Realm of the Goddess (4 page)

The rest of the evening went by fast, and then it was time for Shiv and his family to leave. I helped my parents clean up and then we all went to bed exhausted.

The next few days passed with the usual monotony of school, homework and chores. Finals were fast approaching and the teachers were piling on the work. I had to stay after school from the beginning of the week. The first day Mr. Burke sat there, and I felt as if he was watching me the whole time. It creeped me out a little, but there was really nothing I could do. Then it was Wednesday and my parents had an appointment to talk to Mr. Burke. I was beginning to regret that decision and hoped it wouldn’t make things even weirder for me. My parents had asked me to meet them by Mr. Burke’s office, so I waited for them after school. When they arrived we all went into his office. I could see that they were as impressed by the décor as I had been. After the usual pleasantries were over, my mom got right to the point.

“Mr. Burke, Callie tells us she is not doing too well in your class.”

“That’s right. Mrs. Hansen, her grade has dropped a lot. I have offered to let her do some work for extra credit.”

My dad spoke up this time. “Mr. Burke, we’re just a bit surprised because she was sitting at 95 percent just a couple of weeks ago. How could her grade have dropped so much in such a short time?”

Mr. Burke took off his glasses and leaned forward. “Mr. Hansen,” he said, his face a stony mask. “Have you asked your daughter why she might be doing so badly? I find her unfocused in class, and her last two essays have not been up to my standard.” He was pointing a finger at my dad, jabbing it in his direction, punctuating his sentences.

I had never seen Mr. Burke like this. There was something distinctly hostile and menacing about his expression and tone. I glanced at my parents and realized that they were staring at Mr. Burke’s hand, which was still in midair. I looked too and saw a tattoo on the inside of his right wrist. I couldn’t be sure but it looked like the head of a bull or something with horns. My parents were still staring, their faces ashen, as if they had seen a ghost. I expected them both to be quite upset with the things that Mr. Burke was saying about me. I definitely hadn’t expected this. I had never known my parents to be so intimidated. They got up hurriedly and ushered me out of the office, up the stairs and out into the parking lot. I tried to stop them but they were adamant, not saying a word until we got home. As soon as we got inside I turned on them.

“Mom, Dad, what was that? Why did we run out of there like that? Mr. Burke is going to think you guys are so weird.” I was really upset and I wanted an explanation.

“Callie, listen,” my dad said. “We don’t want you to stay after school anymore.”

“What do you mean? I have to stay. How am I supposed to finish all the extra-credit work he’s giving me?” My voice had risen a couple of octaves and I was beginning to really lose my cool.

“Callie, just listen to us,” my mom pleaded. “We don’t want you around that Mr. Burke any more than you have to be. So come home right after school.”

“You always have a problem with people, Mom. Why can’t you for once just let me deal with my own problems? God, you two really need to get a life.” With that I stormed off. I ran up the stairs to my room and slammed the door. I was furious. I didn’t know exactly why Mr. Burke suddenly had it in for me, but I was willing to deal with a little extra work if it meant I would keep my grade in the class. The deadline for sending in final grades was coming up really soon and I had no time to waste. I fumed for a while longer, but finally fell asleep.

Sleep didn’t bring any rest for me, though, since I was plagued by the same nightmare. The same demons and frightful creatures on a bloody battlefield. The next morning I woke up bleary-eyed and with a massive headache. I was glad that my parents left for work really early on Thursdays because I was in no mood to deal with them this morning. I got ready and walked to school, just as the five-minute warning bell rang. I had math first and then history. Mr. Burke wasn’t any grumpier than usual and I hoped he’d met his fair share of over-protective parents and wouldn’t hold yesterday’s events against me. But then in the middle of the period the pounding in my head got so bad that I was overcome by nausea. Mr. Burke was giving us time to work on our research essays, so I went up to him and asked if I could be excused.

“Again, Miss. Hansen? This seems to be turning into a habit.” By this point I was just trying not to throw up all over him, so I didn’t reply. He looked at me intently.

“Is there something you’d like to tell me, Miss Hansen? Something that might be bothering you?” There it was. That weird, menacing tone, as if he knew something and just wanted me to admit it. A fresh wave of nausea rose and the pounding in my head became unbearable. Mr. Burke pulled a cell phone out of his coat pocket and pressed the screen. I had no idea what he expected me to do, but I wasn’t going to wait around to find out. I mumbled an apology and ran out of the room, down the hall to the washrooms. I made it just in time. After the heaving stopped and there nothing left to throw up, I went to the sink and splashed cold water on my face. Then I put a wet paper towel on the back of my neck. The coolness felt so good that I sat down on the floor with my back against the wall to rest for a minute. I needed to get home and sleep it off.

I got up, went to the office and told them I was sick and was going home. I grabbed my books from my locker. At the exit, I pushed open the heavy double doors and went outside. The fresh air revived me a little as I went around the corner and headed toward the staff parking lot. It was sunny today for a change and I took off my jacket as I walked through the parking lot toward the little street that would take me to my house a couple of blocks away. I was deep in thought about my history class as I crossed the street and started walking down the hill that led to my house. I was just a couple of houses away when the screech of car tires ripped through the air. Startled, I turned my head just in time to see a dark blue SUV racing down the street. It was heading straight toward me.

I was about to jump out of the way when a dark shape came flying at me and knocked me to the ground. Stunned, I tried to get up but buckled as a sharp pain shot through my ankle. I looked to see if the car was still there but only caught a glimpse of it as it disappeared around the cul-de-sac. Then I noticed Shiv standing there.

“Shiv, how did you…? Did you see that?” I spluttered, pulling out my cell phone then realizing I hadn’t noticed the licence plate. “Shiv, did you see the licence plate?”

“No, I’m sorry, Callie, all I saw was that car coming toward you, and I had to save you.” Shiv’s voice was shaking a little, and he was looking up and down the street as if he thought the car might come back. “Let’s get you into the house. I have to make sure that you’re okay.” He tried to help me up and I winced when I put weight on my right ankle. I sucked in a breath and tried again. It still hurt a lot but I felt I would be able to walk the rest of the way home.

Shiv put an arm around me. “Try to use my arm for support, and don’t put too much pressure on that ankle,” he said as we slowly started making our way down the street. When we crossed my front yard to the steps, I noticed the front door was ajar. There was no car in the driveway. Confused, I forgot the pain in my ankle as I shrugged off Shiv’s arm and went up the stairs. I was almost at the door when Shiv grabbed my arm none too gently and pulled me back.

“What are you doing?” I said, pulling my arm from his grasp.

“I don’t think you should go in there,” Shiv whispered. “Why is the door open? I don’t think your parents are home.”

“Well. That’s what I am going to find out,” I said testily. An uneasy feeling was starting to bloom in my gut.

“Maybe I should go in first?” Shiv said, moving to stand in front of me.

Why, are you a ninja?
I thought.
Be nice, Callie...he’s just trying to help.

“Sure, okay, whatever. Just be careful.” I didn’t want anything to happen to him, because he was trying to help me out. I let him walk in ahead of me, waited a second until he turned the corner into the living room and then followed him in. Since he was checking out the downstairs, I decided to go upstairs. On the way I grabbed a golf club from my dad’s bag next to the hallway closet. Wielding it expertly like Kate Beckett from my favourite TV show,
Castle
, I walked stealthily up the stairs to my room, which was on the right at the end of the hallway. I poked my head in first, then went in and checked behind the door and inside my messy closet. As if anyone could find space to hide there. I was positive a burglar would rather get caught than try to untangle himself from the wormhole of clothes and shoes that was my closet.

Satisfied there was no one lurking in my room, I tiptoed gingerly across the landing to my parents’ bedroom at the other end of the hallway. The door was half open and I could hear a buzzing coming from inside. That was strange. I walked in expecting to see some bugs that had come in through the bathroom window that my mom always forgot to close before she left the house. What I saw instead made me freeze on the spot. Someone was standing at my mom’s armoire. The doors were open and this person was in the process of stealing something from it.

I reached my hand into my pocket for my cell phone, and at that exact moment the thief stepped away from the armoire and saw me. And I saw him. Only it wasn’t a man. Or a woman. I didn’t know exactly what it was, but my brain couldn’t process what I was seeing in front of me. It was a creature of some sort, with the torso and legs of a man. But it was the head that made a cold fear grip my insides like a vise. I realized where the buzzing was coming from. The creature’s head was sort of oblong and it was covered in what I could only describe as giant stingers like those on a wasp. They moved in a snake-like motion around its face, emitting a buzz. I wanted to scream, but my throat couldn’t make the sound. The creature seemed as stunned as I was, but it recovered a lot faster. It moved toward me with alarming speed and my only thought as it closed in on me was that Shiv was still downstairs and the creature would get him. Then something flew through the air from behind me and hit the creature right in the middle of its torso. The monster exploded, sending hundreds of stingers flying through the air and some into me. When the blinding pain hit I fell backwards. But instead of landing on the hard floor as I’d expected, I felt someone’s arms catching me from behind. I turned my gaze upward and saw Shiv’s face. His deep brown eyes were the last thing I saw before blackness overtook me.

Chapter Three

I was dreaming
. I stood on a battlefield again. The sword I held glinted in the sunlight. I looked down and saw that something was engraved along the entire length of the blade. It was in a language I did not recognize.

Then blackness again.

The sound of voices floated into my ears.

“…can’t protect her from it any longer.” The voice sounded familiar, but my brain could not string together any coherent thoughts. Then other voices, unclear as they faded away.

The light changed. It was bright, but then the pitch black took over.

The stinging brought me back. I tried to open my eyelids, but the light hurt. I closed them again.

“I was able to remove most of the stingers. Some of them were embedded deep in the skin. They will come out eventually.” I didn’t recognize this voice, but it brought back a deluge of memories. My parents’ bedroom, that creature...then the pain, like a thousand needles puncturing my skin at once...and Shiv. I could feel my eyes getting heavier and then...nothing.

When I came to I was cold. I opened my eyes slowly; even the little sliver of light coming through the tiny parting in the curtains sent barbs of pain through my eyes. I sat up, careful not to move too fast, and winced as my head protested nonetheless. I turned my head slowly to get my bearings. As far as I could tell I was in someone’s bedroom, a girl’s room. I knew this from the abundance of purple everywhere. There was a white dresser with a big mirror against one wall. A small white desk sat in the corner, with a purple chair tucked underneath. Lilac curtains framed a large bay window. My brain was foggy. I closed my eyes and sighed from the relief of shutting out the light. How long had I been out? Images flashed in my mind. Shiv’s face floated into my inner vision. A creature...attacking. Then there was a deluge of memories and everything came flooding back. My parents’ bedroom, the attack, the creature exploding and then the pain that had wiped out everything else. Other bits and pieces of memory made their way back until they fit together like the pieces of a puzzle. Someone had saved me...Shiv. I remembered now. I looked into his eyes before I blacked out. He must have brought me here.

I stood up and immediately regretted that decision as the walls began to dance around me. I closed my eyes for a moment then opened them again. To my relief, the walls stood absolutely still. I took a small step, then another, hesitating before each movement, and walked gingerly to the door. I opened it, stuck my head out, stepped into a hallway and looked in both directions. There were wall sconces lining each side. Ornate frames held pictures of people I didn’t know, but they all looked Indian. I assumed Shiv had brought me to his house. Down the hallway to my right I could see the top of a staircase, so I began to walk that way. When I reached it, I looked over the banister and saw that the staircase wound around a huge pillar in the middle of a large foyer. Voices floated up and I went down the steps, following the sound. It led me to a set of double doors just off the foyer. I stopped in front of them, not knowing if I should go in. I could still hear muted voices, so I was startled when the doors suddenly opened and Shiv stood in front of me.

“Callie...what are you doing down here? You should be in bed.” He was obviously concerned and looked back to where I could see his parents walking toward us.

Nina stepped around Shiv and took my hands in both of hers.

“Callie, my dear, how are you feeling? You had us worried,” she said, not unkindly.

“I’m a little dizzy, to be quite honest. Do you mind if I sit down?” I realized that the little walk from the bedroom had left me a bit winded and unsteady on my feet.

“Of course, come in and sit by the window here,” Nina said, taking my arm and guiding me to an armchair. I must have squinted, because Dev walked over and adjusted the blinds so the sunlight wasn’t streaming into the room anymore. I sat down while the others gathered around me. We were in some sort of library, judging by the dark bookshelves that lined all four walls. It was an enormous room with a fireplace in one corner and a large desk in front of it. It all looked antique; the furniture had elaborate carvings on the legs and sides.

“What happened exactly?” I asked, looking up at them.

“How much do you remember, Callie?” Shiv asked.

“Well...I remember going home early from school and then...that car...it was going to hit me. And then...someone was in my parents’ bedroom. Not someone...” I looked up at Shiv. “What was that thing? Was it real?”

Shiv was looking down at my arms, so I followed his gaze. I gasped involuntarily. My arms looked as if they had been attacked by a thousand thumbtacks. The holes punctuated both my arms like little periods. So — I hadn’t imagined the bizarre attack.

I looked at him incredulously. “What was that thing? What did it do to me?”

The three of them exchanged looks. I knew it couldn’t be anything good.

Dev spoke first. “Callie,
beti
,” he began and my heart lurched a little. He was using the term of endearment for a daughter, which meant something awful had happened. “There is no easy way to tell you,” he continued, sitting down on the armchair next to me and putting his hand on my right shoulder. “You were attacked by a demon.”

It took my brain a second to register the words. A demon. Okay. I drew in a slow breath, a really slow one, and held it, giving myself time to figure out just how to react to this. I looked at Shiv and Nina, trying to read their faces, but they did not look surprised at all. I had to say something.

“Are you sure? A demon?” I asked weakly, not wanting to insult this nice man. But I did think he was insane. Maybe that was why he had to leave California.

“Callie,” Shiv said, looking at me as if I was the crazy one. “I know it’s really hard to hear, but there’s something you need to know.” Yes. I needed to know the number of their psychiatrist. Hopefully they were getting a family discount. I knew I needed to get out of there. My parents were probably frantic with worry. Where were they anyway? Shouldn’t they be looking for me?

“You know what,” I began, “I’m so grateful that you’ve taken care of me.” I turned to Shiv. “Shiv, I owe you big-time for getting me out of the way of that crazy driver. If there’s anything I can do for you...” I stood up. “I really should be going now. Thanks again.”

“Callie, you can’t go back to your house. It’s not safe,” Dev said. He took my arm again and gently but firmly directed me back into the chair.

“I’m sure it’ll be fine,” I said. “My parents will be home by now and they’ll take care of it.”

“Callie...your parents...they’re gone.” Nina looked at me and the look in her eyes told me that something had gone terribly wrong. I was in denial, but I knew something strange had happened at my house. Suddenly, a wave of nausea hit me hard and I took a deep breath. My head was spinning and I felt the room fading away. I could not pass out again. I willed myself to focus and stay conscious, but I lost the battle and once again everything went black.

When I came to, I could hear Shiv’s voice.

“The venom is still lingering, Dad,” he said. “She has to take it easy. Doctor Gupta said he took out as many stingers as he could, but the poison was already in her system.”

“I know, son, but she has to learn the truth,” Dev said. I opened my eyes carefully. I was still in the armchair. I must have only passed out for a few moments. I tried to sit up, but my head felt heavy and my arms were beginning to throb.

“Why did you say that my parents were gone?” I said, sitting up straight and looking directly at Nina.

“Callie...they were taken. That’s why you can’t go back to your house. It’s not safe.” I felt panic rise, but I had to stay in control this time. Something very weird was going on.

“Who took them?” I asked, my voice sharper than I intended. “And why haven’t you called the police?”

“The police cannot help in this matter, Callie,” Shiv said. “Look, I know it’s all very confusing to you right now, but if you let us explain, it will make sense.”

My gut told me that I should listen to what they had to say. Plus it wasn’t as if I had the strength right now to jump, run home and find out what was going on. I only had to look at my arms to know that something had attacked me and that Shiv had saved me from being killed. I decided I was going to trust my instincts and let them say their piece.

“Okay,” I said, looking around at the three of them. “Tell me what’s going on.”

Dev spoke first. “Callie, how much do you know about Hindu mythology?”

“A lot, actually, thanks to my parents. But what does that have to do with anything?”

“Everything, actually,” Shiv said. But he let his dad continue.

“You know about Kali, yes?”

Yes, I knew about Kali. I’d only been named after her. Of course, my parents had picked a Westernized version of the name, but Kali had been the inspiration. They had both wanted a daughter who was strong-willed and fearless. I didn’t know how well that worked out, since I was deathly afraid of spiders and deep water.

I nodded.

“There was a time when humanity was overwhelmed by the reign of the Asuras, the demons. The people felt abandoned by the gods and appealed to them to save them from the horrors that they were being subjected to. Mahisha was the king of the Asuras. He could not be defeated...by man or by the gods, many of whom responded to humanity’s cries for help.” I had learned this myth on my grandmother’s lap as a little girl. I could still recall with startling clarity the faraway look on her face as she would regale me with her favorite tales of gods and goddesses. I knew what had happened next. The lesser gods, frustrated by their failures, went to the great Trinity, Indra, Brahma and Shiva and appealed to them for help in destroying Mahisha. The gods grew angry when they heard of the evil doings of Mahisha and from their wrath Kali was created, the ultimate goddess, Destroyer of Evil. My grandmother used to tilt my face up by the chin, look into my eyes and tell me that she knew one day I would go out into the world and destroy evil too, just like Kali. Now I wondered if there was any point to what Shiv and his parents were saying.

“Why are you telling me about these stories? I heard them all as a child. What does any of this have to do with my parents?” Normally I would never use this tone with adults, but now was not the time for politeness. If they were right and something had happened to my parents, I needed to find out quickly. And my patience was wearing thin. Plus I was afraid I might pass out again at any time.

“These are not just childhood stories, Callie,” Nina said. “They are real events and everything that you heard was true. Mahisha was real, Kali was real...
is
real.” Nina’s face was flushed and she began to pace as she continued. “When you heard about the great battle between Kali and Mahisha, you heard that in the end Kali destroyed him. Even though he was a shape-shifter, right?”

I nodded and tried to recall details my grandmother had told me. According to her, Mahisha escaped every attempt at capture by changing from a bull to a lion and even into a man. But finally Kali managed to cut off his head while he was in bull form.

“Well, that’s not exactly what happened,” Nina said. I looked at her in confusion.

“What did happen exactly?” I asked.

“Kali was betrayed. It was a plot to destroy her before she could destroy Mahisha.”

“But I thought she was created to be indestructible,” I said. I remembered she was given gifts by each of the gods of the Trinity from whose wrath she was created. Indra gave her a thunderbolt, Shiva a bow and arrows, and Brahma a sword.

“That’s right, but no one knows what happened exactly,” Nina said. “There are those who believe that the Trinity feared that she might become too powerful and might try to overthrow them, so...”

All this was making my head spin. And I still didn’t know what was going on.

“Why are we talking about this?” I asked. “We should be making sure that my parents are okay.” I looked at Shiv pleadingly.

“That’s just it, Callie. We know who took your parents...at least we have a pretty good idea who is behind all this,” Shiv said.

“Then why —” I started, but Shiv interrupted me.

“Your parents were taken by demons. You were attacked by a demon. We are pretty sure that it was one of Mahisha’s demons.” He looked at his father triumphantly, as if to say
See, that wasn’t so hard to blurt out, was it?

I was numb. Nina sat down next to me again.

“Callie, the thing is...Mahisha was never killed. He was very nearly destroyed, but he was very powerful, and although it has taken him centuries, he is regaining his strength. In the meantime he has been gathering an army of loyal followers who have been slowly spreading corruption and evil. There are many who believe that he is rising again, and when he does, there is only one who can destroy him.”

“Okay, I guess that must be Kali then. But she’s not here, is she?” Frustration was making me snarky and I was getting tired of all this. Some of my strength was also coming back and I was ready to leave. I stood up. “I’m going to my house, and if my parents aren’t there, I will call the police,” I said with more conviction than I felt.

“Callie, don’t leave. You have to trust us...trust me,” Shiv pleaded. “There is a reason why this is happening. And it has to do with you.”