Chapter Eight: Hailley. Alakshmi Fights The Invisible Lightning Snake

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Here is Chapter Eight of Evils: The Other Four.

Alakshmi Fights The Invisible Lightning SnakeEdit
Camp Life.

Asha led me to a building in the middle of the camp. An ugly woman with wildly arranged hair and absolutely lifeless eyes stood by the doorway.

"Dhumavati," Asha greeted. She leaned over and whispered to me, "An aspect of the Divine Mother."

"Another of Lakshmi's livers?" Dhumavati said. "Eventually, that deva has got to stop blessing humans and get around to helping out her fellow goddesses."

Asha led me further inside. "Sorry about Dhumavati. The reason she's sometimes called Alakshmi is because she has no radiance, no lakshmi. She gets a little jealous of Lakshmi's livers as a result."

"There's that word again," I said. "What's a liver?" Were we all organs of Hindu gods?

"We are the blessed ones," Asha said dramatically. "The Hindus believe in reincarnation, birth after death, and each of the livers carries a bit of the gods' souls. A bit of Hanuman's power lies in me, a bit of Lakshmi's power lies in you."

A thunderous whisper shook the camp. ''Surrender the liver of Lakshmi to me and I shall leave Camp Life in peace. You have ten seconds.''

"The Aghasura," Asha said.

"No asura will do anything to harm us," Dhumavati said defiantly. "Asha, take the Lakshmi child and go! Bring another with you as well, in fact."

"Jag, come here," Asha cried.

A guy - probably Jag - ran up to us just as the Aghasura bellowed Time's up.

The first bolt of lightning struck the camp, beginning a massive downpour. The rain, though fierce, did not stop the flames that came from the bolt.

"You have to go," Dhumavati said. "Evacuate Camp Life. Then, the three of you go get help from Mount Penglai. I'll hold the Aghasura back as long as I can."

"C'mon," Jag said, then shouted, "EVERYONE! OUT OF THE CAMP! NOW!"

"Yes, because I could not possibly have done that myself," Dhumavati said.

I lifted Pr̥thvī kī tākata to try and use its power, but Asha shook her head. "No. Plants will only let the fire spread."

I looked at Dhumavati one last time and started running.

The other campers followed us between the flames. At one point we came to a dead end, surrounded by flames. Asha just ran in and used her hands to put them out.

"Go, before they spark up again."

"Does Hanuman have fire powers?"

"Nope. Just selflessness. This hurts like the Christian hell."

More lightning bolts struck by the time we got out of the camp. Eventually, Dhumavati, covered in marks, emerged from the flames and muttered a few words.

"Camp Life... is dead..."