Page 107 of Damned and Broken Gods
There had to be a safer way of testing demigods. One that didn’t kill them. It was something I’d investigate once I took the crown.
Blue finally pulled sway and wiped his cheeks. “How’s Dharma?”
“Not great. The others are devastated, and Keyton…”
“Oh…” Blue’s eyes welled again. “Poor Keyton.”
“He is a strong drohi,” Araz said from across the room. “He will carry her memory and continue to fight in her honor.”
Blue gave him a flat look. “Is that what you’d do if anything happened to Leela?”
“Nothing will happen to Leela,” Araz said firmly.
He pulled back the screen separating us, standing there bare-chested with his sleep pants on, his glorious long hair tousled from sleep, lips all pouty and?—
No. Stop it!
“Would you like to use the bathroom first?” he asked me.
I suppressed a sigh at his cool, formal tone. “Sure. I’ll do that.”
Blue followed me into the washroom. “What crawled up his ass?”
I closed the door. “He almost died too.”
Araz had recognized his mortality, and it had made him more determined to keep his distance so he could be emotionally free to leave and start a war. It was the only explanation for his personality shift, and yes, it was for the best. But damn did it hurt.
After spending weeks on an island,it was strange to be back up in the sky. The return journey had been stormy, but Varainya, awake and alert, navigated it like a pro. And we’d been reunited with the thunderbirds at the coast, but Pakshiraj had not been among them. Araz’s bird had informed me that I’d be formally united with him once I’d taken the Labyrinth of Gods trial.
Despite our navigation faux pas, Bhartina had given us all a passing grade. Not because we’d lost Priti. No. She’d been clear that the reason we’d passed was because we’d worked together as a team to survive the revenants’ attack. Rajnanga had survived, and his account to her had been favorable, despite our navigation failure.
The win didn’t feel justified. But I didn’t have the energy to argue.
Now back in Prashikshan, everyone was buzzing about the Purnima Ball taking place tonight. A celebration of a super moon that only occurred once a century. Outfits had been rolled in on clothes rails, and everyone was rifling through the offerings, looking for the perfect lehenga or tunic and pant set to wear.
The last gathering I’d dressed up for had been a political affair in Shahee Kshetra, and if this was anything like it, then I didn’t want to go, so I sat and sipped my tea by the hearth while everyone else went crazy picking outfits.
“Leela!” Blue admonished. “You need to go grab sumthin before everything good is gone.”
“Yeah…No.”
“Whatya mean, no?”
“I mean I’m not going. I’m staying in and getting an early night.”
He glared at me. “Get your ass over to that rail and pick a fit, you moo!”
“I told you I’m not?—”
A black and gold lehenga fell across my lap.
I looked up to find Araz holding a matching outfit. “I think it will fit you,” he said.
I opened my mouth to say that I wasn’t going, but the sudden flash of heat in his eyes stole my words.
I nodded. “Thanks.”
He returned my nod and retreated, leaving me slightly breathless.
