Page 32 of Damned and Broken Gods
Chapter 11
An Expected Arrival
LEELA
It got colder quickly, and Araz tucked a thick, fleecy blanket around me to shield me from the chill. If he felt the cold, he didn’t show it.
Up close, the Shahee Kshetra wasn’t simply a landmass but a monolithic structure consisting of two vast golden rings suspended one above the other. Each ring housed a level of the domain—gleaming towers, golden domes, and spires that seemed to pulse with energy. The land mass that the structure rose from clung to the lower ring, descending into a point as if reaching for the earth. The upper ring housed a fortress of silver and gray surrounded by smaller towers. This wasn’t just a domain; it was a city on a city, shining like a star, and what I’d seen from the distance didn’t do it justice.
We approached at an angle, and I watched the glittering metropolis of silver spires and gleaming gold domes unfold. Thunderbird sentinels circled in the distance, their epic wings cutting through the air, leaving the echo of silvery trails in their wake. The air was heavier here, weighted with power. I spottedwalkways projecting outward from the lower ring, connecting to smaller landmasses housing more buildings. But no gold or silver bridges linked to this domain. The only way to reach it was via air, after all.
How many Asura and ascended lived here?
The carriage slowed, hovering in place, and a moment later, a shadow passed overhead. A gust of wind hit me in the face, and I fell back, heart pounding as a huge eye filled the window. The yellow iris was streaked with crimson and gold striations radiating out from the inky pupil. I saw myself reflected there for a moment, my face a mask of shock. The pupil dilated as if trying to drink me in, and my lungs expanded in my chest, my breath trapped painfully. The eye blinked and was gone, leaving a gust of icy wind in its wake.
Araz leaned forward to look out of the window, his brow pinched. “Pakshiraj…”
I pulled the blanket tighter around me, suppressing a shiver. “What’s happening?”
“Border checks,” Araz said. “Nothing to worry about. You’re expected.” He shook his head. “But Pakshiraj on sentinel duty? I thought he’d retired.”
The carriage began to move again. “Pakshiraj? Is that what the thunderbird who just eyeballed me is called?”
“Yes. The last of the old royal guard. One of the first five to be created by the deva. All others came after. He was magnificent on the battlefield, but he has never taken a rider.”
My stomach dropped as we swooped, and I grabbed the window ledge.
Araz leaned forward and cupped my knees. “You’re fine, Leela. Look.” He pointed to the view, to the electric streaks of color that cut across the night sky.
“What is that?”
“The web. The weave. The network of divine energy that keeps this domain protected. If we weren’t expected, then it would fry us. The sentinels are simply an extra layer of defense.”
“So there’s no way in unless invited?”
“None that I know of,” Araz said, his eyes narrowing in thought.
A cold spot bloomed in my chest. Was he wondering howhe’dinvade this place?
I opened my mouth to ask, but another dip stole my breath. We descended for what felt like ages. How vast was the sky? How high were we?
My perception of space was so skewed. I held on, closed my eyes, and only cracked open my lids when we stopped moving.
It was darker in the carriage without starlight, which meant we were in an inside space. I made to peer out of the latticed window, but the door on the other side of the carriage opened.
Droona peered in, his silver gaze sweeping over us. “The shahee carriage will take you from here.”
Araz climbed out first, grabbed both our bags, then reached in to help me.
I stepped out onto flagstone, into a high-ceilinged chamber lit by amber lanterns fixed high up on the stone walls. More carriages like ours were parked in a line across the room. On the opposite side of the chamber were large stalls housing black horses with golden manes and eyes like fire. Whispers of mist rose off their skin, melting into the air.
A stone arch sat behind us, inviting in the stars, and another lay ahead, opening out onto a silver city. The air hummed as if alive, as if trying to communicate.
“Leela?” Araz gently gripped my elbow. “We should wait.”
I looked past him to our carriage several yards behind us, then to the silver city waiting for me. Closer now.
I’d moved without realizing it.
