Page 88 of Damned and Broken Gods
Itrack the sun, the passage of time evident in the lengthening of shadows. She’ll be in the tunnel by now. Facing threats. Alone.
My insides tremble.
“Come sit. Drink.” Bhartina indicates the rock beside her and holds out a flask.
“What is it?”
“Flamebrew.” She grins. “You ever had it, young one?”
Young one? The term brings back memories of the time before. Of freedom and maternal love. Of hope and dreams. I cross the pebbled beach and take the spot beside her.
She hands me the flask, and I bring it to my lips and take a swig. The liquid is cold, but the kick is fire down my throat. An oral awakening.
“Good?” she asks.
I nod. “Good.” I pass her the flask. She takes a swig, then hands it back to me.
“They want her dead, don’t they?” she says.
I don’t have to ask for clarification on who she’s referring to. “Yes.”
“Which means they don’t believe they can control her.”
“From what she told me, the throne reacted strongly to her. She heard its voice.”
Bhartina’s brows rise. “And she still doubts who she is?”
“Is it that obvious?”
“Maybe not to others, but my gift allows me to see auras, and hers is riddled with doubt, no matter how well she hides it physically.”
“I should have gone with her…at least as far as the mountain.”
“You know this journey must be taken alone. Those are the rules. Andtheymake the rules.” She sips and smiles slightly.
Bhartina is djinn, not drohi. Not raised by the Asura. Not brainwashed by them, and I ache to push further, to find out what she truly thinks of the regime. But to do so will reveal my mental freedom. It will show her that I’m not fully under the Asura influence, and if I’m wrong about her, then I’ll put my freedom in jeopardy.
I stand and pace, my gaze flicking to the forest again and again.
“Did you tell her to retreat if things get too dangerous?” Bhartina asks.
I nod.
“Do you think she will?”
Fuck. “I don’t know. Leela can be…stubborn.”
I focus on the hum in my chest. Steady and resolute. It’s evidence that she’s safe. Alive. It’s the only thing that’s keeping me rooted to this beach. “Do you know what the trial entails?”
“No,” she says. “But there are rumors of a guardian who lives in the mountain.”
“It is dangerous?”
She shrugs. “I have no idea.”
My stomach tightens, and the hum in my chest wavers. I still and close my eyes, reaching into the heart of me to connect to her resonance. It flickers. Wavers.
My eyes snap open. “She’s in trouble.”
