Chapter 16
I THINK IT’S STORY TIME AGAIN
LEELA
Sleep was being elusive. Again. I could just lie here and wait until my body finally decided to shut down, or I could wake up Keyton and ask him to keep me company. But drohi, as powerful as they were, still needed sleep. And tomorrow was a big day.
There was only one thing to do.
I dressed and crossed to the bells by my bedchamber door, pausing, suddenly unsure.
If I summoned him tonight, that would be three times this week.
But he said he didn’t mind, and he didn’t sleep much, so…
Fuck it. I yanked on the bell and headed to the sitting area to wait by the Karom board set up on the coffee table.
I didn’t have to wait long before Chandra materialized, hair tousled, either from the night air or from tossing and turning. He was dressed in a cream tunic and loose pants, his habitual nighttime attire now just in case I summoned him…or so he said.
He smiled and sat opposite me. “Would it be awful for me to say that I hoped you’d have trouble sleeping tonight?”
“Not awful at all, considering I told myself you didn’t need sleep anyway so could come and hang out with me.”
He chuckled and started setting up the board. “In that case, let me beat you again.”
“Oh, no. I’ve been practicing. I’m definitely going to kick your ass this time.”
“Only if I let you.”
“No, you can’t say that! Now if I win, I’ll be wondering if you let me.”
He winked.
“Oh you…That’s not fair.”
“Life isn’t fair, Leela.”
His words, although said in jest, hit hard. Life wasn’t fair most of the time. The levity ebbed.
He sat back with a sigh. “Everything will be all right. You will complete the test, return triumphant, and take the throne. Then together we will set this world to rights.”
His confidence in me was kindling to my waning flame.
The past couple of weeks had flown by with intensive training both on the ground and in the air.
I’d accompanied Chandra to dinners and meetings with raees and on occasion Authority members as I learned the ropes of the political side of things.
I was becoming familiar with faces and names and personalities now, and I was pretty sure many raees had warmed to me.
I was ready to take the throne at the equinox in a week’s time.
Araz would be proud of me. The chasm that was the absence of him yawned wider. I sat with the feeling for a moment, allowing the emptiness to wash over me before fixing a smile on my face.
“You’re right. Everything is going to be all right.”
We began the game, taking it in turns to flick the pieces across the board and pocket them. It reminded me of pool or snooker, except in this game the balls were flat counters that looked like draught pieces, and we used our fingers as the cues.
I pocketed a piece and looked up at Chandra. “So what’s the history lesson tonight?”
Chandra had been educating me on different aspects of Asura history, and I’d learned a lot about the war and about how the deva had decided to leave this world in the Asuras’ hands because they had other worlds to maintain.
Apparently, there was some kind of convergence between worlds, a nexus that the deva were now responsible for policing.
I’d asked about this, but Chandra had shrugged and said that was all he knew.
That there was no way to contact the deva to ask for more information.
He looked up from studying the board. “What would you like to know about?”
What did I want to learn more about? The night the royal family had been killed was one, but we’d touched on that before, and I’d noted how tense he’d gotten. It was a trauma memory for him, and I wasn’t into prodding someone’s wounds.
We’d talked about Araz and his potential connection to Harish, the Danava king.
The resemblance was uncanny. The Danava procreated with djinn in the regular way, and a record was kept of any potential offspring.
Chandra had checked those records, and there was no mention of Harish having sired a drohi.
Araz’s name was linked to a Danava noble who was now dead.
But Chandra agreed that the effort the Asura had gone to in order to retrieve Araz was unusual, and the fact that he had been hidden by the Agni djinn was also telling.
Both Harish and Araz were gone, and it was unlikely that we’d ever learn the truth, but if Araz had been Harish’s son, then he would technically have been a royal…
And that…that made sense to me. Because Araz had never been a regular drohi.
Chandra and I had covered many topics over the past two weeks, so what more could we discuss? “Ooo, how about the whole Vitra saga? Who was he, really?”
He stilled for a beat, then sat back with a sigh. “Vitra…Yes, there are many stories about who or what he was, but my favorite is a lesser-known tale. Would you like to hear it?”
“Yes, please.”
“This story says that Vitra was not a god. Not in the traditional sense. He wasn’t born, and he wasn’t made using amrit. He was created by the collective will of the deva. They say he took on tasks for them. He was allowed to live, to love, and to have a family—”
“The Danava? They descended from him, right?”
He looked across at me in surprise. “Yes, that is what is believed. The Danava have the essence of deva in them through their connection to Vitra.”
Oh, I hadn’t even considered that. Maybe if Vitra hadn’t become evil, then the deva would have left the Danava in charge and not the Asura. “So what happened to Vitra? Why did he go evil?”
“Evil…” Chandra smiled wryly. “Yes, that’s what all the stories say, but this lesser-known story says that Vitra was given a secret task, and when he completed it, the deva decided to eliminate him so that no one but them would ever know what they had asked Vitra to do.
But because he was created from their collective will, unraveling him would take a special power. ”
I sat up straighter. “The Vajra?”
“Yes. The Vajra.” He sighed heavily. “And then they ended him.” He turned his attention back to the board.
“Wait, what was the task they asked him to complete?”
Chandra chuckled softly. “It was a secret, Leela. No one knows. And besides, it’s just a story like the others. History has a way of rewriting itself, don’t you think?”
“No. History doesn’t rewrite itself. The people in power do.”
He looked up at me slowly, his expression sobering. “Yes, Leela. That is right.” A shiver skipped up my spine at the intensity in his eyes, but then he cracked a smile and flicked a karom piece, knocking another straight into a pocket. “And your losing streak will continue now…”
“Hell no!”
I focused on the game board, the story Chandra had shared about Vitra still at the forefront of my mind. I couldn’t help but wonder if there was some truth in it, and if so…what task had the deva sent Vitra to do? What secret could have been worth killing for?
There was blood on my hands. Not mine. Someone else’s, and I was glad of it. The earth beneath my knees was dappled in crimson, and the stench of burning flesh filled the air, but there was finally silence.
It was over.
We were done.
“Vayelle…” I looked up at the sound of my name, across the battlefield at the figure striding toward me through the smoke, and my heart leapt.
He was here.
It was over, and he was here.
The smoke cleared, and he stepped through, his skin clean of any sign of battle, his lips curved in a smile that wasn’t entirely his own.
The spot between my collarbones burned as he leaned in, his topaz eyes bright jewels in his brown face. “Did you really think that trinket could keep me away from you for long?” His gaze dropped to my chest, and I tracked it to the pendant hanging there.
What was that?
I looked up. “I don’t…I don’t understand, my love. What is this?”
He tipped his head to the side, his gaze softening. “Ah, you’re deep this time, aren’t you? You’re rising, and when you do, I’ll be here to catch you.”
He reached out, knuckles grazing my cheeks, and my heart swelled, desire pooling low in my belly. I offered him my lips, and he dipped his head, eyes darkening with want.
That look. I knew it well.
“Mine…” he growled.
Yes…Yes, I was his. Always his—
“Leela!” Something pricked my cheek. “Leela, wake up!”
Blue?
He pressed my cheek with his paws. “Wakey, wakey, it’s snakey, snakey day!”
My eyes snapped open, the dream misting into nothing.
“Ya need a good breakfast before ya set off,” Blue said.
The thought of food made my stomach revolt. It was Vasuki day, after all. But Blue was right. I needed sustenance. Goodness knows what I’d be up against in those caverns.
I sat up, stretched, and looked down at Blue properly. He was dressed in a brown tunic and had a miniature holster strapped to his back. And was that a teeny sword?
He did a little hop and twirl. “Knew you’d be speechless.
Dya like it? Jahira made it for me. And Yudh made the sword.
Well, it’s a pin, but he customized it and added a hilt.
” He drew the makeshift sword and jabbed at the air.
“I been practicing.” He slid his sword back onto the holster at his hip and stood hands on hips, chest puffed out.
“When you take the throne, I want to join your guard. I won’t need ta be protected and stuff. ”
My eyes welled, and I swallowed hard. “When…when did you practice?”
“I watched ya with the brothers. Copied the moves. Keyton helped.”
I nodded, blinking back tears, not trusting myself to speak because, damn, he was the sweetest.
He sniffed the air then went still, studying me with his head tipped to one side. “Do ya think I look stupid?”
I let out a shuddering exhale and scooped him up to press him to my cheek. “I love you. I love you so much, and you look fucking amazing, and I would be honored to have you watching my back.”
He melted against me, hugging my face, his whiskers tickling my nose. “I love you too, chickadee.” He pulled away. “Now get your ass out of bed and let’s go stuff our faces.”
Breakfast passed in a blur, and before I knew it, I was dressed in the combat gear provided.
The fitted trousers moved well with my body, and the shirt and tunic combo were breathable yet warm.
The holster fit me and my axes perfectly, fingerless gloves allowed for dexterity, with warm and sturdy ankle boots that promised to protect my tootsies.
Blue perched on my shoulder, determined to stay with me for as long as possible.
Two carriages waited outside the palace—the royal carriage and the Danava carriage driven by Kalani.
Chandra greeted me. “The carriages will take you to the nearest vortex point, and the vortex will drop you in the red lands. Transport awaits, along with a small troop commissioned to protect you with their lives. My inquiries have shown that the route you will be taking is safe. There have been no reports of devouring force attacks in that region of late. Nevertheless, I have provided your drohi with elite weapons that will allow them to dispatch a revenant if need be.” His mouth tightened. “I wish I could come with you.”
“Me too,” Blue said.
Chandra smiled down at him. “Maybe we can keep each other company until Leela returns?” He held his palm out.
“Yeah, sounds good.” Blue dropped a kiss on my cheek and hopped onto Chandra’s hand, scampering up to sit on the Asura’s shoulder.
“We’ll be waiting for you.” Chandra reached out to lightly touch my cheek. “You are extraordinary, Leela. I am so honored to call you kin.”
I grinned up at him. “I think we’re more than that by now, don’t you? I think we’re friends.”
His smile bloomed, warm and soft. “Yes, Leela. We are. The best of friends.” He leaned in and kissed my forehead. “Come back to me safely, friend.”
“Go kick ass,” Blue added.
I blew him a kiss and turned to the carriage, determined to be home in time for supper.