Rakshasa Book I, Part #2: Aurora Read Free Page B

our instincts get the better of us, sometimes they take over. Usually an animal satisfies us, but sometimes… sometimes they don’t.”
    That was worrying. Waking up on the hill, seeing all that blood, played over in my mind once again. It had been a cold night, people generally didn’t go out on their own, but…
    “We try to avoid killing even animals, though. Doing so leaves behind carcasses, marked by our claws, and we risk being spotted during our hunts.”
    Nodding, I pulled the blanket up a little more, feeling a draft chill my shoulders. “Makes sense.” I looked around the dark cave, hesitating slightly. I didn’t know how much to trust this new Rakshasa, but my instincts told me that she was friendly enough, and she knew Ishan. “I… think I killed something. Last night. I woke up covered in blood. It was my first transformation, and I didn’t know—”
    Asena’s smile widened and she stepped over to the bed, sitting down right by my feet. “You did. A roo buck. Your first kill—I saw it myself. You’re quite the huntress, you know. It’s quite common for one’s first transformation to be bloody, but you were exceptional.”
    A kangaroo. Far less serious than I had imagined. Nobody would miss a single roo.
    “A don’t remember a thing about it. You were watching me?”
    Asena reached over and patted my shin. “We all were, from a safe distance, of course. The Rewa too. We all take a very active interest in fledglings, since the Champawat Tiger started preying on them. They’re important to the species because fledglings are how we—” she made little finger quotes. “—reproduce.”
    That piqued my interest. “I… we’re sterile?”
    She laughed. “No, no. I have a young kid, myself, and I had him after my bloodline manifested. It’s just he’s, well, human… a t least as far as we can tell so far. He’s not old enough for us to know if he’ll manifest properly, so he stays with my cousins. They know about us.”
    “Ah, right. Will he, eventually, become one of us?”
    Asena pursed her lips. “The gift is more common in children of Rakshasa, but it’s not guaranteed by any stretch of the means.”
    I nodded understandingly. “Ahh, right. Otherwise there’d be a lot more Rakshasa running around.”
    “Right.”
    I looked towards the entrance of the cave. I was feeling better, but my mind was slow, as though I were deathly tired. “How did I get here?”
    No answer, immediately, but then Asena inhaled. “I was hoping you could tell me. We found you, bloodied and wounded, near the entrance to the cave network. We don’t know who brought you here.”
    I didn’t know what to say, so I just said it. “Ishan of the Rewa brought me here.”
    Asena said nothing and I feared that I’d angered her. “I was unconscious,” I explained, “I didn’t know where he was taking me.”
    “I know.” She reached up, pinching the bridge of her nose. “It’s okay. Not your fault. It’s just… going to cause some problems for us. Both clans are very territorial and trespass is viewed dimly.”
    I slumped back in the bed, dejected.
    Asena gave my leg a squeeze through the thin blanket. “There’s plenty of other people for you to meet, first. When you’re feeling up for it.”
    I certainly wasn’t feeling one hundred percent, but for some reason I really didn’t want to spend any more time in bed than I had to. I threw back the covers with a sigh and slid my feet out to the ground. I felt woozy for a moment but, with a little effort, I was able to stand.
    “Sure. Let’s do that.”

Chapter II

    The Garden of Shadows

    The cave system was surprisingly complex, winding itself deeper into what I presumed was one of the many mountains around Canberra. Asena lead me through the winding eroded limestone passage, deeper into the Earth, underneath the mountain.
    Although the stone was cold against my bare feet the air was warmer than I expected. The way was lit by the dim glow of