The water rippled as Silas slowly climbed down, his eyes watching the water for threats. Amara flinched everytime the water splashed and Silas froze in place, before he relaxed once more and took another step. He moved his feet along the mud, hoping to rattle any works in the banks instead of just suddenly step on one.

Sarthak seemed restless as he moved over to Amara and pulled close to him, putting a gun to her head. “Get a move on, Silas, or the pretty lady will be missing a part of her skull soon enough.”

“Ignore him, Silas. Just make a run for it!” Amara shouted before her mouth was covered by a hand. Biting down on it with all her might, Sarthak let out a grunt and hit her over the face.

Wrestling the struggling Amara, Sarthak threw her to the ground and shot a warning shot just inches from her face, making her entire body grow rigid in fear.

“Hurt her and not even your gods will be able to protect you,” Silas shouted back. His eyes flashing in anger, though they soon turned back to the water.

“Get a move on and she won’t be,” Sarthak shouted back but his eyes spoke of another thing. He had no intention of letting her go, but Amara was too scared to scream anything more. She considered using the mantra that Prahlada thaught her but she wasn’t sure it would work on humans.

Silas grimaced and started to move again, then he stopped. His face going pale and eyes wide before he suddenly let out a shout as he was pulled under the water. His arms clawing to get to the surface, water splashing, and Amara screamed, trying to get to him but Sarthak just laughed and held her back.

She could only see his arms, then his fingers, then finally, his entire body was gone and the water went still as blood seemed to filled the area he was in.

“Well, that was satisfying,” Sarthak’s cold eyes turned to Amara laying frozen in place. Her eyes filled with tears as she stared at the place Silas had once been standing.”But we still need someone to lower that bridge.”

Amara turned to him, her eyes angry as she stared into the gun barrel coming closer to her face. She could feel Sarthak’s breath on her face. “And I think you should be next.”

Amara opened her mouth to tell him to go to hell, when a gunshot echoed in the clearing. One of the men fell to the ground, and the other shouted. Shooting wildly as they fell to the ground one by one. Sarthak ripped Amara up from the ground, she let out a whimper when the gun pressed against her temple.

Her eyes searched for the shooter, tears flowing when she saw the familiar face. Amos stood there, coldly holding a rifle aimed at Sarthak.

“Who are you suppose to be?” Sarthak grunted, looking at the men shakily aiming their guns at Amos.

“The girl’s guardian,” Amos said, not releasing his eyes from them.

“And you just rushed in like a fool loosing your only advantage,” Sarthak rolled his eyes, before shaking Amara. “Drop the weapon or the girl dies.”

Amos eyes met Amara, calm and gentle. His eyes telling her to run and she listens. Her trust unhampered as she elbows Sarthak in the rips and throw herself away from the man.

She expected Amos to shoot but instead, he lowers the gun and raises his other hand. “Osrecca secidar segapnoc.”

A sizzling noise echoed in the clearing, sounding over the flow of the river and a blue glow blinded Amara for a second, before it faded and the clearing sounded with a crackling noise accompanied by shouts in terror.

Opening her eyes, staring at the strange scene, Amara’s brain tried to wrap itself around the conundrum of what happened. Glowing shapes, a circle around a pentagon engulfing a five cornered star around a three corned star shone all around the men. From the circle roots grew, twisting and holding down the men trying to get free.

“What the hell did you do?” Sarthak shouted, clawing at the roots.

“Sutaredom Eregna,” Amos muttered, the roots suddenly wrapping themselves around the mens’ throats and strangling them.

“Monster,” Sarthak gasped, and Amos snorted.

“I wasn’t the one who threatened a defenseless girl.”

“Amos?” Amara whimpered, trying to stand up on her shaky legs.

“You shall never hurt the people I care about again,” Amos said between gritted teeth.

Sarthak suddenly rushed out from the roots, holding a machete. He rushed towards his men but Amos was quicker.

“Sutaredom Ipur!”

A nasty crack echoed as the roots broke the necks of the men. Sarthak shouted out wildly as the bodies of his minions fell limply to the ground.

“You fucking-“

Shouts could be heard in a distance, as about five men suddenly rushed out through the jungle.

“Kill them!” shouted Sarthak, pointing wildly at Amos and Amara. Amos grimaced, and rushed towards Amara, pulling her up and rushing toward the river.

“Not there, the worms-“

“The skolexes won’t be a problem,” Amos replied briskly and Amara looked up to let out a shout in relief.

On the other side of the river stood Silas, covered in mood and bites but alive. He pulled the level and the bridge went down with a screetch.

“Hurry!” he shouted, pulling out a hidden gun from his pants and aimed it at the men pursuing them.

The bridge creaked as Amara stepped foot on it but she didn’t hesitate to run, hoping that the old thing was built to hold. The water underneath had started to take on a yellowish color as bodies of the worms washed away, most likely killed by Silas as he overpowered them.

Bullets flew past her ears, but she dared not turn around. She soon let out a sigh of relief when her feet landed on earth instead of creaky wood, crouching she turned around. Letting out a gasp as she saw Sarthak and his men follow.

“How many did you bring?” Amara shouted at Silas who grimaced.

“To many, I thought they had all died, but far more survived than I thought. We had separated to cover more ground when we first met. Sarthak led another group. I didn’t think he had convinced the other groups to betray me.”

“Your taste in minion’s are horrible.”

“Noted,” Silas said, grimacing once again as he dodged a bullet. “We need to run.”

“No need,” Amos said turning around and raising his hands. “Isra.”

A shout escaped Amara as she flew back when the river burst into fire, engulfing the entire bridge. She covered her ears when the sound of the screams became unbarable. Their shapes trashing around to try and let the flames out.

One of them broke off, rushing Amos.

“Amos!” Amara shouted in horror as the flaming body of Sarthak rushed forward.

A flash flew past Amara, Silas hit Sarthak straight into the burning river and with a loud roar, he was gone. Turned into cinder by the flames.

The fire slowly quieted down, leaving a bunch of scorched bodies in the water. 

“What happened?” asked Amara, staring in horror at the river. She covered her nose when the horrid smell burned her nose.

“Skolex blood is very imfammable. The water was filled with it so all I had to do was lit it up,” Amos said, his face calm and voice steady.

“Skolex?”

“That’s what the greeks called the indus worm,” Amos said, nodding to the remains of the worms. “A common sight in the rivers during ancient time but hunted to extinction before the turn of the century because of the use the ancient kings had in warfare of the worm’s blood.”

His eyes turned to Silas, perusing him. “I would suggest you keep away from flames. At least before you wash away all that Skolex blood.”

Silas grimaced at his clothes, still drenched in the oily substance that was the blood of the worm. Amara flinched when she remember Silas hitting the burning Sarthak and rushed over, grabbing his hand.

“What is it?” Silas asked, his eyebrows raising. Amara didn’t answer, she just turned his hand around, frowning in bafflement over the lack of burns.

“No burns.”

“I was lucky,” Silas mumbled, his eyes turning to Amos who watched the two in silence.

“This is my guardian Amos Graycrest. He was the one who raised me,” Amara said, finally turning to Amos, giving him a warm hug.

“Don’t tell your mother that, she will will grumble for weeks for us not giving her the recognition she deserves.”

Amara snorted, wiping away the soot and tears from her face. “What are you doing here? Are you alone?”

“I arrived home to find your mother in a panic. I knew where you had runaway to and followed, your mother barely letting me pack my bag before I was thrown out the door,” Amos said, giving Amara a stern look. “When I arrived, the temple had caved in and the workers where trying to dig out a clearing. I couldn’t find you anywhere. Miss Moore feared you had gone into the temple and was stuck so I searched for another way in, found a crack and entered, hoping to find you and Vihaan arguing by the rumble instead of under it.”

Amara winced at the mention of Vihaan and Amos expression grew dim. “Vihaan?”

Amara just shook her head, not being able to answer. She didn’t have to, Amos closed his eyes, hiding the pain washing over them. “He was a good boy.”

“He died protecting the girl,” Silas said briskly, still watching them with a undecipherable look on his face.

“That does sound like him,” Amos eyes narrowed.

“He is Silas and… Well, he was the one who hired the men who attacked us but he has been protecting me and Vihaan. We where attacked by… Something and he…” Amara tried to explain it but for every word she said Amos looked more grim. “He protected me.”

“Not well enough,” Amos said. “Vihaan is dead, and you are hurt. Harmed by men under him.”

“Yes,” Silas said, not defending himself. Whether it was because of guilt or the lack of care, Amara couldn’t tell, but she decided to change the subject.

“What was that you did?”

“What was what I did?”

“That thing! You set the river on fire with a word, and you summoned roots from circles.”

“It’s magic.”

“No really.”

“…”

Amara’s eyes went wide. “Oh.”

Looking over at the remains of the roots, Amos continued,”I set up the circles beforehand, waiting for someone to come through.”

“Someone.”

“A black-skinned asura. He has been hunting me since I set foot in this place.”

“Andhaka,” Amara clearified. “He is following Silas here, from what we can tell. Protecting him.”

“Being protected by a asura is not a good thing,” Amos said.

“I’m also protected by an asura, named Prahlada,” Amara said lightly, smirking at Amos who looked speechless.

With a heavy sigh, Amos rubbed his temples.”Let’s just try to get out of here.”

“We need to get an artifact first,” Amara said, pointing at the cave entrance behind them.

“Why?”

“Because bad people is trying to get it.”

Amos looked at the bodies, now floating away and Amara rolled her eyes. “Other people. Prahlada said that the artifact cannot fall into the wrong hands.”

This time, Amos looked over at Silas and without further arguments, he turned around and started to walk towards the clearing with Amara at his heels and Silas watching their backs with narrowing eyes.