Ash Mistry and the City of Death
Rick Riordan did it for Greece. Now Sarwat Chadda does it for India… Book two in the incredible action-adventure trilogy about Ash Mistry, reluctant hero and living weapon of the death goddess Kali.Ash Mistry is leading a pretty complicated life. There’s school, his unrequited crush on girl-next-door Gemma… and then there’s the fact that he’s the reincarnation of the great Indian hero Ashoka, not to mention the small detail that he died last year, and came back as an agent of the goddess of death.So when the demon servants of the evil Lord Savage come after Gemma in order to get to Ash, you’d think he’d be ready to take them on.But Lord Savage still has some tricks up his sleeve. And with Gemma out of the picture, the English villain is closer than ever to finding a magical aastra of his own, and the power to rule the world. It’s time for Ash to go up against his enemy once again. Luckily, as the human embodiment of the kali-aastra, Ash can find the weak points in any living thing and kill it. But the key word there is ‘living’. And little does Ash know that Lord Savage has mastered another branch of magic – one which allows him to create whole armies out of un-living stone…
Читать Ash Mistry and the City of Death онлайн беплатно
For my parents
When the stars threw down their spears,
And watered heaven with their tears,
Did he smile his work to see?
Did he who made the Lamb make thee?
âThe Tygerâ by William Blake
Contents
â
âCâmon, Ash,â said Akbar. âItâs now or never.â
Josh murmured in agreement.
âFine. Iâll do it.â Thatâs if he didnât die of heart failure first. âHow do I look?â
Akbar grimaced. âHonestly? A bit sick.â
âYeah,â added Josh. âSweaty.â
âThatâs so helpful,â Ash snapped back. His friends should be backing him up, not digging his grave. He swallowed and waited for his legs to stop shaking. âIâm going to do it. Now.â
Akbar swept his long, straggly black hair away from his face and peered past Ash. âWhenever youâre ready,â he said.
Josh did his tongue-wagging grin. Along with Sean, who was somewhere in the science block earning extra credit, the four of them were the Nerd Herd. The smartest, hardest-working, most socially inept and physically clumsy students to grace the hallowed halls of West Dulwich High.
Josh slapped Ashâs shoulder. âJust go.â
âRight. Now,â said Ash. âIâm off.â
He looked across the vast space of the crowded school canteen.
Whatâs the longest distance in the world?
That between you and your heartâs desire.
Gemma sat with her friends. She was laughing at something Anne was saying, and Ash watched as she brushed her golden hair from her face. Was it his imagination, or was it especially shiny today?
âStop that, Ash,â said Josh. âYouâre sighing again.â
âIâm not actually asking her out. You know that, donât you?â Ash took another sip of water. How could his throat be so dry? âIâm just asking if sheâs got plans for tonight.â
âNope. Not asking her out at all,â said Josh.
âThough I hear she and Jack are no longer together. Jamieâs best friend, Debbie, heard it from her sisterâs boyfriend,â added Akbar.
âThen it must be true. The golden couple have split.â Josh leaned closer, eyes darting across the canteen. âSo, if you were asking her out, which you are not, now would be the time. Or wouldnât, if you werenât.â
âWhatever.â Ash stood up. The chairâs metal legs screeched as they scraped across the floor. It was strange how something as automatic as, like, walking, could suddenly become so difficult. Left, right, donât trip over anything or crash into a table. Why were there so many tables in here? And chairs? And people? Heâd never make it over there!
Oh God, sheâs seen me.
Be cool. Remember who you are.
Ash Mistry. Eternal Warrior. The demons of hell wet their pants when they hear your name.
Gemma was still talking to Anne, but her head was half turned and her eyes were on him. She gave a little laugh. Why was she laughing? Was it something Anne had said, or because of him? Even from here Ash saw the light sparkle in her hazel eyes. She had amazing eyes, sometimes grey, sometimes green, sometimes brown. Amazing eyes.
But why is she looking at me like that?
Oh no, have I got snot hanging from my nostril? Is my fly open?
He should have checked. Surely one of his mates would have told him?
No, the scumbags. He bet they were laughing their heads off, watching him stroll over with a bogey dangling down his face. Or worse: with his Doctor Who boxers on full exposure. Maybe he could detour to the corridor and do a full body check.
âHi, Ash,â said Gemma.
âEr, hi, Gemma.â
The table fell totally silent. All ten of Gemmaâs friends stopped eating, chatting and texting, and turned their attention to him.
Why oh why hadnât he waited âtil after school? Caught her on the way home or something? Or in maths? She sat next to him in maths. Maths would have been perfect.
