The ground continued to tremble and the pitter-patter of the crumbling dirt and rocks turned into a voracious roar. Suman's body and voice were drowned out in the sound, and Savitri had no choice but to turn back and run the way that they had entered, hoping that the entrance was still open.

Who in the world even put this here?! She thought even though subconsciously, she already had the answer. Dharmaraj had known that he had visitors, and he knew of their inquisitive nature. The door was a trap, a trick, a test, and they - she had failed.

The nasally, vexatious voice had vanished in her head, freeing up some space in her mind to allow her to think and breathe. Behind her, a wave of dirt followed at her heels, biting and nipping her sandals and skin. She ignored the knowledge that her flesh was being eaten by the ground and ducked into an even smaller part of the tunnel before the wave was able to overpower her. It wasn't very far from the hallway of horror, so hopefully Suman had also found his way through the rubble and would be able to find her.

The hole that she jumped in was what she had thought to be another path, but instead it was quite literally a hole. A drowning pit of darkness and gloom that consumed her so quickly that she saw her life flash before her eyes. Her screams echoed as she fell and flailed her arms helplessly.

But she didn't hit the ground. Her head didn't split and her neck didn't snap. The images of a bloody body that had formulated in her mind during the seconds that she was falling ripped apart into pieces as Savitri's body hovered inches away from the ground, suspended in the arms of the air. Then, when she was a little less tense, they let her go and with a thud she fell on her back. Luckily the breath hadn't been knocked out of her lungs.

Instead of getting up like she had envisioned in her mind, Savitri's limbs sunk into the ground. The exhaustion that weighed down on her dispelled into the smoky grounds and freed her sore arms and legs, but her body didn't move. So tired, she was, that she felt like taking a nap right then and there.

That's something only Suman would do, Savitri laughed in her mind, and her eyes stung. Suman. He had been caught on the other side of the tunnel, standing above and looking down at his worst fear, and Savitri could only hope that he had gotten out alright.

"Maybe I can find him here," she said with a groan. "Somewhere..."

With a heave she lifted herself up onto her elbows and bent her knees. She pulled her upper body into a crouch and held onto the wall as she stood up. Unlike the tunnel, the wall was smooth and didn't have any rocks poking from the outside. It was like the cave that led to Naraka - smooth, cold, and extremely dark.

Without her sight, Savitri stumbled through the cave with no clear path as to where she was going. She stopped once or twice to try and break her bow in half in hopes of using it to make fire, but the wood that Suman had chosen was quite strong. She was unable to break it with her hands, although she thought she could have done it against a rock should she have been able to see.

"I'm going to become blind by the time I finally manage to find some light," Savitri grumbled. She dragged one of her hands on the wall, using it to guide her as she walked, or rather, trudged. One foot felt the area around the spot where it would land, then she'd do the same for the next foot, as if measuring the circumference of an invisible circle.

Light found her at the center of the new tunnel that she had trapped herself in the form of a gasping torch. The little, thin tendrils of fire licked helplessly at the ground and beckoned Savitri forward, begging her to pick it up. She did, with hesitation, however. If there was a torch then there was probably someone in the tunnel before her, or rather, in front of her. She couldn't hear anything apart from the lapping clicks that the fire made, and so she turned her hesitation into determination and continued forward.

What am I even doing? She asked herself, looking from wall to wall. Find Dharmaraj or find Suman? Where am I even going? How will I find them?

A sudden thought occurred to her. It was bitter and poisonous, but the roots grew quickly in her mind and infiltrated her thoughts like a washcloth soaking up water.

What if Suman is...dead?

Savitri's fingers gently touched the base of her neck. Without realizing it, she was rubbing her thumb against the splintered tip of her bow. Beady drops of blood trickled onto the ground but she was too absorbed in convincing her mind otherwise to care.

He's not dead, she argued against that raspy voice. He had to have gotten out. We weren't in that tunnel for nothing.

That tunnel was a trick, the raspy voice argued. It was meant to test your resolve and you knew it. The voice broke off to cackle. And you failed.

I didn't fail! Anger polluted Savitri's mind despite trying to tell herself to keep calm. I thought he was there - what else was I supposed to think!

Keep your eyes on the prize, Savitri, the voice mimicked Nandini, imitating her voice perfectly. You knew that hallway was a trap, and yet... it sneered.

He's not dead, Savitri insisted. He got out. He's safe.

Forever in denial, the voice mused. What a sad way to live.

I'm not in denial!

But the voice was quiet. Evidently it was done arguing with her. It had assumed that it had won, but Savitri knew better. She had won. She was right. Suman wasn't unintelligent. Airy, maybe, but when it came to his life he protected it more than anything or anyone.

He got out, she told herself again. He's okay. Although it sounded like she was convincing herself rather than stating a fact.

The new tunnel was shorter than the other ones. The torch blew out towards the end, but Savitri had been able to see the crack of an open doorway before it completely died out. She dropped the stake that the fire had been sitting on and picked up her feet into a jog, then a dash, rushing towards the exit. She hoped that it led to the ghost city they had seen, or maybe an actual river. Her skin was wet in some places with sweat and dry with salt that had formed from the sweat. Her hair was tangled again and in need of a wash and she was sure that she was bleeding somewhere.

The door that she opened revealed a wide, dark area that was decorated in dark jewels and gold pots filled with fire. Confused, Savitri stepped into the room. The door slammed shut behind her, melting into the wall, and her heart spiked.

"Um...excuse me?" Savitri called out. Her voice echoed and bounced around the walls.

Okay...this is weird...she thought.

The room reminded Savitri of someplace, but she couldn't exactly put her finger on it. A few feet adjacent to her was a pool of dark water. From the stalactites above the pool came the drip, drip, drip of dark water and from that came small black rivers that trickled onto the ground and through the floors, looking like thin crooked veins in the body of the underworld.

In front of Savitri were three thin, clean-cut obsidian steps that walked up to two cushioned gold and blue chairs with a black table in the middle. Beside that was a door and in every corner of the room there was a gold pot with fire bursting from inside.

Like Takshaka's...palace! Savitri realized. But who's palace is this? Certainly it can't be...

No. Her stomach froze and the thrum of her heart seemed to become louder, encompassing the drips of water. This can't be...

The sliding doors opened and a woman walked out. She was a tall, slim woman with a round face and dark gray skin, just like Dharmaraj. Her silky dark hair was curled around her head like the sleeping position of a snake and embedded with small bits of jewels. A gold crown sat atop her head and two gold chains attached from the crown to one of her earrings. Her sari was dark and shimmery and she walked with her hips moving side-to-side. The elegance and grace of her movements matched the soft pull of her lips and gentle beam of her glowing white eyes. Like a shadow drifting along the walls she climbed up the steps to the throne, paused, then looked directly at Savitri, who felt so underdressed and embarrassed to be in front of someone so poised that she bent her head in shame.

The woman smiled. "Rise, Savitri," she commanded. Her voice reminded Savitri of the trees when they brushed against each other. "A princess never bows in shame."

"Yes, my lady," Savitri responded. She tried to accentuate her voice, but out loud it sounded no louder than a mouse's squeak.

"Dhumorna," the woman said.

"Pardon?"

"My name is Dhumorna, but I know that you already know that," she explained. She floated down the steps and her fingers brushed under Savitri's chin, lifting it so that Savitri would meet her eyes. "First wife of Dharmaraj and goddess of the funeral pyre."

Of course! Savitri's lessons came rushing back to her. Dhumorna!

"I apologize for my rudeness," Savitri said.

"There is no need for any apology," Dhumorna said. Now that Savitri could see her better, she noticed that Dhumorna had no pupils. Her eyes were completely white which meant that Savitri had no idea what she was looking at or looking into. If anything, it was the guilt that bubbled in her soul that Dhumorna was studying.

"Thank you, my lady," Savitri said. She hesitated. "I wish to speak with Lord Dharmaraj. There is something I would like to ask him to give me back."

Dhumorna smiled. "I am well aware of your quest." She glanced at the sliding doors. "My husband is as well." Her fingers gently brushed Savitri's wavy locks, like a mother would do to her child, and Savitri felt her insides melt. "Come, sit." Dhumorna led Savitri to a chair that rose up from the ground.

"Thank you..." Savitri sat down and crossed her legs. She watched Dhumorna carefully as the Queen of Naraka sat opposite of her and sighed. She curled her fingers into her palm and opened them, revealing a dark silver goblet.

"I would offer you some, but this is not a drink for humans," Dhumorna murmured. "And yet you exhibit traits that not even the gods can hold."

"I do?"

"You have risked your life to rescue your husband," Dhumorna said, and immediately, Savitri thought of Suman. He had risked his life too, but Dhumorna didn't mention him. "That is not something that everybody would do. Actually, not many."

"Thank you, my lady, but I had help on my journey," Savitri said. "My friend, Suman. He came with me. He fought alongside me and we kept each other safe." She looked around the room. "Do you have any idea where he is?"

"Hm." Dhumorna sipped from her cup. "Where was he last? What does he look like?"

"He was in this tunnel with me...a trap that Dharmaraj set for us." Savitri remembered bitterly. "He's taller than I am with light brown skin and dark wavy hair. He has a bow with him and it has his handwriting on it. Love and Family - that's what he wrote."

"The two things he lacked in his life," Dhumorna mused. "Yes, that is quite sad."

Savitri frowned. "What do you mean?" On her back, the bow chafed against her skin. "How did you know that?"

Dhumorna didn't answer. She quaintly sipped her drink, and Savitri, knowing her place in front of a goddess, remained silent even though so many questions were burning on her tongue. She had finished her drink when the sliding doors began to open again.

"My lord is here," she said, standing. Savitri stood with her, and Dhumorna patted her matted hair, smoothing the locks down into a perfect, clean braid.

Woah...makes me wish I had powers, Savitri thought in astonishment.

"Pick wisely, dear Savitri," Dhumorna said as she stepped away. "There are rarely any second chances, however you have worked hard for yours and you deserve it."

"Pick wisely?" Savitri frowned. "Pick wisely for what?"

But Dhumorna was already gone - like a shadow in the sun, she had vanished and Dharmaraj took her place. He walked up with confident steps that only a noble could possess towards his throne and sat down. He looked at his mace for a moment, then turned his beady gaze to Savitri. His dark lips pulled into a small smile.

"Resilient, aren't you?" He rumbled. The stalactites shook. "You have once again impressed me with your determination, Savitri, just as you did when we first met."

"Thank you, Lord," Savitri muttered. She regarded the sliding doors, then the wall behind her, where the door to her entrance once was.

"Are you looking for something?" Dharmaraj asked. "An exit? Have you come this far only to relinquish your wish?"

"I...I used my last wish without thinking, Lord," Savitri said. She gathered her courage, her lessons, her poise, and looked Dharmaraj squarely in the eye. "I am not second guessing my journey. I am only...oh!"

Dharmaraj chuckled, relishing Savitri's horrified expression as his pet landed on his arm. The eight-eyed, six-legged creature blinked a few times and crawled onto Dharmaraj's head.

"You...you have a spider?!" Savitri all but screeched. Suman's faithful, less than an hour pet, Makdee, returned in her mind and she shivered. "It's not...?"

"No, not your partner's pet," Dharmaraj assured. "Although every boy and girl needs a pet, don't you think?"

"Not a spider," Savitri grumbled. "Look, Lord Dharmaraj, I have not doubted my mission and I am not backing away from my goal now, but-!"

"Good!" Dharmaraj interrupted her. "It would have been a shame for you to come all this way only to go back empty handed."

"Yes - wait what?" Savitri did a double take. "Are you...are you offering to give me my husband back?"

Dharmaraj smiled placidly. "Partly," he said. "That is, if you want him back."

Of course you do! The voice snapped irritably at Savitri's hesitance. You came all this way for what? To have a drink with death?

No, but...

No, nothing! The voice was emanating fury in her head, burning her mind. Take what you came for, and go!

Suman-!

You said so yourself, didn't you? The voice sneered. Suman could never be with you, and you could never be with Suman. Didn't you?

Yes, but... Savitri bit her lip.

"I'll make this easier for you then," Dharmaraj said, once again interrupting her thoughts. He waved his hand. "You can either have Satyavan..."

A bright blue light flashed and Satyavan stood beside him. He was still chained and still a soul, but at least he recognized her, if the widening of his eyes and mouth said anything. Savitri's heart pulled. He was so close to her...he was right there! Reaching out for her. And all she had to do was...

"Or you can have Suman," Dharmaraj finished, and just like that, for the second time in her life, Savitri's world came crashing down.

"Suman?!"