Kalidasa proposed another entertainment, but not the usual music and dancing. The company moved to a kind of gymnasium with a dirt floor, where the dogs trained. Slaves brought in chairs. Beeshom waited there, shirtless, wielding a sword. Arm muscles like melons glistened with oil.
Kalidasa chuckled. “My old friend, you always brag that your swordsmen are the best. Choose a man to battle our champion and let us wager on the outcome.
Li Cheng beckoned Wang to his side and whispered to him. The general called to one of his guards. The man stripped down to his trousers. Although muscular and tall, this one didn’t quite match Beeshom’s Herculean physique.
Marco leaned over to me and whispered, “A fight to the death.”
The two elders and their alphas laughed and made bets on the outcome. My heartbeat picked up at the prospect of blood, preferably Beeshom’s. Nothing would please me more than to see that thick neck hacked in two.
The challenger chose a long, Chinese sword from an array of weapons offered. The two dogs bowed and faced off on the earthen floor. They raised their weapons over their heads. The Chinese moved first, striking at Beeshom’s head, but the larger man met the blade with his. Swords clanged against one another. Beeshom pushed hard against his opponent’s weapon. The Chinese stumbled backward. Beeshom’s sword swung up. I was certain the Chinese would lose his head, but he recovered, making an evasive jump to the left. Not fast enough. Beeshom swooped his sword around, catching the Chinese in the side. A red gash dripped blood down the man’s body. A cheer went up from the Indian party. Jokes and friendly insults flew between the two groups.
The smell of iron filled my nose. I salivated. My entire body throbbed and twitched. The Chinese growled and slashed back, nicking Beeshom on the forearm. More blood scented the air. The onlookers’ excitement rose. Curses and shouts grew louder. My heart rate increased, thumping in my chest. Every muscle in my body strained like a hound scenting a deer.
Beeshom bellowed and took to the air, striking downward at his opponent’s neck. An impressive move, but Beeshom’s bulk didn’t allow for much agility and lift, even for an Immortyl. His foe managed to pivot out of harm’s way and strike a blow that Beeshom had to scramble to avoid. They set to battering one another again. Neither of these men had much to offer in grace, resembling two rhinos butting at one another. Muscles as massive as these didn’t have the range of motion of a dancer’s. A more limber body could do some damage. I’d take a much different tack.
I watched Li Cheng’s reactions. Bemused eyes took in the battle. He caught me watching. His lips curled up. He inclined his head a little and then turned back to the fight.
Beeshom slashed out again and again, but each time the Chinese matched his steel. Encouraging cries arose from the spectators, each side urging their man on. Beeshom hacked at his opponent, until the sheer force of his blows made the Chinese stagger. The Indian was that much stronger, and his foe couldn’t stand up to the heavy barrage much longer. The Chinese was tiring.
I’d learned enough from the traditional sword dances to understand the mechanics of a fight. Getting the measure of one’s opponent was the art. The key to defeating a fighter like Beeshom lay in the ability to evade his blows until he wearied. The Chinese had erred in thinking himself a match for Beeshom’s strength. I would have played keep away with Beeshom until he tired and then finished him in a burst of speed. My fingers itched to feel the weight of a sword in my hand. How sweet it would feel to spill the arrogant bastard’s blood onto the earthen floor. My eyes darted, following each movement, predicting where each foot and blow would fall. By now the pattern had become clear. Neither man thought well on his feet.
Force ruled out. Beeshom raised the blade and hit his opponent hard between shoulder and neck. An arterial spurt went up. The Chinese groaned and wavered. Kalidasa and his alphas cheered their champion on. Beeshom struck again. The Chinese lost his footing in the blood-drenched mud and crashed down to his knees. The Indian’s blade flashed like silver in the light.
The sword sliced clean through the neck. The Chinese’s head toppled and fell. A fountain sprayed from the wound. Beeshom grabbed the body and gulped down blood as I’d done with the sewer rat intruders I killed. My lack of empathy didn’t surprise me this time.
Li Cheng and his men took the insults Kalidasa’s party dished out with good humor and paid over their wagers. Kalidasa clapped the other elder on the shoulder. “So my friend, the famed swordsmanship of your men has been bested.”
The corners of Li Cheng’s mouth lifted. “Your man is strong…but somewhat clumsy and slow. Brute strength and a lack of judgment on my man’s part won out this time. One wonders how an opponent more lithe and quick would do against your champion.”
Kalidasa leaned forward in his chair. “Have you such a man?”
Li Cheng cast his eyes my way for a split second. “Not yet…but sometime one may meet the challenge.”
Beeshom stood in the center of the hall, dripping sweat and blood. I hated the smug cast of his face as he watched two of the guards drag the headless body off to the tigers. Kalidasa signaled Marco that he was ready to retire. The adept helped the chief to his feet. He waddled off, leaning on the boy’s arm. Raj rose and nodded to Li Cheng, bidding him a good morning.
I took the elder’s arm to escort him to his quarters. Two of his dogs accompanied us. He’d been given a guest suite in which I’d not yet served. The décor paled only to the chief’s in the abundance of gilding and opulent fabrics. Once the doors shut and we were alone, Li Cheng embraced me. “My dear friend, I’ve counted the hours until I might again drink in your beauty.” I felt myself blush, something not particularly flattering to someone with my coloring. His lips touched my ear. “Did my offer surprise you?”
“That’s an understatement.”
“Say yes and I promise you will never know sorrow in my house.”
For a moment, the offer tempted me. A life without sorrow. For a boy who’d known more than his share for nearly twenty years, such promises seduced, even after Raj’s lies. If my heart didn’t still beat with the hope of winning Sandhya, I might have said yes. I couldn’t leave the one person in my wretched life that really mattered. Still, one didn’t tell the second-most powerful Immortyl in the world that he was second choice. “I think the world of you Li Cheng, but Kalidasa makes the decisions about our service, no matter what he says about the Goddess guiding our vocation.”
“I wield great influence over Immortyl trade in the East. Even Kalidasa depends on my sufferance. I could pressure him to release you to me.”
I turned away to mix the narcotic into a gold pitcher that held the blood and wine mixture. Li Cheng took my face in his hands and plumbed my eyes. Immortyls can’t really read another’s thoughts, but I couldn’t evade his ancient powers of observation. “An impediment in your affections stands between us,” he said. “The offer stands, when you are ready to accept. This is no place for a soul such as yours. I would see you trained as a warrior. They cage a tiger’s spirit and domesticate it like a housecat.”
I gestured to the tray set out on the table. “Would you like the ritual cup?”
“You are the only refreshment I require at present.” The elder slipped the robe from my shoulders. When his fangs entered my throat, a shudder escaped me. His lips drew harder and harder. My knees buckled from blood loss. The sluggish slosh in my chest terrified me. Li Cheng had never taken me close to death.
He breathed into my ear. “Raj is a collector. For the moment you’ve captured his fancy, but you’re no more to him than a possession. You know this.” He thought me still enthralled by Raj. Better to let him think that. He hung onto me with one arm and bared his throat. “Drink from me and be cured of this madness.”
To drink from that ancient font would break what remained of my bond with Raj, but would form another from which I knew I’d never escape. I’d be his boy forever. I struggled against him with my remaining strength. “Please…don’t force
me to do this.
Compassion flooded his features. “Forgive me…it is wrong for me to demand this of you.” He lifted me into his arms and carried me to the bed. Taking up the pitcher, he poured and fed me several cups of blood to restore me. Then, he sat beside me. “There is much turmoil in your soul, my friend.”
“Just the usual woes of a courtesan.”
“No, you’ve suffered greatly. Giulietta has assumed control of the household. I fear things have gone badly for you.”
I sighed and poured out what had happened with Diego and told him about Giulietta’s threats.
“This never would have been allowed in the old days,” he said.
“Kalidasa is planning to name the bitch his queen.”
“Life for a celebrated adept is never a placid lake, but a rushing river.” His voice took on a wistful note. “Raj won’t be able to leave India at this time.”
I pulled up on an elbow. “Why not?”
“The Wolf is now building his forces for an all-out siege in New York. He plans to lay waste to the boy’s uprising and teach these rats a hard lesson. My spies passed on the intelligence to me earlier tonight. Of course, if Kurt wins everything will change. Cedric, I will survive whatever comes, but there will be no place for an adept of the ancient arts in this new order.”
I ran my finger down his chest. “There’s always sex.”
“They would consider you a collaborator with the enemy and execute you as an example.”
Raj had said exactly the same thing. I refused to listen to this line of thinking. All I wanted to do was get out of this place and be close to Sandhya.
“If this comes to pass, I could protect you. All I need do is to back off from this deal, and Kalidasa will give you to me.”
“I’m very flattered by your regard.”
He took my shoulders and shook me, like I needed to snap out of a daze. His rather long fingernails dug into my skin. “Don’t talk like an adept. Talk to me like a man.”
I looked him straight in the eye and took a deep breath. “It’s not Raj. It’s Sandhya. I’m in love with her.”
“Then you are doomed to sorrow. I understand your feelings, but she can never be yours, and if Giulietta were to get wind of it, she’d have a perfect excuse to crush you.”
“Li Cheng, you’re a true friend, and I am deeply moved by your offer. Indeed, I’m unworthy of it. But as long as I dare to hope, I can’t leave her.”
“When you come to your senses. When your heart is that of a man, I’ll be waiting.” He rose from the bed. “I’ll take the ritual cup now.”
I finished mixing the drug into the blood and wine. Kneeling, I offered him the cup. He drank and then pressed it to my lips. I welcomed the liquid warmth creeping through my veins, but the draught failed to relax me. I’d been indulging too much in the privacy of my room and had built up a tolerance. My mind couldn’t focus on the ritual. The colors and airy music deserted me. Li Cheng gestured for me to undress. My brain roiled with all he’d said. Why should I stay? Raj viewed me as just another attractive possession. Sandhya was as unattainable as Shakti herself. Why not say yes and allow myself to be bonded to the elder? With this amount of money on the table, Kalidasa could hardly say no to the offer. Li Cheng was a hundred times richer than Raj. I’d have everything I’d ever dreamed of materially speaking. I wouldn’t be used a pawn in Kalidasa’s political schemes anymore. I’d be a fool not to accept. My brain flashed between images of a life with Li Cheng, free of pain, and Sandhya.
No, I couldn’t desert her when I knew deep down that she felt the same. Yeah, I was a bloody fool.
TWELVE
Raj said nothing more of moving to Thailand. As Li Cheng had predicted, Kalidasa kept Raj close to his side to advise him. Delegations of alphas from the houses descended upon court, bringing the elders’ complaints of rat uprisings in their territories. Kalidasa finally agreed to aid them with money. Spies reported that Gaius’ dogs and Kurt’s rats were now locked in a ferocious battle in New York. Now the elders themselves came in droves, demanding the chief take action against Kurt. The chief maintained that it was a matter between houses to settle and held back from sending forces. This drove the elders wild. Guess who was the favored appeasement? Lord Liu’s unprecedented offer was now legend, and as a result my favor was a hot commodity. All these uncouth bedmates were a total drag.
With Kalidasa occupied with the threat of revolution, Giulietta embarked on a crusade to reform things at court to her liking. It was now open season on adepts. Kalidasa could care less that kama was supposed to be our province and let her do pretty much as she pleased. Sandhya was constantly on her knees before Kali’s image in the garden, no doubt praying for patience and restraint.
Giulietta decreed we should now perform menial duties like common slaves to help with the demands guests put on the household. Not so bad for me, it alleviated the constant boredom, but the others protested that the less savory tasks like cleaning toilets were beneath them. Giulietta pooh-poohed this notion saying they were household slaves and as such must accept any duty assigned. When I stepped forward and manfully volunteered to handle latrine duty, Giulietta was tickled pink.
Next, the queen-elect went to Kalidasa and said we adepts received more jewelry and other precious things than we could possibly use. She suggested, because we were very expensive to maintain, a third of the tributes from our lovers should be sent to his treasury to support our upkeep. The chief, pleased with her thrift, decreed that every third gift be surrendered to Giulietta, who of course kept half herself. Marco and I were right miffed because we often were subjected to a lot of humiliation and grief by these so-called lovers, but the others accepted it, saying it was the Mother’s will and these tokens were given to honor her in any case.
Despite Kalidasa’s efforts, the rat uprisings got worse. It became too dangerous for the elders to travel. Every night now, the raptor screams of the sewer rats filled the tree canopy around the compound. They swung through it like monkeys, taunting the chief and driving him to distraction. His dogs picked off as many as they could spot, but they kept on coming night after night. Their screams unnerved me, reminding me of the massacre in Thailand. How long before they swarmed over the walls and exacted revenge for millennia of abuse?
Dogs now patrolled within the ashram walls, protecting the chief’s valuable resources. Sandhya hated this and relegated them to the outer edges of the courtyard, saying their presence polluted the sanctity of the Mother’s temple. We attempted to carry on as if they weren’t there, but their presence was a constant reminder of the future’s uncertainty.
Only within the wooded interior of the compound gardens could one walk without coming upon an ursine man with an assault rifle. In my free hours, I’d escape there and climb the tallest tree to look at the stars and contemplate my situation. With rats teeming all around, it didn’t look good.
I sat there on a December night, realizing it was my twentieth birthday. Two decades of survival marked not by songs or celebration, nothing but a jungle full of shrieking goblins that would like nothing better than to cut my throat.
Still, curiosity drew me to spy on them. From my perch I observed movement below. A trio of them crouched in a small clearing close by the outer wall, speaking in a hush. I couldn’t understand their words, even though I could hear them. Then they started to crawl through the undergrowth toward the compound.
I scrambled down from the branch to investigate, clutching the knife I’d taken from their comrade months before. Since they’d begun their taunting outside the walls, I’d concealed the blade under my sash, only laying it aside when I was summoned to entertain in someone’s well-guarded chamber. If the rats attacked, I wanted a fighting chance. Cocking my head to the side, I listened for their movements. The smallest of scrapings and slap of vegetation indicated their path around the compound. I followed, wondering what on earth they could be doing. Perhaps it would be best to call for some guards, but my pulse raced with th
e thrill of something denied me in this domesticated existence. I squatted under the leaves of low-growing brush. A scrabbling sound like so many moles traveled through the ground beneath my feet. They’d found a way to tunnel in. I’d always wondered how the two who’d attacked Sandhya had managed to slip inside the fortifications. It occurred to me that they might be a scouting party.
A few feet to my left, they emerged. Unlike those who’d come before, they had attained adult size, but thinner and shorter than me. They carried knives, but no guns from what I could tell. Perhaps the passage was too narrow for the extra bulk. One of them beckoned to the others and they skirted the wall, passing inches from my hiding place. They smelled of blood and sweat.
My heart hammered. It gave me away. The last of them froze in his tracks and began hacking at the vegetation over my head. He never had a chance.
I sprang from the bushes and buried my knife in his throat. He made a gurgling sound and dropped. I snatched up his knife in my free hand. The others turned around and sped in my direction, blades leading. Tucking the knife I’d taken into my sash, I scuttled up a tree and swung to a high branch. The rats pursued. I concealed myself, waiting for them to get closer. A pair of dark eyes searched among the limbs. He sniffed around, scenting me no doubt, but still couldn’t see me. I swung down, kicking him in the head. His nose erupted with a spray of blood, and he tumbled to the ground.
Something landed on my back. An arm wrapped around my neck as metal pressed against my throat. I bit down and ripped a chunk from his forearm, tasting the blood. The rat screamed and dropped the knife, but still clung to me. Sharp incisors ripped into my shoulder. The rat’s lips sucked hard. Dizziness overcame me when I looked below. The ground was a long way down, but if I could land on my feet, I might have a chance.
My Fearful Symmetry Page 19