by T. G. Ayer
The poison was snaking itself all the way up to his torso now, fine threads of a different kind of fire that when it reached his brain would render him as close to dead as a demigod could get. Limbs now numb, Nik fell forward, knees hitting the stones and sending sparks of pain into his flesh. But he didn’t remain upright long enough for it to matter.
He had to do something, and he had to do it fast.
Nik fell over on his side and lay sprawled on the gravel street, his whip of fire dropping from his hand, spinning around like a dying snake before it vanished in a puff of flame and smoke.
He gulped for air as the poison seemed to fill his lungs and obscure his vision. But he wasn’t about to give in. From the earth, he drew the power again the length of his body acting as a larger conduit than his feet had only moments before.
He supposed there were benefits to falling on his ass after all. The power simmered within his body, not the usual surging heat but rather a low ebb, tamped down by the poison as it slowly began to take him over.
But he wasn’t about to let that happen.
Around him, the demon goblins were cackling and jabbering, the noise louder as they converged upon him. Nik gritted his teeth, knowing they wouldn’t take long to sink their grimy teeth into his flesh. And he had no other choice but to get them as close to him as possible.
And they came, attracted by his vulnerability, fooled by the apparent success of the poison they’d delivered so sneakily. Nik felt them swarm over his numb limbs, tiny feet razor-sharp claws stabbing him as they jumped up and down, ululating their success. They stank, breath fetish from the dead things they devoured, teeth still holding rotten flesh from their last meals, fur matted with blood from who knew how many innocent people.
Nik blinked slowly as the skin on his cheeks began to lose all feeling. He’d come to save the village from the horde of demon creatures that the people of the town had themselves summoned. They acted out of desperation, using an almost forgotten spell to call upon the protection of the darkest evil, in order to protect them from an evil they believed was far greater than anything they’d ever encountered.
How wrong they were.
All they had done was simply anger Her.
Chapter 2
Nik had to hope that if he managed to survive this ordeal, he’d be able to convince her to give the people of the village a second chance. He was more hopeful than confident.
He sucked in a ragged breath and scanned the area around him. At last the final three creatures had stepped close enough to Nik, and he was ready.
Taking in what he could feel was likely the last of his breaths, Nik summoned the latent power that lived within him, a gift from his father, a gift infused by Mother Kali, his benefactor and guru. Now he thrust that power outward, infusing it with flames that burned hotter than the deepest pits of Patala and all the hells beneath.
Fire raged out of Nik’s body, exploding in a ball of flame, a bomb set off in a controlled perimeter, though with enough power obliterate anything within the space around his body. Flashes of embers flickered around him, little brighter sparks within the giant ball of fire, confirming elimination of each of the rotten little gremlins.
And as the ball of fire faded, Nik took a slow breath. A half inhalation, if he was to be specific, but enough to inflate his lungs and give him some hope of recovery. He could feel the sensation slowly returning to his limbs, knew in that moment that his plan had worked.
He’d initially thought to call the power of the earth mother Bhumi, to him, to use that energy to burn off the poison flowing thick and fast within his blood. Which was when he’d figured he could use that same power to kill off the last of the creatures as well.
Two birds, one fire—so to speak.
And now he lay there, gravel poking into his skin, darkness enveloping him as the last of the flames faded into nothing. The silence around him was deafening, though it wasn’t as if he’d been expecting to hear a chorus of bravos from the villagers—most of whom would still be hiding in storm shelters and basements across the town.
Nik took one slow breath after the other until at last, he was able to inhale without the sharp stabbing pains ripping his lungs apart.
“I have to hand it to you, half-breed. You did well,” said a voice from the shadows to Nik’s left.
He shifted his gaze and focused on a spot of red emerging from the shadows. A woman sauntered closer, bare feet leaving a trail of blood in her wake as the stones and jagged shells cut into her soles. She didn’t appear to be at all affected by the pain of having her flesh sliced open.
Not that Nik was surprised.
The woman sashayed closer, long knee-length hair tousled around her shoulders and flowing down her back in a waterfall of ebony shadows. She was beautiful, entrancingly so, though Nik was immune to her magical charms.
She came to his side and crouched next to his torso where his skin smarted as feeling began to slowly ebb into his body, the effects of the poison eaten away by the earth-fire.
She reached a hand out and placed her soft fingertip on the open wound, then studied her blood-drenched skin. Then she placed her finger on her tongue and closed her eyes, savoring the taste of the man’s blood, giving a strange low moan in the depths of her throat.
Nik shuddered, aware now that he could move more than just his lungs. But he didn’t get up yet. He decided to bide his time in the hopes that she’d agree to his bargain. He’d come with his father’s blessing to make the appropriate deal with her in order to get her to stop killing the villagers.
She laughed then, and he shifted his gaze back to her to see that she’d been watching him. Her features flickered from pale-skinned youth to leathery hag-like ancient, until she settled for youth, possibly to gain some kind of common ground or empathy from him.
Why though? Why would she care that he be open to hearing her out? Why attempt the seduction even if it were only meant to appease his senses in order to bargain? Did she feel outweighed, perhaps? Was she at some sort of disadvantage? Who really knew with a goddess as old as she was.
Right now, Nik had to do whatever he could to save the people of the town who were currently under the protection of his father, Yama.
She was laughing now, soft chuckles that were so deceivingly sultry that it would have been so easy to forget who she truly was. Nik blinked and forced away the web she was attempting to weave around him.
He cleared his throat. “I came in peace, Mataji.”
“Oh, I know that, beautiful boy.”
Nik frowned then pushed himself up onto his elbows. When she didn’t stop him, he shifted to sit up, forcing her to move backward. He squinted at her, eyes narrowed. “You knew I came in peace, but you allowed those…creatures to almost kill me?” Nik asked, trying to ensure his tone did not convey all of the outrage he felt.
She tilted her head to the side, loosening the hair she’d tucked behind her ear, allowing it shadow half her face. Every move she made was seduction, but Nik found he was well able to remain unaffected.
She sighed, the fight in her eyes fading as though she knew she couldn’t sway him. Then she straightened to stand before him, her glamor shifting to something legend, and a little older than the teen beauty she’d projected moments ago.
“So tell me, Nikhil, son of Dharamraj. What is the child of Justice doing here, so far from the lands you are meant to protect?”
She almost sounded insulted, and Nik hoped he hadn’t already lost the opportunity to convince her. He shifted smoothly, boosting himself up to his feet, restraining himself from dusting off the seat of his pants. His butt and thighs itched from where pebbles and stones had dug into the flesh, and not to mention burned from the bites left behind by those awful gremlins.
He cleared his throat. “I bring the humblest apologies from my father and hope that you will allow me to state his reasons. And I will return with your decision, no matter what it may be. My Lord Yama wishes only for you to know the reasons for w
hich this village is under his protection.”
Now anger filtered along her features, the skin shifting, undulating over bone to reveal an older woman, her black as night hair shimmering to a silvery glow. “My old friend Yama, seeks to tell me what to do about my own people, does he?”
Nik swallowed. He’d been well aware this wasn’t going to be easy. “My humble respect to you, Mother. I am only here to convey my lord’s position.” Nik gave a short bow then straightened to stare around him at the small sleeping town. “If you will forgive my impertinence, Mother. May I ask why these creatures were brought to this town at all? We were led to believe they have fed on the villagers and reduced the population by twenty percent already.”
She smiled then, black eyes shifting to silver, then returning to blank nothing. “Ah, I see that news has traveled all the way to the underworld. I suppose I should not have expected much more as of course the dead keep no secrets from my lord, the bestower of Justice.”
Nik remained silent, allowing her to ponder her answer, and the vacuum of sound seemed to only encourage her to speak. She gave a long, almost defeated sigh. “Walk with me, child of Yama.”
She waved a hand and Nik obeyed, moving to walk at her side. In a blink, every inch of Nik’s flesh that had only moments before been throbbing with pain when the goblin creatures had fed on chunks of his body, was suddenly free from pain. Nik wasn’t sure if he should thank her for restoring his body and healing his wounds, so he said nothing, making a note to thank her before he left to return to Patala.
She led him down the street to the docks, where three piers poked out into the sea, each near a hundred yards long. Tied to the piers were hundreds of little boats, all carved from local trees, all of which brought home the only food the people of the town could afford to keep them alive. Beyond the perimeter of the village itself, the land was a barren wasteland, soon to be blanketed in snow, acres of nothing where no life sparked, where no animals roamed, no plants and trees took root.
She must have been following the direction of Nik’s gaze because she said, “You know of what happened here?”
He nodded. “A chemical spill and an explosion of atomic proportions. The fallout killed everything around it, except for this town, though it was a little unclear as to why they survived.”
She turned to him, eyes bright and curious. “So, what were the theories?”
“Some said the town was protected by wet weather coming in off the sea, possibly a squall that blew the poisonous gases away from the village.”
“And you believed that theory?”
Nik shook his head. “Not really. It’s an interesting theory, but I believe you warded the town to protect it. I don’t know why, though I assume you must care for the people in some way. I had to wonder that perhaps they must have worshipped you. Perhaps that would explain why you’d protect them from certain death.”
She smiled then, her skin taking on a glow that Nik—had he not already known who and what she was—would have assumed was a blush. “You are quite intelligent for a child of Yama.
Nik blinked. Now, what was that supposed to mean?
Chapter 3
Nik stared at the goddess, wondering if he should have countered her words. But she didn’t give him a chance to question her.
“And yes, child. You are correct,” she continued as though she hadn’t even paused. “Many of the townspeople worshipped me once, and even though in recent times they have neglected their oaths to me, I still shielded them from the worst of the poisoned air.”
Nik frowned. “But you were able to save them all?” he asked, feeling a sense of weariness flow over him, already beginning to understand where this tale would end.
She shook her head. “Sadly, no. Much of the toxic air passed the town by, but those living up on the hillside were too far out to receive the protection of my shield. I must confess it was my fault for not thinking to extend the perimeter to reach to the summit of the surrounding mountains. For that, I bear the burden of the deaths of those innocents.”
Nik felt the pain in her voice and shook his head. “But you did what you could, what you were able to do at the time. You cannot see the future any more than Lord Yama himself, surely you cannot blame yourself. You did save so many.”
She gave a sad smile. “Perhaps this is the way you think, and it assures me of your wisdom. But the people of the town lost family who lived up on the hillside. Those in the depths of grief do not easily forgive.”
Nik felt a sense of emptiness wash over him, a dread that said she was about to tell him nothing good. “What did they do?”
She shrugged, sadness filling her eyes. “They performed a ritual, of course. The elders knew better than to dabble in ancient rituals, but they were overruled. The young ones…they believed they knew better.” She reached out a hand and rested a finger in the center of Nik’s forehead.
He didn’t resist and instead focused on emptying his mind to receive the vision. And within seconds he was surrounded by raucous shouting, men and women arguing at the top of their lungs. Nik blinked and looked around, studying the gathering of people in what appeared to be a small hall, possible a performance auditorium.
At the one end, a long table was occupied by three men and two women, all middle-aged to elderly, their faces hopeless and weary.
One of the men raised his hand. “Do not be hasty, Yuri. This is not a game. You do not understand the darkness you could bring upon our town.”
A young man scoffed, throwing his blond hair to his side, a vanity and arrogance in the move. Hands on his hips, he smirked. “Maybe it’s time for the old guard to give way to the new. You have sat up there, a council that has presided over us for decades, but perhaps it is now time for you all to move aside and allow more modern thinkers to take your place.”
A rumble of disagreement filtered through the hall and the men and women at the table were all shaking their heads and exchanging fearful glances. To Nik, they seemed very afraid, and he felt that pain deep inside his heart.
The older woman at the table raised her hand. “You must not be rash, Yuri. Mila, please speak to your husband and make him understand that this is not a game. We will bring upon our people a terrible curse. Please, you must listen to us.”
Another man stood from within the crowd. “Don’t be stupid, Yuri. That spell is dangerous. We all know how terrible it can be, which is why that book has been hidden all these years. You don’t know what will come forth during that summoning.”
Yuri turned to face the speaker, fist raised as he replied, “Don’t you start that with me, Father. You’ve all kept this from us. You all knew we had a way to punish her for what she’s done to us, and you kept it to yourselves.”
“This isn’t the way.”
“You should not tempt fate.”
“We have a right to make our own choices.”
“She saved us. She does not deserve punishment.”
“She’s taken care of us for centuries.”
“She let our families die.”
“You will bring her wrath upon us, and where will we be then?”
The people were up in arms, nobody able to agree with each other. And even from the vision, Nik could feel the fury and grief simmering in the hall.
The vision changed to a shadowy clearing where a circle of fiery torches lit a gathering of people, faces all hidden by red masks. They held hands, chanting words to a spell that sent shivers up and down Nik’s spine.
He kept watching as black shadows began to swirl above the circle of people, smudges of darkness that spun faster, like a hurricane of evil. Which Nik knew was precisely that, only something a little more than what the villagers had hoped for.
More than Yuri had hoped for as well. Nik spotted him lying on the ground, his throat torn out, two ravenous goblins feeding on him in a frenzy of blood and gore.
Then the vision changed again, and Nik stood in the middle of the main street, a few feet from where he’d
been only moments ago, but this time he was surrounded by screaming people all being chased by the same evil little goblins he’d just fought.
Nik took a shuddering breath, and the vision faded. He found himself staring up at the village, blinking away the vision of evil monsters feeding upon the people of the town, both innocent and not so innocent.
Yuri had seen the fruits of his misguided deeds, had brought the wrath of the evil and the demonic upon his people--despite the warning of his elders. But he hadn’t lived long enough to regret.
And now the people of the village were paying for the rashness of impatient youth. Nik shook his head and sighed. “It is such a terrible thing. One choice brings the death of half the town.”
She nodded slowly. “They believed they were summoning a creature capable of punishing me, capable of eliminating me from the earth, sending me to the hell I rose from. Little do they know this land is my land, a land born of my blood, and my tears. I’d give my soul for my people, sacrifice my last breath for the children of my soul. But yet they betray me when tragedy falls. When grief takes hold, they fight against their mother. Perhaps they are as innocent as babes. And now they will pay with more deaths, more losses of the people they love. This village is reduced to only a quarter of its original population, and they will have to rebuild almost from the ground up. And its possible they will continue to hold that hatred for me close to their hearts. For that, I will grieve forever.”
Nik studied her face now, in awe of her love and so relieved that she hadn’t been the one to kill so many innocent villagers. Not that she hadn’t ever been violent to mortals. She was a fearsome goddess, a wrathful earth mother, the crone, the mother, the maiden.
But today, in the face of the horror that had befallen this little village, this terrible goddess was nothing more than a mother shedding tears for her children.
Nik gave a short nod. “Is there something I can do to help? I will explain to my Lord Yama when I return, but is there something you wish for me to do while I am here?” he asked, aware it was possible she’d take offense at his offer.