‘And this was a very good stick,’ Girilal said sadly, holding up the truncated end of his staff.
Even while trying to comfort Kit, Nina couldn’t help turning her mind to the trap. ‘Anyone walking down the passage triggers it. And even if you could climb to the end without touching the floor, you still have to drop down to go through the opening at the end. And when you do . . .’ She indicated the giant stone foot poised above the gap. ‘You get stomped.’
‘Just like Shiva,’ said Girilal, thoughtful.
‘What do you mean?’
‘There was a demon called Raktabija,’ he told her, ‘who seemed impossible to kill in battle because every time he was cut, when his blood touched the ground another copy of him leapt up. Only Kali was strong enough to destroy him - she drank all the blood from Raktabija’s body, then ate his clones! But she became drunk with victory and danced across the battlefield, crushing the dead under her feet. To stop her, Shiva pretended to be one of the corpses, and when Kali realised she had stepped on her husband, she was ashamed and became calm again.’
‘Did she kill him?’ Nina asked.
‘No, she stopped just before she crushed him.’
Eddie finished stitching Kit’s injury. ‘Doesn’t help us get past, though.’
‘There has to be a way through,’ Nina said. She saw a spear beside another siege engine. ‘Shankarpa, try that. Maybe there’s a pattern to the way the arms move, a safe route.’
Shankarpa pushed the spear’s tip against the slab. The arms swung into action once more, blades flashing through the air. Nina’s hope that a route through the gauntlet might be revealed was rapidly dashed; the stabbing, hacking and crushing blows covered the passage’s entire width.
‘So much for that,’ she said as Shankarpa withdrew the shortened spear.
The leader of the guardians frowned. ‘But you are right - there must be a way. I will see if anyone remembers anything from our carvings.’ He turned to the other robed men.
Nina could tell from the tone of their responses that they were unlikely to be saying anything useful. She moved back to Kit as Eddie applied bandages. ‘Are you okay?’
‘This has not been my most fun day,’ he said in a strained voice.
‘Just hang in there. We’ve come this far, we’ve found the Vault of Shiva - we’ll get you home safely. Somehow.’ She looked at Girilal. ‘Is there anything in the stories of Kali that might get us past?’
He shook his head. ‘I am sorry, but I cannot think what.’
Her gaze moved back to the statue - and the two hands that had not moved during the attack. ‘The symbols she’s making: “I will protect you” and “do not fear”. Do not fear, I will protect you . . . from what?’
‘From her,’ suggested Eddie. ‘She’s the big threat.’
‘Kali is not a threat to those who trust her,’ Girilal insisted.
‘So how does she protect you if she’s the one attacking you in the first place?’ asked Nina. ‘Unless . . . if you believe she won’t harm you, you have nothing to fear?’
Eddie indicated Kit’s leg. ‘I don’t think a positive mental attitude’ll stop you from getting shish-kebabed.’
‘I’m not so sure. Girilal, can you look after Kit?’
‘Wait, what’re you thinking?’ Eddie demanded as the yogi took her place.
She picked up the spear. ‘I’ve got a theory - I want to test it.’
‘Couldn’t you just write a thesis, or whatever you PhDs do?’
Ignoring him, Nina went to the passage, stopping just short of its entrance. There was a splash of blood where Kit had been stabbed. Raising the spear, she held its broken end a few inches past the splatter. ‘Okay, let’s see what happens . . .’
She pushed the spear down - and held it there.
Another fearsome crash of ancient machinery, eight arms sweeping down—
And stopping short. There was a loud bang as something inside the statue arrested its movement.
Nina kept the spear held down. The arms retreated.
Shankarpa ran over. ‘What did you do?’
‘I believed that Kali would protect me,’ Nina replied. ‘And she did. Stand back, let me show you.’
She pushed the spear down again. The sword lunged - and this time she jerked the wood away. The blade continued to the limit of its travel, hacking another piece off the wooden shaft.
‘If you’re afraid, that’s what you do when Kali attacks you,’ she explained. ‘You jump back - and get hit anyway. But if you’re not afraid, if you stand your ground . . .’ She lowered the spear once more, keeping it pressed firmly to the stone. Another bang echoed through the passage as the sword stopped abruptly before impact. ‘If you stay in place, there’s something in the machinery that keeps it from hitting you. The symbols in her other two hands are the clue for how to get through. It’s like the key - you have to know the meaning of the stories about Shiva and the goddesses to get inside.’
Eddie waved an arm at the array of lethal weapons. ‘You want to take a stroll through that lot to see if you’re right?’
‘Well, uh . . . not particularly. But if it’s the only way we can get through, then someone’s got to do it.’
‘It’s not bloody going to be you, that’s for sure.’ He stepped up to the passage. ‘I’ll do it.’
‘What?’ Nina cried. ‘Oh, no you won’t! If you’re not going to let me go, I’m sure as hell not going to let you. One of these guys can do it.’ She jabbed a thumb at the guardians.
Shankarpa was not pleased by the suggestion. ‘You want us to risk our lives to test your . . . theory?’
‘You want to find the Shiva-Vedas as much as we do.’
‘Our lives do not depend on it.’
‘They might if the Khoils turn up.’ Between the excitement of opening the Vault and the danger posed by the statue, she had forgotten there was another threat hanging over them. ‘Damn it! They could be on their way already. We have to get inside!’ She faced Shankarpa. ‘Look, I’m sure that if you’re not afraid and just walk down the passage, you won’t get hit and you’ll be able to get to the inner chamber. But we’re running out of time to do it.’
‘Then we’ll have to stop pissing about and get on with it, won’t we?’ Eddie said . . . as he stepped into the narrow tunnel.
‘Eddie, no!’ Nina screamed, but the blades were already descending—
The longest sword jerked to a stop with its tip barely an inch from his groin.
‘Gah!’ he yelped as it withdrew, feeling certain parts of his body doing some withdrawal of their own. ‘I’m bloody glad that stopped when it did.’
‘Are you out of your mind?’ Nina shouted. ‘You could have been killed!’
‘Or worse! Look, someone’s got to go down here - and actually doing it’s better than arguing about it. Okay, next step.’ Suppressing a shudder, he advanced down the passage.
The long sword remained stationary as the other blades shot forward, a scimitar swooshing across at neck height only to stop as if hitting an invisible wall. The weapons retracted. Another step. This time nothing happened. Not all the slabs were connected to the trap. Warily, he moved on.
The vajra dropped like a wrecking ball, stopping so close to his head the displaced air ruffled his hair. Next was another sword, almost cleaving diagonally across his chest. Four arms had made their attack: halfway.
Another step—
The chakram sliced at him - and its circular edge bit through his sleeve into his arm.