Ethan nodded his agreement. “I think that’s all for the best. We’ll stay the night, and when they come back with their sacrifice, we’ll say a blessing of thanks and be on our way.”

Billy started to protest, but Charlotte shushed him. For the first time since they’d actually met, Paige welcomed her presence. And she gained a bit of respect for Kyle, who looked reluctant but didn’t argue.

“I know this isn’t what we planned for the day,” Paige told them, “But we all came here with a purpose. Let’s go ahead and do our research and work toward whatever goal we have for school. And tonight, we’ll pretend we’re all best friends sitting around a campfire or something, for one night.” She looked at each one of them and found no resistance, to her great relief.

Kyle did point at Billy, and then at Charlotte. “You two need to stay cool. We don’t need to draw the wrath of any more angry demons than you already have.”

They looked properly chastised, even though it was obvious Billy wanted to argue. Ethan cut him off before he could get started. “It’s probably best not to touch anything, unless you’re with Paige or me and we can identify what it is.”

Ethan had a point. “And don’t try to leave,” she added. “We screwed up, and they’re still offering hospitality and protection. We can’t disrespect them any further.”

As the others left in search of whatever artifacts or measurements would fulfill their needs for their thesis, Paige hung back, wringing her hands. She needed to talk to Ethan. He instantly picked up on her nervousness, and when the others were out of earshot, he turned to her and spoke matter-of-factly in a low tone. “Hindus don’t sacrifice humans. What the hell is going on here?”

Good, he’d realized that she’d skirted around part of the issue. “I’m sorry, I just can’t explain to them what we’re facing.”

“But you can tell me. There’s something more going on at this temple, Paige. I could sense it the minute we walked in, before we even knew those two had created a disaster for us.”

She took a deep breath and launched into it before she couldn’t get it out. “This place used to be a Hindu temple. But do you notice the lack of homage to Vishnu, Shiva, Brahma, Lakshmi…” She trailed off, and Ethan nodded, narrowing his eyes at her. “At some point, the violence and pestilence and all the negativity of the world became too much, and these people gave up on the gods and goddesses of their own religion, deciding it made more sense to worship Kali and offer sacrifices to him. And since then, they’ve had peace here and in the surrounding villages. They’ve turned this into a temple of demon worship.”

Ethan closed his eyes and let out a long breath. She saw him working out the details and knew she didn’t have to explain the rest. “So, it’s entirely possible that Kali will come for those who took away the sacrifice he thrives on.” He peered at Paige, and she nodded. He continued, “And if those souls weren’t at rest, the ones who sacrificed themselves, they could very well come for us, too.”

Paige just held his gaze, not saying anything. As it sunk in, his eyes flinched, and she added, “That’s why the monks haven’t left yet. they’re in there, praying to Kali, asking him not to punish us and to hold back his sacrificial souls, long enough for them to find a new sacrifice.”