Page 30 of Damned and Broken Gods
“Good point,” Araz said.
I climbed in and placed my bag on the floor at my feet. Araz followed, closing the door behind him. The seats were soft and deep. I relaxed against them, allowing the knots of tension in my body to unknit.
Araz took the bench opposite me, stretching out his legs the best he could.
The carriage rocked gently and began to move forward. My stomach dipped. I grabbed the window ledge, then peered through the lattice as we arched through the night. The weave of bridges fell away as we ascended, and my lungs tightened.
“You’ll be fine,” Araz said. “Sit back and relax.”
I did as he suggested, breathing as slowly and deeply as I could until the tightness ebbed. “How long will it take to get there, do you think?”
“An hour, maybe a little more.”
My stomach quivered with nerves, that pre-exam feeling. I blew out a breath. “So how do you know Droona and Yudh?”
“I trained them decades ago. Young demigods, eager to make a name for themselves. Godseed to Asura Rajni, they were bound for glory, and they ascended easily. Not all ascended evolve to have wings, but Droona and Yudh were formidable with silver metallic wings that could slice and maim. Their wings were their edge in battle, and they won many a battle.”
“And now they’re guards?”
His mouth tightened. “Yes. Now they’re guards.”
There was obviously more to that story, but he didn’t elaborate.
O-kay. “Do all guards have to wear masks?”
He sighed, turning his head to look out of the window. “They’re not wearing masks, Leela. Those are their faces.”
What the fuck? I stared at him, dumbfounded. “They havestonefaces?”
“Yes. It’s a curse laid on them by their Asura sire. I’m not sure of the details, but I heard fragments. They had a half sister, another made god who ascended with them, also claimed as godseed by Asura Rajni. She was his favorite because of his love for her mother. Aela was not from a seed sown into the ether but sown in the natural way.”
“The natural…Oh…Okay, go on.”
“The trio were inseparable, both on and off the battlefield. Their bond was written in the stars, but she died in battle, and Droona and Yudh did not. They were grief-stricken, but Asura Rajni was enraged with sorrow. He blamed them for the loss of his beloved daughter and cursed them two-fold, stripping them of their wings and turning their faces to stone so that he never had to witness their false grief again.”
“What the heck? That’s…that’s insane.”
“The wrath of a god is destructive, and yes, it can be insane. Asura Rajni cast them out of the royal army and denounced them as godseed. They joined the guard, taking Breena andYelsa, their battle steeds, with them. This carriage is special because no other one is drawn by moona. The moona are raised for battle, not regular transport.”
Silence settled, and I couldn’t stop thinking about the brothers and their loss. The father that should have embraced them and shared their grief had punished them instead, shutting them out in the cold. My chest warmed with a mixture of empathy and anger.
“Some of these gods are real pricks.”
Araz fixed his golden gaze on me. “And you think that you can control them as queen?”
“I have to try to change things.”
“I can’t help but marvel at your optimism.”
“What’s wrong with being optimistic?”
He smiled, but it was tinged with pity. “I didn’t say it was wrong.”
“No, but your tone said it. And that smile…” The way he was looking at me now as if I was a naïve fool made my skin itch. “It’s not a stretch to believe that things can change.”
“No, it isn’t.”
Except he believed war was the tool of change, and I…WasI being naïve? No. Anything was better than bloodshed.
