Page 24 of Damned and Broken Gods (Labyrinth of Gods #2)

Her Pain Is Mine

ARAZ

T here’s barely time to feed Leela, barely time for her to reconnect with the other demigods before Asura Ione interrupts, calling out the names of the demigods that need to report to Eben’s courtyard.

Of course, Leela is among them.

Of course, she’s in the first group of demigods to take the sea trials. Chandra will have seen to it, to get her to the throne faster.

Her anxiety is a buzz against my skin as we make our way into the complex and toward Eben’s domain.

The others are quiet too, as if sensing the gravity of this next step—Dharma and Priti, Joe, Bina, Vick, and Alia and Elata, another sibling pair.

A shroud of foreboding hangs over the group as they trudge along, buried deep in their own thoughts.

Good. They should be somber, should be preparing, because the sea trial has claimed more lives than any other.

The tales I’ve heard, the horrific stories of creatures from the deep…

Yes, Vick’s story is an awful one, but the beast who took his drohi and his companions from him was elemental.

They were dragged into the depths by the current and forced to sleep, not torn asunder and devoured, not stripped to the bone by the acid in the belly of a sea monster.

Yes, the sea trials are lethal, and I will not let any harm come to my Lee—to my demigod.

Dharma and Chaya lead the way into the courtyard that houses Eben, the stone recordkeeper.

The rest of us follow.

Seven demigods. Seven to take the sea trial, it seems.

Unless I’m wrong and this meeting is about something entirely different.

We gather on the path leading to the monolith of stone and the six smaller stones that circle it and wait.

Leela shifts from foot to foot as long minutes drag by. Blue sits still on her shoulder, his gaze watching the archway on the other side of the room, his nose twitching in anticipation. The other anchors are the same, silent and watchful, remaining close to their demigods.

“Are we sure we were meant to come here?” Alia whispers to her drohi.

“Yes, my blossom.” He grazes her cheek with his knuckles, sweeping a dark tendril of hair over her shoulder. Her eyelids flutter closed for a beat beneath his touch, and when she opens them and looks up at him, there is raw hunger there. The look of someone satisfied but craving more.

I tear my gaze away, my heart pounding hard because I remember that look on Leela’s face—the way her mouth parts, the rapid beat of her pulse, and the tightening inside me that begs me to satisfy. Her. Me. Us.

Her arm brushes my knuckles, and a stab of sweet pain lances through me.

Where the fuck is Umbra?

She enters the room like a prayer, her dark gaze sweeping over us. Guru Mihir is close behind, dressed in his training clothes, his expression stern.

“You have been chosen to take the sea trial,” Umbra says without preamble.

No one speaks, but the tension in the room spikes. “Some of you believe you know what the sea trials entail, but let me clarify—every sea trial is different.

“What you know to be true was only true for the demigods who experienced it. But your experience will be different. And no. I will not tell you what it will be. But know this: You will be tested at every turn, and not all of you will return.” She lets her gaze track over each of the demigods, but it lingers on Leela, and I feel my charge tense.

I don’t like that Umbra’s making her feel uncomfortable. “When do we leave?”

Umbra takes her time pulling her gaze from Leela and fixing it on me. “You will leave at rising sun. There is no need to pack; supplies will be provided at your destination.”

“And where are we going?” Joe asks.

I know the answer to this question, and it hits me that I should have shared what I know with Leela. Not just as her drohi but as her friend.

“The island of Shantivan,” Umbra says. “There is a settlement there, and a small convoy of ascended and their drohi. The journey will take a week, and you will remain there for three weeks, training before you take your trials.”

“Wait a second. What about us?” Blue asks. “What about the anchors?”

Umbra flinches a little, probably because she isn’t used to an anchor having its own voice, and I bite back a smile. She recovers her composure quickly enough. “The anchors remain here.”

“For four weeks?” Blue’s tone goes up a notch. “No way, chick. We are not being kept away from our demigods fa that long. You best sort somefin’ out.”

A ripple of energy unlike I’ve ever felt fills the room as demigods lock eyes with their anchors in silent communication.

“I don’t like this,” Dharma says. “Ida’s right. We need our anchors close.”

“Why can’t they come with us?” Joe asks, his gaze locked with his feline companion who’s draped herself across his shoulders.

Everyone begins to talk at once, to question and demand. But Leela is silent, her brow pinched in thought. I’m about to ask her what she’s thinking when Guru Mahir’s voice rises to demand silence.

The cacophony dies.

“Let me remind you of the purpose of your anchors,” Umbra says.

“You may treat them as companions, as…pets, but they are constructs woven into existence to keep you safe. If you die in the field, we will use them to draw your soul back to your body. They are anchors for a reason. They must be kept safe. Here. We cannot risk any harm coming to them. You only get one anchor.”

“The anchors remain here,” Guru Mahir confirms. “Are we clear?”

No one says a word. I look down at Leela to find her with her cheek pressed to Blue’s. He holds her with his tiny paws, his whiskers trembling. Their bond is her anchor, and without Blue, she’ll need me more than ever.

“You.” Umbra points at Vick. “You claimed you have drohi support for this trial, but I would like to hear from the drohi themselves. Name them.”

Vick looks over at Chaya and Mahira. Both gave him a nod. “Chaya and Mahira.”

“And?”

Vick blinks sharply. “What?”

“You will need three to ensure that no bound demigod is left wanting when it comes to drohi assistance.”

Vick looks at Leela, who in turn looks up at me, her eyes pleading. The last thing I want is to be babysitting a demigod that isn’t bound to me, but I did agree to it, for Leela.

I give Vick a nod, and relief breaks out on his face. “Araz,” he says.

Umbra’s lips thin. “No. I’m afraid that is not an option.”

Vick’s face colors in panic. “What?”

“Why not?” Leela demands.

“The royal blood’s drohi cannot be distracted,” Umbra says tightly, then to Vick, “If you do not have a third, then you may not take the trial.”

“I’ll help,” Keyton says, stepping forward. “If you’ll have me.”

Vick’s shoulders slump, and he nods quickly. “Yes. Yes, please.”

Umbra jerks her chin up at Guru Mahir, and he speaks. “You will gather at the gates to Prashikshan at rising sun, where you will be met by the Vayujaari.”

My heart slams into my ribs, pulse breaking into a thunderous gallop. “What are the Vayujaari doing here?”

Guru Mahir looks at me with eyes that give nothing away, but the tick in his jaw speaks volumes. “They will transport the demigods to the coast where your ship awaits to take you to Shantivan.”

“We’re not taking a vortex?” Chaya asks.

“The drohi will travel via thunderbird, as Pavan Savar. It has been decided by the Authority.”

Ice trickles through my veins.

“That’s all,” Umbra says. “Anchors, you will return to the nest tower immediately.”

“Wait a second,” Blue says. “You want ta lock us away fer four weeks?” He hops off Leela’s shoulder and comes to stand, hand on hips, glaring up at Umbra. “No way.”

“He’s right,” Leela says. “You might think of them as constructs, but they’re more than that. They have sentience, and they should have free will.”

Umbra stills for a beat, her gaze flicking to Guru Mahir.

He exhales through his nose. “This is new to us. Anchors are a new concept, and yes, they have developed in ways we did not anticipate.” He looks to Umbra.

“I’m sure they can be allowed to roam free during the day as usual, even if their demigods are absent.

” The corner of his mouth lifts. “Maybe a small work allocation for those who wish?”

Blue looks around at the other anchors, then lifts his chin. “We accept.”

Umbra’s shoulders drop a little. Why is she so tense?

“Good.” Guru Mahir smiles. “Say goodbye to your demigods and report to the nest tower. Umbra and I will allocate each of you a role here in Prashikshan until your demigods return. You will not be locked away. I give you my word.”

“Yeah…good.” Blue sniffs.

“To the rest of you, safe travels.” Guru Mahir and Umbra sweep from the room.

Silence follows their departure, and Leela is the first to break it. “Who are the Vayujaari?”

Chaya speaks before I can. “They’re wild elemental beings in service of the Asura and a most formidable force in battle. They’re able to carry a person in their elemental force.”

“I don’t get it,” Leela said. “Why not just use vortexes? Those are elemental too, and we wouldn’t be taking warriors out of the field for it. Seems a little redundant to use these Vayujaari as transport.”

But it isn’t about transport. Not really. I catch Chaya’s eye and see my conclusions echoed there.

“What is it, Araz?” Leela asks. “What are you thinking?”

“The Vayujaari do not carry just anyone. They will only carry those who they resonate with.”

“Wait, what does that mean?”

“Every being has a resonance, some stronger than others. It’s a frequency they emit.

It’s why you are drawn to some people and repelled by others.

The Vayujaari are highly resonant beings.

The Authority may have instructed them to transport you to the coast, but if they find your resonance repellent, then they will drop you. ”

The room breaks out in exclamations and a cacophony of sound.

“Calm down!” Keyton says. “It’s all right. The drohi will be on thunderbirds, I’m assuming to allow us to catch you if you fall.”

“And if you miss?” Joe asks.

“We won’t,” Mahira says.

“Why can’t they just test our resonance or whatever before they take us into the air?” Alia asks her drohi.

He looks lost for an answer. He’s one of the younger drohi.

He probably hasn’t seen the battlefield yet, so I answer for him.

“It takes time to test the compatibility of resonance, and the Vayujaari always do so in the air. There are not many who are compatible. Only a handful can fly within the arms of Vayujaari.”

“Then why make us travel like that?” Leela asks.

There it is. The burning question that gets to the heart of it all. I have an answer. But it isn’t one she’ll like.

Chaya gives me a nod, approval to reveal what she has already surmised. “I think that the sea trial is coming, yes, but right now you’re all about to be initiated into the air trial.”

“What do you mean ‘initiated’?”

“If the Vayujaari doesn’t drop you, then the Authority will know you’re one of the chosen few who can work alongside this elite force. You’ll be exempt from the air trial. But if you’re dropped, then you will complete the air trial later.”

“And what does the full air trial involve?”

“You’ll have to try to bond with a thunderbird and learn to ride it.

The creatures are extremely picky about who they bond with.

No one knows what the criteria are. If you’re rejected by a thunderbird, it doesn’t class as a fail.

You’re graded on effort. It will mean you’ll be taught vortex summoning. The ankh will grade you.”

Silence fell once more as everyone absorbed this.

“You best make sure you catch me if I fall,” Bina says to her drohi.

He grins down at her. “Do you doubt me?”

She grins back up at him. “Never.”

“What about me?” Vick asks, his voice small. “I…I don’t have a designated drohi. And you can’t exactly keep an eye on your own demigod and me.” His eyes are wide, his chest heaving. “I could die.”

“You’re right,” Dharma says. “It’s too risky. You need to bow out. You can do the trial another time. Sylvie, Evie, and Remi still need to do the sea trial. We’ll talk to their drohi and?—”

“He can’t back out,” Chaya says. “He has been chosen for the trial, and there is no way out of it, only through.”

Vick wrings his hands. “I should have seen the warning in her eyes when I asked to be included. Umbra asked me if I was sure three times. She didn’t want me to take the trial, not because she doesn’t like me, but because she knew…she knew about the risk.”

The pity in Umbra’s eyes when he named three drohi makes sense now. She’d hoped he would not be spoken for.

Vick begins to cry softly, and Leela crosses to him and puts her arm around his shoulder.

“It’s okay,” she says. “We’ll figure it out.

If you can stay close to me in the air…if Dharma and Joe…

” She looks over at her friends. “If we all stay together, then there are three pairs of eyes on you, on all of us. We all look out for each other.”

Her heart is too big. Her empathy too deep.

Her words soothe Vick, but when she looks across at me, I see the truth reflected in her beautiful eyes.

She knows that a drohi will always prioritize his bonded demigod, and if Vick does fall, then there is no way any of us are abandoning our posts to catch him.