16. Rajesh
RAJESH
The dreams never stopped. They made him toss and turn over most nights, causing his mind to fester and pull back into the fateful moments before he harnessed the Purple Scorpion—before he told Leela he couldn’t love her.
He never said he didn’t love her.
Only that he couldn’t.
There was a difference.
But he knew Leela, and he knew her mind would have changed ‘couldn’t’ into ‘didn’t.’
Rajesh groaned and rolled out of bed. He grabbed a glass of whiskey and sat down in the chair across from the lit fireplace, letting the flames flicker and burn with a gentle crunch. He absorbed them, watching as they twirled like graceful dancers, each one as elegant as the last.
You wish to find the wish-fulfilling tree?
Yes.
He’d been waiting for the Scorpion to show himself. Most days, Rajesh was able to cast him out of his mind altogether, the heat at the base of his spine gone. But when he was vulnerable, or the emotions took over, the Scorpion always found a way to weasel in.
The Scorpion sighed. You tried. And failed.
I am aware. Thanks for the reminder.
And what makes you think it’s in these kingdoms? What of the kingdoms across the world? Are you willing to travel continents to find it?
If I must. There are monsters everywhere. I could use it as an excuse to hunt down the lustisha.
And how do you know it would work?
You said it yourself years ago, the wish-fulfilling tree would be my best bet to get rid of you.
The Scorpion’s tail reared. And what of my revenge? I’ve waited a long time for her to come to me. And now, here she is. She finally found the Vessel she needed.
I think you forgot—I don’t give a shit about your revenge.
The Scorpion clicked his pinchers. I will help you find this tree if you let me get my revenge first.
Rajesh stilled, the glass halfway to his lips.
The Scorpion had never offered a bargain before.
Not in the generations before Rajesh, and he had never wanted to help find one of the Awakening tools either.
What changed? Did the Scorpion really want his revenge so badly?
Rajesh supposed the Scorpion had waited this long.
Why would the Scorpion want to waste the one chance he might get to destroy the one thing that destroyed him?
That cast him from the Awakening and cursed him to spill monsters across the world… ?
Exactly.
You would actually help me find this tree? Do you know where it is?
I might.
You either do or you don’t. Which is it?
I do.
Rajesh’s chest tightened, hope seizing every bone in his ribcage and forcing the air from his lungs. He couldn’t believe it. Couldn’t begin to fathom how it was possible after all these years.
I promise you, Rajesh. If I get to kill her, I will lead you to the wish-fulfilling tree myself.
How do I know you’ll keep your word?
Have I ever let you down? The Scorpion said calmly.
Rajesh sighed. The Scorpion had a point.
He had never taken control of Rajesh unless Rajesh ordered him to or needed him in a fight.
He had been the easiest Flame to deal with, yet his stubbornness toward revenge was his only flaw.
Now, all Rajesh had to do was try to kill the Viperess, and he would be able to get rid of the curse.
He could eradicate the sandstorms and stop the monsters.
It’s a big prize.
But does this mean Leela dies?
The Scorpion fell awfully silent.
Rajesh hissed. Answer me!
I can’t guarantee it won’t happen.
Rajesh stood, accidentally shattering his glass on the ground. I don’t want it. I don’t want to agree to a plan where she dies.
Then I cannot help you, and without my help, you know you can’t find this tree.
I don’t give a shit about your revenge! How can I do this without endangering her?
Why do you care so much? I thought you didn’t love her.
I don’t. But it doesn’t mean I want her dead. I don’t want part in this centuries-old revenge.
Perhaps there is a way to save her. But give me some time to think.
Think fast, then.
A knock on the door drew Rajesh’s attention. The Scorpion slunk away down his spine.
Who could it be at this hour? Most of his crew were asleep, except for those awake to keep guard, and they all knew never to disturb the captain when he was asleep. He hesitated, wondering if it was just someone who had knocked on another door or if it wasn’t a knock at all.
Knock, knock.
Rajesh sighed. Whoever had knocked was about to get a mouthful.
He grabbed the doorknob and braced himself to berate the person on the other side. Wrenching the door off its hinges, his comment faded on his tongue. “Leela?”
Before he could understand why she was there, a knife clipped his neck.
“Shit!”
Rajesh swerved at the last second, dodging the oncoming attacks as Leela swiped left and right. She cut the air with a katar in each hand, forcing Rajesh further and further into the corner of his room.
What the fuck was going on?
Eventually, his back hit the desk, and he gasped as Leela advanced. She flung herself at him, both katars driving up before coming to his chest.
Rajesh ducked, her katar striking the table where he had been a moment before. He slammed his palm against her wrist and watched the katar hit the floor. Before she could grab it, he swiped it and lowered into a stance. His heart froze as a pair of yellow slits for eyes stared back at him.
No.
“Leela?” he called. “Leela, answer me!”
“She can’t hear you,” the Viperess said, a long hiss at the end of her words.
It was clearly not Leela with the way the Viperess awkwardly used her body, how she stood with hunched shoulders, and plucked another katar from her pocket and aimed it in the wrong direction. Her legs were facing at awkward angles, and her eyes… they told Rajesh all he needed to know.
“Get out of her,” Rajesh snapped. He clenched his own katar handle tighter, wondering how to get Leela back without injuring her. “Get out of her, or I will kill you.”
“You or the Scorpion? Bring him out here so I can kill him myself!”
Rajesh dodged her katar as the Viperess launched.
She tackled Rajesh, fingers raised like claws. They crashed on the floor, Rajesh’s head hitting the wooden deck. He cried out in pain. He didn’t have time to dwell on the room spinning, however. He had to save himself and Leela.
He grabbed hold of Leela’s wrists and wrestled her onto her back. He pinned her down with his hips, pressing harder than he wished to. The Viperess snarled and gnashed her teeth, wriggling and thrashing underneath him.
Rajesh simply held her, trying to keep her under control so he could figure out a way to get her back. She bucked, dislodging his grip on the katar and sending it across the room.
“Leela!” he called. “Come through. Get out! Come back! Come back to me!”
The Viperess spat, and a drop landed on his shirt.
The smell of burned flesh and a sharp putrid stench wafted from where the poison dropped, and Rajesh quickly flung his shirt off before it could eat his skin.
He stood, rushing over to his bed where he grabbed a godsblade from his bedside table and held it steady.
Leela stumbled to her feet, arms flexing at her side and eyes still a vibrant yellow. The slits in her eyes were enough for Rajesh to focus on what he needed to do. He needed to get Leela away from the Viperess or risk the beast controlling her forever.
“Leela, come back to me. Listen to my voice. Follow it… Follow me!” Rajesh said. “Come on, Leela, I know you can do it.”
The Viperess hissed. “Leela is not here.” It flicked its tongue again. “I will kill the Scorpion. Then, you can have her back.”
“Leela,” Rajesh said, picturing her deep brown eyes instead. “Remember me. Remember what we were. Who we were. Our first kiss. Our first dance. The way we held one another. The way we… the way our bodies were.”
The Viperess’s head jerked.
It was working.
Rajesh’s chest heaved. “Remember that night? The night we were together. How I held your hand, and you held me. How we—”
“NOOOO!”
The Viperess jerked back, arms flailing and neck snapping to the sky. Her knees buckled, and she fell. The shadow merged back down Leela’s spine into its rightful position.
Rajesh held his breath as he waited for the Viperess to reappear. But Leela continued to lie on the ground, hair spread over her lips and legs awkwardly folded under her. Her arms, too, were limp at her side.
“Leela…?” Rajesh whispered.
Silence.
“Leela…?” He stepped closer, clenching the godsblade at his side. “Can you hear me?”
Rajesh kept his gaze on Leela. His mouth grew dry as her chest rose in a gentle rhythm and her lips parted.
Kneeling beside her, he brushed her curls from her eyes.
Those beautiful lock she’d woven his fingers into when they were together.
When he plucked wheat from her hair and washed her locks in the river.
A time so long ago, but a time he longed to relive.
Leela groaned, and he quickly grabbed her katar and threw it on the bed.
“Leela?”
Leela rolled her head over and locked gazes with Rajesh.
A relieved sigh cleaved through his chest. Her eyes were back to their ever warm brown. They were the eyes that reminded him of the fields they used to hide in, merged with the sand. The crystallized depths of her eyes were full of locked history that had passed between them.
“R—Rajesh?” She sat up, groaning. “Why am I here?”
He dropped the godsblade and leaned his head back against the wood, steadying his heart from the adrenaline. “The Viperess.”
It was all he needed to say as realization tore at her. Her eyes widened as they locked onto his neck. “Oh… oh!”
She jumped to her feet before steadily glancing around the room, her expression withered, and the light in her eyes dried up as she soaked in the wreckage.
“Oh shit,” Leela said. She rubbed her face, lips parting.
Rajesh slowly got to his feet, trying to work out how to calm her before she spiraled, or worse, before the Viperess came back.
“Calm down,” Rajesh urged.
“Calm down!?” Leela snapped. “This was exactly what you said would happen. I don’t… I don’t even remember what happened. I don’t even know when she took hold of me…”
“She would have attacked at the precise moment,” Rajesh said. “You never could have known. No one does the first time they harness their Flame.”
“I don’t understand.” Leela rubbed her arm. “I’m so sorry.”
“We knew this was going to happen,” Rajesh explained. “This is why we need to learn to control her.”
Leela nodded. “When can we start?”
“As soon as I can walk,” Rajesh said, cracking his back. His muscles hadn’t warmed up for the attack. Not that he could always be prepared for an attack, but he hadn’t expected to be jumped in his own quarters.
“I cut you,” Leela said, face pale. She stared at the cut on his neck.
Rajesh had barely felt himself get nicked. Now that she was drawing attention to it, he felt the small tinge of pain. He rubbed at the wound and bit his tongue to avoid wincing. He didn’t want to make Leela feel any worse.
“I cut you,” she whispered. Tears sprang to her eyes. “I didn’t know… I didn’t…”
“It’s okay,” Rajesh said, reaching for her. He wanted to hug her, to pull her in and comfort her, but he was also hesitant about the Viperess. “We will train you to control her, and this won’t happen again.”
Leela nodded. “Thank you.”
“Pleasure. Now, do you want to go back to sleep?”
Leela shook her head. “No. No, that was probably how she got in.”
“You need to sleep,” Rajesh explained. “Otherwise, you will grow tired and weak. That will give her the perfect opportunity to come back and control you more than she did this time.”
Leela bit her lip. “C—can’t I stay with you?”
“We’re meant to hate one another, remember? And, no offense, but you did just cut my neck.”
Leela glanced at the ground. “How did I come to?”
Rajesh turned to the windows before he met her gaze. “I—uh—was able to disarm you, and it somehow pulled you back.”
“Oh…” Leela said. “Well. Thank you.”
Rajesh nodded. “My pleasure. Now, go back and sleep.”
Leela nodded and stumbled out of the room, still clutching her arm. She stopped at the door and turned back, as if wanting to say something, but shut her mouth and left instead.
Rajesh sighed and slumped into the chair.
His face rested in his palms, fingers tightening at his skull.
He had almost died. His worst nightmare had come true, and the Viperess had attacked him.
What if he was sleeping? Or in a more vulnerable position?
What if, next time, he wasn’t strong enough to protect himself or bring Leela back?
Where were you?
Thinking, the Scorpion droned.
Wow. Really? You left me to die. Need I remind you, if I die, so do you because of this damned curse.
I am aware of the curse and its limits.
So where did you go?
Did you not watch her? He hissed.
Rajesh frowned. I was a little busy trying not to get stabbed.
Her movements were awkward. She couldn’t control Leela. Her body is a Viperess, and I know her body, trust me.
Ew.
The Scorpion hissed. Train Leela while she has the chance. While she is still weak. At least now, we know she will attack at any moment and isn’t actually sitting idly by.
But why now?
She saw an opportunity and took it. She will do it again.
Rajesh shook his head. No. There is something more to this. Why did she wait so long?
Your guess is as good as mine.
Rajesh leaned back on the chair and glanced at the flames flickering in the fireplace. His heart was finally steady and his head was finally clear. He had never felt that scared before. The fear of losing her, of knowing the Viperess had her, was almost too much.
If he lost her because of this feud between the Flames, he would never forgive himself.
But where could he start? He didn’t know the first thing about the Viperess, and he was too scared to get close now that she could strike at any moment.
He had to train Leela. But how could he without getting himself killed in the process?
He put his hand to his neck once more. The Viperess was playing a deadly game—a long, drawn-out game he needed to understand.
She was going to use Leela’s beautiful brown body to control her.
Images flashed within the flames, of Leela staring down at him as the katar struck true, as the poison from her tongue slithered through his veins and sucked the life from him.
He was going to have to lose something along the way.
He just wouldn’t let it be her.
You’d better find a way to get her back to me. Or I will kill you myself.