Page 15 of Damned and Broken Gods (Labyrinth of Gods #2)

An Expected Arrival

LEELA

I t 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 spotted walkways 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 how he’d invade 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.

The clatter of hooves and the rumble of wheels echoed around us.

I stepped back instinctively, leaning into Araz as a gold carriage drawn by ivory horses rolled into the stable.

It drove past us, then turned, doubling back on itself to face the silver city before coming to a smooth halt.

The horses pawed at the ground, as if impatient to be on the move again, their silver manes gleaming in the lamplight as if threaded with starlight.

The driver remained seated, his gaze fixed ahead, his posture stiff in his royal blue uniform.

The carriage door popped open, and a woman stuck her head out. “Leela? Araz? I’m Erabi, your escort and your companion during your stay in Shahee Kshetra. Please, join me.”

Araz helped me up, his hands warm on my waist, his grip firm.

I liked it when he touched me. A little too much.

Focus, Leela. Oh, the inside of this carriage was huge, so large in fact that it made Erabi look tiny…

No, wait, she was tiny. Maybe barely five feet tall and extra petite.

She sat with her hands clasped in her lap, feet barely touching the ground, body wrapped in a shimmery green shawl.

Araz settled beside me this time, his thigh brushing mine, solid and present.

I curled my fingers into my palm to avoid the temptation to touch him.

The carriage jolted into motion as soon as the door closed.

Moonlight replaced lamplight, spilling into the carriage to paint my skin in silvery hues.

I leaned toward the window, peering out at towering buildings connected by bridges and riddled with epic arched windows.

If I craned my neck, I could see flying figures moving between them. Asura going about their day.

The streets were polished rose marble, and the air smelled fresh with a hint of floral, woody undertones.

I’d expected the hustle and bustle of a metropolis, but there was only the song of the wind punctuated by the beat of wings, and if I strained hard enough, the echo of a melody that resonated deep in my bones.

Another carriage passed ours, not as large or opulent, the horses dappled gray with onyx manes.

We passed golden arches bracketing silver paths that led away from the main road, then slowed our pace as we wound through a market filled with colors so vibrant they made my eyes ache.

Strings of lanterns hung in the air, suspended between posts that dotted the marketplace.

Asura milled around, tall, broad, statuesque. Powerful.

It was impossible to take it all in, and I sat back, pulse racing, blood surging up to press against my skin as I forced myself to breathe, to calm the thrum of awareness that seemed to be taking over my body.

This place was too much for my mortal senses to consume, and I was afraid that if I looked too hard, it would consume me instead.

I pressed myself into my seat, blinking against the black dots swimming in my vision.

Erabi beamed at me. “It’s wonderous, isn’t it?”

I managed a nod.

“Are you excited to be here?”

I cleared my throat. “More nervous than anything else.”

“Of course you would be,” she said, her eyes wide and earnest. “It’s such a shocking discovery, but wonderful too.

The whole domain is talking about it. A royal in our midst. Your presence could change everything.

” Her gaze intensified, as if she was searching for something in my expression, but the moment passed, and she continued.

“Guru Chandra has instructed that you be housed in the royal guest house for now. We can move you once the Sabha is over.”

“Move me?”

“Into the palace, of course.” She shook her head as if she couldn’t believe I’d had to ask for clarification. “I’ve been assigned to you for now as a royal companion, but you’ll be free to choose your own companions once you’re ascended and crowned.”

“And if I’m not crowned?”

She stared at me blankly. “I don’t understand.”

“What if I’m not allowed to ascend just yet?”

She blinked rapidly, tipping her head to one side. “But you’re royal.”

“And I’m sure Leela will enjoy having you as a companion,” Araz said smoothly.

Erabi beamed across at him. “Wonderful. Oh, look! Your first glimpse of the palace.”

The palace looked silver, but that could have been the moonlight reflecting off it. Hard to get details from this distance, only a sense of its magnificent presence. And it was meant to be mine? It didn’t seem possible.

Mist crawled across the sky, swallowing the epic sight.

“We’re approaching the Prakaash Maarg,” Erabi said. “It will carry us to the upper echelon.”

I looked to Araz for an explanation, but he shook his head.

It was Erabi that explained. “It means light passage,” she said. “Like a vortex, except it’s fueled by light.”

The inside of the carriage bloomed with white light, and my stomach dropped.

“Relax,” she said. “We’re ascending, and the air will feel a little thinner in the beam.”

I wanted to look out of the window, to watch us ascend, but my limbs felt weak and wobbly, so I closed my eyes and waited it out.

Callused fingers grasped my hand.

Araz…

I turned my hand palm upward, lacing my fingers with his. The tremble in my limbs ebbed as he grounded me.

“Almost there,” Erabi said brightly. “And…here we are.”