by T. G. Ayer
Ria gasped and Maya doused her fire, cursing her stupidity. How much longer is she going to be able to hide this from her friend? "What was that?"
"A torch. I tried to light it but it went out. Hang on you guys. I'll get it to work." Maya had seen a metal drum containing half a dozen torches at the entrance of the room.
But, before she could move toward the doorway a subtle light caught her eye. It shimmered in the distance, near the far wall, the light almost fluorescent. Maya walked toward it, and felt Nik beside her.
"You can see it?" he whispered.
She didn't reply, just moved until she stood beside a pedestal, large enough to bear the body of a man. It stood between two columns. Torches hung over the pedestal, ready to provide light to view this beautiful object.
But Maya didn't need the light at all.
Gandiv glowed.
The golden bow gave off a bluish fiery light that flickered and undulated across the surface of the weapon.
"Wow," she said softly as she reached out and touched the bow. The metal felt warm to her touch and when she removed her hand she stared at her fingers presuming it would glow too, almost expecting the blue fire to be some kind of strange glowing residue.
But it was all the bow.
"Maya?" Joss's voice filtered toward them, bringing Maya back to reality. She turned and slowly made her way past the group with Nik close behind her.
She felt her way forward using the tiniest bit of light, ensuring it faced away from the Ria. She reached the pot and grabbed two torches, lighting them quickly with fire from her palm.
She returned as the torches sputtered and spat, getting brighter and burning more fiercely as she reached the group. She handed one torch to Joss and the other to Ria, wanting to ensure her both her own hands were free just in case.
Maya glanced at Nik. "The bow?"
He nodded and pointed to the far end of the room for the whole group to see. The entire space seemed to have been created to store or display objects of value. The four walls contained alcoves filled with items that looked, at a glance, to be extremity old. Floor-to-ceiling stone supports beams dotted the floor providing even more space for alcoves and artifacts. At the very end of the hall an are opened up, uninterrupted by columns.
Again, Maya stood before Shiva's bow, this time with the light of the torches to show her the true beauty of the bow.
Joss and Ria gasped while Archana looked on in silence. Clearly Gandiv was wasted on her.
"Right. No point in wasting any more time," said Nik as he reached for the bow. "The sooner we get it and get out, the better for us all."
Maya nodded and waited like the rest of the group as Nik gripped the bow. He strained to move it, the muscles in his neck bulging with the effort.
"It's not moving." He let go of the bow and gasped for breath. He held on to the edge of the table and gathered his strength. His jaw tightened as he looked at the bow and Maya sensed he was frustrated at his failure.
Archana moved closer. "There are only a few people who have the ability to lift the bow. And even then only one person has the power to string and shoot the bow itself."
Maya met her gaze. "You mean an avatar?" At her nod Maya said, "Well that's fine because we don't need to use it as a weapon. We just need to carry it out of here."
"And what if nobody can lift it?" asked the Apsara, an eyebrow raised pointedly.
Maya was stumped. She glanced at Nik. "Can't you just transport it out of here?"
He shook his head. "Not unless I can carry it. Myself."
"Right, I guess we all need to try our hands at lifting it," she said.
"Me first," said Joss nudging Maya out of the way.
Maya stood beside Ria, watching Joss put her hands beneath each limb of the bow. She flexed her fingers, opening them wide, then closing them over the rounded limb. She rocked slowly from one foot to the next then pulled with all her strength. As with Nik, Maya could see the amount of strength Joss put behind her attempt. Her spine was stiff, the muscles in her neck dangerously tight.
But she also failed to lift the bow even one hairs-breadth off the stone table.
Joss sighed, her shoulders slumping. She stepped back disappointed. At that moment Maya glanced up, straight at Archana and she didn't miss the look of triumph on the girl's face. What was the Apsara up to and where did her loyalties truly lie?
Joss's spoke softly beside her. "Sorry, Maya. No can do." Joss folded her arms, her face still red from her effort, red too from her failure.
Maya patted her shoulder and stepped toward the table. And stared at the bow. This was it. She was their last option. She glanced up at Nik who had moved to the opposite side of the table to watch her. He gave her an encouraging nod.
Maya took a deep breath and moved to rest her hips against the stone table. Her heart knocked against her ribs, an ominous thudding stirring dread in veins. What if she couldn't lift it? If she failed they were pretty much doomed. But she had to try because there was always a chance that she would be able to lift it. Shiva wouldn't have asked her to come if she couldn't even move the bow.
Her hands shook as she placed them beneath each of the bow's limbs, the way Joss had done. She gripped the bow tightly and lifted, putting all her strength behind it. The bow moved and Maya stumbled back a foot, straight into Joss and Ria. If it hadn't been for them she would have landed flat on her ass.
She froze when she looked down at the bow in her hands. Even though she hadn't expected to move the huge bow of Rama herself, she'd managed to carry it so easily, as if it didn't weight more than her handbag.
The room remained silent as they all stared at Maya and the golden bow she now held in her shaking hands.
"How did you do that?" asked Archana. Her voice held a sharp, almost accusatory, note to it that made all eyes snap to her face.
"What do you mean, Archana?"
The Apsara didn't get the chance to answer. The ground shuddered and began to move, tilting precariously. Maya bent at the knees, trying to maintain her balance while holding tightly onto the bow. Despite her efforts she began to slide along the steep incline.
The entire floor beneath the long table that had so recently held the bow, had shifted. And now, one end of it opened like a ramp sending all five intruders tumbling into the dense blackness below.
Chapter 41
They tumbled over each other and landed in a confused heap.
Maya pushed to her feet, careful of Ria and Joss who sat stunned on the cold stone. "You guys hurt?" she asked as she glanced up at the booby trapped floor. Her heart sank as it began to slowly lift, shutting them inside the trap.
"We're fine," said Joss standing and dusting herself off.
Archana got to her feet too, and stared with frustration at the slowly closing trapdoor. She sighed, annoyed as she glanced around, as darkness engulfed her.
"Look at what you did," Archana whined from somewhere in the dark. Maya could no longer see her face to judge what the girl was thinking. All Maya knew was they now had a viper in their midst and they had to be careful. She distrusted the Apsara now more than ever.
And Maya's patience had also worn thin. "How was I supposed to know the floor was rigged? That's something you should have told us." Maya flung the accusation at the Apsara knowing she had a valid point.
"I didn't know anything about the trap," Archana answered defensively but something in the girl's voice made Maya wonder if she really didn't know. Had she been aware she certainly would have kept far enough away from the trick floor so as not to get caught when it slid open. That would make sense as to why she was so pissed off.
A movement beside her alerted her to Nik's presence. "We need light," he whispered in her ear.
Maya nodded, reaching out to create a ball of fire but Nik beat her to it. Half a breath later a ball of white fire floated two inches above his outstretched palm.
Maya glared at him until Ria spoke. "What the hell is that?" asked Ria, staring at Ni
k open palm. She frowned as her eyes followed the floating ball.
Nik cleared his throat. "Sorry I didn't want to spook you earlier so I let Maya find the torches instead."
Ria's eyebrows shot into her hairline. "You can make fire too?"
"Just a little. I know a few people who are much more powerful than I am," Nik said, a smile curving his lips as he glanced at Maya.
"So what now?" Ria asked. She seemed to accept his powers with such ease that Maya began to wonder if she'd soon get hysterical from the overload. "Can't you just teleport us out of here?"
Nik nodded. "I could take you and Joss out but I won't be able to move Maya while she has the bow. I can only transport what I am able to carry myself."
Maya stared at him, realizing slowly what that meant. If they wanted the bow they needed to find another way for her to get out of there with the bow in her possession.
Easier said than done.
Her concern was interrupted but the beeping of her phone. She tugged it out of her pocket and nodded to herself. "Mom and Dad have arrived. They're about ten minutes away from the hotel."
"Good," said Nik. "Then I can take Ria straight to the hotel room. I'll take Joss first though. We can't chance leaving Ria alone at any point." Joss looked about to protest but then she closed her mouth. With the Apsara watching Maya couldn't talk to either one of her friends.
Nik held out his hand and waited until Joss grabbed hold. Then he tensed, ready to teleport out of the trap with Joss and return moments later for Ria.
Nothing happened.
Maya waited longer for Nik to disappear and for his light to go out, but still nothing happened. Nik frowned, his confusing only enhanced by the strange bobbing light of his fire.
"What's wrong?" Maya asked, stepping closer to him.
"I can't seem to move out of here," he said frowning and staring at his body as if the explanation lay somewhere in his flesh.
Maya glanced at Archana. "Can't you get out of here too?"
"I can but I won't leave you here alone. Who knows what could happen to you or to the bow."
"Why do you care what happens to the bow. Thakkur won't be in control of you much longer."
"I want to make sure that the bow is returned to its owner."
"That's what I am doing," said Maya. She stiffened wondering what it was that the Apsara was trying to do. "And of course you will get credit for helping us return it if that's what's worrying you."
"I'm not worried about that," she said then turned to examine the cell.
"Then at least try to get out of here. We need to know if there is a reason Nik can't teleport out." Maya's tone made it clear that it wasn't a request but her words seemed to have the required effect on the Apsara. Archana nodded giving Maya a cool glare before she lowered her eyelids, ready to transport herself out of the cell.
Nothing happened.
Archana opened her eyes shaking her head. "It didn't work," she said in disbelief. She stared at her hands in much the same way as Nik had done, then stiffened her muscles as if trying to make another jump. Again she relaxed, frustrated. "It's not working. I'm stuck here too." She growled her anger and glared at the trapdoor above. "This is not supposed to happen."
Nik frowned at Archana's outburst then drew closer to Maya. "We need to get out of here," he said, keeping an eye on Joss and Ria. He walked with Maya the few feet toward the stone wall.
"But how?" Maya asked. "These walls are solid rock." She placed a palm on the stone and felt the age-old solidity of it against her skin.
"You can get through it. Think about your fire," Nik urged softly.
"You mean blast a hole through the wall?" she whispered watching Ria and the Apsara over Nik's shoulder. "But that would reveal what I am to Ria. And to Archana." The latter of the options was the most distasteful.
"We have to take that chance, Maya. It's not as if Archana can leave, even if we asked her to."
"Yeah. She seems to have some kind of agenda that she's not sharing. And I don't trust her at all," she sighed and glanced up at Nik. "Keep your enemies close and all that?"
"I agree." He peered over his shoulder and they both saw that Archana was watching them, a bold challenge in her eyes. He turned back to Maya. "And Ria? Well, someday Ria will have to find a way to deal with the truth about you. And you don't have any choice if someday happens to be today."
Maya considered Nik's words. Ria had already seen Nik teleport, and seen him produce fire from his palms. Despite the tightness in Maya's stomach, she knew she had little choice but to do whatever she could to save them. She would have to deal with the consequences later. "Fine. No time like the present." She glanced at the bow. "I'd love to let you carry the bow but you'll understand if I don't."
"Very funny, Maya." Then he faced the wall. "Let's do it together. I can give you some fire power, But the full power will come from you."
Maya nodded and hefted the bow over her shoulder. The string sang as she moved it against the fabric of her clothing. With Gandiv secure she held her hands out, palms facing the wall. Nik's ball of fire puffed out plunging the room into darkness for a moment. Together, both Nik and Maya sent out individual blasts of fire, focusing the two streams on one point. Heat rushed into the rock and soon the stone wall began to shimmer.
Maya heard the Ria's gasp of shock behind her, and like a coward hoped that Joss would give her a quick explanation before she had to face the music. Especially, since she needed to focus her attention on the wall. She was beginning to tire. Beads of perspiration dripped down her back and her arms began to shiver with the effort.
The glow from the dual fires lit up Nik's profile and she saw he was tiring too, and not for the first time she realized how much more powerful she was then her demigod boyfriend. She'd always assumed he had more power than she did but looking at him now she accepted how wrong she'd been. Just a short time of concentrated power seemed to have stripped Nik of all his energy. He looked about ready to fall flat on his face and that made Maya worry. What was this going to do to him?
Her concern for Nik's wellbeing strengthened Maya's resolve and she focused her attention back on the stone wall. Cracks had begun to appear, slowly widening and filling with glowing molten rock.
The concentrated heat had melted the rock into lava.
Maya didn't expect it when the wall finally flew apart, the explosion sending her flying three feet back and pelting them with rocks of every size. Maya had landed on her butt, fire still spurting from her palms, lighting the room. A rock flew past Maya's face and her eyes widened to see that it was bigger than her head. Just one inch to the left and it would have done major damage to her face.
As the last bits of rock and dust fell, Nik touched Maya's arm and her fire sputtered out. With a sofa sigh she regenerated a small ball of flame and pushed it away, allowing it to hover in front of her.
"Are you alright?" Nik asked, his forehead scrunched with lines of concern. When she nodded he put his arm around, helping her to her feet. "We should go. Who knows if Thakkur's men heard the explosion. We need to get out of here fast."
Maya got to her feet, scanning the room for Archana and her friends. The Apsara rose from the dust untouched by the explosion, except for a patch of soot on her cheek which made her look mysterious and a little dangerous. Maya snorted silently. She knew exactly what she herself looked like. A mess. She had a hope in hell of pulling off any kind of disaster and emerge from it looking anything like a goddess.
A few feet from Archana, Joss stood with an arm around Ria who looked a little shell-shocked, what seemed to be her most recent look of choice. Maya beckoned the girls who hurried to her immediately. Now steady on her feet, Maya followed Nik out of the cell with her friends and the Apsara following close behind her. Lit by Maya's hovering flame-ball, the corridor outside appeared no different to the one that led to the room full of artefact's and Maya was uncertain of which way to go.
"Just pick one and move," Nik urged and Maya was
off and running to her left. The bow sang at her shoulder but she didn't miss a breath. Neither did she miss a heartbeat.
Adrenalin pulsed through her body and she sped down the tunnel, listening to the sound of her friends following her, trusting her choice. She paused only when they came to an intersection of tunnels. Here the walls had a film of moisture and seemed darker towards the bottom. The stone floor also seemed more moist than the rest of the tunnels they had already come through.
Still unsure of which route to take Maya followed her instinct.
Chapter 42
They jogged along the tunnels, deeper and deeper into the bowels beneath the ancient temple. The further they went, the more water surround them and soon the walls began to weep. Dull green moss clung to the corners of slick stones and the temperature began to drop so low that Maya shivered.
She needed warmth.
Her skin was moist and clothing damp. Her hair clung to her face in wet tendrils. She glanced at Nik but he seemed focused and unaffected by the cold. Archana hurried up behind them and made the journey looking like she was ready to walk down the runway. Only Joss and Ria looked like how Maya felt.
Cold and miserable.
Maya clenched her jaw to prevent it from chattering. How useless was she. She'd blasted her way through a wall of solid stone but she was about to freeze to death before she returned the bow to Lord Shiva.
Then she wanted to laugh.
Fire.
Maya shook her head and forgot to shiver. She called her fire from her solar plexus and sent streams of it to her fingers and toes, allowing the heat to simmer at the surface of her skin.
And just like that she was warm.
Now that she was comfortable Maya could focus a little better. She turned and waved Joss and Ria forward. "Hold my hand," she said opening both her palms and waiting for them to take a hold of them. Joss took a hand without hesitation but Ria frowned, then met Maya's gaze. "It's okay Ria. I'm going to try to get you warm. I'll send my fire into you, just enough to take the cold away so you can keep moving."