Chapter 12
NOT EVERYONE COMES BACK FROM THE DEAD
The cave was an odd shape, with nooks and alcoves leading off it, and a tunnel that led goodness knew where.
There was evidence of prior occupation. A bag of supplies and the remnants of a fire.
The leather pack didn’t contain much of use: the shriveled remains of some kind of fruit, not fully decayed due to the chill, an empty flask, and a dog-eared book, the pages dried and stuck together after getting soaked.
The only useful item was flint to start a fire.
Yudh and Dhoona got to work immediately, using the dried wood and kindling piled in another part of the cave.
“Leela, I’ll be right back.” Pashim squeezed my hand then let go, striding toward the tunnel.
For a moment, there was only the clink and scrape of flint on flint as Yudh worked to summon a blaze.
Kalani’s gaze drifted to the cave entrance, her shoulders dropping slightly.
My heart squeezed. “I’m sorry about Raja.”
She visibly swallowed and nodded. “Yes. Me too. He was…He was my friend.” She took a shuddering breath and looked toward me. “We will not let his death be in vain.”
“No. We won’t.”
She exhaled and nodded. “Do you think C’ael will find us here?”
It was my turn to glance at the cave entrance. But I doubted he’d come strolling in that way. He’d materialize among us. What if he was already with us now but unable to manifest?
“Leela?”
I pulled myself out of my thoughts. “C’ael saved me from the nagrata, but the shields he put up must have used too much energy. He vanished but said he’d be back.”
“Shields, huh?” she frowned. “Not something that any being can construct.”
“Yeah, I figured.”
She jerked her head toward the tunnel. “I assume we can trust your silver-haired friend.” Her eyes narrowed. “He’s a drohi, correct? So there must be a posting nearby.”
Dhoona replied before I could. “That is Pashim. I have fought alongside him before.” He glanced at me. “We heard rumors of his death. Obviously false.” He added kindling to the fire carefully to feed the tiny flame Yudh had created.
“The rumors were true. Pashim died saving me from a pischacha.”
Both Dhoona and Yudh looked up at me, their silver eyes wide with shock.
“How is he here now?” Kalani asked.
“I don’t know, and honestly, I don’t care. I’m just…I’m glad he’s back.”
“Are you sure he is who he says he is?” Yudh asked. “There are many strange beings in our world. Beings that can shift forms and imitate—”
“It’s him. I know him, okay?”
“We must be certain.” Dhoona drew his sword. “He will explain how he still lives, and if his explanation falls flat, then we will do what we must to keep you safe.”
Yudh drew his blade too.
Part of me understood the need for caution, but the other part, the part that had held Pashim, that knew the feel of him, the scent of him, that recognized the way his eyes lit up and the shape of his smile, bristled with indignation.
“You dare touch him and you’ll meet my wrath.”
“You may not be the best person to judge his authenticity,” Kalani said softly.
“It’s obvious that you cared deeply for him, and when we want something to be real, our will can make it seem so.
We sometimes choose to ignore the warning signs and focus on what validates the illusion.
” She didn’t say it, but it was obvious what she was referring to: the fact that I’d believed the primordial evil was Araz.
The fact that I’d seen what I’d wanted to see.
My stomach trembled. Was I doing it again? Making a mistake?
“Leela, we need to be wary,” Dhoona said.
I’d be a fool to ignore the warning that even though everything in me screamed that Pashim was truly here, there was always the chance that this was some kind of trick.
I nodded. “Then we test, and we ask, but we don’t hurt him on assumption.”
“It’s all right, Leela.” Pashim stepped out of the tunnel.
His arms hung loose at his sides, but his gaze was sharp and fixed on the brothers.
On the threat. “You want to know how I’m here, then I’ll tell you.
Death pulled me out of an in-between place and gave me a second chance because my time wasn’t done.
It was cut short. I know I’m here to help Leela.
To stop this primordial evil and save my friend Araz. ”
“How do you know all this when you were dead when it happened?” Yudh demanded.
“Death filled me in.” He smiled wryly. “She knows things.”
“She?” Kalani’s eyes narrowed. “Death is not a female. In fact, Yama left this world to its fate a long time ago.” She stepped forward to join the brothers, blocking Pashim from leaving the tunnel.
Pashim sighed. “I do not wish to fight you. I do not wish to harm you. Please sheathe your weapons.”
I rushed forward on instinct, pushing between them to stand with my back to Pashim’s chest. “What did I say about not hurting him?”
“Leela, you’re not thinking straight,” Yudh said. “You want your friend to be alive, and this creature is feeding off that desire. It is how these beings operate.”
The ball of doubt in my chest pulsed. Was I seeing what I wanted to see? Did I want Pashim back so badly that I was somehow feeding an entity the power to shape itself into him?
I had to be sure. I took a step away and turned to face him, keeping myself between him and the others. “Tell me something only Pashim would know.”
Pashim smiled and nodded. “Very well, but first tell me, did you find the letter I left for you inside my mattress?”
My pulse quickened, heat pressing behind my eyes. “Oh…It’s you. It truly is you.” I made to move toward him, but Dhoona grabbed my arm.
“It can read your thoughts. It can find what it needs.”
Pashim sighed, then looked to his left, speaking to thin air. “You were right. I need you for this part.”
The spot beside him shimmered, and a slender, dark-haired woman materialized, dressed in leathers and a deep green cloak, an impressive staff in her right hand.
A wave of energy hit me, cracking and fizzing, raising the hairs on my arms.
My heart shot into my mouth.
Kalani let out a soft cry, and the brothers grew still, their gazes fixed on the woman. The wave of energy pulled back, sucking a little air from my lungs.
“Hey, all,” she said. “I’m Yama’s replacement, but you can call me Priti.”
My heart swelled in my chest, throat pinching as I took a shaky step toward her, then another. Her mouth trembled, matching the wave of emotions crashing over me, and the next moment we were in each other’s arms.
“Babe.” I squeezed her hard. “You’re here. You…Oh gods. Priti.”
“I missed you so much,” she said.
I held on to her for long seconds, sobbing and laughing at the same time. She finally pulled away, placing a palm on my cheek.
“You’ve lost weight,” she said.
I let out a soft laugh that was part sob. “I lost two of my best friends and the drohi I love, so yeah…I lost a little weight.” I sniffed, pulling back to cock a bicep and flexed. “But I put on some muscle.”
She laughed. “Yeah, you did.”
“What in the gods is going on?” Kalani asked.
Priti looked over my shoulder, her expression sobering. “Let’s sit around the fire, and I shall tell you what I know.”
The shift in her tone from casual to formal and the underlying voice of command teased my primal instinct to obey. The others immediately moved to the fire, obviously similarly affected.
“You’re Death now. Truly Death.” I searched her face, seeing my friend but also something else. Something more. Something ancient.
She smiled slightly. “Yeah, Leela. I am. Now sit, and I’ll tell you everything I can.”
Pashim held out his hand, and I took it, allowing him to lead me to the fire.
Two of my best friends were back from the dead, and I was eager to find out exactly how.