Nine: Vengeance of the Warrior (11 page)

He needed to warn the Nine to maintain a low profile. He shook his head when he thought of Akash. That boy was going to be the weakness of the Nine. Tara and Zubin were careful but these days it was possible to catch any superhuman activity with the tiniest of cameras. He had to inform the councillors.

A call on his private mobile got him out of his seat and on his feet. ‘Yes?’

‘The location in Ujjain has been discovered. The evidence has been observed by an outsider.’ It was one of the councillors.

‘How can that have happened? You have the minders in place.’

‘Yes. But it seems this person had knowledge. The protectors were able to scare her away before she took photos.’

‘No one knows about this particular location. The area is a tourist attraction, nothing to see other than the temples.’

‘Yes, but the individual knew the location was the ashram. Our master—he is one of the ancients—claimed it is a sign. The voodoo killings that happened are also a sign.’

‘Sign of what?’ Raakin felt a cold sensation creep up his back.

‘That the spirit will rise again.’

Raakin closed his eyes and wished that they could change the direction of destiny.

‘And another thing.’

‘What?’

‘The senior councillor says this individual, this woman who found the evidence, will be of use to us.’

‘What did he mean?’

‘The destinies intertwine.’

‘In a bad way?’

‘No, in fact, useful.’

That was unusual. An outsider, other than himself, involved with the Nine. ‘Who is this person?’

‘Our people have identified the woman as Anita Nair from Mumbai.’

Raakin sat down, shocked. ‘I was just reading that name in the surveillance reports. She has been through every data on the possibility of the existence of the Nine.’

‘Shall I talk to her? Find out what she’s looking for?’

‘Not yet. We have her under our watch.’

‘I will dig out information. She may have some connection to the Nine.’

10

Tejaswi

Siem Reap

Traffic was in a deadlock. The fifteen-minute drive was taking longer than expected. Added to it, the persistent honking created a jarring cacophony.

‘You said fifteen minutes from the airport,’ she pointed out impatiently.

The driver glanced back at her with some embarrassment. ‘It is rare, must be a burst water pipe or something. There is a diversion,’ he said, looking ahead. Then, looking at her, he asked, ‘Madam, your eye? What happened?’

He had noticed the eyepatch. She could make out that he was trying to strike up a conversation. This was also a question she got asked all the time. ‘I was in a school play and some of the plastic knives were sharp. One of the kids accidentally hit me in the eye with one of them.’

‘I’m sorry,’ he said.

Tejaswi waved her hand. ‘It’s nothing, really.’

‘You come to see the temples?’

Well, obviously, who would come here otherwise?
She nodded.

He looked at her in the rear-view mirror. ‘You must call my brother. He will guide you.’ He slipped her a card.

Tejaswi took it from him, glanced at the wrinkled note and placed it in her handbag.

The driver honked a few times and soon the cars started to move at a snail’s pace. ‘The temples are magical and older than this world,’ he said enthusiastically. He didn’t have to sell the site to her, she was going anyway. He continued, ‘If you have wish, you can go to the temple and you touch the stone idols and pray for your wish to come true. Many people say that it comes true. My brother will take you to the special temple with the powerful deity.’

‘Thank you,’ Tejaswi responded. She only had one wish.

The traffic was speeding up. The driver got the car in gear and followed the narrow diverted route, heading out on a muddy path through the fields. Her phone buzzed. ‘Yes?’ she snapped.

Tejaswi listened quietly. Eyes closed, and leaning back, she responded succinctly. ‘Yes, I’m fine.’

‘Where are you?’ Anita demanded.

Tejaswi didn’t want to reveal the truth. ‘Out of town.’

‘I get that,’ she sounded exasperated.

Good, maybe she will just leave me alone
. Ever since Tejaswi had confided in Anita, she had been hounding her to publish the story of the injustice against her and her father.

‘Listen, Anita, please leave me alone. I’m fine, okay?’

There was a pause. ‘I was worried about you, Tejaswi. It’s not about the story, I won’t publish it; it’s you I am concerned about.’

‘Why?’ Tejaswi asked coldly. ‘I’m nobody to you. We only just met a few months ago.’

‘Okay Tej, if that’s the way you prefer, I won’t bother you any more. But when you return, send me a text message so I know you’re fine. Okay?’

Silence.

‘Okay?’ Anita repeated.

Tejaswi nodded her head. ‘Okay. I will text you.’

‘Listen, I know you are mad and all that. But you don’t have to take it out on me. I’m just being nice. I’m not going to call you again.’

Tejaswi felt cornered. ‘I’m sorry. I will be in touch once I’m back. I’m just … in the middle of something. Thanks.’ And she snapped the phone shut. Leaning against the window, she felt lousy. Anita was a genuinely good person and it was rare to find friends like her, especially the ones who cared. However, at this stage, Tejaswi couldn’t afford to get close to anyone. Her life was going to change and she didn’t want Anita to get hurt in the process. She sighed and turned her attention to the green fields zipping past.

It was mid-afternoon but the sky had darkened to the colour of lead. Drops of rain snaked down her window, giving a distorted view of the world outside. They were passing a thicker patchwork of fields and traffic was minimal. The ride was taking longer than expected. Maybe the driver had other intentions, like robbing and stabbing her before shoving her into a ditch. The torture of physical pain was better than living with nightmares that left her smashing things around the house in the middle of the night. Good thing she lived alone, no one to see her suffer. She lived for only one reason—to kill Karl and have her revenge. But not yet. The Ojaa witch had given her a power and, with the spirit, she would be able to utilize it. She would turn into a woman with superhuman strength, nothing less would satisfy her.

Tejaswi gazed out. Through the rain-slivered window she saw a figure in the distance, indistinct in the mist. It seemed like a man; covered in black, he just stood there by the side of the road, dead still. The driver didn’t seem to notice the stranger by the kerb. Tejaswi stared at the still figure as their car approached. All of a sudden, the stranger stepped off the kerb right in front of the approaching car. ‘Watch out!’ Tejaswi yelled.

The driver screeched to a halt. ‘What? Why?’

Tejaswi’s heart hammered. ‘Didn’t you see that man come in front of the car?’ she shouted.

The driver shook his head. ‘Where? There’s no one there.’

Tejaswi looked around. There was indeed no one. The road was deserted. The fields were empty. She hesitated; hand on the door lever.
Should she step outside to investigate?
The clouds rumbled ominously. A sharp crack of lightning streaked the horizon. Tejaswi’s heart pounded unusually hard. She looked out of the window on the other side, searching for that black figure. Nothing.

‘What is the matter?’ the driver asked.

‘I thought I saw something …’ she mumbled. ‘A man walked right in front of the car.’
Was it a sign of the spirit?
she wondered.

The driver narrowed his eyes warily and quickly stroked the wooden prayer beads strung from the rear-view mirror. He touched his chest and muttered some words. ‘Sometimes some people experience strange things in our ancient land. Many people have strange sightings. It’s a new moon tonight and more odd things can happen. We believe there are spirits that come out and roam. You be careful.’

Tejaswi scoffed. ‘I’m not afraid of ghosts.’

‘You better be. They take over your body and mind. They possess you and you will never be free of them.’

She was quiet. The man was serious and as he spoke, he clutched the holy beads dangling from his mirror.

‘I think you have a spirit after you. My sister-in-law knows about all this; she will remove the ghost who wants to trap you.’ He turned to look at her with a bright smile, card in hand.

Tejaswi shook her head. ‘It’s okay. I’m fine. Just tired.’

He shrugged and returned his attention to the road. He hit the pedal and they were off again.

Tejaswi closed her eyes and the image of the man flashed in her mind. His face was tattooed with black streaks across the forehead and his head was shaven. His eyes were fiery. The spirit was clearly angry. Startled, her heart pounding in suspense, Tejaswi felt a prickling sensation, as if he was in the car with her. She turned but saw nothing exceptional.

The driver looked at her curiously.

Tejaswi didn’t bother. Angry and fed up, she was barely in control of her emotions; she wasn’t going to give in to his curious gaze. She turned away and they were silent for the rest of the journey. The driver stole worried glances at her. Finally, they reached the city. Tejaswi let the phantom face fade into the comfort zone of the white noise of people, buildings and traffic. They turned into the driveway of a bustling motel. It was small, with just the right atmosphere. Bright lights and music welcomed her. As if to add to the cheer, the sky cleared up. Tejaswi got out of the car. She paid the driver who gave her another warning of ghosts. She dismissed him with a tip and, feeling lighter, headed for the reception.
Great. I need to get to the temple soon.

The lady behind the small desk was efficient. Tejaswi filled in her details in a hefty register and paid for two nights in advance before she was handed a key with a long metal chain. She was in her small functional room in less than fifteen minutes.

Tejaswi glanced at her reflection in the mirror. She was tall and naturally fine-boned. After the freak accident, a glass eye had been inserted in her socket. It didn’t look right and kids made fun of her. And often, dust would collect on the eye and irritate the skin. When she had turned fifteen, her father had come home from work one day and given her the eyepatch. She smiled to herself. Life had become so much more interesting after that. In college, her nickname used to be ‘Pirate’. As she got older, finding a job became difficult because of her disability. Her father asked her to join the business. She loved her job, the store, and her father for his support. She removed the eyepatch and blinked rapidly.

A few years ago, when she introduced her line of skincare products, it had been a challenge to make it a success, but slowly and diligently, Tejaswi worked on the publicity and was able to make a name for herself.
Ray of Light
was now recognized as an up-and-coming trendy store which she had planned to expand with outlets in malls. Tejaswi had a growing clientele of young people who also became her friends.

But after her father’s death, Tejaswi had lost all zest for life. Her friends had disappeared and so had her desire to do anything. The store was her lifeline, her only hope of sanity in this cruel, untrustworthy world. And she wasn’t going to let it go. She opened her wallet and looked at the little card she kept for inspiration. She sat still for a few minutes, absorbing the words of an unknown person:
If payback is a bitch and revenge is sweet, then I’m the sweetest bitch you’ll ever meet.

She pressed the card to her chest and returned it to her wallet.

Keeping the internal emotional buzz aside, she turned away and stared out of her window. The view was serene—green all around with hints of an ancient site and a traditional pagoda peeking out above the foliage. She took a few deep breaths and smiled.

11

Anita

Anita was dog tired. Her body ached from sitting in the library all day. She jotted down some more points, then banged her notebook shut. The librarian gave her a glare; Anita smiled apologetically. She stuffed her iPad and her notebook into her ‘Ray of Light’ bag, a token from Tejaswi, and headed out into the welcome humid air. She was chewing on a fruit gum when her phone buzzed. ‘Hey! What’s a beautiful girl like you doing indoors?’