Page 13

Chapter 12

BLOOD, STONE, AND GLISTENING PECTORALS

O ur next stop was a green, leafy garden hidden in the depths of the complex. The air smelled of nature, of earth and life, and sunshine bathed it in hues of gold, lending it a magical air.

A twelve-foot-high, six-foot-wide stone sat in the center of the courtyard surrounded by smaller ones in sizes ranging from two feet to five. These were covered in moss, but the big boy stone was smooth and clear of any flora.

There was no sign of anybody, though. Maybe this Eben person was meeting us here?

Umbra passed between the smaller stones to reach the large one and pressed her palm to its surface. “Eben, awaken. We have guests.”

What the?—

A rumbling vibration shook the earth and air, then the surface of the stone rippled and shifted until a face formed. Irises etched in stone moved side to side to take us in before settling on Umbra. The stone face smiled and spoke in a gravelly voice, filling the stunned silence with words that I didn’t understand.

“They are from the mortal realms,” Umbra said.

“Ah…I see,” Eben replied. “I will speak in all tongue then.”

Speak…the stone was speaking. It had a fucking face, and why was I surprised? This was a magical world with magical beings, after all. Still, my pulse continued to race with the awe of it all.

“Thank you.” Umbra smiled up at Eben. “We’ve come to enroll.”

“Of course. More potentials mean more gods. And the next wave of pareekshan are mere weeks away.”

“Indeed, there is much to be done.”

“Then let us not waste time.”

Umbra turned to us. “Eben is the score master. He, along with the ankh, keeps a record of your performance.”

“What are ankh?” Someone blurted out the question.

Umbra frowned, clearly irritated by the interruption, and it was Eben who answered.

“Ankh are the invisible eyes and ears of Aakaash Sansaar. They report to me and also to the Shakti. You will not see them, and you will not feel their presence, but rest assured, they will be watching you train. ”

Creepy much?

The look on the other potentials’ faces echoed my feelings.

Umbra cleared her throat. “Eben, would you show the potentials the board?” She threw a reassuring smile at our group, probably hoping to dispel our disquiet following Eben’s explanation.

“With pleasure.” Eben said.

His face smoothed away, and fresh etchings appeared across his surface—horizontal lines, equally spaced, rising like a ladder. A thick divide bisected the ladder halfway up, and below it were dots. Wait, not dots, faces . Lots of tiny faces all at different heights.

“These are the demigods,” Umbra said. “The divide is what must be surpassed to qualify for the labyrinth. As you can see, there are several who are close to meeting that goal. They will take the labyrinth at the same time as you begin your first pareekshan. It is an ever-turning cycle, and in a moment, you will become a part of it.”

The board melted away, and Eben’s face re-emerged. “Please step forward and provide your offering.”

Umbra drew a blade from the holster at her waist. It was a small, curved, shiny thing, which I was sure had a wicked edge. “A small cut and a little blood is all that is needed. Who would like to go first?”

Dharma stepped forward. “I’ll go.” She held her hand out .

Umbra pricked the offered index finger. “Press it to one of the smaller stones.”

Dharma chose the smallest stone, and a hush of anticipation fell as she pressed her cut finger to it. A low hum filled the air, and it felt as if the room held its breath.

Long seconds passed, and I was beginning to wonder if the hum was all we were going to get. Dharma must have been wondering the same because she looked to Umbra, brow arched in enquiry. Her answer was a sudden blast of air. It blew her hair up and off her face, and a beat later, the moss on the stone began to glow.

Power buzzed over my skin, leaving me breathless, and a quick glance at everyone else told me they were feeling it too.

“You have been enrolled,” Eben said. The glowing moss dimmed. “Next.”

Priti followed her sister, pressing her bloody thumb to the same stone as Dharma had. Once again, the air hummed, her hair whipped back on a breeze summoned only for her, and the moss glowed brightly.

“You have been enrolled,” Eben announced.

Umbra looked to me and inclined her head in invitation.

I barely felt the bite of Umbra’s blade because my stomach was in knots, and I didn’t understand why. The process looked easy enough.

I was being ridiculous .

I approached the stone next to the one the sisters had used and pressed my thumb to its surface. I was expecting it to feel cold, but it was warm. Alive. A shudder passed through me, along with the urge to pull away, but a phantom hand gripped my wrist and held me in place. Panic bust inside my chest as I tried to pull free. This was wrong. This felt off.

The ground rumbled.

A gust of air hit me in the face, stinging me with power, and every stone in the circle burst into a glow that burned so brightly it hurt my eyes.

Eben bellowed something in the language I didn’t understand, and Umbra grabbed me and pulled me away from the circle. The phantom hand released me, and a whisper skated across my mind, speaking foreign words.

The cavernous room fell into gloom, and dots danced in my vision.

“Leela?” Umbra hugged me tightly to her chest. “Leela, can you hear me?”

I could feel her heart beating wildly against my back, could still feel the impression of the phantom hand around my wrist. “What was that? What just happened?”

“Eben?” Umbra’s voice trembled.

“You have been enrolled,” Eben said smoothly, his stone gaze impossible to read. “Next.”

Umbra released me. “Who’s next? ”

“What? Wait a second. You didn’t answer my question. What the heck just happened?”

“A power surge and nothing more. It happens sometimes.” She smiled, but it looked odd, like it didn’t belong on her face. “Now please step aside so we can continue with enrollment.” She ushered me away. “Who’s next?”

I joined Dharma on the other side of the stones, and she gave me a what the fuck? look, shaking her head slightly, which I took to mean we’d discuss this later.

My thumb tingled, and I held it up to examine the cut. But it was gone.

I’d healed.

After enrollment, Umbra whisked us straight out to the main corridor that bordered the arena, then through a set of glass doors to an overhang area with empty benches.

“Sit and watch the training. I’ll be back soon,” she instructed.

Dharma turned to me as soon as the tantrik was gone. “That was weird.”

“The light show?” Priti asked, joining us.

“Yeah,” Dharma said. “But it was more Umbra’s face when it happened. She looked scared. ”

“She said it happens,” Priti said, “but you’re right; she looked shifty.”

I showed them my thumb. “It healed right away.”

Dharma checked hers. “Mine’s scabbed up quicker than usual.”

“I felt something, like someone was holding my wrist. Did either of you feel that?”

“No,” the sisters said in unison.

I’d heard something too, but now I felt silly mentioning it. Maybe it had been my imagination.

“It could be the essence thing she was talking about,” Priti pointed out. “We’re coming into our demigod powers…” She trailed off, her gaze slipping over my shoulder.

I followed it to the silver and blue-haired drohi who’d promised to teach me how to punch. He strode across the arena, barefoot, wearing loose cream pants. His hair was a knot on his head, tendrils sweeping his high cheekbones, but it had to be the glistening bare chest decorated with inky blue tattoos that had Priti’s attention. I mean…okay…

“Do you need a napkin for that drool?” Dharma asked her.

Priti quickly snapped her mouth closed, her cheeks going pink. “Oh, come on, Dhar, even you have to admit he looks good.”

Good…yeah, he did, but it was the drohi behind him that had me staring. Araz’s hair was secured in a braid that rippled black and gold down his back. He was barefoot and bare-chested too, and what a feast for the eyes.

He looked larger without his black and silver outfit. A predator on the prowl. He carried twin blades, serrated and bulky looking. I’d have to use two hands to lift even one of them, but he carried them with ease, mesmerising me with the play of muscles across his powerful shoulders and up his arms as he turned his wrists, cutting patterns in the air with the blades.

The two drohi faced each other and fell into combat stance. A wicked smile curved Araz’s mouth, topaz eyes catching the sun, so it looked as if they were on fire a moment before he attacked.

He took the offensive, pushing his sparring partner across the arena with quick slashes and swipes of his sword. The silver-haired drohi let out a whoop and vanished in a whirl of air, appearing behind Araz a moment later, but Araz was ready for him, ducking to avoid a grapple. He danced out of reach and pointed a sword tip at his friend in friendly warning.

The silver-haired guy took a mock bow. And it began again, but this time with him as the aggressor.

“It’s beautiful to watch, is it not?”

I jumped at the stranger’s voice, then peered up at the blue-skinned woman we’d spotted in the arena earlier. She was huge, just like Araz and his combat partner. She had to be a drohi.

She smiled, showcasing dimples. “I’m Padmini. I’ll be helping you train alongside Guru Mihir. ”

There was something warm and inviting about her that immediately put me at ease. I couldn’t help but smile back at her.

“I’m Leela.”

Another whoop from the arena drifted over to us.

“They seem…happy,” Priti said. “I guess they enjoy sparring.”

“Combat is in our blood. There is always satisfaction in it, but in this case, the reason for their cheerfulness is unrelated. Araz is celebrating his upcoming centennial with a friendly match with Pashim. They have been friends since boyhood.”

Pashim…I filed the name away. “What’s a centennial?”

“A drohi must give a hundred years to their Danava sire, after which they are free to choose their path. They are no longer obligated to fight in the war or stay at Aakaash. Tonight is his last night, and tomorrow his service will be over.”

I wasn’t sure why my heart sank at the thought of Araz leaving. He’d been a total ass to me, after all. I guess I had damsel syndrome. It would pass soon enough.

Araz spun on his heel, sword swiping the air parallel to the ground. He came to stop in a crouch, gaze drifting across the arena to meet mine. My heart shot into my throat then plummeted when a sneer painted his lips .

I dropped my gaze, and when I glanced up, he was walking away, Pashim by his side.

“What about you?” Dharma asked Padmini. “When is your centennial?”

“Me? Oh, I don’t?—"

“Potentials, follow me!” Umbra called from the glass doors. “It’s time to prepare for the Shaktis.”

Padmini inclined her head in farewell. “I shall see you at training tomorrow.” She walked onto the arena and toward a group of people on the other side.

They were looking our way, probably as curious about us as we were about them. I’m sure the demigods of this world had a lot to teach us.

I raised a hand in greeting as I trailed after Umbra and couldn’t help but smile when one of the demigods returned my wave.

Guru Chandra’s words came back to me. There’s power in unity.

I added socializing to my to-do list for tomorrow.