Black Avatare

16 | TUNNEL

"Where exactly are you going?" Nayana's voice called.

Binara stiffened on her way downstairs, foot poised over the last step. "Duty calls."

The governess appeared at the top of the staircase, long skirt swishing against the banister. "It's Saturday."

"I still have some work to do." Binara crossed the foyer. "I'll be back before nightfall."

"You will be back before six o'clock. Is that clear, Binara?"

The woman's tone was so commanding that it seemed to freeze the very dust motes in the air, which floated and glimmered in the sunbeams streaming down from the skylight. Binara stilled and bit her lip. The words provoked a clamor of thoughts—wild sprites rioting to defy the order just to spite Nayana. Her current mission occupied much of her brain space, and she could care less about mundane rules. On the other hand, getting into trouble with the governess would entail unnecessary complications.

"Binara?"

"Fine. I'll be back by then." Binara resumed walking, stretching her legs into the widest possible strides.

"You really must come home soon, miss." The cook materialized from the hallway with a small tray in her hands. "It's dangerous. Just this morning, I was reading the newspaper and...a girl is dead."

Binara pivoted her head to look at Nelum, one hand gripping the door handle. "Who?"

"Some Bentota family."

Her heart clenched. The victim girl! The one I visited. Mrs. Bentota popped up in her inner eye, with her frizzy hair and dark circles. She wondered how the woman was coping with the loss.

Nayana spoke up. "How has the girl died?"

"They say she took her own life." Nelum sighed, worry etched on her face. "However, all kinds of stories are going around."

"Of course." The governess shook her head. "It's the demon at work."

"Yes, I was going to the market yesterday, and the tuk driver told me he's expecting the Great Haunting to happen exactly like they say in the legends. More girls abducted, scores of people killed, entire villages ravaged...A dark age like no other. He's waiting for the Perahera to cleanse the city."

Nayana scoffed. "People died back then because of a natural disaster. Even now, we have flooding and landslide events every year. Surely, you don't believe this nonsense, Nelum?"

"I honestly don't know what to believe anymore. I hope this is all sorted out soon."

Binara didn't wait to hear more. She slipped out through the door. A weak sun shone on the verandah, but it failed to dissipate the cold that had pooled in her gut.

An hour later, she was up on the hills, plotting her course through the Leycondera tea estate. The sky blanched and drizzled, making her flip up her hood. Three days had passed since the Gongama mission. According to the note Manju had left in the tree hollow, the higher-ups were to convene a meeting that day to discuss a "Black Prince case". Manju had gone so far as to offer to facilitate the means with which to spy on the meeting—for an additional fee.

She headed to the forest path that would take her to the shack where the Yakadura trial was held. A familiar figure waited to intercept her under the trees, making her pause.

"Binnie, hey!" Piumi waved, an oversized hoodie cocooning her form.

"I don't see why you're coming with me," Binara said as nonchalantly as she could while Piumi fell into step beside her.