Page 123 of Her Soul for a Crown
A chill cooled her from the inside out, and a bright light erupted, blasting through the tunnels, catching every shadow and devouring them whole. From fingertip to ankle, every detail of Anula’s mehendhi glowed.
Not saffron. But white, with heavenslight.
The drumbeat faltered. Premala tripped. And the Kattadiya fell silent.
The Yakkas rose tall. Reeri reached out to her, the elephant on his chest shining.
“How?”
“We have a bargain.” Reeri’s voice pealed, vibrant and true. “Your oath belongs to me.”
Relief settled like a balm. For the first time in as long as she could remember, she knew Amma and Auntie Nirma hadn’t put their faith in a lie. She took his hand and squeezed tight. “Thank the cursed Heavens.”
Fingers tripping over sapphires, Anula plucked out two and threw them at Premala’s feet, where they shattered, smoked, and mixed into a rose-scented cloud upon the floor.
“Run!” she commanded the Yakkas, pushing Bithul ahead. For though the vials were not deadly on their own, together they made a poisonous gas.
Much like her and Reeri.
The caves didn’t have tunnels—those were straight with beginnings and ends. These were crooked, unlit, and unfinished. Arms sprouted at various connection points, some leading to dead ends and others disappearing forever around corners, a labyrinthbeneath the Pleasure Gardens. If they weren’t careful, they’d get lost and become easy prey.
“So, the relic was never down here?” Calu asked.
“Of course it is.” Anula huffed, turning another corner to find another split in the path. She chose the left for no other reason than that it felt closer.
“Then why are we not searching for it?”
“Perhaps we worry about that after we’ve escaped.” Bithul grunted.
“We need the—”
“I know,” Anula snapped. “But they want to kill you, and you’re no good to me dead.”
“How considerate,” Reeri scoffed.
“You know what I mean.” Anula glanced at their hands, still entwined. He hadn’t let go. Neither had she.
Fear trickled in the back of her mind. If she got them to safety, Wessamony was still a threat. The Maha Equinox would strike tonight, and Reeri would be taken, forced to torture his family for all eternity, or until Wessamony destroyed the cosmos.
“Wait.” She paused. “Calu’s right. We can’t leave. We have to finish this, before the day is done.”
“It may already be too late,” Sohon said, looking back the way they had come. “My essence offering was taken and the others—”
“Are right here,” Kama said, pulling hers and Calu’s from her sari.
“We are not sacrificing Anula’s soul.” Reeri squeezed her hand.
“Nor are we sacrificing Reeri’s,” Calu pressed.
“What about Wessamony’s soul?” Sohon asked. “We are going to kill him anyway. I cannot think of a more poetic trade.”
“Does he have a soul?” Calu scoffed.
“Oh yes.” Kama smiled. “It is the darkness of the cosmos, the space between spaces, the chasm in our hearts, the—”
“We get it,” Sohon said.
“It’s worth a try,” Anula said, squeezing Reeri’s hand back, remembering the first promise she had made to him.
