The Dark and Hollow Places; Book Two

Faheem and Dr. Sanjiv

            “You are a professor?” I ask. He was a little young to look like a professor that knew all these different things about the history of India and its gods and goddesses. He smiles and steps close to us and then shakes his head.

            “No, but I know someone who could help you.” He says. I look up at Will and he nods. We really didn’t have time to wait for anyone else.

            “And who would that be?” I ask. Mortain weaves through my legs and I growl at him. He hisses and jumps into my arms. The guy gives me an odd look before answering my questions.

            “My grandfather. He knows everything about ancient India.” He says. This guy and his grandfather was really our only hope at this moment.

            “Okay. Take us to him.” Will says. I was in serious mood that I didn’t even introduce myself. I step forward and put Mortain in Will’s arms. I hold out my right arm.

            “I’m Estelle.” I say with a smile. He smiles shyly and we shake hands.

            “My name is Faheem Sanjiv.” He says. After the introductions, we head into the parking lot where Faheem gets into some sports car. It was very nice car and I wondered how he could even afford it. Perhaps his grandfather was rich.

            “Where are we going?” Will asks from the back seat.

            “To my grandfather’s house in upper town of Mumbai.” Faheem says and then he turns and eyes Mortain. The cat smiles his inhuman smile and I wince. I didn’t want to freak Faheem out.

            “You’re from Maharushtra.” He says breathlessly. The term was familiar—the Indian version name of Arcadia. I nod slowly and his eyes widen.

            “What is it you want?” He asks slowly. I sigh and glare at the cat.

            “Answers and a history lesson.” Will says. I nod in agreement. We mean him no harm and all we wanted was to know more about the stone and where to find it.

            “How’d you know about Arcadia?” I ask looking back ahead.

            “There are thousands of years of folklore in India’s history including the Fey—or demons and Maharushtra.” He says and he pushes his glasses on his face. I didn’t even notice he wore glasses.

            “So everyone knows then?” I ask. He nods. I could have asked anyone on the street. And here I thought this was a big secret.

            “It is a popular tale but nobody believes it except my family. We are dedicated to the study of other words and such.” He says. Interesting.

            “It seems that you know a lot.” I say. Faheem shrugs his shoulders. I wondered what his grandfather would know. It seems that Will and I were missing out on a lot.

            “I have learned everything from my grandfather.” Faheem says. I nod once. The rest of the ride is pretty quiet and he kept looking in the review mirror. He didn’t really like Mortain and he was afraid. I could understand that.

            It was amazing how Mumbai could change so quickly. The shack houses and dirt streets turned into high rise buildings and nicely paved streets. The traffic was still bad but at least there were nice cars to look at along with cute little shops. I had a feeling that this was the place where the tourist went—not where we just came from. Faheem drove into a parking garage underneath a huge high rise building. It all looked very chic.