Free The Silver Anklet by Mahtab Narsimhan

horrible awaited them? But there was nothing there and Tara breathed a sigh of relief.
    Kali followed them inside. The insipid light of the lantern revealed an empty room with drifts of dead leaves in the corners. A rotting smell lingered in the room as if something had died in here recently. Thick creepers climbed the walls toward the ceiling, covering every inch of surface. Other than that the room was completely bare.
    â€œI’ll be back in the morning,” said Kali. “Do make yourselves comfortable.”
    â€œCan’t you let us see the children just once?” said Kabir. “Have you no pity at all?”
    â€œNo,” said Kali. “Anything else?”
    â€œYou’re not human,” said Tara. “Don’t forget, we’ve looked after Layla like she was our sister. Thank God she didn’t have you around or she’d have been just as bad.”
    Kali smiled. “If you only knew what Layla is capable of. She’s my daughter and always will be. I’m proud of her!”
    â€œWhat do you mean by that?” said Tara. Her nerves tingled and a thought nagged at her. “Layla was following your orders when she lured Suraj and Rohan toward the hyenas, right?”
    â€œRight,” said Kali. “My daughter follows instructions very well.”
    â€œBut how did you manage to get the message to her? Did you come to Morni …?” Tara was burning with curiousity. How had Kali managed to slip unseen past all the villagers?
    â€œNever mind,” said Kali. She had been watching Tara closely, her smile broader. “I’m sure you’ll figure it out eventually. You were always such a smart girl.”
    Tara looked at Kali in disgust. Layla was turning out to be a replica of her mother and if they were somehow still in touch, who knew what they’d be capable of. She cursed herself silently. If only she had trusted her instincts, none of this would have happened. She had always known Layla was bad; that they should have turned her out of the village with Kali. When she got back home, it was the first thing she would take care of.
    â€œI’d rather the hyenas finished you off right now,” said Kali. “Save us all a lot of trouble. But what can I say? I’m just following orders.” She yawned in their faces and walked out, taking the lantern with her. As the doors closed, the last thing they saw was her pale face with its cruel smile.
    Raani immediately rounded on Vayu as soon as the doors banged shut.
    â€œVayu, you fool!” she said. “If it hadn’t been for you, we would have rescued Suraj and Sadia and would have been on our way home by now. You’ve ruined it for all of us! God knows why any one would name you after the wind … you should have been named after something big and dumb!”
    â€œI thought you said you knew this part of the forest well,” said Kabir. “And a plant scared you?”
    Ananth maintained a disapproving silence as he prowled around the room, examining it.
    â€œI’m so sorry,” said Vayu, softly. “With all that talk about Zarku returning, I was a little … um … spooked. I’m really sorry.” His shoulders slumped. Tara’s heart went out to him.
    â€œThat’s enough,” said Tara. “Vayu did not give us away deliberately. I think we should all just let it go.
    There’s nothing wrong with being a little scared.”
    â€œYou should know,” said Kabir, his voice like a whiplash. “You couldn’t outrun a middle-aged woman and were too scared to brave the dark and go back to Morni for help. You both make a great pair.”
    Tara wanted to retort with something equally hurtful, but held her tongue. They hadn’t a clue about how much trouble they were in. Till she explained it to them, they would continue to believe that she was a coward. And she wasn’t. She wasn’t!
    â€œI came back for all of