Page 27 of Damned and Broken Gods (Labyrinth of Gods #2)

No One Gave Me A Parachute

LEELA

M y scream was pushed back down my throat by the rushing wind as I hurtled toward the clouds below. My heart jumped into my throat, belly curling into my ribs, eyes streaming, teeth rattling, and the needle-sharp awareness that I was going to die piercing every inch of me.

No one was close enough to save me. There would be no last-minute reprieve.

Nani’s face filled my mind, her dark eyes lit with laughter, followed by Pashim’s gentle smile.

Oh god, Blue…

Don’t die…

I’m sorry, Blue.

I’d failed them.

I’d fucking failed them all.

Araz…I wouldn’t get to say goodbye to Araz. But he’d be free now…

I closed my eyes and abandoned myself to my fate.

Would it hurt?

Would it be quick?

“Leela!”

I heard my name, but my eyelids were frozen shut by my crystalized tears, and my heart…Oh, my heart was too full. Too much.

Sorry. I’m so sorry.

A voice cut through the wind. “Leela!”

The sob trapped in my throat swelled as the momentum of my fall increased.

“NO!” Araz’s bellow shook the air, and then a screech shattered my eardrums, a gust of air slammed into me, rocking my body mid fall, and the next moment I hit something that was both hard and soft at the same time.

I couldn’t see, but the heat and the softness of feathers beneath my fingers told me I was on a thunderbird.

A voice bloomed in my mind, warm and comforting. Hold on, child. I’ve caught you, but I cannot keep you upright.

Had I just landed on a talking thunderbird?

I grabbed hold of feathers, pressing myself to its body and burying my face in its heat until the ice on my skin melted and I could open my eyes.

“Leela,” Araz called from somewhere to my left. “Stay down, don’t sit up. Don’t let go.”

Ignore the fool, the voice in my head said. You’re in a good position, simply bring your knees up to straddle and grip with your thighs, then slowly lift your upper body but keep it angled forward. And hold on.

I figured since I was on the bird, then it probably knew what it was talking about, and I really wanted to look at where we were. So I followed his instructions to the letter, finally opening my eyes to get a glimpse of the world.

“Leela!” Araz rode to my far left, his face pale, eyes wild and bright, Vick clinging to his back like a limpet.

“I’m okay!” I smiled to prove it.

He shook his head, his chest heaving. “You…you lucky fool.” He looked across at the thunderbird beneath me, and I tracked his gaze to the gold and crimson feathers on the crest of his head and the tips of his wings.

He was massive, an expanse of feathers and wings, much larger than Ilara. He’d saved my life. “Thank you!” I called out.

You don’t need to speak aloud to communicate with me, child. Simply think your words into thoughts.

Wait…what? Think my thoughts?

What is your name? the bird asked.

I opened my mouth to speak, then snapped it closed and thought what I wanted to say. My name is Leela, but what ? —

Leela, I feel your resonance, and I honor it. I claim you as wingbound.

My pulse kicked up in my throat. What does that mean? What’s happening right now?

A low rumbling chuckle filled my head . Leela, child, we have just bonded. You my rider, I your aerial kin. My name is Pakshiraj, and I have waited a very long time for your call.

I wasn’t a thunderbird rider. I couldn’t steer my ride or make it go faster or dive, or whatever, but being bound to Pakshiraj meant I didn’t have to work as hard.

He knew what to do. All I needed to do was stay aboard.

Easier said than done, because I was beginning to realize that riding a thunderbird took some serious inner thigh strength.

I worked out, sure, but this was an area I’d need to work on. I’d have to add an extra leg day to my future training program.

I started to get cramps in my thighs after ten minutes and couldn’t help but envy Vick riding behind Araz, holding on to him, head nestled between my drohi’s epic shoulder blades. Urgh, that could have been me.

But then your friend would be dead.

I balked, almost losing my thigh grip. Are you reading my mind?

He chuckled again. You were thinking loudly, child. If you wish to shield your thoughts from me when we fly, you must do so with intention.

I have no idea what that means.

Then I will teach you during your aerial training.

But I was already bonded…Did that mean I’d passed?

Technically no, he replied, reading my thoughts once again. Every demigod must take the dive with their thunderbird, but you have succeeded in calling to you the most powerful of the thunderbird race, so in that manner you win.

I bit back a smile. Arrogant much?

It is not arrogance when it is a fact.

Good point. So…why me?

You resonate, child. At a frequency that calls to my ancient heart, that urges me to protect you.

To serve you. It is a primal instinct in my kind, and that is all I know.

From this day forth, I will come when you summon me.

And when we are together, in the skies, you will never need to use your voice to speak with me.

So you can’t just drop into my head whenever you like?

No, I cannot.

So how do I summon you?

You will be given a sigil once you return to Prashikshan. All you need do is trace it in the air and speak my name. I will come. Now focus. Do not lose your grip. We have a way to travel yet.

Silence fell for a while, just the whistle of the wind and its icy kiss. I leaned lower to bask in the heat radiating off Pakshiraj. My mind whirred. I’d almost died. Zarael had dropped me.

Forgive me.

Why had she said that?

I guess I’d never know, not unless I met her again and had the chance to ask, and now…

Now I was riding a thunderbird to the coast. I guess this had been the plan all along.

To have us travel with our drohi on thunderbirds.

The Vayujaari had been a test. A dangerous one if the drohi failed to catch us.

Wait…had all of us survived the fall? The sky behind me was clear, the others either too far behind, above us, or below or…

Or dead? Dharma, Joe, and Vick were alive, but the others? My stomach contracted in fear.

Your friends are safe , Pakshiraj said.

How do you know?

The others have informed me as such. You need not worry. The journey will be uneventful now. There are certain regions where air travel poses risks, where the primordial evil’s devouring force’s influence is overwhelming, but this route is known to be safe.

I’d seen revenants, pishachas, and the spider-like mutations on the ground, all connected to the devouring force, but we hadn’t been given any details about the flying minions. What are the devouring force’s aerial minions like?

Ah, now that is a question. There are many types, from small vicious beings who attack in swarms to larger minions with rough, scaly skin who breathe fire.

Wait…are you talking about dragons?

I do not know that word. The creatures I refer to are called nagrata.

I suppressed a shudder, scanning the skies around us.

A low chuckle filled my head. Do not fear; the skies here are safe.

How come? Why don’t they come here?

Oh, you are an inquisitive one. It will serve you well. Let us think on it…Maybe there is nothing here of value for them to reap, or maybe they have been beaten back too often to risk their numbers. These skies are ours, and we will protect them with wing and claw.

I settled into a focus that maintained my grip, which kept me upright and vigilant on Pakshiraj’s back, aware of Araz flying to my far left. The ground below was hidden by mist, but I caught glimpses of greenery—the tops of trees and the shimmer of winding rivers.

At some point, Chaya and Dharma joined us, coming up on our right. I caught her eye, and she fist-pumped the air. A little while later, the beat of distant wings grew louder as the others caught up until we were flying in an arrow formation.

I looked back and spotted Joe, Priti, and Bina. Elata and Alia made up the rear, but it was impossible to know which was which because they were too far away.

Everyone was safe, and that was a huge achievement; still I didn’t relax, not until the tang of the sea hit my nostrils and we began a slow descent.

We passed through the mist, and the air pricked my skin, salty and wild.

The ocean came into view. A primal force, vast and unbound, it clawed at white sand and crashed against rocky cliffs as if demanding its existence be acknowledged.

A small island mass sat off the coast, green and rocky and…

wait, was that the sail of a ship? Yes, yes, there was the structure of a huge ship anchored to the land mass.

Ah, Vairanya awaits, Pakshiraj said, his voice low and reverent.

Vairanya?

The being you see is a Kaalmukha. A great, ancient turtle, born of Shantivan, the isle you are going to, and mother of the Shattiraksha, the protectors of the ocean.

The ship was a turtle . A living being?

She has slept for centuries, sailing in her sleep to ferry worthy souls to the heart of her becoming. It won’t be long before she fuses with the island, never to sail again.

You’re saying she’s going to die?

Yes, child. One day soon, she will sail no more.

I wasn’t sure why my eyes heated at that thought or why my chest grew tight. There was no time to dwell on it before we dove and glided across the sea, toward the land mass that was both a ship and a living entity.

Get ready to jump.

What?

I’ll sweep as low as I can, then you jump.

For a moment I thought he was joking.

“Leela, get ready to jump!” Araz yelled, his voice catching on the wind.

The ocean rushed by, sea spray kissing my skin. The ship loomed closer. Shit, shit, shit.

I braced, lifted my ass up, and positioned myself to slide off Pakshiraj as we got to the edge of the land mass.

Now!

I leapt. Falling, heart in my mouth, brain scrambling to recall the landing protocol from a parachute jump. Bend knees and hips a little, align body and?—

I hit the ground boots first and threw myself into a roll to soften the impact, coming up to face a pair of powerful thighs dressed in black pants.

I looked up at the figure. Male. Tall. He had the sun behind him, so his face was in shadow.

“You landed well.” He held out his hand to me.

I took it, allowing him to help me up, and as I stood, his face came into focus. My heart stalled for a moment, because although his hair was green and his build stockier, his face…

Oh gods, he had Pashim’s face.