Our chariot cruised along one of the four great streams that would lead us to their crossing. There we assumed the entrance must be hidden, yet how we were to pass through it was another story. I hoped with our steadfast speed, we could reach the crossed rivers before another sunrise.

We had been going without stopping. The sun horses were tireless but not us. We took a short rest. Kesar had joined me on the chariot. I caught her nodding off and let her sleep on my shoulder. The poor maiden must have been exhausted from the long flight. With my back leaned against the railing, I held her and made sure she was comfortable in her quiet slumber.

Samudra was meditating. He was probably trying to contact his divine father. Would the sea god know how to enter the Naga world?

Under the reflected glow of Atith's flamboyant armors against the light of his fire-breathing horses, I was able to stay vigilant and studied the map in my hands. Admittedly, I was afraid if I didn't memorize it, the paths would shift to confuse my mind and lengthen our journey.

I had never paid much attention to the shape of the empire I ended up in until now. It sprawled over so many kingdoms ruled by allied kings. The rivers and mountains were drawn and colored in dark green hue and a pale blue. When I traced my finger to where my princess might be held hostage, my hand tingled with an indescribable sensation. It was both a summoning and a warning.

"Nikita, you must rest. You pallor worries me," Tusita said with a concerned look. "The next dawn break we will arrive."

"No, I can't rest," I said and shook my head. "Let me stay with you."

I reassured her with a forced dry smile.

After the break, we advanced forwards again. The forest opened its savage features and gradually swallowed us deeper and deeper.

We rode all day until the sun went down again. Beyond the night, I could see the river stretched along the solitary region.

All the while, I kept thinking about Amarisa. She must be too wounded by heartache to eat. Neither food nor drink would have passed her lips bearing any taste. Indeed, she must return to, or we would whither in separate worlds.

"Nikita, I know I should not pry as I regard you highly," Tusita said again with a hint of curiosity. "But what happened between you and the princess?"

I looked back at my friend. She was silent as she waited. Her penetrating stare never left mine. Even Atith also tilted his head for a better hearing. I swallowed the guilty lump that threatened to clog my throat.

"I cheated on her with other maidens," I told them honestly.

"What!?" the two avatars exclaimed in shocked unison.

"You heard me right," I said. "I did it with Kesar and with Goddess Kemira and lastly Sovannmacha, the mermaid queen. Yes, all is true and I would understand if now you hate me so. But I beg this of you, my friends, please help me restore my princess and you can have me punished in any way you wish."

"You have bedded one of my heavenly sisters?" Tusita said in disbelief. It seemed she was stunned by that particular detail the most. I lowered my head in evident shame.

"By Meru gods, I can't believe you did such a thing!" Atith cried. "What in the Seventh Hell made you blind and dumb to have done this crime? No wonder the princess ran away!"

Tears burned hot in the back of my eyes.

"You have done some unspeakable deeds, Nikita," Tusita said in a tone I had never heard from her before. It was like jagged ice that scratched my skin. "But only the gods could judge what punishment you shall receive."

"They have already punished me," I said in a faint lifeless voice. There was more my avatar friends didn't know, but I had no heart to tell them what had befallen me.

The golden wheels spun ceaselessly and made no sounds except the whizzing noises of exceeded speed and occasional neighing of the horses. We had traveled so far away from any towns and dwellings. Now sailing through a deep dark forest, I couldn't see what was ahead of us. Everywhere was pitch black like inked fabric hung in the air. A sporadic glimpse of wild animals fleeted the areas from the lights of the fiery steeds.

But soon I began to notice all around us, in every corner, hovered the murmurs of omen among wild birds. Then the chirping noises grew louder as we rode passed columns of enormous trees. Suddenly, Atith brought the chariot to a crawl.

"Why are we slowing?" I asked. But then I understood.

The sound of night owls echoed from a distance like a cry of caution. After a moment, the forest grew strangely still. We saw a splendid temple at the far distance in front of us. The stone structure was a typical shrine surrounded by walls. The temple's ground was a square shape with the outermost four gates and water-moat wrapped all around. The main tower was built in tiers like a pyramid, which narrowed at the top.

"What is that temple?" Atith breathed. "We don't see it on the map, do we?"

"No," I said, studying the map again. We had passed a few temples along the way, but there was nothing to indicate that there was one in the forest here.

By now Kesar had already awakened to gather what happened. She was still blinking away the remaining sleep in her eyes.

"I have a bad inkling about this place," Samudra spoke for the first time during the ride. Atith poised his golden spear as he stood looking.

"Where are the guards and shrine maidens?" he said. "Should we go inside? We can have a short rest there."

"No, it could be the demons' trap," Tusita said without a lengthy contemplation. Her brows furrowed as her eyes glanced around the areas like an eagle scouting for prey. Then she stood and opened her palm. The golden mist started weaving about her hand, and a magical bow appeared. I realized whatever made the Sky Lord's daughter draw out her celestial astra was no small threat.

"Atith, you stay and keep the horses ready while I go and explore the compound with Samudra," she said and then jumped right off the chariot. Samudra followed. I was about to follow them too but Kesar gripped my arm. Her dark glittering eyes were filled with worries and fear.

"Nikita, don't go," she whispered with a pleading look.

"I shall be fine," I told her reassuringly. "You stay here in the safe distance."

"Then let me come with you," she begged again and wouldn't let go of me. "There's no telling what would happen if you're out of sight."

I turned to look at Tusita and Samudra who were traversing towards the mysterious place.

"Wait!" I called out to them and then turned back to Kesar again. "If you wish to come along then stay by my side always. If anything goes wrong, you must take flight immediately, do you understand me?"

The maiden nodded and then we both hurried out of the chariot to join the others. Atith kept alert on the chariot while flames streamed out softly from his obedient steeds.

"Could it be an abandoned shrine?" Atith cried from behind. "We should not be bothered."

"Hush, whatever it is, we must destroy it," Tusita said resolutely. "This thing is wrong in this place. Who knows what it is before it's too late?"

"What if it's one of Shiva's temples?" Atith asked. "If you ravage it, we might risk his terrible wrath."

"Why don't you shut your mouth and let me find out instead?"

Tusita could be too daring at times, but her intuition was as sharp as the point of a needle. I also felt that something was amiss in this eerie calmness. She led the way, and we passed the two parallel man-made ponds on either side of the stone causeway. Up ahead, I could see two stone gatekeepers standing with their usual fierce look.

We went towards the Gopura entrance, which was a smaller version of the main temple. But before we crossed the threshold, Tusita stopped walking and stared at the raised carvings on the walls. For a long moment, we followed her gaze.

At first, I did not notice it, but when I stared at the statues longer, my eyes caught a strange movement. The carved figures seemed to blink. I gasped.

"Did you see that?" I asked my friends.

As if my cry confirmed her doubt, Tusita turned to us.

"Run!"

We did not protest. When we had gained some distance away from the temple, Tusita turned back and raised her bow.

"Tusita?" Samudra said.

But she did not answer. I could feel the air vibrating around her bowstring as tiny particles of golden light fastened into an arrow.

"Step back," she warned us and we did.

When the arrow was fully formed out of a glittering haze, Tusita released the string with a thunderous sound. The ground quivered and the trees swayed. I watched the bright arrow flew like a meteor and hit the mysterious structure. Then a burst of light pierced through every crook and cranny of the stones followed by a tremendous explosion.

I shielded Kesar in my arms as the force tore apart the building brick by brick. The force sent a torrent of rubble cascade down like a fast-melting candle. The ground shook beneath our feet. Carved stones began to disintegrate into tiny grains of sand.

"Oh great heavens, Tusita!" Atith cried out from the chariot. "We are in trouble if it's one of Vishnu's shrines!"

"It's not," Tusita snapped back and turned around. "Open your eyes and look what in heaven's name do you see now?"

To our immense shock, the temple we just saw collapsing earlier started moving and assembling back together. The broken stones rolled on top of another as black mist emitted from every crack of the ground. The ruin began morphing into a tall black silhouette.

Kesar gasped beside me and gripped my arm. I looked around us and realized that the forest was illuminated with strangely glowing eyes. One by one until there was countless, they seemed to be emerging straight from temple's walls and the forest.

"Rakshasas," Tusita muttered in disgust.

I was reminded at once all the stories and folklore I were told by the Guru. Rakshasas were man-eaters. They roamed the wilderness and devoured unfortunate travelers. Created from the breath of Brahma when he was asleep at the end of Age, they were so fearsome and filled with blood-lust that as soon as they were born, the demons started eating Brahma himself. The God of Creation shouted 'Rakshama! Protect me!' and Vishnu came to his aid, banishing all Rakshasa race to earth.

The demons were almost two feet tall and bulky with enormous mouths. When the creatures stepped into the range of light, the hair on my arms stood on ends. Their faces were horrifying with two crooked fangs protruded down from the upper jaw. They walked forwards, holding out their claw-like fingernails as black as raven beaks. Some of them were green-skinned while others were yellow and dark with pot-bellies and hairy arms. As the demons began to gather around us, I noticed with amazement that their savage red eyes were vertical slits. Some of the more ferocious ones were shown with flaming hair. Growling like beasts, these insatiable cannibals could smell the scent of flesh.

I looked at the temple again and it was no longer there. There was now a dark shape of a person swaying from side to side, looming slowly towards us.

A loud thud fell on the ground one after another. The earth jarred under my feet. Everyone had to look all the way up to see with a sunken heart that the temple was actually a giant—a female one.

Her pot-belly and large breasts jiggled as she stepped forwards. I stared at her dark wild face half-hidden in her long unkempt brown hair. A knot tightened inside my stomach.

"You think you could fool me with your pathetic illusion?" Tusita growled through clenched teeth. The giantess raised her bushy brows and glared at us with her horrifying cross-eyes. It almost seemed comical until she pulled back her lips and revealed a mouthful of jagged sharp teeth. Her grating voice was harsh on our ears.

"Give me the Prophesied Child with no say or delay!" she snarled, "or else I shall set this club of mine upon your skulls and devour you straight away!"

"What is that thing?" I asked, looking at the giantess who was armed with a thorny wooden club across the field.

"If I'm not wrong, that is Ravana's younger sister. Her name is Surpanaka, the sharp-nailed one. She could transform into anything she desires. She thought she could lure us in and capture us," she told me and snorted, but her hands were loading up yet another arrow.

I remembered the name when Amarisa and I enjoyed the shadow puppet of the epic Ramayana. Surpanaka was the catalyst, setting the chain of events leading to Sita's abduction. True as what was warned by Shiva, the Asuras had indeed reincarnated for yet another pending war. Now standing before us was the proof of the predicted omen.

A thick fog suddenly surrounded us from all sides. Those horrible vertical eyes glowed with ravenous hunger.

Samudra flashed out his twin knives.

"Be aware of their teeth and nails," Tusita warned. "They are poisonous to the touch."

"Oh, hell is upon us, Tusita!" Atith cried from the chariot. "Rush back here this instant. Their numbers are endless!"

"Talk not of running, I am of a race that knows neither fear nor flight," Tusita yelled back in annoyance. "Let them come and have their share of my arrows."

"Kesar! Get out of here now," I said to my trembling maiden beside me. My eyes kept staring at the blood-drinking, flesh-eating ghouls from the ancient time.

"My lady..."

"Kesar, go!" I shouted at her. The winged maiden recoiled at my harsh word, but she at last unraveled her golden wings and swiftly flew away. Once I knew Kesar was far from harms, I turned to my friend again.

Tusita raised her mighty Gandiva and released a close rank shot. The arrow split into three, spinning like darting light and hit the approaching demons right between their eyes. The sounds of screams erupted. More ghouls came running from every direction. Tusita kept them at bay with her celestial weapon. I saw them wail and exploded into black dust, emitting a foul rotten smell from their deceased bodies.

Some came at us from behind, but Samudra drew his knives and pierced them through their heart two at a time.

As my friends warded off the flesh-eating Asuras, Atith rolled his chariot and glided it towards us. Many demons stumbled over and fled from his fiery horses. The animal's front hooves outstretched and knocked into the skulls of their heads. But more of them kept coming, and I knew we could stay no longer. The giantess began to sally forward. Her blazing eyes rested on me.

"Atith, hurry!" I cried.

In a flash, he flicked the reins and spurted the chariot forward, making a wide arch.

About fifty paces away before he could reach us, a cloud of mist floated into the areas. In the heat of panic, I spun around in confusion and realized I was now alone. The mist had enveloped me, shrouding me out of sight.

"Nikita, where are you?" I heard Tusita's voice cried out, but I could not see her.

"My lady!" I heard Kesar's voice from above.

There was only hazy fog as thick as a veil. Then the sound of great footsteps got closer in my direction. I heard the branches of the trees snapped, and I realized the thorny club was coming down on me.