The Silver Anklet

by Mahtab Narsimhan

  Kali shuffled behind him and stopped, clutching her chest, wheezing loudly. Tara walked past her with barely a glance, glad that she was suffering. Kali had brought this upon herself, upon all of them by rescuing the urn. If only Lord Yama had got to it first …

  “I’m home,” said Zarku. His voice echoed in the cavern, home, home, home.

  Tara hesitated at the entrance, suddenly reminded of the cave she had entered to get the Water of Life for Ananth. She had forgotten how heavy the darkness could get, how close and still the air could be and how strange were the creatures that inhabited these underground worlds. She looked back and breathed in the hot forest air.

  All at once, needle-sharp teeth pierced the soft flesh of her calf. Tara yelped. Her legs gave way and she fell to her knees on the stone floor, still holding Sadia. All of her juddered with the impact.

  A hyena grinned at her with a toothy red smile.

  Blood leaked through the torn fabric of Tara’s shalwar.

  “Just a little something to help you along,” said Zarku. “Now don’t slow down. The other hyena feels left out and I might decide to give him a turn, too.

  “You’re sick,” whispered Tara, barely able to speak.

  Her leg glowed white-hot with pain, which raced all the way to her fingertips and back again. She thought she was going to faint. “Can you not show just a little pity?

  After all, I’m the chosen one who will help you become more powerful!”

  “Pity?” asked Zarku. He cocked his head to one side.

  “What’s that?”

  Tara glared at him shifting her weight from one leg to the other. She felt blood trickling down and pooling inside her shoe. Her foot was already slick with it. She pressed her lips together to stop from crying out as another wave of pain crested.

  “Oh right,” said Zarku. “It’s that thing one feels when one is sorry for someone. Funny, no one ever felt sorry for me when I was suffering. The boys and teachers made it a point to hurt me, watch me cry. Nope, never came in contact with that bug. No infections here,” he said, spreading his hands.

  “I hope you rot in hell!” said Tara.

  “Oh, I will go there, except that I’ll flourish,” he said with a giggle. “You’ll be the one rotting. But enough of these compliments, you’re embarrassing me. We better hurry.”

  Tara didn’t move.

  “Perhaps a little help …?” said Zarku. He snapped his fingers and the hyenas flanked Tara, lunging at her legs playfully. She followed him, her leg throbbing with each step. Her shoe squelched as she walked. The hyena closest to her sniffed at it and eyed her greedily.

  Tara stepped right into the cave and looked around. The lantern lit the large white cavern, strewn with broken boulders and black pockets of darkness. Tara had heard of the limestone caves in the hills, but this was the first time she was seeing them. Ghostly white pillars hung down from the roof that was so high it seemed like they were at the bottom of a deep well. Thicker pillars rose from the floor. Tara felt like she was walking into the open mouth of a gigantic monster. Any moment now the jaws would snap shut, impaling her and Sadia on its jagged white teeth.

  The lantern cast their shadows on the walls so that it seemed like a group of grotesque giants were walking alongside.

  With each step Tara got a sinking feeling.

  Involuntarily, she picked up speed and realized they were going downhill again. Her breath came in gasps.

  The limestone shone with a ghostly lustre when the light touched it. Other parts remained within grey shadows.

  A haze of pain enveloped her and everything around her started dimming, going out of focus.

  Wake up, Tara. You don’t dare give up now!

  Tara jerked awake. The voice was shrill in her ear.

  Who are you? Tara pleaded silently. Please tell me just one thing — am I going mad?

  No, Tara. But I need you to stay with me. Do as I say.

  We’re close now. Very close.

  Tara took a few more steps when an awful thought struck her with such force that all the strength drained out of her. She stumbled and fell, hitting her head against a rock. The world went completely dark. Four little words echoed in her head and faded away … do as I say.

  A sharp pain in her shoulder woke her. Zarku’s face swam above hers, his eyes glittering with rage. Next to him was a grinning hyena, its mouth wet with blood. Sadia lay beside her. Tara touched her shoulder and it throbbed viciously. She jerked her hand away.

  “I see that you came up with another way to slow us down,” said Zarku. “Well, I’ve got just the method to wake you up again.” He smiled. “I’ve told you, do as I say and you won’t get hurt.”

  Those words again. Tara jumped to her feet, panic giving her strength. Is that you, Zarku? she asked silently. Are you inside me, too? She stared at him as she asked the question.

  There was no reply.

  “What are you staring at, Tara? If you find me interesting now, wait till I get a new form … oh no, I just remembered … you won’t be around to see it. Sorry.”

  He dragged her to where Sadia lay. “Pick her up and get moving. I have waited too long for this night and nothing’s going to stand in my way.”

  Tara’s arm and leg were both on fire. The cave see-sawed in her vision. She shot out her hand to steady herself and felt another depth charge of pain explode within. But it was nothing compared to the panic that made every nerve in her body thrum. Had Zarku possessed her, too?

  I suggest you leave her there,” said Zarku, prodding Sadia with his foot. “She’s useless to us. You’ll only be putting yourself through more hardship if you insist on carrying her.”

  “I’m not leaving her,” said Tara. She hobbled over to Sadia, pulled her upright and picked her up, sobbing with the effort. Her legs almost buckled.

  “Help me, Kali,” whispered Tara. “Just this once.”

  Kali fanned her face with her saree, and looked away as Tara knew she would. At least she had tried.

  Zarku took off again, the lantern swinging in his hand. Tara lurched after him, wondering how many more steps she could take before she fell dead at his feet.

  One thought pounded at her; she had failed Suraj and Sadia and her family. She had allowed Zarku to possess her. She was weak. She deserved to die.

  Tara, you are stronger than I ever imagined. Know this — no one could have done what you are doing now.

  And you have to keep going, because you will win. Believe in yourself once again, my child. Trust yourself once again.

  Did Lord Ganesh send you to help me? asked Tara wearily. Please, just stop playing games and tell me. Who are you?

  I am Zara.

  — twenty —

  Zara

  Zara?

  A cold finger traced a path down Tara’s spine. That was too close to his name. Are you a part of Zarku? she asked.

  No, but he is a part of me.

  Tara almost dropped Sadia again. She had been right. “Get out,” she screamed. “GET OUT!”

  “Shut up,” said Zarku from up ahead. “This is a sacred place. I will not tolerate your rantings.”

  Tara realized she had yelled out loud.

  Calm down, Tara. I can’t stand histrionics.

  The voice was soft, yet stern. Every time the voice spoke, her insides throbbed unpleasantly, painfully.

  I brought a lot of friends on this journey, Zara, and I let them all go. Please, just leave me alone. Whoever you are, get out of my body. I’ll manage this all alone.

  You brought me here, Tara. We both have a job to do.

  But you still haven’t told me who you are and why I’m hearing you inside my head, Tara said silently.

  Check your pocket.

  Tara reached for her pocket, the effort making her sweat profusely. Sadia started to slip. She shifted the little girl’s weight to one arm and plunged her hand in. Her fingers closed over something cold and heavy; Zarku’s mother’s anklet. Of course!

  T
ara didn’t know whether to laugh or cry or faint.

  Zara was Zarku’s mother and she was inside Tara.

  Her cheek stung and her eyes snapped open.

  “Won’t you ever stop trying?” snarled Zarku. He slapped her again. “It won’t work. You’re just not the fainting type, Tara. Get up now or you’ll really discover what these hyenas can do and this time I won’t restrain them. Your body is useless to me, even if it’s badly mangled.”

  It was true, she never fainted. What was wrong with her? She touched her aching scalp. Her fingertips connected with a lump the size of an egg and she winced. Sadia moaned and Tara crawled over to her. She was motionless. Tara laid her head on her chest and was relieved to hear a faint heartbeat.

  “Up,” said Zarku. “Walk.”

  Tara pushed herself to her feet, barely aware of what she was doing. Her body ached all over, she was bleeding to death, inside her nestled Zarku’s mother’s spirit, and she was marching toward a painful death. A bitter laugh bubbled up within her; could things get any worse?

  She tried to lift Sadia, but it was like trying to lift a boulder ten times her size.

  “I can’t,” she whispered. “Please, can’t Kali hold her for a while?”

  “No!” said Kali. “Zarku, this is just a ploy. Don’t listen to this sneaky little —”

  “Then kill me now,” said Tara. “I won’t leave her here. Tell your hyenas to have fun. I don’t care.” She plopped down on the floor.

  Zarku stared at her for a moment, the crease on his forehead pulsing. It was the first time she had seen that. They had been in the cave for barely an hour and already his power was growing. He exhaled noisily.

  “You carry Sadia,” he said to Kali.

  “I can’t,” wailed Kali. “I’m tired, too, carrying this heavy bundle of yours.”

  Zarku hissed a command. A hyena now moved toward Kali. She hurried forward and scooped Sadia up, muttering under her breath.

  “Tara, you will carry the bundle,” said Zarku. “There will be no more stops. Is that understood?”

  On they went. Tara revelled in being able to walk with–out Sadia’s weight. The bundle barely weighed anything and she sighed quietly as her aching muscles relaxed.

  Around her, smooth, round tunnels wound away into darkness, as if a giant worm had bored through the walls. Rocks in every shade of white, grey, and pale yellow slid past.

  Are you still there, Zara?

  Yes.

  Can you not stop your son? Why can’t you get into his mind and tell him to release Suraj? Tara demanded.

  Because the anklet is with you, Tara. And because he’s in human form, you’re the best person to stop him.

  Not me.

  Kali panted, her pace slowing. The air turned hotter and Tara’s lungs burned each time she drew breath.

  Zara, what does he have in store for me? Can you tell me?

  I can’t. Lord Kubera has taken over my child’s mind.

  Even if I wanted to, I couldn’t penetrate it. That’s another reason I chose you — I need your help to stop him and you need mine.

  Child? Tara snorted. This was no child except if you looked at the body. He was a monster. She wondered how she could have ever felt sorry for him when she had heard him cry that night in the forest. The hyenas growled and she realized she was lagging behind. Their yellow eyes seemed to be floating in darkness somewhere near her knees. Tara walked faster.

  Tell me more, Zara.

  He would have been an ordinary child, Tara. His father and I had decided that if we had a boy we would name him after us; Zara and Kundan … Zarku. But our match was not to be, you see, we were from different religions and no one approved. Not our parents and nor the village priests. We ran away and got married, but when we announced the baby, one of the priests put a curse on me and on the baby I was carrying. I died giving birth and Zarku was born with a third eye for which he suffered all his life.

  Tara heard the deep sadness in her voice. It was the longest Zara had ever spoken. She had only to imagine her own mother to realize how this woman must have felt, must be feeling, to see her son become a monster — hated by all. But wouldn’t a mother always protect her child no matter what?

  Zara, you won’t … you won’t give me the wrong advice, will you?

  Things are going to get very difficult once you reach the cave. We’ll both have to trust one another.

  Tara pressed her fingertips against her aching temples. She was so tired that she was not thinking straight. She was having a conversation with Zarku’s mother. But could she trust Zara? Should she?

  The path that Zarku took twisted and turned as it continued its descent into the bowels of the mountain.

  The rock changed colour, larger sheets of black interspersed the limestone. If Tara fell behind she found herself in near complete darkness and had to hurry round the next bend so she could see the flickering light of the lantern.

  The silence was broken by the hiss of escaping steam and the burbling sounds of something thick and viscous boiling deep below. The rock under her feet was getting hotter by the minute. The heat in the forest seemed like a joke compared to the heat in this place.

  Kali struggled along with Sadia, who still hadn’t stirred. Tara’s heart ached as she thought of Kabir and how much he loved his sister. Without medicine, Sadia might even now be breathing her last.

  One more downward twist and they were walking on level ground.

  “We’re almost there,” Zarku called out. “Everyone all right?”

  Tara was tempted to throw her shoe at his head. All right? No, they were not all right. She was about to say something when she saw where he was leading them.

  Ahead of them was an extremely dark patch. Could it be an underground lake? She thought of the last time she had had to cross a lake, the feeling of drowning, the slithery, slippery things that had touched her skin.

  Her nerve almost failed. She couldn’t do it again. Zarku would have to kill her right here.

  Zara, help me. I can’t do this.

  There was no reply.

  Tara looked back the way they had come. A solid black wall of darkness confronted her; tall and impenetrable. Without a light there wasn’t a hope that she would be able to find her way back to the top again. She would have to go on. If only little Mushika were here … “Come on,” snapped Zarku. “This is the last little bit. It’s tricky, but I’m sure we’ll all manage. Once we get across, the cave’s a few steps away.”

  Something in his voice made Tara look carefully. It was not a lake at all. It was a chasm that stretched before them. She couldn’t see how deep it was nor how wide. And yet here she was, about to cross it.

  Kali peered over the edge and looked back at Tara, her eyes wide with terror. Tara kicked a rock near her foot into the chasm. It bounced against the wall a couple of times and then there was complete silence.

  Tara strained her ears but heard nothing. Half a minute passed by and the rock still hadn’t hit bottom. They both looked at each other and then at Zarku.

  “I can’t go over that,” said Kali in a quavering voice. “I’ll fall.”

  “That’s fine, you can stay here for all I care,” said Zarku. “Goodbye.” He stepped onto the narrow stone path that bridged the chasm. For the first time Tara saw just how narrow it was, there was no room for error. None at all.

  “Can’t we do whatever we have to on this side?” said Tara. “Please. You don’t expect me to cross with a sick child.”

  Zarku turned around and glared at her. “For the last time, Tara, I. Don’t. Care. If you’d rather deny my friends a good meal, fling Sadia over the side now.

  She too sick to realize what’s happening, and since this chasm has no bottom, you won’t hear her land. And we’ll all move faster. And if you’re too weak to do it, I’ll do it for you!”

  In a rage, Tara dropped the bundle and rushed toward Zarku. She’d show him how to fling people into chasms. The larger of the two hyenas jumped b
etween them and growled, barring her way. She kicked it aside, putting all her anger and fear and hatred into it. The hyena flew into the air and tumbled over the edge. Its screams echoed for a long time, growing fainter and fainter. Then there was silence.

  Tara stared into the chasm, her fists clenched. She had killed a living thing. Even though it was far from innocent, even though her arm and leg still throbbed with the memory of its teeth, she had deliberately sent it to its death. She shuddered; she was getting to be as ruthless as Zarku.

  Kali was staring at her, aghast. Tara ignored her and looked at Zarku defiantly. He held her gaze. “That’s the second friend I’ve lost thanks to you. I’ll make you suffer for this, Tara. Count on it.”

  Tara was too exhausted to retaliate, only able to pray that when the end came it would be swift.

  “Who wants to go forward and who wants to go down?” said Zarku. He stepped nimbly onto the stone path, walked a few steps ahead and turned around.

  “I’m leaving Sadia here,” said Kali, dropping her to the floor like a sack of potatoes. Sadia whimpered while Kali walked away without a backward glance.

  “Stop that!” yelled Tara as she rushed over to Sadia. She looked up at Kali, all of her being burning with hatred. Slowly she looked at the black void and then back at Kali. “You’re next if you don’t help me.”

  Kali came back to her reluctantly. “Maybe if we held Sadia between us, it might work,” she said.

  Tara nodded. She bent over Sadia and shook her gently.

  “Sadia, wake up,” Tara said. “We need you to help us for just a little while.”

  Sadia moaned and moved her head weakly, her eyes still shut.

  “What’s keeping you?” roared Zarku. “Move.”

  The last hyena circled around them, keeping out of reach of Tara, its bile-yellow eyes fixed on her. This time there was no giggling or laughter. Something told her that when the time was right it would not wait for Zarku’s command to rip her to shreds.

  “Sadia, please, wake up. You have to walk,” said Tara. She pulled Sadia upright. It was like handling a ragdoll.