Poison's Kiss (Poison's Kiss #1)(57)

Hitesh sighs deeply. “Very well. We believe that the sacrifices take place in the Snake Temple. It’s only about thirty miles from here, underground in a cave. We’ve tried to catch the Naga during one of these ritual sacrifices for years, but our intelligence is always faulty. We know that they happen, but not when. We arrive either too early and find nothing or too late and find only…” He stops short, and my stomach clenches while I wait for the word I know is coming. “Remains,” he finishes softly. I place a hand over my mouth. “Our informants, as it turns out, are not very accurate when it comes to anything that would actually stop the Naga. We’ve even tried placing soldiers at the Snake Temple for weeks at a stretch but they disappear. The Naga outsmart us every time.”

“It’s the moon,” I say. “They are planning on sacrificing Mani on the first night of the full moon.”

Hitesh’s eyes widen with interest. He looks at Deven, who confirms what I’ve said with a short nod. “We haven’t tried paying attention to the moon. Thank you, Marinda.”

“How do we get there?” I ask. Hitesh glances at the Raja.

“I don’t see the harm in telling her,” he says.

Hitesh turns toward me. “Due west is a mountain range with a small footpath at the base. It starts out as one trail but then forks off many times until there are dozens of different paths. The trail that leads to the Snake Temple follows a pattern of right twice, then left twice, repeated all the way to the cave. You’ll know you’re in the right place by the rather unpleasant odor. It’s impossible to miss.” I know the smell he’s talking about—musky, reptilian. The smell of snakes.

“Now, Marinda,” the Raja says. “May we ask you a few questions?”

“Of course.” My palms start to sweat and I dry them on my pants.

“Do you know why the Naga would take your brother?”

“Yes,” I say, suddenly thirsty. I take a sip of my tea and then trace the rim of the cup with my finger. Deven squeezes my knee under the table, and I’m not sure if he’s providing support or trying to send me a message, but I don’t dare look at him.

“And why is that?” The Raja’s voice is gentle.

“They are trying to punish me,” I explain. “I used to work for them, and when I stopped, they took my brother to try to coerce me.” Deven lets out a breath and moves his hand from my knee. He seems relieved. He must have been trying to encourage me to tell the truth.

The Raja leans forward and puts a hand on my forearm. “I’m so sorry, Marinda. Were you one of their spies?” I go stiff. I’m not sure what to say. I want to look at Deven, but the Raja is maintaining eye contact, and to look away would appear dishonest. Iyla taught me that much. The Raja’s eyes are kind. He searches my face while he waits for an answer, and just for a moment he reminds me of Japa. How Japa always seemed to see more of me than I intended to show him. How he always seemed to care even when I tried to keep him at arm’s length. And my mind is made up. I’m tired of lies. Mine and everyone else’s.

“I’m a visha kanya,” I say softly. Hitesh lets out a small gasp, but my gaze is focused on the Raja. His face falls and he closes his eyes, as if he was bracing for this answer all along but is still disappointed to have it. And then he opens his eyes and pats my arm.

“I appreciate your honesty,” he says. “I really do.” He makes a motion toward the doors and I swivel to see the guards approaching us.

One of them is holding manacles.





Suddenly the room is in chaos.

Deven is on his feet shouting, “Father, no!” I’m struggling against the guards, kicking and screaming, but they are too strong for me, and before I know it, my hands are restrained in front of me, my wrists bound by manacles. The guards each hold one of my elbows. I’m sweating and my heartbeat is roaring in my ears.

“Please,” I say. “Mani is only seven and he’s done nothing wrong. Please.”

“My son was only seventeen,” the Raja says. “That may sound much older to you, but to my wife and me it seemed but a few days older than seven.”

I have no response to that. Because he’s right—I deserve to be locked up and punished. But Mani doesn’t. The Raja puts an arm around Deven’s shoulders.

“Thank you, son. Thank you for bringing us a visha kanya and correcting the wrong that was done to our family.”

Deven pushes his father’s arm away. “I thought you would help her,” he said. “I never would have…” His eyes find mine and they are pleading with me to believe him.

The guards are dragging me toward the door. “Deven,” I cry. “Help Mani. Please.”

The Raja holds up a hand and the guards stop. “My first priority is finding and detaining the Naga. If the boy is still alive after that, we will see what can be done to help him.” I try to catch Deven’s gaze, to see if he will honor my request, but I can’t tell what he’s thinking. His expression is stunned, as if he’s suddenly found himself in a room he never entered.

With a flick of his hand, the Raja dismisses the guards and they drag me through the double doors. Once we’re in the corridor, I stop struggling. There’s no one to help me now. I’m so panicked that I don’t pay attention to where we’re headed until we reach a flight of stairs, and then my legs start to shake. This is not like the elegant, curving marble staircase in the foyer; these stairs are plain and narrow. And they descend into darkness.