Realm of the Goddess by Sabina Khan Read Free Book Online Page A

was in bull form.
    “Well, that’s not exactly what happened,” Nina said. I looked at her in confusion.
    “What did happen exactly?” I asked.
    “Kali was betrayed. It was a plot to destroy her before she could destroy Mahisha.”
    “But I thought she was created to be indestructible,” I said. I remembered she was given gifts by each of the gods of the Trinity from whose wrath she was created. Indra gave her a thunderbolt, Shiva a bow and arrows, and Brahma a sword.
    “That’s right, but no one knows what happened exactly,” Nina said. “There are those who believe that the Trinity feared that she might become too powerful and might try to overthrow them, so...”
    All this was making my head spin. And I still didn’t know what was going on.
    “Why are we talking about this?” I asked. “We should be making sure that my parents are okay.” I looked at Shiv pleadingly.
    “That’s just it, Callie. We know who took your parents...at least we have a pretty good idea who is behind all this,” Shiv said.
    “Then why —” I started, but Shiv interrupted me.
    “Your parents were taken by demons. You were attacked by a demon. We are pretty sure that it was one of Mahisha’s demons.” He looked at his father triumphantly, as if to say See, that wasn’t so hard to blurt out, was it?
    I was numb. Nina sat down next to me again.
    “Callie, the thing is...Mahisha was never killed. He was very nearly destroyed, but he was very powerful, and although it has taken him centuries, he is regaining his strength. In the meantime he has been gathering an army of loyal followers who have been slowly spreading corruption and evil. There are many who believe that he is rising again, and when he does, there is only one who can destroy him.”
    “Okay, I guess that must be Kali then. But she’s not here, is she?” Frustration was making me snarky and I was getting tired of all this. Some of my strength was also coming back and I was ready to leave. I stood up. “I’m going to my house, and if my parents aren’t there, I will call the police,” I said with more conviction than I felt.
    “Callie, don’t leave. You have to trust us...trust me,” Shiv pleaded. “There is a reason why this is happening. And it has to do with you.”
    I just stood there waiting for him to continue. I really had nothing more to say to him.
    He must have sensed I was wavering, because he rushed his next words.
    “Kali is reborn whenever evil threatens to overpower good. With the threat of Mahisha looming, we knew that she would be reincarnated soon. That’s what led us to you.”
     

Chapter Four
     
     
    Shiv looked at his parents. So did I. I was completely taken aback.
    “What do you mean...led you to me. Who are you people?” I felt I should make a run for it, but there was something in their faces that made me want to stay and see how this played out. They were looking at me as if...as if they were seeing something...I didn’t know what.
    “We are Rakshakari,” said Dev. “Protectors of the Goddess. A council was formed five thousand years ago to protect Kali when she failed to destroy Mahisha and a conspiracy was suspected. We are descendants of the original Rakshakari. We are guided to the Goddess whenever and wherever she is reborn. And we were drawn to this place...to you.”
    “Why me?” An image flashed in my mind from my nightmares. A wild-eyed girl with a sword, blood and sweat staining her face. Could it be...no, it wasn’t possible. These people were insane and I should get as far away as possible from here. But...my nightmares...that creature.
    “Callie, have you ever dreamed about something really strange?” Nina asked, looking at me intently. It made me uneasy. Had my parents mentioned something to them? We never talked about it, but...why was Nina asking me? How could she possibly know? They were looking at me expectantly.
    “What do you mean, strange?” I wasn’t going to tell them anything until I was