Page 41 of Damned and Broken Gods
I glanced across at Araz—silent, watchful. Present. He dipped his head slightly, giving me his approval.
“Okay, who do I have to charm next?”
Faces and names blurred.My cheeks ached from smiling. But Chandra was relentless, circulating me like a prize. Araz remained close, his shadow a comfort, a reminder that soon we could retreat to our room. Soon I could snuggle up to him and shut out the world for a while.
I spoke to both Thakur Gillian and Dhaani. The former was cool to begin with but warmed to me when I spoke about my time working as a teaching assistant. The dossier had revealed that Gillian had been a teacher in her former life, and we talked about my many jobs and my desire to learn and be taught.
Her eyes lit up at that.
Here I was, a lump of clay waiting for my next mold.
Yeah, I felt like I played it perfectly.
Dhaani was indifferent. It was hard to find common ground with the noble. This was his world, and I was an outsider, something which would only be overcome with time, and so I leaned into that. My desire to be useful, to be a part of this world.
I was beginning to flag when Araz stepped forward. “Guru Chandra, maybe a short break is in order?”
Chandra blinked down at me, his brows pinching. “Oh, Leela. Of course, you must be mentally exhausted. We should?—”
A ripple of excitement passed over the crowd, and a hush fell as everyone stilled, their attention going to the entrance of the ballroom.
Three figures stood on the threshold, dressed in black and gold. Two men and a woman, exuding power.
The trio stepped inside, and as if a spell had been broken, the Asura went back to their conversations.
“They came,” Chandra said, his voice low. “This is good.”
“Who are they?” Araz asked.
“Members of the Authority. I invited them all, but none replied to say they would come. This is good, Leela. You’ve spoken to many nobles tonight, and now they will speak to the Authority on your behalf. Three votes in your favor from these Asura could be enough if we can garner one more.”
“Wait, what about your vote?”
“Not permitted in this case.” He drew me across the room toward an alcove, to a padded bench seat beneath one of the windows. “Sit a while, I’ll send over some refreshments while I speak to the Authority. You’ve done well, Leela. Now all you need to do is relax.”
I sat, then patted the spot beside me. “Take a load off and tell me what you think.”
Araz joined me, his attention torn between me and the room. “I think you did well. You played to their egos, to theirweaknesses. You became the person that you felt they most needed you to be. It’s all you can do.”
“I just want this to be over now.” I closed my eyes and exhaled. “I’m so tired.”
“It will be,” he said softly. “Soon.”
I opened my eyes to find him watching me, his gaze intense as it tracked over my face as if committing it to memory. As if saying goodbye. A fist wrapped around my heart and squeezed. Did he think I was referring to us…to our bond being over?
I opened my mouth to explain, to correct his assumption, when a shocked cry cut through the hum of conversation.
“Forgive me!” a woman cried.
“You’ve ruined it!” another woman yelled.
There was a crack, like flesh hitting flesh, followed by a cry of pain.
I shot to my feet, diving into the crowd and toward the commotion.
“Leela, stop,” Araz called. “Wait.”
I faltered, but another cry of pain cut through the hush, driving me forward once more.
