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I answered excitedly with the words I knew he expected, "But it shines brightly for those who seek it."
We clasped right hands then, placing the left over the fist as brothers of the Rakshana.
"Welcome, novitiate, we've been waiting for you." He leaned forward to whisper in my ear."You have much to account for."
I cannot say exactly what happened next. The last sight I remember was of the meat pie woman pocketing coins. I felt a sharp pain at the back of my head, and the world swirled into blackness.
When I came to, I found myself in a dank, dark room, blinking against the sudden light of many tall candles arranged in a circle
around me. My escorts had vanished. My head ached like the devil, and now awake, my terror was sharpened against the whetstone of the unknown. Where was I? Who was that man? If he was Rakshana, why the club on the head? I kept my ears open, listening for sounds, voices, some clue as to where I was.
"Kartik, brother of Amar, initiate of the brotherhood of the Rakshana . . ."The voice, deep and powerful, came from somewhere above me. I could see nothing but the candles, and behind that, utter darkness.
"Kartik," the voice repeated, most definitely wanting an answer.
"Yes,'' I croaked, when I could find my voice.
"Let the tribunal begin."
The room began to take shape in the dark. Twelve feet or more above the floor was a railing running the circumference of the circular room. Behind the railing, I could just make out the ominous deep purple robes of the highest ranks of the Rakshana. These were not the brothers who had trained me my whole life, but the powerful men who lived and ruled in the shadows. For such a tribunal to take place, I had either done something very good--or very bad. "We are dismayed by your performance," the voice continued."You were supposed to watch the girl."
Something very bad. A new terror seized me. Not the fear that I might be beaten or robbed by hooligans, but the fear that I had disappointed my benefactors, my brothers, and that I would face their justice, which was legendary.
I swallowed hard."Yes, brother, I did watch her, but--"
The voice rose sharply."You were supposed to watch her and report to us. That is all. Was this mission too difficult for you, novice?"
I could not speak, so great was my fear.
"Why did you not report to us the moment she entered the realms?"
"I--I thought I had things well in hand."
"And did you?"
"No." My answer hung in the air like so much smoke from the candles. "No, you did not. And now the realms have been breached. The unthinkable has happened."
I rubbed my sweaty palms against my knees, but it did not help. The cold, metallic taste of fear worked its way into my mouth. There was much I didn't know about the organization to which I'd pledged myself, my loyalty, my very life, as my brother had before me. Amar had told me stories of the Rakshana, of their code of honor. Their place in history as protectors of the realms.
"If you'd come to us immediately, we could have contained the situation."
"With all due respect, she is not what I expected." I paused to think of the girl I'd left behind--headstrong, with startling green eyes."I believe that she means well."
The voice boomed. "That girl is more dangerous than she knows. And more of a threat than you realize, boy. She has the potential to destroy us all. And now, between the two of you, the power has been unleashed. Chaos reigns."
"But she defeated Circe's assassin."
"Circe has more than one dark spirit at her disposal." The voice continued. "That girl shattered the runes that have housed the magic and kept it safe for generations. Do you understand that there is no control? The magic is loose inside the realms for any spirit to use. Already, many are using it to corrupt the spirits who must cross. They will bring them to the Winterlands and fortify their strength. How long before they weaken the veil between the realms and this world? Before they find a way to Circe or she finds a way in? How long before she has the power she covets?"
A slick, icy fear spread through my veins.
"Now you see. You understand what she has done. What you have helped her do. Kneel . . ."
From nowhere came two strong hands, forcing me to my knees. My cloak was loosened at my neck and I felt cold hard steel against the frantic throbbing of the vein there. This was it. I had failed, brought shame on the Rakshana and my brother's memory, and now I would die for it. "Do you bow to the will of the brotherhood?" asked the voice.
My voice, pressed tight in my throat by the flat of the knife, sounded frantic, strangled. A stranger's voice."I do."
"Say it."
