“I will never become one of you,” I say through clenched teeth. “Never.”
“We’ll see,” he says softly. He turns back to the group. “Let us continue summoning the Nagaraja. I will restrain the girl.” The Naga begin chanting again and panic blooms in my chest. Gopal’s grip on me is like a vise, and no matter how I struggle, I can’t get away. And then I remember the dagger in my waistband. I stop fighting and let my body go limp. “Good girl,” Gopal says. Beyond the altar, from a round hole in the floor of the cavern, smoke begins to rise, and with it the musky smell of snake. The chanting grows louder, more urgent. Gopal’s grip relaxes as he begins to chant along with the other Naga. I twist my body slightly, pretending that I am as transfixed by the ritual as he is. I use my uninjured hand to reach for the dagger. Gopal looks at me, but I keep my eyes trained on the smoke.
“See?” he says. “Isn’t it wonderful?”
“I’m so sorry,” I tell him.
His eyes soften. “Oh, Marinda,” he says, his voice full of love. Because he thinks I am apologizing for resisting him, for not wanting the life he gave me, for loving Mani.
I give my body one last twist and plunge the dagger into Gopal’s heart. His eyes go wide with shock and betrayal as he stumbles backward. He touches his chest, and his fingers come away soaked in blood. He holds them up to his face and stares at them like he can’t quite make sense of what’s happening.
He reaches out a hand toward me, and I can’t tell if he’s beckoning me to come closer or pointing a finger of accusation. His mouth opens and closes, fishlike, but he’s not making a sound. He continues to stagger back until he’s pressed against the cave wall, until it’s the only thing holding him in place. His gaze lands on my face and stays fastened there.
My heart gives one slow beat and a moment of clarity shivers between us—the realization that, despite everything, he was only human and just as easily killed as any other man.
And then he slumps to the ground.
I run toward Mani and untie his hands. He throws his arms around my neck. “I love you,” he says.
I bury my face in the soft skin of his neck. “I love you too, monkey. I love you so much.”
I hear a collective gasp behind me and whip my head toward the smoke.
The Snake King has arrived.
My entire body goes rigid.
The Nagaraja makes even Kadru’s largest snake look no bigger than an earthworm. As he slinks from the hole in the rock, his head skims the top of the cavern—and that’s with at least half of his body still submerged beneath the ground. Fully stretched out, he must be at least as tall as the palace. His skin is snow white and his beady black eyes are the size of human fists. He seems to survey the crowd, until his gaze fixes on me and Mani. The Nagaraja lets out a hiss that makes my blood run cold. Huge droplets of yellow venom drip from his fangs and splat on the ground.
I’m vaguely aware of a commotion behind me, but I’m frozen in place with fear. The Nagaraja sways his head back and forth, dancelike, until our faces are level. His eyes are so shiny I can see my own reflection—all the terror and awe of it. And then a voice comes into my mind as clearly as if it were spoken out loud.
Daughter.
The weight of the word burrows into my mind and I can feel everything else slipping away, until there is nothing left but the Nagaraja.
I have been waiting for you.
My mind is foggy and I think maybe I’ve been waiting for him too. Or maybe I came here to find him?
I see you, Marinda.
And I feel him there in my mind. Looking, searching. He shakes his head and I can feel his disappointment.
You want all the wrong things. You desire love…but love only makes us stupid.
Love. The word nearly brings a face to my mind, and I turn my head—a young boy crying. An older boy nearby shouting my name. I feel like I should—
Look at me. My gaze swivels back to the Nagaraja and there I am again, reflected in his eyes.
You feel powerless.
Memories flood into my mind—finding out I killed the man with the balloon, watching my friend die after Gopal forced me to kiss him, lying helplessly in Kadru’s arms as the snakes infused me with their venom. No one has ever understood before, but I can feel the Nagaraja there in my mind sharing my pain. Yes. He does see me. He knows. He understands.
You are not powerless, Marinda. The blood of my children runs through your veins. If you serve me, I can make you more powerful than you ever dreamed possible. If you want love, I can make people love you. If you want money, you can have all you wish. Come to me and I will give you the world.
A vision fills my mind of all my life could be. I see myself sitting on a throne, dripping in jewels, surrounded by people who live to serve me. Power. Wealth. Love.