by T. G. Ayer
This temple did not glorify the Dark Goddess’s power. Only her purpose.
Her power was subtle.
Her purpose was infinite.
Like the simple stone carving itself. Severed demon heads emerged, skillfully formed from blue marble, their ghastly teeth and glaring eyes neither shocking, nor fearful.
The Mother imbued her power in the followers who came to train under her, men and women who sought her teaching, and travelled from the furthest ends of the Earth to learn at her feet, who learned the skills and arts of the Dark Goddess. Who stayed and practiced, and left the temple grounds. Sometimes they returned but mostly they did the work of the Dark Goddess in silence, with no desire for glory or prizes.
Sinking to the uneven stone floor, the Mother’s breath left her lips in a heated, achingly tired sigh. Palms flat on the stone she slipped to her knees, her spine coiled, small puffs of breath forced in and out of her fever-weakened lungs. Soon she sat cross-legged, knees ablaze with the fever fire, before the gleaming marble statue.
She pleaded with her goddess.
Her time had come but she had not fulfilled her deepest desire. A lifetime spent training those who would serve. A lifetime without reprieve. The Mother had never gone out into the world to serve the Dark Goddess. That which she had always wanted but the goddess had not allowed.
Perhaps now she will give me a chance, thought the Mother. Perhaps now I shall be able to serve her with my strength, serve her as a warrior, not as a teacher.
Perhaps.
Chapter 23
Maya blinked, awakening to the sound of birds in the trees, and a kid tooting a bicycle horn and screaming with laughter. Outside the house, the world went by as normal. But inside the Rao household emotional chaos was the order of the day.
A soft knock on the door ushered in Maya's parents. The smiles they gave her seemed weak, lukewarm, their faces looked drawn and tired. She could so easily ignore them. All she really wanted to do was turn her back to them and demand to be alone. She was so over all the lies, all the subterfuge. For so many years they'd kept the truth to themselves, lies and smoke behind fake smiles.
"Honey, are you okay?" Leela lay a meal tray over Maya's legs. Some kind of soup and buttered rolls. Maya wanted to laugh. They were feeding her invalid food when she'd just been healed by a goddess who shouldn't exist. A thrum of guilt simmered inside her.
Maya nodded and paid close attention to her soup. The silence in the room thickened much like the meal itself. She lifted her chin and caught the glance Dev and Leela exchanged. Unsure, guilty.
"What the matter with you guys?"
There was that look again. "Nothing, honey. We are fine. Just worried about you." Maya's dad moved closer and sat on the edge of the bed, but she could tell he barely allowed his weight to settle into the mattress. As if the slightest movement would hurt her in some way.
She lay back against the pillows, tired to the bone. "I can tell something is wrong."
"Nothing is wrong," said Leela, pulling the chair from the dressing table toward the bed. "It's not every day we have an audience with a goddess."
Maya snorted. "I'd have thought you guys would've taken it way better than me."
"You would think," said her dad with a wry grin on his face. "We knew the time would come. We didn't realize it would come so soon."
"I can handle it, Dad," Maya said with a soft sigh.
"I’m sure you can. It’s just not that easy to watch your daughter arrive home ripped apart."
"I’m fine now," Maya hoped he’d change the subject. She frowned, as an odd shuffling filtered into the room. "So what did she tell you?"
Something, Maya wasn't entirely sure what, made her unwilling to say Kali's name out loud. She felt uneasy, as if the mere mention of her name would summon the goddess. Maya still wasn't sure how she felt about her, so better she stayed absent until Maya gathered her wits.
"Kali-Ma was very clear in her instructions. We are meant to train you and protect you as well as we can." Dev looked at her, exchanged a nervous glance with her mom and then looked over his shoulder at the door. He turned back to meet Maya's eyes and for a brief second she could have sworn she saw a flicker of guilt.
"What is it, Dad?"
"Kali was keen for you to have the ultimate protection-"
"Those were her words actually, ultimate protection," said her mother.
Maya's dad eyed her, a touch of amused impatience on his face. "So in order for you to have the best possible protection she left behind a guard."
Maya snorted, and studied the orange sludge in her bowl again.
Do they really expect me to eat this?
"She was happy since you know the guard you'll be comfortable having him around." When Maya's dad shifted on the mattress and shared that strange look with her mom again, she knew for certain something was up.
"What's wrong with you two? What are you keeping from me?" She glared at them, eyes narrowed, although even the small muscular effort was beginning to tire her.
"Dev, you may as well tell her, she’s going to find out anyway."
Maya wanted to be annoyed, but she couldn't gather up the energy. She shook her head and snorted. "Yeah Dev, tell me," Maya mumbled.
Her dad grinned. "The goddess left Sabala behind to protect you. He will guard you day and night. She was adamant he's not to leave your side."
The sound at the door made sense now. The soft keening filtering through from the other side was a dog's muted whine. Maya shuddered, the agony in her wounds as fresh as when the mutt had inflicted them.
She was so horrified at the prospect of the hellish beast entering her room she stared at the door in silence, willing it not to open.
"Are you alright, honey?" asked her mother, almost whispering. Was she afraid for Maya or the beast?
"You’re going to have to accept him at some point. The goddess gave us these instructions. And I’m guessing the dog knows what his duty is. There is no declining this offer," Dev said. Maya recognized his "Dad being reasonable" tone.
"That dog is not just a dog, Dad. He is a hellhound. A dog from hell. One who, only a few hours ago, tried to kill me." Maya's voice rose, every second word inching a note higher as she spoke, until it cracked on the last syllable.
Her dad stood, and she knew the argument was over. "Honey, it's now or later or tomorrow. It's inevitable. You’re not going to be able to leave this house without him you know."
Through the discussion and the fears of the dog from hell, Maya had forgotten she wasn't a helpless little girl. She had power. And she’d defended herself pretty well against Sabala and Syama. She guessed she could handle him if he stepped out of line.
Still, she wasn’t jumping for joy.
A soft scratching came from the other side of the door and Maya cringed. Was he gouging those horribly sharp nails into her bedroom door, or was he scraping the wood floors instead?
Maya's dad spared her one last glance before he stepped to the door and turned the knob, allowing Sabala to enter. If ever she’d seen a dog imbued with majesty it was this one. He entered, head high, eyes locking with Maya's. She could have sworn he gave her a small nod, as if acknowledging that she’d relented to his presence.
His pelt gleamed ebony, like his four eyes. But before he lowered his head Maya caught a glimmer of amber from those obsidian eyes. Like a ring around the darkness. Not as bad as Amber's demonic eyes but it still had the power to creep Maya out.
He turned to glance at her parents. Maya snorted. Both looked ready to bow or kneel before the creature.
He is not a god, people!
But Sabala merely gave them a quick once-over, then turned his head back to Maya. He moved closer, nails clicking on the polished floor, then silent as he stepped onto the small rug beside her bed.
He lowered his haunches and remained as still as a statue. Maya could have sworn he didn’t even breathe. She sighed. Maybe if she pretended he was really a statue she’d get thr
ough this whole thing much easier.
Staring at the dog, Maya's muscles twinged, her body remembering the fiery heat of the injury Sabala had inflicted. She gritted her teeth. The urge to break the dog's neck washed over her and startled her, shoving Maya out of this strange funk.
She sighed again.
Sure, he’d attacked but he’d had his reasons. Now he obeyed his mistress. Who knew if he was happy with the job himself. Maybe he hated his assignment as much as Maya despised it.
She stared and he stared back.
Stalemate.
Chapter 24
The door closed softly behind Maya's parents as they left her alone with the silently staring Sabala. Huge glassy black eyes stared at her - all four of them. The ringing of Maya's cell-phone barely penetrated her studious haze.
Sabala blinked.
Maya blinked.
And the link between them broke as Sabala's lip rose with a flash of pink flesh and hideously sharp canines. He looked at the phone and Maya grabbed it, answering it quickly before he reacted further. She had no idea what he would've done. The dark gleam in his eyes didn't bode well for Maya or her phone.
To think she was stuck with this abhorrent creature until Kali was good and ready to call him off. Ugh!
Maya glanced at the number on the phone.
Joss.
And before she knew it, the insistent voice on the other end of the call announced her imminent arrival. No amount of cajoling or excuses helped. Maya had always known the girl was stubborn.
Now what? Maya wondered as she stared at her phone, then quickly hid it under her pillow before Sabala got any ideas. Joss had cut the call while Maya tried to convince her that coming over was a bad idea.
She stared at Sabala. Any bright ideas, pooch?
How do I explain my state of recovery? Then it hit her. Kali had repaired the damage her guard dog had inflicted. Maya was fine. She sat up and lifted her shirt, inspected the skin on her abdomen. A few dark welts remained, where, not too long ago, the flesh had been ripped apart, dripping blood all over her agonized self. Even the wound on her arm from the Amber-Rakshasa was fully healed, not a trace of the cuts left.
Maya lay back amongst the pillows. What were her parents thinking? Were they happy? That in the end they'd raised their reincarnated Mother? Was that what gave them satisfaction? Or were they glad to have Maya for Maya herself? Her heart twinged as she considered the possibility that they loved their Mother more.
Maya shook her head, and Sabala turned to stare at her. Then one dark, velvety ear lifted, a movement so graceful it didn't really fit his deadly profile. He glanced at the door and tilted it slightly, as if listening to a faraway conversation.
Maya sighed. Joss was on her way up.
A knock on her door a few seconds later confirmed it. And so did Sabala with his soft growl.
"Behave yourself, pooch. You try to hurt her and your ass is mine," Maya said, staring into all four of Sabala’s eyes. But she couldn’t assume he'd even understood her. She turned to the closed door, where a second, softer knock emanated, and hollered for Joss to come right in.
Joss sauntered in, eyebrows raised to her hairline. As per usual, her silky blond hair hung in a waterfall of pale at her back, gorgeous blue eyes glaring at Maya. She shoved her hair away from her face and pink and blue nail polish gleamed, while a bracelet chock full of charms jangled.
"What's going on with you?" She stepped into the room, shut the door with her heel, and dropped her bag on the dresser. She faced Maya, hand on her hips as if the mere stance would ensure an answer.
"I’m fine and you?" Maya responded, her tone dry and one eyebrow matching Joss's.
At least Joss had the grace to look slightly abashed. "Sorry, but I hate when you go AWOL like that."
"Yeah, being ill can do that to a person." Maya smiled, suddenly tired of the spy routine, tired of all the lies.
Joss took a step closer. Charms jingled. Sabala didn’t move. Was he even breathing? "Your mom said you hurt your spine?"
Awesome story, Mom. I wouldn't have thought of anything better myself.
Joss reached Maya's bedside, passed the silent Sabala, and perched on the edge of Maya's bed, her back to the great big dog. How had she not seen him?
"So, are you feeling better? Are you able to walk?" Joss seemed eager to try and remove Maya from the house.
Maya wasn’t sure how to answer that. Clearly, her mom hadn’t thought it necessary to compare notes before telling Joss what happened to her. But she didn’t need to worry too much about her story. Sabala understood exactly what Joss intended and it seemed he didn’t agree with such girlish needs as fun and entertainment, not to mention freedom.
Sabala growled.
Low and soft at first. And Maya watched as the black fur at his throat vibrated with the sound. The rumbling growl reverberated around the room annoying Maya's inner ear, as if the hellhound snarled from inside her own body. She shuddered and Joss stiffened, her eyes widening as Maya's gaze flitted from her stricken face to the dog's threatening dark eyes.
Joss swiveled around to glance behind her and let out a strangled shriek, something halfway between a squawk and a squeal. She stood up in shock, but her horror seemed to have robbed her legs of the ability to hold her weight and she tripped, pedaling backward to regain her balance. Her heel caught in the fringe of the handmade rug beside Maya's bed and she hit the floor.
Hard.
It was funny. So funny that Maya actually giggled. And that set her off. Maya kept seeing poor Joss flailing about and falling, and kept hearing her hysterical shriek and it was way too funny. Maya laughed and laughed and the sight of Joss still sitting on the floor, eyes wide in horror and fear didn’t suppress her mirth one iota.
Only when Sabala took a step toward Joss did Maya stop laughing. In fact, the single movement sobered her up almost instantly.
"Touch her and I will tear you apart with my bare hands." Maya's voice rang clear and neutral but nonthreatening.
She meant every word.
Joss glanced at Maya, horror still eking the color from her face, and lining her eyes with the stress of her fear. Sabala growled again, low and threatening. And Joss quickly transferred her attention back to the hellhound.
Joss shuddered and Maya watched her, aware that her poor friend would have realized this mutt wasn’t an average dog, what with him having two pairs of eyes and all.
Was it possible to have the goddess wipe her friend’s memory? Maya stared at Joss's face, her heart thudding in her chest, guilt more than fear increasing her heartbeat.
She was amazed Joss hadn’t fainted from the shock of it. Maya's gaze flicked to the demonic dog and back to Joss and she wanted to laugh again. Joss had her eyes shut tight. She slowly relaxed her scrunched up muscles and opened one eye in a strange grimace.
Bet she's hoping she imagined the whole four-eyed giant dog thing.
Sorry Joss, no such luck.
Sabala had snuck up closer to Joss, but despite his proximity as he examined Maya's poor friend, his manner seemed curious.
A strange sound echoed around the room, a deep whine repeating over and over, edged with a hint of hysteria. Joss was hyperventilating.
Fabulous.
Maya shuffled over to the edge of the bed but Sabala got to Joss first with one small step. He licked the side of Joss’s face, in one slobbery move. Maya froze, Joss stopped hyperventilating and Sabala stepped away, job done.
The dog returned to the foot of Maya's bed, turned around twice in place, then sat back on his haunches. He remained there, unmoving, as if nothing had happened.
Joss remained frozen, backed up against Maya's nightstand.
"Maya?"
"Yes, Joss."
"You have some major explaining to do."
Maya nodded.
Joss nodded.
And Maya hoped to god she wasn't about to make the biggest mistake of her life.
Chapter 25
Comin
g clean with Joss wasn’t as difficult as Maya had expected. As soon as she opened her mouth everything started to tumble out. And while her mouth moved, Maya kept wondering if this was a big mistake. Would Joss laugh at her, think she was nuts? Then Sabala turned his head toward Maya, as if he could read her mind and was asking her if she thought her friend was blind.
Throughout Maya's monologue, the hellhound had sat, still and silent as a statue, only moving his eyes to look at her and then at Joss who’d peeled herself off the floor and joined Maya on the bed. Maya wondered if she’d chosen the comfort of the bed for its distance from Sabala. And decided she was probably right when Joss whimpered the moment the dog turned to her.
Maya held her hand, instinctively, wanting to reassure her, knowing Joss could tug it away in disgust. But thankfully, she didn’t. Instead, she grasped it tighter.
Maya finished up with an explanation of Sabala, and ended on a rushed and ridiculous introduction.
"Sabala meet Joss. Joss meet Sabala."
Joss rolled her eyes and Maya sighed, relieved. At least she wasn't bawling, or backing away slowly, or rocking back and forth, ready for the funny farm.
"So when were you planning on telling me all this, exactly?" Joss speared Maya with her baby blues.
"Never."
"Woah, way to go with the sensitivity, girl!" Joss cried, pretending to be offended.
"Look, this is hardly the sort of thing I wanted to tell either you or Ria. But now that Ria is possessed-"
"What? Who has possessed Ria?" Joss frowned.
"There are these demons called Rakshasas. They can take over a persons body." Joss stared at Maya then her eyes took on a faraway expression." Joss?"
"So these demons. When they take over a persons body do they have eyes like fire?" Joss was pale as she waited for Maya to answer."