on and die, Estella.
Our little arrangement couldn't last forever, and -- my teeth! -- it's lasted
long enough. You never had any business here. Hell is no place for the
living!"
At that moment they both heard an unmistakable sound in the
corridor. Vasudev's eyes widened and Estella found the strength to stand
straighter. It was footfall. In unison they turned to peer down the gleaming
black tunnel. They both knew that souls drifted these byways as silently as butterflies.
The dead made no sound of footfall.
Only the living did that.
Breathless, watching, they made out only a blur at first, and soon
the shape of a girl, walking with a posture of rigid resolution such as one
might bear when going to her doom. It was Anamique, her eyes still wide with
shock. She held Pranjivan's kite string loosely in her fingers. She had
followed it like a lifeline through the dark, and as she rounded the curve now
and faced the Fire, she had to close her eyes against its brilliance.
119
When she opened them and blinked, she saw figures silhouetted
against the Fire and went toward them. It had been months since she had
glimpsed the old bitch in town and she was shocked by the change in her. Many
times she had thought of knocking on the door of her palace or accosting her in
the street, of testing the curse on the one who had delivered it. She had
dreamed of it, but she never dared it. And now the old bitch stood before her
as thin as the shaft of a feather and nearly translucent with frailty, and
Anamique held her tongue. She wanted more than revenge. She wanted James back,
and all the others, her parents and sisters, her ayah, and the old Rajput
warrior who had swallowed his dignity to guide her pony around the yard. But if
she spoke her questions aloud, she would only kill again and there would be no
one left to tell her what to do.
"Have you come for him, child?" Estella asked. Anamique
nodded.
Vasudev chuffed. He had a sour, calculating look on his moon-round
face. "So sorry," he said. "Nothing to be done about it. The
Lord of Hell will remake him, just like all the others. You're too late, you
see." He pointed to the Fire.
Anamique stared at it. Its glow lit her gray eyes orange and a
look of despair came over her lovely face.
"Poor thing," the demon said. "Best just turn
yourself around and get on out while you can." He stepped forward and took
Anamique's elbow in an almost kindly fashion, acting quite the small gentleman
as he began to guide her back the way she'd come.
Dazed, the girl looked over her shoulder at Estella, who suddenly
called out, "Wait a moment, child."
Vasudev grimaced. "No time for nonsense, now. Come,
come."
120
Estella laughed once, sharply. "What's the matter, Vasudev?
Afraid of something?"
Vasudev scowled. "Afraid? Bosh! Just concerned for the girl.
This is no place for the living!"
"No, it isn't, is it?" Estella gave him a penetrating
look. "Anamique, come here," she said.
Anamique went to her. Vasudev gritted his teeth. His eyes darted
anxiously between the Fire and this living girl whose grief reminded him so
much of Estella's grief, decades past.
Estella said, "I regret that you were drawn into this demon's
twisted world, dear girl. Your curse has been a lesion on my soul these
eighteen years. You should know that because of it, twenty-two children
survived an earthquake who would otherwise have died. Your curse saved all
those lives. And these years of your silence, your strength has saved many
more."
"She didn't save anyone," argued Vasudev
peevishly. "Choosing not to kill someone isn't the same as saving them."
"A fine distinction, coming from you," the old woman
replied.
Anamique looked confused. Estella reached for her hand and
clutched it. Her voice seemed to weaken now with every word she spoke. "There's
no cheating death," she whispered. "We will all pass through the
purifying Fire and be reborn in the bodies we have earned, man or cricket,
jackal or eagle. Those decisions are Yama's
Our little arrangement couldn't last forever, and -- my teeth! -- it's lasted
long enough. You never had any business here. Hell is no place for the
living!"
At that moment they both heard an unmistakable sound in the
corridor. Vasudev's eyes widened and Estella found the strength to stand
straighter. It was footfall. In unison they turned to peer down the gleaming
black tunnel. They both knew that souls drifted these byways as silently as butterflies.
The dead made no sound of footfall.
Only the living did that.
Breathless, watching, they made out only a blur at first, and soon
the shape of a girl, walking with a posture of rigid resolution such as one
might bear when going to her doom. It was Anamique, her eyes still wide with
shock. She held Pranjivan's kite string loosely in her fingers. She had
followed it like a lifeline through the dark, and as she rounded the curve now
and faced the Fire, she had to close her eyes against its brilliance.
119
When she opened them and blinked, she saw figures silhouetted
against the Fire and went toward them. It had been months since she had
glimpsed the old bitch in town and she was shocked by the change in her. Many
times she had thought of knocking on the door of her palace or accosting her in
the street, of testing the curse on the one who had delivered it. She had
dreamed of it, but she never dared it. And now the old bitch stood before her
as thin as the shaft of a feather and nearly translucent with frailty, and
Anamique held her tongue. She wanted more than revenge. She wanted James back,
and all the others, her parents and sisters, her ayah, and the old Rajput
warrior who had swallowed his dignity to guide her pony around the yard. But if
she spoke her questions aloud, she would only kill again and there would be no
one left to tell her what to do.
"Have you come for him, child?" Estella asked. Anamique
nodded.
Vasudev chuffed. He had a sour, calculating look on his moon-round
face. "So sorry," he said. "Nothing to be done about it. The
Lord of Hell will remake him, just like all the others. You're too late, you
see." He pointed to the Fire.
Anamique stared at it. Its glow lit her gray eyes orange and a
look of despair came over her lovely face.
"Poor thing," the demon said. "Best just turn
yourself around and get on out while you can." He stepped forward and took
Anamique's elbow in an almost kindly fashion, acting quite the small gentleman
as he began to guide her back the way she'd come.
Dazed, the girl looked over her shoulder at Estella, who suddenly
called out, "Wait a moment, child."
Vasudev grimaced. "No time for nonsense, now. Come,
come."
120
Estella laughed once, sharply. "What's the matter, Vasudev?
Afraid of something?"
Vasudev scowled. "Afraid? Bosh! Just concerned for the girl.
This is no place for the living!"
"No, it isn't, is it?" Estella gave him a penetrating
look. "Anamique, come here," she said.
Anamique went to her. Vasudev gritted his teeth. His eyes darted
anxiously between the Fire and this living girl whose grief reminded him so
much of Estella's grief, decades past.
Estella said, "I regret that you were drawn into this demon's
twisted world, dear girl. Your curse has been a lesion on my soul these
eighteen years. You should know that because of it, twenty-two children
survived an earthquake who would otherwise have died. Your curse saved all
those lives. And these years of your silence, your strength has saved many
more."
"She didn't save anyone," argued Vasudev
peevishly. "Choosing not to kill someone isn't the same as saving them."
"A fine distinction, coming from you," the old woman
replied.
Anamique looked confused. Estella reached for her hand and
clutched it. Her voice seemed to weaken now with every word she spoke. "There's
no cheating death," she whispered. "We will all pass through the
purifying Fire and be reborn in the bodies we have earned, man or cricket,
jackal or eagle. Those decisions are Yama's
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