The Silver Anklet (16 page)

“It failed,” said Kabir. His voice was flat. “We got the hyena instead of him. He has the luck of the devil.”

Zarku stood at the edge of the pit flanked by two hyenas and Kali, his face contorted with rage. His eyes swept the bushes around him and then back to the pit.

“Can't you bring him back to life?” said Kali. She took a quick look into the pit, wrinkled her nose in disgust and looked away.

“Are you mad, woman?” snapped Zarku with such vehemence that she took a step back. “How many times do I have to explain to you that in this weak body I have limited powers? Wait till I get another, more powerful, body and then see what I do. I'll kill anyone who crosses me and prevent Death from coming to those who serve me well. You'll be wise to remember that.”

“I only asked,” said Kali. Her tone was servile, her head bowed. But even from a distance Tara could see the slight curve of her lips as she smiled to herself, no doubt dreaming of the power and glory she would enjoy in Zarku's reign.

“Come out from wherever you're hiding. Now!” said Zarku.

This was it. They had killed his companion and now it was their turn. In spite of the growing fear in the pit of her stomach, Tara got a small measure of comfort from huddling together with her companions. No one moved.

“I know you all are close by,” said Zarku. “Come out now. If I have to come look for you, you're going to regret it. I'll count to ten and if you're not out by then …”

Tara looked at Ananth. He shook his head.

“One … two,” intoned Zarku.

“I think we should show ourselves,” whispered Raani. “If he works himself into a frenzy, there's no telling what he might do.”

“Stay,” said Ananth. “He said the same thing last time. He's just having fun scaring us.”

“Three, four, five,” said Zarku. “You're trying my
patience
!”

“Please,” said Tara, “let's just go and get it over with. If he lets the hyenas loose, they'll find us anyway.”

“He won't bother to squeeze in here, that's for sure,” said Vayu. “But the hyenas might. We should go.”

Zarku paced the edge of the pit, alternately looking at the hyena and then at the forest around him. His gaze slid past the clump of bushes where they hid and returned to it. Had he guessed where they were?

“Six, seven, eight,” yelled Zarku. “Last chance. Give up now and I might show some mercy.”

“Nine, te#8212;#8221;

Tara crawled out of the bushes before anyone could grab her again. She faced Zarku, trying to ignore the blood oozing from the numerous scratches on her arms and legs. “Here I am.”

“I'm not blind,” said Zarku. “Where are the others?

I told you, if you split up #8212;#8221;

“You want me,” said Tara. “You've got me. Why do you need the others?”

“Rule number one,” said Zarku, “you do not split up.

If you do, I win the game.” He came closer and stood in front of Tara. She got a good look at her brother's face.

Already it seemed different; hard and mean.

“We've not split up.” Ananth's voice boomed in Tara's ear. He came to stand beside her followed closely by the others.

“Ahhhh, there you all are,” said Zarku. “I thought you'd be far away from here, but I see that you've decided to be very smart. Not bad for
children
.”

“You wanted a game, you got it,” said Kabir. He spoke softly, slowly, and Tara glanced at him, trying to gauge just how high the fever was. His cheekbones jutted out at sharp angles and his cheeks looked hollow.

He seemed to have lost weight in the last twenty-four hours.

“Looks like
you
won't last very long,” said Zarku, looking Kabir up and down. “Good, one less for me to worry about.”

Tara wanted to fly at him. But she did nothing; she'd only be hurting Suraj.

“You killed my companion and for that you must pay!” said Zarku. “But first come and see the damage you've done.”

No one moved. Tara had no desire to see the skewered hyena.

“I said, come and see,” roared Zarku. He grabbed Tara's hand and dragged her to the edge of the pit. Tara dug her heels into the ground, but she was no match for an enraged Zarku.

Tara peered over the edge. The sight made her so sick and dizzy, she almost fell in herself. The largest of the hyenas was impaled on two stakes, a grotesque grin plastered on his face. The tips of the stakes glistened in the lamplight, wet and red.

“I only wish it had been you instead of the hyenas,” said Ananth. “You were the one who should have died.”

“Is that so?” said Zarku, a terrible smile twisting his features. “ATTACK!”

Before they realized what had happened, the hyenas were racing toward them.

“Run!” yelled Ananth.

They turned and fled. Tara felt a sense of déjà vu. The hot breath and the snapping of the teeth spurred her on as she ran blindly into the forest, Zarku's maniacal cackle filling the air. She tripped and fell. She heard Raani scream. There were growls, whoops, yells. Then silence.

“Bring them back here!” said Zarku.

Tara pushed herself off the ground and came face to face with a hyena. It herded her back toward Zarku and then trotted off. Within moments they were back where they had started — with a difference. Raani sat on the ground sobbing, holding her right leg. Her ghagra was soaked with blood. Her hands were bright red and a streak of blood was smeared across her forehead.

Tara ran to Raani and examined her leg. Her calf was a bloody mess of bites and torn, pulpy flesh. She turned to Zarku. “How could you?” she said in a choked voice.

“Are you completely mad?”

“You hurt my friend and I hurt yours,” he replied.

“At least she's not dead.”

Raani's face crumpled and she sobbed into Tara's shoulder. “It hurts so much, I can't bear it.”

“Shh, it's all right, Raani,” said Tara. “I'll put some salve on it and you'll be fine.” She hugged Raani, feeling her tremble violently.

“So now what?” asked Ananth.

“Look at all of you,” said Zarku. He circled the group slowly, deliberately. “Pathetic lot. Not even worthy of a simple game of hide-and-seek! I wish I'd had a better group to play with. But, what choice did I have? None!”

“Let's push them into the pit,” said Kali. “Do away with them once and for all.”

Tara never thought she could hate anyone more than Zarku, but at that moment, Kali topped the list. If only

Tara could push
her
into the pit, she would be willing to endure whatever Zarku had in mind for her.

“Shut up,” said Zarku. “I've told you before, intelli#8211;gence is not your strength. And when you lack something so basic, it's best not to let too many people know.”

Kali's face tightened and from past experience Tara knew that this would be the moment she would fly into a rage. Instead, Kali struggled to smile and even apologized to Zarku.

They waited. Tara tried to think of all the ways he would kill them, sure that they would be very painful. She would be the last to go and would have to endure the agony of seeing her friends die. Zarku stared at the dead hyena in silence. They stared at each other. Even time seemed to stand still.

“I'm too upset to think straight,” said Zarku. He looked as if he was about to cry. “I think I'll spare you all for one more night and kill you tomorrow, except Tara, of course. I have a special plan for her. You might as well stick around here. You don't stand a chance against me.”

Kali's face fell. Zarku walked away, the hyenas trotting behind him like obedient dogs.

His footsteps receded and the night was silent again. They hugged each other.

“He let us go,” said Ananth. A tired smile limped to his face and faded away. “We've survived for one more night.”

“Yes, but the plan failed,” said Kabir. “After all that work, we
failed
.” He slumped beside Raani. “Tomorrow is our last chance. What are we going to do now? I'm so tired.”

“We can't give up now,” said Ananth. “Not after we've survived this long. We have to kill him tomorrow or escape.”

Tara glanced into the pit again. The lantern gone, she could only make out the shape of the hyena in the moonlight, and the shining tip of the stake. The steady
drip, drip
from within made her sick.

“I can't do this, either,” said Tara. “I can't kill my own brother.” She stumbled away from the hideous stench of the dead hyena and the smell of blood that hung over them like a black cloud. She closed her eyes, trying to sort through her confused feelings. Zarku had escaped yet again and tomorrow they'd have to make another plan to hide from him or kill him. How many times did she have to go through this? She almost wished he had killed her today; at least she'd be out of her misery.

Unbidden, Lord Yama's advice came to mind:

Sometimes the right way is the most difficult, and the wrong
way, the easiest, most tempting. Make your choice wisely
.

Someone hugged her. Tara started. Raani had limped up to her, a trail of blood marking her path. “I know what you're going through and I'm sorry,” she said. “God knows, I wouldn't wish this decision on my worst enemy.”

Her words made Tara want to bawl. She gave Raani a small smile. Ananth, Kabir, and Vayu came up to her.

“Tara, Suraj is my brother, too,” said Ananth. “Don't you think this is just as hard for me? Don't you think I realize that to kill Zarku means to lose Suraj forever? But we have no choice.”

“We're doing the right thing, Tara,” said Vayu. “We have to.”

Tara nodded. “I know. I
know
. It's just that if Zarku had assumed any other form, I could have seen through to the evil inside but by using Suraj … he's been very smart. He knew how hard this would be for us, for anyone.” She wiped away the tears. “I'm trying, I really am. I didn't realize
how
hard it was going to be until he was at the edge of the pit. I don't know if I can go through it again.”

“If you really want to
see
someone,” said Vayu softly, “close your eyes.”

Tara stared at him. “What?”

“Close your eyes and think of Zarku,” said Vayu. “Go on, try it.”

Tara closed her eyes. Instantly an image sprang to mind; Zarku burning two Vetalas with his third eye. She still remembered their agonized shrieks as they had melted and her pulse raced. Her eyes snapped open again. If Zarku had stood in front of her at this moment, she would have killed him no matter what he looked like.

“I see what you mean,” said Tara. “But what about my brother? How can I watch him die? He's innocent.”

“Even if we win,” said Ananth, “I don't think Zarku is going to keep his word about Suraj. He won't be willing to vacate your brother's body till he gets another one. You heard him tell Kali that.”

Tara stared at him with blurred vision. Deep down in her heart she knew it was true and only now was she finally able to admit it.

“Zarku is never going to give Suraj back to me,” she said, looking around at all of them. “I've lost him already.”

They closed in on Tara and hugged her. She was numb. She thought of all the good times she had shared with Suraj, the games they'd played and the tears they had shed when Kali had made their lives miserable. He was a part of her and now she had to be strong enough to cut it off and destroy it.

“I think we could all do with some sleep,” said Ananth. “I don't think Zarku is coming back tonight, now that he has decided to keep us alive for one more day of enjoyment.”

In an unspoken agreement they all moved away from their failed trap, deeper into the forest. The moon was even thinner tonight. In another day or so, there would be no moon and no light. Hopefully they would have escaped by then.

Ananth led the way, with Raani limping behind him, her leg temporarily bound with her dupatta. Kabir followed Raani, shivering and coughing every few steps.

She and Vayu brought up the rear. They walked till they reached a clearing.

Once more Tara settled herself on the hard earth, twigs and pebbles digging into her skin. Tomorrow was the last day of their game. She pulled out the anklet and pressed the beaten silver to her cheek. It was cold.
Will
you help me when the time comes?
she asked, pressing the anklet harder against her cheek.
Will you?

A soft voice answered just as she fell into a deep and exhausted sleep.

Yes.

A soft groan woke her the next morning. A white-faced Raani was curled up into a tight ball. Tara immediately went to her.

“Don't,” screamed Raani the moment Tara touched her leg.

The scream woke everyone. Ananth jumped to his feet, his bow and arrow in hand. Kabir sat up weakly, brandishing his knife. Vayu lumbered to his feet, blinking in the bright sunlight.