Sparkling sunshine framed us in its light from the cracks in the ceiling. Turning, I examined the place in which we stood. I recognized it from pictures. “It’s the temple of Durga,” I said. “This is the first one.”
Ana strode through the space, examining the pillars. I noticed her footprints disappeared in the dust after she lifted her foot. Mine did as well. I wasn’t sure if she’d purposely arranged for that to happen or if it was a natural thing that came with her power. It reminded me of when the camel tracks disappeared in the past. She traced a hand over the smooth terra-cotta columns, purposely ignoring me.
“Wait,” I said. “Something’s wrong.” I spun around in a slow circle, trying to see what was missing. “The columns are blank. They should be filled with clues about the things that will happen on each of our journeys. The first quest should be here,” I said, pointing to a pillar. “The one with the shark over here. On that one is the City of Light and this one should have the Silvanae.” I slapped a hand on the back of my neck. “I supposed I can go get pictures from Kadam’s library. He took lots of photos…”
Ana shook her head. “That will not be necessary.”
Her body briefly phased as she closed her eyes, then, with a whoosh of her left hand, sand erupted from the pillar, and light glowed from within as the carvings I’d seen on photos materialized exactly as I remembered them, down to the last detail. She waved a hand over the second pillar, and I smelled the flowers that had been wound in Kelsey’s hair by the fairies.
At the third, I caught the scent of the sea, and the fourth quickly materialized into the Lords of the Flame and qilin. The tang of sulfur and a blast of heat assaulted me. I was studying a rakshasa demon on the recently completed fourth column when a brilliant light blasted a fifth pillar Ana had been working on. It was powerful enough to throw her across the room. I ran to her side quickly. “Are you okay?” I asked, kneeling at her side.
There was a gash on her arm and red powder covered her limbs and hair. “Bruised but not broken,” she said as her eyes took in the destruction.
“The fifth column,” I mused. “Kadam said I shouldn’t worry about how it was destroyed.” I bit my lip. “Did you…did you see anything?”
She glanced up at me. “Some. I recognized us as goddess and tiger with all the weapons. We were charging into a battle.” Ana touched a fingertip to the gleaming snake armband. “I saw the death and birth of Fanindra. Me talking with Nilima at the temple. The creation of the Cave of Kanheri and Kishkindha. Once it got to that point, a veil of darkness clouded my vision, and though I know I finished the carving, I was not allowed to see it. When it was complete, a power destroyed it. That’s all I know.”
“I wonder if we did that,” I said softly.
She shook her head. “It would be too dangerous. We would encounter ourselves.”
I nodded. Both of us knew there was only one other person with a motive and with the power to destroy the pillar. “It was him, wasn’t it?” I asked.
“It makes sense,” she said with a sigh.
Reaching out my hand, I offered to help her up, but she pointedly ignored me and got up on her own.
“Anything else?” she asked.
Rubbing my cheek, I frowned and glanced around. “I think that’s it. No. Wait. There was a hidden handprint exposed by an earthquake. There’s one in each temple.”
Approaching the statue, Ana touched her hand to the stone and looked my way, waiting for me to do the same. I slid my hand on top of hers and our eyes locked. Ana, I said in her mind. I don’t want to fight. Tell me what’s wrong. Let me share your pain, the way you shared mine. I stepped closer, pressing my body against hers. Ana didn’t answer me but she didn’t move away either. With our hands touching, she sped us through time. Centuries passed in a blur. I was transfixed by the light playing across her features until, too soon, the light slowed.
I was about to speak when, at that moment, we heard a cheerful, piping voice. It was unmistakably Kelsey. Ana stiffened and moved back abruptly, waving a hand to cover the print with stone. I thought she liked Kelsey. It didn’t make sense that she was so upset about seeing her again. But I could sense her resentment rising in waves. She hadn’t been that way at Kelsey’s wedding. As close as we were, I couldn’t understand what she was going through.
Ana mumbled some words, and the power of the wind lifted all the dust from her body and clothing and swept it away. Just before Kelsey entered the temple with Ren as a tiger at her feet, she shifted us in time so we phased out of view. Again, I took care to shield my scent and wipe it from the temple so Ren couldn’t detect my presence.
Kelsey came close and I was going to move but Ana took hold of my arm and shook her head. Kelsey walked right through us. She shivered but, other than that, took no notice. They made their way over to the statue of Durga and her tiger. It was old and had already been in the temple. We followed them quietly, our footsteps magically disappearing in the sand.
“I guess she had a tiger to protect her too, huh, Ren?” Kelsey said. “What do you think Mr. Kadam expects we will find here? More answers? How do we get her blessing?”
Kelsey walked around the statue, brushing off the grit, a futile gesture considering the dust resettled almost the instant her hand moved away. Ren just flicked his tail back and forth, oblivious to the dust clinging to his fur, his eyes fixed on Kelsey. She sat down and kept up the chatter as she thought through the situation out loud.
I sighed with impatience. Just look up, I thought. The answer is right there.
Finally, she stood, tracing the carving. “Hey, Ren,” Kelsey said, “what do you think that is in her hand?”
Ren changed into his human form. I leaned my shoulder against the statue, watching the play-by-play between them. That he was already in love with her at that point was obvious. He had it bad. They talked through how to make an offering, left to get food from Kadam, who waited somewhere outside, and then they finally began the process of invoking the blessing of the goddess.
It took them several moments to locate a bell, and I panicked for a moment, thinking we’d forgotten one, but Ana waved her hand and one appeared on a shelf. When they approached the statue again, I stepped back, giving them a wide berth. Ana watched the whole process with interest. There wasn’t a trace of the boredom I felt showing on her face.
“I think you should be the one to make the offering, Kells,” Ren said. “You are the favored one of Durga, after all.”
They went back and forth a bit about religion. I glanced at Ana when Ren admitted he didn’t worship Durga, but she didn’t seem to care about that one way or another. When Kelsey talked about her lack of faith since the death of her parents, I flinched. I’d been there. Could have saved them. I didn’t though. At the time, I’d thought I’d go back and fix it. Now I wasn’t so sure. If her parents lived, she probably never would have worked at the circus. Never would have met me or Ren.
I snorted when Ren waxed poetic about a good power in the universe. As far as I knew, the only power in the universe was us. I certainly didn’t feel worthy enough to be a god. Ana, though, Ana was different. Even now, she watched them with a beatific smile on her face. Almost like she was a pleased parent, all traces of her prior resentment gone. I shifted uncomfortably, thinking perhaps it was me she resented and not Kells.
They began cleaning the statue and when Ana stepped aside, I did too. She used the power of the wind to help keep the dust at bay. When they were done, they set down the offering and rang the bell. Ren said, “Durga, we come to ask your blessing on our quest. Our faith is weak and simple. Our task is complex and mystifying. Please help us find understanding and strength.”
Kelsey’s voice was shaking, like she was nervous. “Please help these two princes of India. Restore to them what was taken.”
Anamika glanced up at me. She gave me a small smile.