Page 27 of Lost and Stolen Gods
Umbra lifted her pale face to the winged guy. “Guru Mihir?”
“This is new information,” he said. “We cannot know for certain, but I can assure you that the potency of the mark weakens with age. The reapers never collect anyone older than twenty-five mortal years.”
Which meant that it wouldn’t be attracted to older demigods. At least that’s what he was intimating.
“You’re lucky to be alive,” Guru Mihir said to me. “And I am sorry for your loss.”
I blinked hard to force my tears back. There was one more thing that I needed to know, the answer to which would determine how I coped with all of this. “Can it die? Can this…pishacha be killed?”
“Yes, and if you succeed in realizing your potential, you’ll have the power to do so. There are only a handful of pishacha in existence. You can hunt them down if you wish. Kill them all and free the souls trapped within.”
Trapped? My grandmother was trapped? A vise squeezed my lungs because somehow that was worse. To have her trapped inside that thing, unable to move on. Her soul at its mercy. No. Fucking hell, no.
“I see fire in your eyes,” he said. “Good. It will serve you well. Nurture it. Hone it. Wield it.” He turned his attention to the rest of the group. “You all have the potential for great power, and your journey has already begun. Rest well, for your true existence begins tomorrow.” He turned mid-air and dove out of view, leaving us with nothing but more questions.
“Who was that?” Remi whispered.
“That was Guru Mihir,” Umbra said. “One of our trainers here. You’ll be seeing a lot of him. Now come along. Follow me.”
“Are you all right?” Dharma asked me as we trailed after Umbra.
I forced my tumultuous emotions into the box that neatly housed them and gave her a tight smile. “No. But I will be.”
All my life, I’d drifted. One task, one job, one purpose to another, never sticking, never staying.Jack of all trades master of none, Matt had called me. He’d been right. But maybe…maybe the reason for that was because I hadn’t belonged. That my purpose hadn’t existed in that world. Maybe it was here, hidden in the potential that Guru Mihir spoke about.
And if reaching it meant I’d have the power to kill the pishacha and free Nani, then that’s what I’d do. That would be a great fucking purpose.
Umbra ledus to another bridge, and my heart sank as I realized it was also on an incline.
If my ass didn’t look amazing after this workout, then there was something seriously wrong with the physics of this world.
Aakaash Sansaar was spread out before us, a feast for the eyes. I spotted large birds in the distance that looked like the thunderbirds from earlier. They flew in and out of a land mass obscured by clouds, and abovethat mass in the distance was what looked like a small city with spires that gleamed in the sun.
“I’d love to see a map of this place,” Priti said. “I wonder if they have one.”
“You’ll receive one at orientation,” Umbra said from up ahead. “Along with a list of rules and forbidden sectors.”
Did everyone here have superhuman hearing?
Our trek led us above frothy clouds toward a land mass surrounded by purple mist, where an epic arch welcomed us into a huge flagstone courtyard that looked like something out of a historical movie. A well dominated one side of the space, and a single-story gray stone building sat opposite it. The windows had shutters, and the door was old worn wood with coppery metal strips pressed into it.
Across from us sat an arch and a set of double doors, but Umbra led us to the squat building. There was writing in a language I couldn’t read running along the top of the door and down along the copper bars that were pressed against the wood.
“What’s the writing mean?” I lightly touched the wood, pulling my hand back when a tingle ran up my fingers.
“It’s a protection ward,” Umbra said. “Once I close these doors, no force that means you harm will be able to enter.”
“Wait, we’re in danger here?”
“There is always danger in Svargana. We are aworld at war. But you are safest here in Aakaash Sansaar.”
She unlocked the padlock and shoved open the door.
Despite the dilapidated look, it smelled clean and fresh inside. Several neatly made beds lined the walls in a dormitory style setup.
“This will be where you sleep tonight,” Umbra said, leading us in. “Tomorrow, once you’re bonded, you’ll have new quarters.”
“What’s bonded?” Dharma asked, but Umbra ignored her, turning to the woman who’d just entered the room.
