The Silver Anklet (21 page)

“Faster!” said Zarku. “You're slowing us down deliberately, Tara. I'm almost at the end of my patience.”

“I can't go any faster,” said Tara. “She's too heavy.”

Zarku whirled round, his face a mask of rage. “Then drop her or stop your whining,” he commanded. “We have to get to that cave before nightfall. If it does not happen tonight, I'll have to wait another fortnight — and I will not allow that.”

“So tell that fat lump to help me,” said Tara. She jerked her head toward Kali, who also looked winded.

“If we took turns carrying Sadia, it might help.”

“Rubbish,” said Kali. “I'm not going to hold her.”

“You might as well kill me now,” said Tara, “because I can't go on and I'm not leaving Sadia.”

“Let the hyenas eat her,” said Kali. “We don't need her anyway, do we?”

“We don't need you, either,” said Zarku in a cold voice. “Maybe they can start with you?”

Kali blanched. “You could help, you know,” she said in a soft voice. “You're the only one who's not carrying anything.”

Zarku came right up to Kali and though he had to look up to speak to her there was no doubt about who was in charge. “You speak to me disrespectfully even once more, Kali, and I will kill you on the spot.”

He came up to Tara next. She looked into his face, focusing on the crease on his forehead that was deeper.

“If you slow me down or stop me once more, Tara, you will lose Sadia. I will tie you up first and then let the hyenas feast on her while you watch. Understand?”

Tara saw the image clearly in her mind and something inside her snapped.

“No, I don't understand,” screamed Tara. “I will
never
understand your deliberate cruelty!”

She put Sadia on the ground, grabbed Zarku and shook him till his teeth rattled. He was so surprised that he made no attempt to resist. His head jerked back and forth with each shake that grew progressively rougher.

“Is there not even a shred of humanity in you?” she shrieked. “How can you talk of letting a hyena rip apart an innocent
child
? You've taken one life already. How many more will it take to satisfy you? YOU MONSTER!”

Zarku was limp in her hands as she shook him like a duster. He stared up at her just like Suraj did when she scolded him.

Tara stopped and looked deep into his eyes that had lost a bit of their hardness. “Suraj,” she said. “If you're in there, listen to me. You've already lost your best friend Rohan to this monster and the hyenas. They killed him. They'll kill Sadia next. Unless you can stop it, somehow. Only
you
can fight Zarku. Resist him! Can you hear your sister? Give me a sign if you do.” She shook him so hard that he stumbled and fell to the ground, hitting his head against a stone.

“Owww.”

Tara picked him up, aghast at the spot of blood on his temple. He looked dazed.

“Didi?” he said in a tremulous voice. His eyes were moist.

Her heart soared. “Suraj?” said Tara. “You
heard
me! Can you fight this monster within you? It's your body, you must take it over. You must.”

A tear slid down his cheek. “Didi, I'm scared. What should I do? Someone's smothering me, choking me from the inside. It feels like … like I'm in a dark room and I can't get out. Help me!”

“Oh Suraj, be strong. You must resist him. Don't do what he tells you. Do just the opposite. I'm right here beside you. I'll help.”

Suraj nodded and held his arms open. Tara embraced him, feeling his small shoulders heave and his body tremble. She had gotten through to her brother; now they had a fighting chance. Maybe if Suraj listened to her, she could get him to come to Morni with her. They might defeat Zarku, yet!

“Don't cry, Suraj, it's all right. Listen to me,” she said, pulling away from him. She stopped. He was laughing so hard that tears rolled down his cheeks.

“Suraj …?”

“That was so much fun,” gasped Zarku. He rolled on the ground, clutching his stomach, roaring with laughter.

“You were playing with me all along?” she breathed.

Goosebumps rose on her skin; she had hugged this evil being once again. She shuddered and drew back.

“You needed a break and I needed a laugh,” said Zarku. He sat up and wiped his eyes on the sleeve of his kurta.
“Listen to me, Suraj. Be strong, resist him, resist the
evil madman,
” he mimicked in a high-pitched voice.

At that moment Tara hated what her brother had become— a puppet to something so evil that it had taken over his very soul. It was getting harder and harder to believe that she would ever get her brother back and if she ever did, the shadow of Zarku would always linger.

“I'll say this one last time,” said Zarku. “Suraj can't hear you. Not until I leave his body. And the condition I leave it in will depend entirely on you. Don't try to slow me down, Tara. You'll regret it.”

He dusted the mud off his clothes and started off at a fast trot.

Tara tasted bile at the back of her throat and swallowed. The trees seemed to crowd in on her, lowering their thick canopy of leaves, trying to trap her in a green airless box.

It was useless. She was going to die. Sadia was weak and after she was gone, Zarku would not hesitate to kill her, too. And Suraj — who knew what condition his mind would be in when Zarku left his body. She should give up right now. It was completely hopeless.

You've never given up before, Tara. I'm with you.
Trust me. Trust yourself
.
Pick up Sadia. Let's go.

The soft melodious voice was so clear, as if someone had whispered in her ear.

With a deep sigh, Tara stood up and picked up Sadia. There was no doubt now that fear had driven her mad.

Yet this was an odd kind of madness, surely. In her deep desolation, the voice gave a tiny bit of courage.

— nineteen —
Into the Cave

T
he ground had been dipping steadily over the past hour and it was a lot easier walking downhill with Sadia.

Dusk was almost upon them once again. The path became rockier, the trees more sparse.

Zarku moved faster. Weighed down with Sadia, Tara almost stumbled over loose pebbles underfoot as she tried to keep up. They entered a deep gully. Grassy banks of forest covered with thick, straggly tree roots rose on either side. Daylight and the forest were fast disappearing as they descended, and if Zarku carried out his plan, she would never see any of this again.

“Come on, come on,” muttered Zarku. All playfulness was gone from his voice. “Almost there. We have to be ready by midnight.”

Kali panted as she tried to keep up. Tara lagged behind, breathing in the night air, knowing it was the last time.

“Here we are,” said Zarku. His voice quivered with excitement. “I haven't seen this place in such a long time.”

They stood before a large cave, partially covered by vines. Zarku immediately fell to his knees and touched his forehead to the ground. Tara was so tempted to kick his bottom, which pointed straight up at her. She caught Kali's eye and decided not to. Besides, the hyenas were too close for comfort.

Within moments Zarku was back on his feet. “Onward!” he cried. “We're almost there. Aren't you happy, Tara? In just a few hours you'll be free of Sadia and this cumbersome earthbound form.”

Tara was too tired to reply. She was ready to follow Zarku anywhere if it meant she could sit down and rest for a short while. Her legs trembled. Her shoulders and arms were frozen. If she unclasped her hands for even a moment, she knew she wouldn't be able to lift Sadia again.

“Give me the lantern,” said Zarku. “Quick now, we still have a ways to go.”

Kali fumbled with the bundle, cursing and swearing, and finally extracted the lantern. Zarku snatched it from her, lit it, and hurried into the cave.

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.