Page 58 of Damned and Broken Gods
He exhaled through his nose. “They work for them, but they are honor bound beings. So…no, they would not deliberately drop you. So I give you this vow. If I feel the threshold of danger has passed for you, then I will save Vick.”
“But the threshold of danger might have passed for him too by then.”
“Take it or leave it, Leela.”
Urgh. “Fine. I’ll take it.”
At rising sun,the seven of us and our drohis gathered beyond the arch, on the bridge.
“What now?” Joe asked.
“We wait,” Mahira replied.
We didn’t have to wait long before the beat of wings filled the silence, and a thunderbird rose from the other side of the bridge. Ivory and gold feathers gleaming in the sun, it landed several yards ahead of us on the bridge. A man I’d never seen before climbed off its back and walked toward us, a slight limp in his stride. His mouth was a thin line in the cage of a neatly clipped golden beard, his sandy hair pulled up in a knot atop his head. He looked pissed off, as if being here was some kind of punishment. Was he an Asura? His gaze swept over us, and as soon as it landed on Araz, his severe expression cracked into a grin.
“Araz, old friend.”
“Garrit.” Araz stepped forward, and they clasped forearms, matching his grin and showing me what sunshine truly felt like. Be still, my heart.
“I’d heard you’d been bonded.” He glanced down at me, then back up at Araz as if for confirmation.
“This is Leela,” Araz said, breaking the arm shake. “My demigod.”
There was a possessiveness in his tone that sent a tingle down my spine.
He frowned. “Leela…that name…” His frown melted. “You’re royal blood?”
“She is,” Araz said.
They exchanged a pointed look that I couldn’t decipher before Garrit stepped back to address everyone.
“The Vayujaari will be arriving shortly. But first, drohi, your thunderbirds will be here any moment.”
“Is he Asura?”
“No. He is drohi. The thunderbird stable keeper. We trained together for a decade before he was injured.”
The limp. I wanted to ask how he got it, but the beat of wings drowned out my thoughts as several thunderbirds rose up on either side of the bridge. They climbed the sky and began to circle. Six thunderbirds for six drohi.
“I thought you said thunderbirds were picky about their riders, so how come all of the drohi here have one?”
The corner of Araz’s mouth lifted. “Any drohi can ride a thunderbird, but not any Asura or demigod can. And yes, they are picky about who they bond to. They might allow all drohi to ride them, but they do not always bond with us.”
“Is Ilara bonded to you?”
He smiled softly, looking up at the sky. “Yes. Yes, she is.” A sleek white bird with gold wings and silver head feathers broke away from the circle above and swooped down toward the bridge, vanishing out of sight. “There she is. I’ll be there to catch you, Leela. Do not fear.” Araz broke into a jog toward the edge of the bridge and leapt.
My heart shot into my throat. “Araz!”
He rose a moment later, firmly ensconced on Ilara’s back. Our gazes locked for a beat, his steady and filled with assurance. Mine? I have no fucking idea what I looked like in the moment, blood thundering in my head. But relief made me weak. Ilara turned, taking him from me and up into the circle of thunderbirds above.
One by one, they swooped, and one by one, the drohi mounted, some leaping over the edge of the bridge like Araz had only to rise a moment later, and others waiting for the bird to land before climbing on. Soon all the drohi were in the air. Circling. Waiting.
Knots formed in my belly, and the familiar hum of anxiety bloomed in my chest.
“We can do this,” Dharma said, stepping closer.
There was a quiet determination in every demigod’s face, all except Vick. My heart sank because what the fuck were we going to do about him? My attention flicked back to Garrit, who had his head tipped up to the sky, then to his thunderbird who sat, eyes closed. An idea formed in my mind.
