there was nothing but a great void when I called to him.
“This is not good,” Hari said.
I looked at him. “What is the word from the rest of the coast?”
Hari smoothed his plaid, short-sleeved cotton shirt. There was a faint tremble in his hands. Sangeetha and another wizard, a younger version of Hari, came up to us. Sangeetha put a hand on Hari’s back. The tension in his shoulders eased a fraction.
He said, “Our friends in Kolkotta suffered much worse than we did. Only one-third survived. Over five hundred flamed out.”
I sat on a jute-strung cot. My fingers tightened on the coarse, khaki fibers bent tightly around the wooden frame. The rough material dug painfully into my skin. I took a steadying breath and looked out at the eerily quiet ocean.
Hari continued, “That is not the worst of it. I’ve been in touch with the RTSPs—the Regional Tsunamis of the South Pacific advisors—they are predicting another quake within the hour. They think this one will happen farther south. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center says the same. This time, they expect it to hit every country in the Bay of Bengal. Sri Lanka, Chennai, Kolkotta. All the way up to Bangladesh and even Thailand, the Andaman Islands, and Indonesia—Banda Aceh—will get the worst of it.”
In 2004, the tsunami that hit the Indonesian city of Banda Aceh and its surrounding islands claimed the lives of an estimated one hundred and thirty thousand people. Forty thousand more were said to be missing. I knew because I read the statistics while on our flight to the island country. As strong as that tsunami was, it hadn’t even come close to the shores of India. My eyes glanced over the rows of covered bodies across the rooftop. Even at full strength, we couldn’t combat such a strong quake.
I looked down at Matt. Our best hope.
“We need him,” Hari said, reading my expression. “Without him, you do not have enough magic, sword-bearer.”
“He’s still weak from our fight with the mermaids.” I sat down next to Matt. “Can we evacuate?”
Hari shook his head in a manner that could have been either “yes” or “no.” He said, “Chennai is mostly flat, but maybe.”
“Then go now,” I said. “Try.”
“Is there no hope, then?”Hari’s youthful face blanched.
“There’s always hope.” I had to believe that.
“Very American of you to say,” Sangeetha commented. “Luckily, we are just as optimistic.”
Hari broke into a reckless smile that seemed to lighten his weary features. “I’ve made my peace. If there’s any chance, then I must be here to do whatever is necessary. There are over four million people in Chennai alone. There is no way they could all evacuate. If there is the slightest hope… I will stay. I must.” He turned to Sangeetha and took her hand. “But you will go,” he ordered. He put her hand into another wizard’s hand. “Raj, take her out of here.”
In the wind, her black braids swayed with hypnotic calm. Sangeetha tore her hand away from Raj. She faced Hari. “I don’t take orders, Master Hari. We made a vow and I, for one, took it seriously. I go where you go. I stay where you stay.”
Raj protested. “But, Sangeetha, he’s right. It’s not safe—”
“It’s not safe for anybody,” she stated. “And don’t try to force me. You’ve never agreed with him before. Now’s not the time to start.”
With a glare at the two brothers, she stalked off.
“You knew she was stubborn when you married her,” Raj told Hari.
Hari watched his wife walk away with a frown. “I should spell her.”
“If you do, you’ll be eating gobi at every meal for the rest of your life,” Raj said. He and Hari grimaced at the same time and exchanged an exasperated smile.
I sympathized—with Sangeetha. The two brothers reminded me a little too much of the two who’d recently taken over my life.
Above us, the sky darkened to a forsaken, steel grey. The sharp scent of the ocean permeated the air, filling my nostrils. I knew the advisors were right. We hadn’t seen the last wave, nor had we seen the strongest wave yet. I looked around me. Blake and Gia held each other closely while staring out at the ocean. Grey knelt down on one knee, the fabric of his T-shirt clinging to him, to tuck a cotton sheet gently around a fallen wizard. So few of us remained. I looked down at Matt.
The wind ruffled his slightly long hair. His auburn curls fluttered under the soft breeze, framing