Chapter 11
I DIDN’T KNOW TREES GREW THIS LARGE
Nani always said the best medicines were the most bitter, so the herbal concoction that Erabi was making me drink must’ve been powerful. I sipped the remedy, sitting forward when Erabi fussed, wanting to fluff the pillows behind me.
It was a few hours till dawn, and I hadn’t slept yet. I was pretty sure unconsciousness didn’t count. Keyton sat in an armchair by my bed, tension radiating off him in waves, his gaze dark and watchful.
“How are you feeling now?" Chandra asked from his spot by my hip.
“Better. Who were those guys that attacked us?”
“I don’t know. But we will find out. Yudh and Dhoona are looking into it now.”
The brothers had been pissed that we’d left the palace without them, pointing out that they were supposed to be my bodyguards and couldn’t keep me safe if they weren’t informed when I left the palace.
Chandra, to give him credit, had taken the admonishment without bristling or falling back on his liege status. It was becoming evident that he was a kind, humble male who played at being austere and authoritarian very well.
Masks were the key to survival here, it seemed. But I was damned if I wore one. I was damned if I made the people that I cared for wear one either.
Truth and clarity would be my sword and shield.
I took another sip of tea, the fuzziness in my head clearing a little more. “What were they? The way they were able to multiply…”
“They are a rare kind of tantrik called aaeenalok. They can mirror themselves, and the manifestations they create can inflict harm. But you took them down. Arrow after arrow.” His eyes seemed to glow. “You saved me.”
“I don’t know, Chandra. You looked like you were kicking ass.”
He gave me a lopsided smile. “I suppose I was. But I was beginning to tire, which was their plan, of course. Exhaust me, then slip past to get to you. Their kind can siphon divine energy, which is why the Asura do not suffer them to live. Whoever sent them, whoever is harboring them, is breaking royal law.”
“You think you can trace the culprit?”
“I will do everything in my power to find them and bring them to justice.”
“There were two Asura running toward the bridge…I’m not sure if they were going to help or if they were with the attackers.”
“They helped,” Chandra said. “But you helped more. You have a natural skill with the Dhanush.”
“I didn’t before. Something’s changed. When I held the bow, I felt like…like I’d been shooting arrows all my life.”
“Maybe you have…” Erabi said. “In a past life.”
“Past life? Do you believe in that stuff?”
She rolled her eyes and sat on the other side of me. “Leela, souls are energy, and energy does not die. Our bodies may fail or be ended in some way, but the energy…the essence persists. It can be reborn. At least we used to be.”
If that energy hadn’t been used up as fuel by another… “Wait…what do you mean you used to be able to be reborn?”
“Yama, the god of death, is gone. The passage to rebirth was through his world, and those gates are closed.”
“Not now, Erabi,” Chandra said. “This is a conversation for another time. Leela should get some sleep.”
“Goodness, yes,” Erabi said. “You need rest.”
Chandra stood slowly. “No training at dawn. Sleep in a little. Yudh or Dhoona will take you to the roost after lunch.”
“I will also go with her,” Keyton said. “I am not your drohi, Leela, not bonded, but please allow me to walk at your side.”
I could sense his disgruntlement at being left out of the nightly jaunt. He’d vowed to protect me, but I needed to give him the opportunity to do so. “Thanks, Keyton. That would be great.”
“Then it’s settled,” Chandra said. “You will be guarded at all times.”
He headed for the door, and after dropping a kiss to my forehead, Erabi followed, but Keyton didn’t move from his seat.
“I’ll be fine.” I smiled to show him just how fine. “Go and get some rest.”
“I will rest here in this chair,” Keyton said. “It is very comfortable.”
I was too tired to argue with him. “Okay. But I swear, if you snore…”
He chuckled lightly. “I would not dream of interrupting your slumber.”
As I drifted off, the memory of a blood-soaked battlefield bloomed in my mind. I needed to tell Chandra about that…I’d tell him later today when I woke…
Blue woke me an hour before lunch, which gave me enough time to shower, change, and grab a bite before Keyton informed me that the carriage was ready to take me to the roost in the Vaayu Raaja domain.
It meant the air king’s domain, kind of apt considering the majestic thunderbirds that lived there.
I’d dressed in clothes that resembled my training outfit. Warm, fitted items that wouldn’t snag. I’d bound my hair and added a scarf to my outfit, tucking it into my collar. It would get cold high up.
Once in the carriage, Keyton placed a blanket over me, and Blue snuggled into the scarf around my neck.
We rolled away from the palace, and I sat back in my seat to enjoy the ride.
“Are you excited?” Keyton asked.
“I am. I think I enjoy flying.”
He grinned. “Priti said she was looking forward to the air trial too. When the Vayujaari dropped her on the way to the ship, her scream was more exhilaration than shock.”
I matched his grin. “Yes, she would have kicked ass.”
His smile faded for a beat. “Last night, when Erabi said that souls never die…about them being reborn…It gave me hope, but then she mentioned Yama and…What if Priti is lost? Her soul wondering or trapped in an in-between place?”
There was nothing I could say to soothe him, so I reached across and took his hand.
He swallowed hard. “Best not to think about it, isn’t it?” He gave me half a smile. “Best for us to remember them as they were, right?”
I nodded in agreement, even as my heart squeezed painfully in my chest. There was no point telling him that Araz’s soul had been incinerated by the primordial evil. Used up as fuel by the entity that now wore his body.
Blue nuzzled his cheek against mine. His way of offering comfort. He knew the truth. I’d told him everything.
The carriage jolted, and my stomach dipped. We were airborne.
I sat back and closed my eyes. The carriage ride would be short, the Vaayu Raaja domain only a few miles below the Shahee Kshetra.
Long minutes drifted by until a sweet scent, reminding me of a verdant meadow, filled my senses.
I peered out the window, my mouth parting in shock at the sight below us.
“It’s a fucking tree,” Blue said. “Bloody heck. It’s huge.”
The tree spread out below us, taking up the sky with a canopy of lush green leaves and powerful branches holding monolith nests, some empty, some housing thunderbirds. Walkways and bridges connected the branches, and tiny figures navigated the passages.
This tree was a monolith. An island of its own, and several birds circled it like sentinels. I searched their plumage, looking for the tell-tale crimson and gold that decorated Pakshiraj’s crown and wings. But none of the birds below fit that description.
A gust of air hit me in the face, and the whoosh of wings followed. A huge eye filled the window, the yellow iris streaked with gold and crimson striations.
My heart leapt. “Pakshiraj!”
“Motherfucker!” Blue exclaimed.
The echo of a warm chuckle filled my mind, and Pakshiraj veered away. Or were we veering away?
The carriage dipped, and Blue let out a squeal.
“It’s okay, buddy. We’re going to land, I think.”
“In a fucking tree,” Blue muttered against my ear.
“There’s a platform,” Keyton said. “It’s all very solid, Blue.”
Another dip, and my stomach dropped, but a moment later, the carriage jolted slightly, wheels rolling on wood before we came to a smooth stop.
“We’re here, right?” Blue asked.
Yudh opened the door, answering his question. Keyton climbed out first, reaching in to help me out. Blue leaped off my shoulder and onto his, standing tall and looking about.
The wooden platform was much wider than it looked from the air and already housed several people—a couple of pari, slender and petite with shimmery wings, and three other people who looked human. Maybe demigods? After all, not all of the demigods passed the labyrinth and ascended.
My arrival garnered curious looks and whispers. Keyton moved closer to me.
“Don’t worry,” he said. “Everyone is merely excited to meet you.”
“And if anyone tries anything strange, they will be met with force,” Yudh added, his voice low with threat.
A shadow passed overhead. I looked up, my pulse quickening at the flash of crimson and gold plumage.
Pakshiraj.
I grinned up at him, my stomach bubbling with excitement.
“Your trainer is here,” Yudh said.
The man approaching us was familiar, but it took a moment for me to place him. His name was Garrit, the thunderbird stable keeper. We’d only met once, when he’d introduced us to the Vayujaari, but he’d made an impression because he’d known Araz. They’d been friends.
Did he know about Araz? Would he ask me what happened? My stomach fluttered. A sick feeling bloomed low in my belly. I lost grip on my smile.
“It’s all right to be excited about flight,” Garrit said. “There is no shame in finding joy where you can.” It was clear he knew about Araz. At least I wouldn’t have to tell him. I wouldn’t have to revisit it all. We could simply get on with the lesson.
I lifted my chin, my tone neutral and businesslike. Nothing that could invite disclosure or sympathy. “So what’s on the agenda?”
Garrit nodded once, as if accepting a cue.
“You’ve already bonded with Pakshiraj. He’s an ancient, and he will keep you safe in the air.
He will anticipate your needs in flight, but you must learn to move with him.
To stay mounted when he is forced to execute strategic and difficult maneuvers.
We will work on that skill. On your muscle memory and strength.
The rest will come naturally as your bond with him grows.
” He looked up, and I followed his gaze to see Pakshiraj swerve and descend out of view. “Come,” he said. “He’s ready for you.”
He led the way across the platform to a wooden cage, a rudimentary elevator made with a pulley system of wooden cogs and ropes. I climbed in with him, leaving enough room for one other.
“I will stay with her,” Keyton said to Yudh, stepping in beside me.
Blue hopped from him back to me, and we began our descent through lush green foliage that smelled like a summer’s day and autumn morning all at once, past platforms and walkways and massive nests balancing on the farthest branches to a huge circular platform accessed via a wooden bridge built onto a thick branch.
We’d barely stepped out of the elevator when the sky went dark, and a moment later, a huge gust of wind rocked me back. Blue let out a shriek, and Keyton grabbed hold of my shoulders, steadying me.
I braced, locking my legs and crouching as Pakshiraj landed on the platform ahead.
“Bloody hell,” Blue said, his voice trembling.
“It’s all right.” I reached up to stroke his back. “He won’t hurt you.”
“Course he won’t,” Blue said. “He’s all feathers and no peck, that one.”
“Come.” Garrit led us down the bridge toward the waiting thunderbird. Pakshiraj lowered his majestic head a little, crimson and gold feathers gleaming as they caught the sun. His eye, alight with warmth and welcome, fixed on me.
Blue clung to my cheek, trembling. This was the first time that I’d ever seen him scared, and it gave me pause. If he had been born from a part of me, then surely my fears would be his. But I wasn’t afraid of Pakshiraj.
A low hum filled my head, and I got the sense that Pakshiraj was attempting to speak to me. I stepped closer, and Blue let out a squeak.
“Blue,” Keyton said softly. “Leela needs to do this part alone.” He held out his hand to my anchor.
Blue sniffed. “Yeah, course she does. I get it.” He hopped onto Keyton’s palm, and I crossed to Pakshiraj, placing my hand against his feathers.
His voice filled my mind. Ah, there you are, child. How is your heart?
My heart… You heard about Araz…
I did, and I sense your grief. It is as deep as the ocean and as vast. But the sky holds more depth and spans the world. Shall we lose ourselves in it for a little while?
I smiled up at him. I would like that very much.
He dropped his head lower. See the golden feathers? Use those to pull yourself up.
I don’t want to hurt you.
You will not. Trust me.
I grasped the golden feathers that were thicker and rougher than the rest of him, using them to haul myself up and scramble onto his back.
“Careful!” Blue called out.
“I’m fine.”
Your anchor is afraid of me.
I know. I’m not sure how, considering that he is a part of me.
Is that what they have told you?
Well, yes. Why? Is that not true?
I’m sure it was when he was created, but any living thing once given autonomy will evolve into a self. Now hold on. Use the golden feathers. Anchor with your thighs and lean forward.
I remember.
“You ready?” Garrit called up.
We are, Pakshiraj said.
“Yeah, we’re ready.”
Garrit made a symbol in the air with his hand. “Then let’s go.” He ran to the edge of the platform and leapt off.
Blue let out a shocked screech. But the next moment, Garrit was rising, safe on the back of his thunderbird.
“What the feck!” Blue cried. “There was no need for them theatrics!”
Keyton’s laughter joined Pakshiraj’s chuckle in my head.
Hold on, Leela. It’s time to fly.
I leaned forward a little more, gripping with my hands and thighs, and the next moment, we were airborne.