kept Marco by him now to run errands and bring him frequent refreshment. Giulietta monopolized Avijit’s time with polishing her jewels and spying on the rest of court. The three women oversaw household matters dictated by the mistress.
Only the chance glimpse of Sandhya cheered me. I seldom saw her now, aside from our evening devotions around the statue. When I tried to pull her aside to speak to her, she’d make an excuse of some pressing duty and run off. It was foolish to think she could ever be mine, but I wouldn’t give up.
* * * *
A month went by. Raj made frequent phone calls to Diego concerning the conflict in America. His mood grew fouler with each night. I gathered things weren’t going as expected. Nothing more was said of our departure. I knew better than to question him. I began to worry that I’d never get out of this place.
Lord Liu arrived with his entourage to sign the contracts for the Thai properties. He would receive payment in gold as was customary when territory changed hands. Immortyls are funny creatures when it comes to ceremony and tradition. Of course, a big banquet was planned in Lord Liu’s honor with all adepts assigned to a guest. I was given to the guest of honor as usual, as the newest in the stable. Not that I really minded. To the contrary, after my last assignment, I looked forward to Li Cheng’s company.
Kalidasa put on a good show. We adepts performed various dances and songs for their entertainment. I danced with Sandhya, a ballet representing the Mother’s triumph over a demon king. Li Cheng and his men applauded when we finished. Sandhya had been assigned to entertain Wang, the alpha who acted as general over the elder’s dogs. I found him uncouth and was disgusted to think of her in his clutches. Since Giulietta’s reign over the household strict etiquette had fallen to the wayside. Wang hoisted Sandhya into his lap to feed her from his plate. She flirted and made him laugh with saucy comments. I told myself she was just doing her job. Nevertheless, my blood rose. I so wanted to cut his throat with the fancy dagger he wore belted at his waist.
Li Cheng beckoned. I took a bench near him, partaking of food and quantities of blood he offered me, knowing I’d need extra stamina for him. When the banquet ended, Marco and I were called upon to serve in the council chamber. A chest containing gold ingots lay open on the table between them. The metal gleamed in the candlelight. Kalidasa disliked electric light, as did many of the old ones. Even Li Cheng preferred the softer light of candles and oil lamps to harsh artificial illumination. Marco and I served refreshments from golden trays, silent and lovely, as was expected. I offered a dish of tropical fruit to Li Cheng.
“No thank you, Cedric,” he said, making a point of using my proper name, no doubt to express his disapproval of Kalidasa obliterating my identity.
Li Cheng’s advocate looked over the contract carefully for hidden codicils or something. The elders and alphas sat all gloomy and business-like. An agreement like this between houses was a solemn matter with even the smallest details prescribed in the Code. They used real parchment, hand-written. At least six witnesses, three on each side, were required. Liu’s man nodded his approval and pushed the parchment toward Kalidasa, who dripped his blood onto the document and affixed his seal. The chief called for Li Cheng to do the same. His blood dropped onto the deed, and he pressed in his dragon ring.
Kalidasa presented the parchment to Raj. “My son, you are now steward over your own territory.”
My emotions were mixed, but Raj broke into an uncharacteristic grin. “I’m deeply grateful, Exalted Father.”
“You’ve been a loyal and effective retainer. You deserve it.”
Li Cheng cleared his throat. “There is another matter I wish to discuss, my old friend.”
Only the powerful Lord Liu was allowed the liberty of addressing Kalidasa so; he’d received the blood directly from the chief over two thousand years before, the second oldest of all living Immortyls.
Kalidasa raised
an eyebrow. “Yes?”
“Concerning the artist, Cedric MacKinnon, whom you call Shardul, I wish to make an offer for his service.”
Kalidasa nodded and scratched at his beard. “As you know, Mother Kali determines where an adept’s service is most needed.”
“Of course, I wouldn’t force the issue, but I’m prepared to pay three times his weight in gold, and as you can see, he is not small.”
I dropped the goblet I was filling. Marco deftly caught it before it hit the ground. He winked at me. The alphas went into an uproar. Raj’s mouth hung open. The sum was unreal. I gathered my composure to present Li Cheng the goblet from my trembling hands.
He took it with a benevolent smile. “It’s always said a true adept is worth his or her weight in gold. I’m willing to back up this claim thrice-fold.”
Kalidasa beckoned me forward. I couldn’t accept unless he ordered it, but if the chief found it politically expedient to sell me off, he’d no doubt decree that he’d consulted the Goddess directly on the matter.
“Shardul, Lord Liu has made an astounding offer for your service,” Kalidasa said. “Where does Kali Maa prompt you to serve?”
If the chief left the matter in my hands, he didn’t want me to accept. My voice came out in the modulated, spine-tickling note it had been trained to do. “I’m deeply humbled by my Lord Liu’s generous offer, but I’m afraid the Mother instructs me that I must remain in my master’s service now that he is about to assume governance of territory.”
Li Cheng didn’t manifest disappointment, far too old and crafty to display feelings. “The boy’s dedication is admirable. I respect his vocation.”
What did Li Cheng mean by this offer? I’d already refused him. I figured he’d made this gesture to somehow express his respect for me. Kalidasa beamed, obviously pleased that my stock had risen so high in such a short time. This gave him all kinds of bargaining power with the elders. Li Cheng had meant well, but for me it wasn’t so much of a victory. It just meant lots more beds filled with lots more uncongenial lovers.
My Fearful Symmetry Page 18