This was no mere rakshasa—this was an asura. A being whose powers rivaled those of the gods, who fought the gods for control. I was about to die.
“Pity,” said the asura, tilting his head and blinking slowly at me. “I thought you might know.”
I stumbled back under the canopy of trees and he followed, letting his weapon drop casually to the ground. The brush lit up immediately, and the fire snaked its way toward me faster than I could move.
I glanced around for water, for damp earth, for anything to save me. The flames circled around me, and I coughed once, twice, struggling to stay on my feet. I was dimly aware of the hem of my dhoti catching, and I beat uselessly at it with my hands. Hysterical panic built up in my throat.
“Goodbye, Radnyi—”
His voice cut off with a gurgle. I looked up to find a sword protruding from the asura’s chest.
“Ma!” Lakshmana shouted. A moment later, he came barreling through the circle of flames, a cloth wrapped around his mouth. He lifted me up and rushed back through, dropping me before falling to his knees. I rolled for a moment on the ground, trying to catch my breath as waves of agony suffused my burned skin.
After a moment, I managed to turn my head. The fire was dying down. Lakshmana was standing above a pool of orange blood. The body of the asura was gone.
“What happened?” he asked, coughing.
“I don’t know,” I gasped out. Lakshmana helped me to my feet, and I limped toward our camp at the edge of the road, now a hundred paces away. I did not remember traveling so far into the forest.
Lakshmana sat me down and brought me water, lifting it to my mouth as though I were a child.
“The—rakshasa, he woke me up.” There was no point in scaring Lakshmana further with my guess as to its true nature. “He had put you to sleep, I think. He said he had been waiting for me.”
Lakshmana understood remarkably quickly. “It was a trap?”
I nodded. “We must make haste for Janasthana.”
“If it was a trap, does he not want us to go there? Should we not turn around?”
“I do not believe we could outrun him in the other direction.” My throat hurt fiercely, each word the thorn of a rose.
“Can you ride?” Lakshmana was already saddling our horses.
“What other choice do I have?”
I slipped in and out of a haze of pain until we reached the city. The midday sun beat against my wounds with a throbbing ferocity. The gate was closed and barred, but at our cry, a guard immediately appeared.
“What is your business here?” he demanded.
Lakshmana looked at me. “I’m here to visit my mother,” I said, my voice a raspy whisper. “This is my son, her grandson.”
The sun was at the guard’s back, so I could not tell what he was doing. After a moment, he disappeared. Another guard, or perhaps the same one, emerged from the bottom of the watchtower moments later.
“Who is your mother?”
“Kekaya,” I answered. My mouth was painfully dry. I coughed and fumbled for my waterskin, lifting it to my lips with shaking hands.
The guard studied me while I drank. “You saw it, did you not?”
“Yes,” I whispered.
“We cannot offer you protection. But you may enter for now,” the guard said, gesturing us forward as the gate opened. “Devi Kekaya lives in the Noble Quarter, by the palace. Ask a guard to point out her dwelling.”
He beckoned me close. “If you venture anywhere else in the city, we will know,” he said, and then slapped the back of my horse, sending me jerking ahead.
“What was that?” Lakshmana demanded as soon as we were out of earshot. “Does your mother really live here?”
I gave a sharp nod, hoping to forestall further questioning.
The streets around us were swept clean. Low, squat mud-and-straw dwellings lined the roads, the structures reflecting away some of the southern heat. There were few people outside, and those who we saw seemed wary, hurrying about their business. As we got closer to the city center, the Noble Quarter came into view. The dwellings sprawled out, with graceful arches of stone and brick, small gardens, and groves of mango trees.
But I could not appreciate the sight, for every moment I remained on my horse felt interminable. When I dismounted, stiff as though I had been sitting for days, pain coursed through me. I stumbled. Lakshmana hurried to my side and held my elbow carefully as we walked toward the guard posted on the corner.
“I am looking for Kekaya,” I whispered.
The guard pointed to one of the dwellings. “You can find her there.”