Dahana

4. The Third Test

"That's it? That's the test?" asked Mahendra. He and Dhanunjaya were alone in the room. Red tapestries filled with golden scenes of great chariots and elephants decorated the walls. The floor was wooden. From the ceiling hung a giant chandelier in a style Mahendra had not seen before. But the ceiling was so high up that it looked small from his perspective.

"That's the test," affirmed Dhanunjaya. He was holding in his arms a very long cobra. Mahendra, from his limited knowledge of snakes, recognized it as a king cobra. "Let yourself be bitten by the cobra. If you draw back or flinch at any point, you will be disqualified."

Had everyone else done this too? Or was this test specifically for him? Since the morning, they had been called into the room one by one to face the secret third test, including Suryaketu. It was now midday. None of those who entered had returned.

Mahendra watched the snake carefully. It was a majestic creature, he told himself, not scary at all. And surely they would heal him afterward. No point inducting someone into the Gana and letting him die as soon as he's joined. No reason to be afraid. The monstrous serpent stuck out its forked black tongue, and Mahendra shuddered. Its black body slithered along Dhanunjaya's arm, pulsating with strength.

But he had no choice. This was for the sake of hispromise. He held out his left arm. "Verywell. Let's do this." The snake, as if waiting for this moment, reared itselfup and spread its hood, then struck out at his arm, sinking its venomous fangsdeep into his flesh. Mahendra screamed, but did not flinch.

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The woman known as Unmadini walked through a forest. She listened to the dozens of bird calls, the whistling of the trees in the wind, and the scurrying of animals on the forest floor. Dhruva, the north star, guided her path. In a short time she found the object of her search. Its sound was the sound of water falling upon a human body. A slight and subtle sound, but Unmadini's ears caught it. She followed the sound through the banyans and the river's split branches until she came to it: a waterfall about twenty feet high, and two women nearby—one sitting in a meditative position under the waterfall, and another sitting nearby, reading a scroll.

The difference between the two women was striking. The one under the waterfall had an exceptionally beautiful face: large eyes shaped like the outline of fish, tapering at one end; high cheek bones; and long, dark hair. Her limbs were long, agile, and strong. She did not look up as Unmadini approached. She was totally absorbed in her meditation. The other woman, sitting nearby, was thin, almost emaciated, and her face, while marred by a long scar, had not been pretty even before the wound. She was tall, much taller than Unmadini and the other woman, and taller than most men. Her hair was cut shorter even than men's hair. They were both dressed in men's clothes: the beautiful one wore blue, and the thin one wore black. She put her scroll away once she noticed Unmadini.

"What's the matter?" asked the thin one. "Here for another bout?"

"Not this time," responded Unmadini. "I came to confirm something." The thin woman blinked and picked up her scroll again. Unmadini walked closer to the meditating woman. She knelt in front of her and leaned close to study her face. The woman did not react. "Ah," she said. "They don't look much alike, but... siblings, they must be."

"You done?" the thin woman looked like she was simply reading her scroll, but Unmadini knew better. The woman's hand was close enough to her blade to strike in a moment. Unmadini stood up.

"Yes, I'm done." She waited for a response, but none was forthcoming. "I came across an interesting young man applying to the Maya Gana."