Page 77 of Damned and Broken Gods
It wasn’t natural, but it was…beautiful.
“Leela!” Araz grabbed my wrist, and I blinked up at him, then down at my hand, outstretched as if to touch the flame. “Do you want to lose your hand?” Araz held my wrist so tightly that the hard metal of his ring pressed into my skin. The cool band heated, and I sucked in a breath, pulling away from his grasp.
He shook out his hand, his brows pinching. “What were you thinking?”
“I…I don’t know…” I moved closer to him. “I didn’t mean to.”
But his attention was on the flames now, blue shadows dancing in his eyes. “They say Iblees placed this flame here, eons ago. That it was his gift to the people of Shantivan for…something…I don’t know what. But this flame has supposedly burned for centuries. No need to feed it fuel.”
“And you say you don’t believe in Iblees?”
“I don’t believe he was God, or the first. Maybe a powerful djinn. A prophet to the people in time of need. One that history rewroteintoa god. If he was God, if he was divine, then he would have saved my people…His people.” Araz broke away from me and circled the flame, his gaze intense. “He would have beenreborn, just as he promised he would.” His eyes narrowed, his gaze flicking to the spiral then back to the flame. “There’s no denying there’s power here. That this flame is indeed something extraordinary, but there are many extraordinary artifacts in this world.” He backed away, absently playing with the ring on his finger. “Come, let’s look around a little before we head back.”
We spent the next few minutes studying the etchings on the wall. I counted eleven battle scenes before I came to an etching of two flames, leaning toward each other. And beneath it was an inscription that I couldn’t read.
“Araz, what does that say?” I pointed to the words.
He leaned in to read it. “Now that I have found you it ends, and it begins. For eternity.”
Shadows danced across the wall, and I looked back at the spiral and the flame, but it was burning steadily. Not a flicker.
“O-kay…what does it mean?”
“I have no idea.” Araz sighed. “But we should get back. You need to get a good night’s sleep before your introduction to the Shattiraksha tomorrow.”
“Good point.”
He led me from the temple, his hand steady at the small of my back, but as I passed the spiral and the flame, I knew that I’d be back. This place…it held a steady resonance that felt almost like home…
Chapter 27
Don’t Touch Me There…
LEELA
Out of all the rooms that Araz and I had stayed in, this second-floor room had to be my favorite. Not because of the balcony or the gauzy curtains on the floor-to-ceiling glass doors. Not because the bed was huge, built to hold a drohi and his demigod, and not even because of the huge tub, which Ramashi explained was standard in all the rooms for soaking aching muscles. No, I loved it because of the view.
The barracks was on a rise, and our room faced away from the village and out to sea. Jvalantar Isle was visible in the distance, a rocky place, home to a sleeping volcano.
I loved standing here in the morning with my tea and looking out across the vast expanse of ocean as the sun crested the horizon. It brought peace to my soul in a way no other view ever had.
Nighttime was just as magical when the sky was clear. The stars blazed, raking silvery fingers along the rippling waves and making patterns that my heart ached to decipher.
I’d washed and dried my hair and was ready for bed, dressed in the loose pants and undershirt provided by Bhartina. She was the first djinn we’d met when coming onto the island, and at first, I had to admit, I was taken aback. She wasn’t as tall or muscular as a drohi—because I suppose those traits came from the combination of djinn and Danavan genes—but her presence had such force it took my breath away. She exuded an energy that made me want to do better, be better. It was undeniably motivational.
Araz joined me on the balcony. “Aren’t you sleepy?”
“Not yet.”
“What’s on your mind, Leela?”
“Random thoughts. Nothing important.”
“Come lie down and close your eyes. You’ve had a long day and tomorrow will be longer.”
“You think they’ll make us ride the Shattiraksha tomorrow?”
“I believe tomorrow is merely an introduction. They will get to know your resonance and your aura, and you will get to know theirs. Other than that, I’m not sure. Anything is possible.”
