Pankot Palace, India, 1935

Indiana Jones rubbed Shorty's back. He looked over at Nick, who was looking like he'd really prefer to be somewhere else while he thought about it. Then Nick turned his head.

'Hello, Kanti.'

An Indian girl with a stone imbedded in her forehead stepped forward. Indy recognised her as one of the dancing girls. It took Indy a moment to realise that the stone was actually imbedded and not a stick-on jewel.

'You're friends with one of the dancing girls?' Indy asked, amused.

'She's the Earth Sprite.' Nick explained.

'Sprite?' Indy looked her up and down. 'So, what? She's a…fairy or something?'

'Not that kind of sprite, you nit!' Nick scoffed. 'An ascended human. She's been as such since the Thuggee Cults of old.'

'It was either that or be a sacrifice.' Kanti pointed to the Kali Ma statue. 'I was given the offer and I accepted. I was scared of death. As time went on, I became less afraid of death. I didn't even realise the Cult had started up again until I noticed you lot sneaking around.'

'So you know how the Cult works?' Indy asked.

'Like the back of my hand.' Kanti answered. 'The Sleep separates your soul from your body so you aren't yourself anymore. You become a regimented, obedient soldier with no conscience and no individual thoughts of your own. That means everything that is in your head, they are privy to.'

'Figures.' Indy muttered.

'However,' Kanti went on, 'the boy wasn't entirely right. There is a way to wake up. More or less, you have to be woken up. A sharp pain will wake you. Something you will have to recover from.'

'That's why they pick strong men.' Indy murmured.

'Yes.' Kanti agreed. 'It isn't easy to hurt a strong man. That's also why, when I get a hitter for this, I get someone who's mad at the person they'll be hitting. Doesn't hurt if they actually know how to hit either.'

'How you gonna find a person like that?' Shorty asked.

'She's gonna ask Nick.' Indy answered. 'She can't ask me because it won't work if I know who to look for. Nick can pick out the best person without letting us know.'

'As I have just done.' Nick agreed.

'That's the best option?' Kanti asked.

'Only person who would set foot in a Thuggee Cult for this.' Nick agreed. 'And we may as well kill two birds with one stone while we're at it.'

'All right, then.' Kanti suddenly turned into dirt and fell to the ground.

She seemed to be brushed away.

'Pretty inconspicuous way to move, wouldn't you say?' Nick remarked.

Patan, Nepal

Marion Ravenwood watched the latest fool collapse and stood up. She waved her hand and ordered everyone out as she gathered up her winnings. She watched them all mill out before she bent down and picked all the money up, shoving it into her pockets. It was then she noticed the trail of dirt coming into the bar of its own accord. Marion watched in fascination as it seemed to climb up onto the bar and take on a human shape. Then it solidified into an Indian girl.

'Marion Ravenwood, I presume?' she asked in perfect, yet accented, English.

'Who are you?' Marion asked. 'And how did you do that?'

'My name's Kanti.' The girl told her. 'I'm the Earth Sprite.'

'So you're a fairy or something?' Marion asked.

Kanti chuckled and shook her head.

'Not that kind of sprite.' She told her. 'I'm an ascended human. Technically, my mortal span ended a little over a century ago, so I don't get any older. I was in Pankot Palace, as a slave, during the days of the Thuggee Cult. It was either be sacrificed or become the Earth Sprite. So, here I am.'

'But why come here?' Marion asked.

'Good question.' Kanti said. 'You see, just tonight we got some guests at Pankot. I still work there. They started snooping around. It seems that somebody is trying to revive the Thuggee Cult and they kidnapped all the children from the surrounding villages to do their dirty work and dig up the Sankara stones. Your old flame was in a crashing plane and made a daredevil jump—near one of these villages.'

Marion smirked.

'They thought the Gods sent him.' she concluded.

'Yes.' Kanti agreed. 'They asked him for help. He was one of the guests that was snooping around.'

'He only wanted the stones.' Marion announced, scowling. Typical Jones!

'At first.' Kanti agreed. 'Then he saw one of the kids getting whipped. He ended up caught. How much do you know about the Thuggee Cults?'

'Just the basic stuff.' Marion was beginning to worry.

What had Indiana Jones gone and gotten himself into now?

'The people they recruit are never willing.' Kanti explained. 'Your modern science would call it an advanced form of hypnotism. We call it the Black Sleep of Kali Ma. It separates the soul from the body and warps the processes of the mind, turning the victim into a tin soldier with no human emotions.'

'And they're doing that to Jones?' Marion demanded.

'Yes.' Kanti agreed. 'The good news is there is a way to wake him up and it will give you a practical reason to deck him.'

'Pain?' Marion asked.

'Sharp pain.' Kanti agreed. 'The kind he'd need to recover from. He doesn't know I've come here, but I'm asking you to come back to Pankot Palace and help. You're the only one who will set foot in a Thuggee Cult and slug him for this. His entourage consists of a whiney singer who freaks out if she breaks a nail, a very loyal 12-year-old kid and Nick, who has been forbidden from interfering.'

Kanti looked Marion right in the eye.

'I could do it, but I would probably hold back.' She explained. 'I've seen what he's really like and I've got nothing against him. You, on the other hand, are—what do you Americans say?—pissed as all hell at him. You could deliver a decent punch.'

Marion paused. She walked over to the bar and tucked her money away. She was pissed as all hell at him, but was Kanti right? Was she really willing to step into a Thuggee Cult to save him? He had a 12-year-old kid with him and he had sacrificed himself for a child that was being abused. That meant Abner had been wrong about him. Had Abner been wrong about everything else too?

Marion paused and pressed her hand to her forehead, imagining what would happen if Indiana Jones was truly gone forever. She was surprised at how intense the pain was. It was like her entire world would end if she lost him. That didn't change how angry she was, but she turned to Kanti.

'Let's go, then.'

Kanti grinned and grabbed her arm. Marion felt herself go down as Kanti turned them both to dirt and they moved very quickly. Marion hoped the trip wouldn't be too long.