Page 118 of Damned and Broken Gods
I looked to the others, seeing my fears reflected in their faces.
“This is bullshit,” Joe said. “All these changes, and why? Because the Authority’s afraid of Leela becoming queen?”
Umbra flinched, but Guru Mahir went completely still. “Why would you say such a thing?”
Bina let out a harsh laugh. “Do you think we’re stupid? It’s obvious what’s going on here. They want her dead, and so they’re making everything harder for the rest of us.” She walked forward, her eyes narrowing. “Maybe they think they can turn the native demigods against her by forcing us into difficultsituations, hoping that we’ll blame her. But they’re wrong. We see through it, and we stand by her.”
My throat pinched as I stared at the woman who, up until now, I’d believed simply tolerated me.
“The Authority does not set the seeds of the labyrinth,” Guru Mahir said. “The Tantuvaya do.”
“Yeah?” Joe said. “And who controls them?”
“Enough!” Umbra snapped. “You will take the Calling and complete the labyrinth and respect the rules set. We have no wish to lose demigods and drohi unnecessarily. If you are ready, if your mind, body, and will are strong, then you will survive. But survival alone does not mean ascension. You must complete all three tests hidden in the labyrinth and be deemed worthy by the scales of divinity.”
And who manned those scales? Were they even real? Or a tool for the Authority to have control? What if, after everything I did, they deemed me unworthy for ascension?
But if that was the case, why make it so hard? Why try to end my life? No…Maybe they didn’t have as much control over who was ascended as I’d suspected.
Once again, we all exchanged glances. There was nothing more to say. Our drohi were in the labyrinth, and it was up to us to find them.
“Are you ready?” Umbra asked.
I lifted my chin. “Yes, we’re ready.”
Umbra pressed her palm to one of the smaller stones and whispered something. The stones lit up one by one, green light filtering out from the runes etched into them. Golden light bloomed on the ground, spreading out to touch Eben and sweep up over his stone form.
A cracking sound filled the air as a bright aperture opened inside Eben. It widened to form a glowing doorway.
“This is the doorway you will use to enter the Calling. Once your weapon chooses you, you’ll be transported to the entrance of the labyrinth.”
“Wait a second,” Blue said. “They don’t get ta come back first?”
“No, they do not. And you, the anchors, will go to the nest and?—”
“Hell no!” Blue said. “We ain’t going nowhere. We wait here.”
Ida moved forward to stand beside me and Blue, and Seema fluttered forward to hover above him. Lola hissed at Umbra. Garu raised his head from around Bina’s neck, his pale eyes fixed on Umbra, tongue tasting the air.
Umbra looked up at Guru Mahir.
He sighed. “Your disconcertion is understandable. You may remain here until the sun sets, and then you will return to your nests.”
“Deal,” Blue said.
The glowing aperture in Eben pulsed, and his craggy voice rose to echo around us.
“Enter, chosen ones. Your weapons await, and the labyrinth calls.”
Blue kissed my cheek. “You got this, chickadee.”
I nodded, fire burning in my chest because Araz was somewhere beyond that aperture, and I was going to find him.
Blue hopped off my shoulder.
I took a deep breath and walked into the stone circle and straight into the light.
Chapter 43
