'I wondered what you were, Bhim,' Melcorka said. 'I never saw Dhraji without her leopard unless Bhim was there. What a strange creature you are.' She swung Defender, swearing when the blade bounced off the body of the leopard. Only the force of the blow pushed the leopard back.
'No mortal blade can kill us!' The words resounded inside Melcorka's head as the other rakshasas altered into their multi-legged shapes and ran forward, tentacles grabbing and beaks snapping. Three of them now, as the creature that had copied Kulothunga assumed its other form.
'Get behind me, Bradan! You're no warrior!' Melcorka stepped forward, Defender held ready. As the first rakshasa curled its tentacles around her, she slashed with Defender, sliced off two tentacles and thrust for the eyes. Once again, Defender bounced off the pupil without inflicting any damage.
'I can't be killed by any mortal weapon.' The words eased into Melcorka's mind again.
'I'll chop you up, piece by piece,' Melcorka said, slashing sideways. 'And this time you have no sea to escape into.'
The three multi-legged rakshasas were attacking her; one had its tentacles wrapped around her legs, holding her while the others slithered up with their beaks poised to strike. Looking in the mirrors, Melcorka could see a hundred rakshasas surrounding her. She slashed at one, to realise that it was only a mirror image as Defender hissed through empty air.
'Is that why you put the mirrors there?' Melcorka asked. 'That's how you work, isn't it? First, you remove hope by spreading depression in people's minds, and then you spread confusion, so they don't know fact from fiction.'
Melcorka saw Kosala fighting the leopard, hacking at its limbs and avoiding the slashing claws. Then the leopard altered, growing more legs as it copied its fellow rakshasas.
'You will die slowly, Melcorka,' the voice sounded in her head, laughing, mocking, seeking to unsettle her. 'Very slowly. You will suffer for weeks while I kill Bradan as you watch.'
'The Chola army will reduce your city,' Melcorka said. 'Rajaraja will break down your walls and scatter your army!'
That laugh sounded again. 'You still don't realise, Melcorka, do you? You are still the naïve little island girl from the far west. I don't care about these little pirates or this city. They are tools.' The voice was deep and cold and utterly uncaring. 'They call me the Mysterious One, for they do not understand anything I do. My fight is far beyond anything you can ever imagine, with your little sliver of steel and your wandering man with his piece of stick.'
'Who are you?' Melcorka freed her legs with a back-handed slash of Defender. 'What are you?'
'For every force, there is a counterforce,' the voice said, 'and this world is a stage for the battle of the two. We are the game masters; kings and rajas and emperors are only pawns in our game.'
'Good and evil.' Melcorka stepped back. She saw Kosala and Bradan standing back to back over the corpse of the false Kulothunga, desperately trying to fend off the Bhim rakshasa. There was a rising din in the background, the clash of steel on steel and the hoarse cries of fighting men. Rajaraja's army must have finally stormed the city and was engaged with the defenders.
Bradan swung his staff, saw it bounce from the rakshasa, and kicked out in frustration. Stumbling over the body of the false Kulothunga, he looked away, temporarily blinded as the dying sun reflected in the mirrors.
Is it that late already? Time goes fast when one is fighting.
Melcorka saw Bradan catch his foot in Kulothunga's jacket. She saw Bradan kicked the jacket free, and a small flask slipped from an inside pocket to roll on the ground.
'Sweet Lord in his heaven,' Melcorka said. 'Thank you, Kulothunga. Thank you, Mother! Thank you, Bradan.'
The water from the Ganges! Kulothunga tested Rajaraja's admirals and generals with water from the Holy River!
Melcorka raised her voice. 'Bradan! Kosala!'
Kosala looked over. 'I can't hurt it.' Frustration edged his voice. 'My sword just bounces off!'
'I know how to destroy them!' Melcorka shouted. 'Do you see that little flask beside Kulothunga?'
Kosala looked down, nodded and sliced off one of the tentacles of a rakshasa. The creature wrapped another around his leg. Kosala did not even flinch. 'I see it!'
'Can you throw it this way?'
The rakshasas made another attack, forcing Melcorka further back as tentacles coiled around her arms. That voice was back inside her head, probing. 'Do you remember meeting me before, Melcorka?'
Melcorka hacked at another tentacle, only to miss as the rakshasa recoiled. 'I have fought you three times.'
'You have fought me more than that,' the voice said. 'Look, Melcorka.'
With her eyes narrowed against the glare of the sun, Melcorka was standing on the golden sands of a beach with the Kalingo warriors before her and the peaceful Taino at her back.
Only a single Kalingo stood. A lone female faced the attackers, pointing two fingers at Melcorka.
'Run, you fool!' Melcorka yelled. 'All your friends have gone.'
Kanaima remained standing, pointing, so that Melcorka slowed down, curious to see why her adversary did not run.
Kanaima took a single step forward. 'I curse you. I curse you in your body and in your mind. I curse you in your possessions and your strength. I curse you in your travels and your weather. I curse you until the balance of the world is restored…' She got no further as Melcorka swung Defender and neatly cut off her head.
'You!' Melcorka said.
'Me,' the Mysterious One said. 'I am the kanaima you fought.'
'I killed you thousands of miles away.' Melcorka hefted Defender again.
The vision faded until once again Melcorka was in that glare-lit square, with the rakshasas ready to pounce.
'You think of distance and time as though it was fixed,' the voice said. 'Look beyond that, Melcorka. Look beyond time and space. We are everywhere, and we are always. A life, any life,
