Rakshasa must have excellent night vision, and the gems glowing softly in a pile to our right must be throwing off enough illumination to activate his.
“We need to summon Vasuki,” he says.
“And how do we do that?”
“I don’t know,” he admits. “When Leela and I came here, Vasuki was already with us.”
“He must know we’re here, though, right?”
“Right…” But he doesn’t sound so sure.
My gaze drifts back to the gems. “Maybe we can summon him. I mean…these gems…” I wander over to them. “He won’t want justanyonetaking them, will he?”
A slow smile blooms on Ravi’s lips, and he nods. “Feel free to do the honors. I’ll be ready to calm the serpent when he bursts into the chamber.”
I take a deep breath and approach the gems. They’re beautiful oval stones, smooth yet able to fracture the light into a rainbow of color. I pluck one from the top of the pile.
It’s cool to the touch at first but quickly warms in my palm.
A tremor vibrates through my boots. “He’s coming.” I rush to join Ravi. Standing back-to-back, we turn slowly, watching the chamber around us as the tremor increases and the air grows thick with anticipation.
My scalp prickles, hair standing on end as the humungous serpent slides into the room, the scrape of his scales on the earthen floor competing with the thud of my pulse as he circles us, trapping us in the cage of his body.
Ravi steps abreast of me, radiating tension as the serpent raises its head and opens its eyes to look right at us…at me.
Shadows flicker in their depths, and when he speaks, his voice is ancient and weary like a river washing over ancient stone. “Blood of Ashooda. Blood of mine. I see it is time.”
Ice slides up my neck, and chill blooms in my cheeks. “You know who I am?”
“Yes, child. I know you, and I know why you are here. But I warn you that the answers you seek may not give you the peace that you anticipate.”
“I’m not here for myself. I’m here for Leela. We need to get into Patala so we can raise an army to stop the primordial evil.”
“Yes, of course. Anything more would be a bonus, am I correct?”
Is that amusement underlying his tone?
“Can you help us?” Ravi asks. “Can you tell us how to get to Patala?”
“There are no doorways into Patala from this world. Not any longer,” Vasuki says.
“Fuck.” Ravi’s shoulders drop. “Then we’re doomed. We came all this way…” His voice cracks. “This world?—”
“Can still be saved,” Vasuki says. “It can be saved by Leela.”
“Yes, we know,” Ravi says. “But she needs help, and we hoped to find allies in Patala.”
“I understand, and I can get you there.”
“Wait, you just said there are no doorways to Patala.”
“Yes. There are none. But there is one portal. A singular one remaining in this world. It is a one-way portal, and if you wish toreturn to this world, then you will need to convince the powers in Patala to open a doorway back for you.”
Patala is its own world. At one time it was accessed through underground pathways. A world that spans realities.
Ravi looks down at me, a question in his eyes, because this is a risk. But it’s one we must take. I nod.
“We understand,” Ravi says. “We wish to take the risk.”
