Page 83 of Lost and Stolen Gods
Whatever had been aboutto spark between Pashim and me in the washroom died quickly after the encounter with Araz. The rest of the day seemed to drag with dummy gauntlet training and supper, where Pashim was a no-show for the first time in almost two weeks.
Had Araz’s jibe about the springs put him off? Not that it mattered. There was no Pashim and me. I was bound to Araz.
Blue did his best to cheer me up with his unique humor and even accompanied me to my meeting with Ravi that evening, riding on my shoulder, one hand clutching a tendril of my hair for balance. With only a day left till the proper run, this was my last chance to run the whole course.
“I still think you should rest,” Blue said.
I’d planned to do just that, but the earlierencounter with Pashim and Araz and Pashim’s subsequent absence, and all the possible reasons for it, had left me too antsy to sit around and do nothing.
“I’ll rest tomorrow.”
“Only because ya have to.”
There were no lessons tomorrow in preparation for the gauntlet.
Ravi was waiting on the platform leading to the rotating log as he usually did, and as soon as Blue spotted him, he dropped a whiskery kiss on my cheek and scampered to the ground.
“I’ll see you in the morning.”
I blew him a kiss and watched him vanish into the shadows before continuing toward the course.
“Wasn’t sure you’d show,” Ravi said. “I heard what happened earlier.”
I climbed up the ladder to join him. “I’m fine. I healed. But I hear Briella is still in medical bay.”
“Yes. They’re not sure she’ll be fit to take the labyrinth.”
A rock settled in my stomach. “Oh shit…”
“She attacked you, Leela.”
“She was ordered to and?—”
“With unnecessary viciousness and force.”
I swallowed the lump in my throat. “How do you know?”
“I saw it.”
“You were there?”
He smiled wryly. “I’m always there, Leela. You just don’t see me.”
There was a double entendre there that gave me pause. “Ravi, I don’t?—”
“Hey!” someone called from the wall.
Ravi rolled his eyes, but there was a smile on his lips. “I told you not to follow me, Prem.” He ran a hand over his short locks looking sheepish. “That’s my baby brother.” He turned to the wall. “Now that you’re here, you may as well come and say hello.”
The figure jumped off the wall and jogged over. The boy was a teen, all long limbs and a face he was still growing into, but the resemblance between him and Ravi was unmistakable, especially their stunning green eyes.
“Hi.” He smiled shyly at me. “I’m Prem”—he jerked a thumb toward Ravi—“this one’s better-looking brother.”
Ravi got him in a headlock and rubbed his knuckles on his head. “Say that again.”
“Ouch, fine, you’remarginallybetter looking.”
Ravi released him with a chuckle. “This is Leela, my…friend. I’m helping her with the gauntlet.”
