Deva, Temple of Treachery

Chapter 7

Panting, Amara's heart settled down, the realization hit her. Did she just run after an apparition into a temple filled with hostile men with guns? Yes, clearly losing her mind. Looking up, she watched Vihaan try to push the door open, cursing in Hindi as he was unsuccessful.

"Why did you run into the building?" Vihaan's voice sounded angry, making Amara frown in confusion.

"What do you mean why? The boy was clearly showing us the way."

"What boy?"

"What do you mean, what boy?" Amara snorted, her smile faded though when Vihaan stared at her unbending to her question. "The boy chanting the mantra. You heard it."

"I heard it, but I saw no boy."

"He looked about fifteen years old, beautiful, wearing traditional dhoti, and old bracelets in gold," Amara words slowly faded. "He glowed."

"A glowing boy?" Vihaan groaned. "And you thought it was a great idea that we followed a glowing boy into the temple with armed men?"

"I don't know, I just reacted."

Staring at eachother, Vihaan's eyes flickered turning around to look down the hallway. 4

"What kind of mantra was that anyway?"

Rolling his eyes, Vihaan muttered, "Have you ever set your foot in a temple in your life?"

"My mom dragged me to some temples to chant some mantras, I often feel asleep after a few times," Amara admitted, "She stopped dragging me there and just allowed Amos to babysit me while she prayed."

"That sounds about right," Vihaan muttered. "The mantra is one to Vishnu, it is a purification mantra to remove fear and evil which might explain why you just suddenly ran into the temple like you had none."

"Don't be silly, mantras are just songs."

"Says the girl-"

"Woman!"

"-who decided that running after a glowing boy was a brilliant idea."

The two of them stared at each other, before Amara turned around, refusing to discuss it more and run into the temple. Vihaan cursing behind her.

Dashing into a large golden hallway, filled with stairs and plateaus floating above an abyss, Amara came to a stop. Losing her balance, she started to wave her arms around, letting out a high pitched screamed as she almost fell over the edge when a strong set of arms pulled her in.

Turning around to thank Vihaan, Amara's words was caught in her throat when two grey eyes met hers. Those certainly didn't belong to Vihaan who currently had raised his arms as the other man had aimed their guns at him.

"So two little mice are sneaking around," the man said, his voice low and raspy.

"Says the rat running around touching things that are not his," Amara replied, letting out a scream when the man let her go, making her fall back only to hold onto her arm while she tried to grab onto him. Her eyes staring down into the abyss.

"Let her go you asshole," hissed Vihaan who got a slap across the face from the man closest to him.

"Are you sure?" the grey eyed man said, cocking and eyebrow at Vihaan who paled at the insinuation.

"Vihaan, stop giving him ideas," Amara shouted out angrily, grunting as the grey eyed man pulled her into his chest. She hit him, only to grimace when her hand throbbed after the impact. If she would have known his chest was that firm, she would have stomped him on the foot instead.