Ghost Monkey, стр. 26

SUGRIVA WOKE UP TO the sound of birds chirping. His shoulder and head hurt, and he remembered what happened. Shame flooded into his chest, and he ached until he cried. "Ashtadash," he prayed, "please let this potion work. Please take away this corruption. If you can't take the demon out of me, then kill me and send me onto the next life."

Back on his feet, Sugriva struggled outside. When he opened the door, the light exploded and bloomed into blinding white. It took a few moments to see the green, and when he did, it was washed out by the sun. Not even dense canopy could save him from the overwhelming brilliance. In the distance there was a field, which made the light worse.

Zaina sat near the house in full lotus position. She hummed as she reached some form of enlightenment Sugriva didn't understand. It was something Bagheer had done, too. The memories tugged at Sugriva’s chest, and he bit back tears.

"Do you feel more yourself?" She didn't look up or even open her eyes. She steadily inhaled through her nostrils and out her mouth. It was unnerving.

"The trance drains me. I’m sore and my head’s killing me." Sugriva dropped into a heap next to Zaina.

She smiled and took Sugriva's hand into hers. "You're back to yourself. Good. The strange man should be back soon. You're sure about the potion? We don't know anything about it. It could hurt you."

"I already hurt every day. I'd do anything to clear my mind."

"Die?" Most would say death as a jest. Zaina's pained eyes, though, did not mean it as a jest.

"Almost anything." The monkey looked down to see he was only wearing a loin cloth. It would explain the nice breeze which cooled him. "I should dress."

When Sugriva came back out, the man on the bull returned to the village. The bull seemed to smile, stepping with a hop. When the man saw Sugriva, he waved and said, "I brought back the potions. Wrote down the recipe so you can make more. Come. I will show you."

Sugriva’s heart throbbed, and he felt like it would burst out of him. He shifted into a monkey and darted across the fields to the man and bull, then perched on the bull's head. The large beast lowed with satisfaction and took them to a small hut.

Cords of five branches were placed at each corner to hold up a thatch roof. One side of the hut had an actual wall, the side that would get hit the hardest by winds in monsoon season. A quickly made table rested under the roof. A trough was on the other side of the shanty, filled with rain water.

The man gave Sugriva a potion. The liquid shifted in the vial, shades of crimson, smoke, and turquoise. The turquoise glowed. "Drink this. The taste is strange, but it will clear your mind."

It was never good when someone explained the taste of medicine as strange, but it was better than the taint resting within Sugriva's soul. Metallic blood was the first flavor, followed by choking smoke that made Sugriva cough. He was careful not to spit anything up. Refreshing mint rinsed over his tongue and down his throat, washing away the pungent blood and smoke. It soothed, opened up his breathing, widened his eyes, and expanded his awareness of what was around him. Sugriva wasn't sure if his senses were actually heightened, or if he was clouded so long by chaos he forgot what normal meant.

A satchel flopped onto the table and the man opened it and spilled the contents. "Take the Chaos Flower's bulb and mash it up. Each bulb should make five vials." He produced four more. "You will need blood. Any blood will work, as long as it's clean of corruption. The girl seems to like you. Ask for hers. Put the blood in a pot, then get smoke to fill the pot and cover it for a night. Leaves are great for creating smoke. Capture it with the lid and put it in.

"Let turquoise sit out in the sun for a few hours. Crush it up and add it to the pot. Add the crushed bulb and stir thoroughly. Then pour all of that into the vial. Shake it and you're done."

The satchel had plenty of all the ingredients, though Sugriva made a note that he would need more. When he looked up to thank the man, the man and bull were gone.

TRAVELING QUEENS AND soldiers fell to Madhav and his soldiers. Emboldened, they assaulted pits. Ganaptu was their second. Months after Ganaptu they looked at assaulting their twentieth pit.

Zaina said, "Pride is the cliff the proud stand upon, waiting to fall over the precipice. I don't think this is what General Humbari commanded. One of these times, the pit will be too much for such a small group."

Madhav dismissed her warning with the wave of a hand, and he signaled the men to charge. Sugriva watched alongside Zaina as they slayed the nest.

"Third queen this week. Break the eggs." Madhav stood over the corpse of the queen shortly after the raid began. The raids were only considered successful if a queen died during them. Without queens, the Fangs would struggle to produce warriors.

When Sugriva went to help with cracking the eggs, he saw movement under a tree. A serpent was pretending to be a root. The monkey swung, striking the tail and coaxing a hiss. The snake coiled up, then sprung for Sugriva, jaw unhinged and venom dripping from fangs. It nearly bit his shoulder, but Sugriva was able to move to the side and crouch. He struck up into its skull, sending it flailing in the air. Another strike to the skull brought the snake down on the stone floor of the pit, killing the creature.

Sugriva took a vial and drank down the liquid. The surprise attack put the