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Chapter 13

AN UNEXPECTED TURN OF EVENTS

I t quickly became evident that we were not only going to need a map of this domain but also of the complex. The place was a convoluted maze of corridors that connected buildings and stairs that spawned more stairs. High ceilings gave way to low ones, and arches opened on to balconies held to the ceiling with ornately carved pillars. This place was an architect’s dream.

To me, it was simply pretty.

Umbra navigated with ease, but my mind boggled at all the turns, and it wasn’t long before I completely lost track of where we were.

We finally exited the main building onto a road that led to a circular platform surrounded by lush green and gold fields. A cabin sat to the right of the road, and Umbra led us inside.

It was a cozy space with a couple of hardback sofas, a large table, and chairs, enough for all of us to sit at. The windows were shuttered, and two floor lamps lit the space in a warm amber glow. There was a small room leading off the main one, and a quick peek showed it to be a changing room, housing a rack heavy with white outfits, which turned out to be loose-fitting tunics and pants made of the softest material.

Umbra had us change into these, then handed out maps of Prashikshan domain and Aakaash Sansaar. Finally!

The Prashikshan domain map had two places marked with a cross—Surya Forest and the Empire Bath Caves—places Umbra said we’d find useful once our training started in earnest.

The main sky world map was more complex, and staring at it made my head hurt.

“You mustn’t worry too much about the Aakaash Sansaar map,” Umbra said. “You won’t be traversing it until you ascend or complete your training. If you ascend, then you will move to the Shahee Kshetra which is the royal domain.” She held up a spare map and pointed at one of the many land masses. “You’ll belong to one of three houses: Pavan Ghar, Paani Ghar, or Dharti Ghar.”

“What about this blacked-out area?” Remi pointed at a blob on the map Umbra held.

Umbra’s mouth pinched like she’d sucked on a lemon. “That is the Danava domain, and there will be no need for any of you to ever go there. ”

Intriguing. Because if we ascended to gods, then shouldn’t we be able to go anywhere we wanted?

“You won’t be permitted to leave Prashikshan domain until after your first test,” Umbra continued, “but you’ll be allowed to visit Vidya to see the sages if you wish. The library of knowledge is a favored haunt for seasoned demigods.” She tucked the map into one of the pockets of her voluminous robe and folded her hands in front of her in a demure gesture. If I hadn’t witnessed it with my own eyes, then I’d be hard-pressed to believe she’d kicked some serious revenant ass yesterday.

“You’ll stay here for the next few hours,” she said. “You can pass the time playing cards or chaturanga.” She indicated the chess board on the coffee table by the window. “I’ll be back before sunset. Do not leave this cabin.”

“Like, where would we even go?” Eve muttered, but only after Umbra had left the room.

Joe huffed loudly. “Does anyone else feel like we’re still in that vortex thing, having information slapped in our faces with every rotation?”

“Ooo, nice metaphor,” Eve said. “And yes. It feels like we’re on a conveyor belt being prepped for…something.”

I wasn’t a fan of this woman, but she had a point. “There is a lot of information to take in. Asura and Danava and Deva, and then these drohi…”

“All types of god,” Priti said. “Except the drohi, of course. I think the drohi are like us, in a way…spawn of the gods.”

“I need a break from thinking,” Dharma said. “My brain hurts. Let’s play a game.”

“Well,” Remi said. “We can’t all play chess, so cards it is. I know a fun game called bullshit.”

Time passed quickly, and the game helped us to relax and get to know one another a little better. I learned that Joe was a mechanic and lived on his own. He’d been a foster kid and didn’t know his bio family. Sylvie was a caregiver for her ailing mother, and worry was etched across her face in tight lines. Because who would care for her mother now? Eve, the mouthy bitch, wasn’t anxious to share, but she did say she was a primary school teacher. Worrying, considering her prejudicial attitude toward Dharma yesterday. There was Poppy and Regina too, sisters like Priti and Dharma. They seemed to know a little about the whole god seed thing.

By the time Umbra returned, I’d almost forgotten why we were in the cabin.

“It’s almost time,” she said. “Line up. Quick.” She carried a small bowl containing a clear liquid which she used to anoint each of us with.

“I feel like a sacrifice,” Dharma muttered .

Umbra tutted. “Don’t be silly. This is the exciting part.”

Exciting? “What are the Shaktis anyway?”

She blinked sharply. “Did I not explain that?”

She had, briefly, but there had been so much information thrown at us in such a short space of time that a refresh was essential.

“Can you explain again?”

She sighed. “Goodness. Maybe I should have instructed you to take notes. The Shakti are oracles. They prophesize and advise. They are a trinity of power connected to the chakra of divine power. They are all that is left of the Deva influence, and tonight…” She took a deep breath and stepped back to capture us all in her gaze. “Tonight, they will bind each of you to a drohi.”

We were getting bound to a drohi? What did that mean? They were going to tie us to one of those angry males? I exchanged a confused glance with Remi.

A stunned silence fell because I doubt any of us knew how to interpret her statement.

“Um…” I raised my hand. “What do you mean when you say bind ?”

Her brow cleared. “Oh, oh I see. It is a mystical binding. A connection of essence and soul.” Well, that sounded even worse, and my face must have reflected my thoughts because she quickly followed with, “It is good news. You will each have a drohi of your own to assist you in training and guide you through the pareekshan. A drohi is a powerful tool, and he or she will be at your disposal night and day. You will eat together, sleep together, and?—”

“Sleep?” Sylvie squeaked. “We have to sleep with them?”

“Yes, you will share quarters. It is the only way to become a fluid unit because if you ascend, your drohi will be your steel. Every ascended god has one.”

I didn’t like the way she’d called them tools, as if they weren’t sentient beings with thoughts and feelings of their own. And why was my heart beating so hard?

“I don’t like this,” Sylvie said. “They were frightening.”

“They will not harm you. They cannot,” Umbra said. “The Shakti always pair wisely. There are a handful of drohi who have been with us for decades and never been paired. They are eager to be chosen. And there is one who will reach his centennial at dawn. You met him on the road here if you recall. Araz?”

How could I forget? But if he was due to be freed tomorrow, then he probably wouldn’t be in the running for this binding thing tonight. Good, that was good because he was an arrogant asshole .

But I couldn’t help but ask, “Why hasn’t he ever been paired?”

She shrugged. “Only the Shakti can tell you for sure, but the consensus is that some drohi are too dangerous to be put in a jodi with a mortal. And Araz is unique. The only agni drohi in existence. The Shakti obviously don’t feel he’s a suitable match for any demigod due to his fire element. Agni means fire,” she explained. “And fire is an element that aside from an agni djinn, only a Deva can harness.”

“But I thought you said the drohi can’t hurt us,” Sylvie pointed out.

“They can’t, but they aren’t obligated to protect you either…” She let that sink in before continuing. “The Shakti choose those that they know will protect you.” She glanced out the window. “There is nothing to fear. It’s time. Follow me.”

We stepped into a night sky where stars nestled like plump gems. The air had teeth that bit at my skin through the thin material of the ceremonial outfit as I hurried after Umbra, up the steps and onto the platform, which turned out to be a vast ring with a donut hole in the middle. A separate platform, almost the same size as the arena, sat below us, lit by flickering flames burning in recesses in the wall.

The ring ledge was two meters in diameter and covered in dark etchings that made no sense to me.

“Spread out along the platform,” Umbra said. “Come along.” She maneuvered us to stand a couple of meters apart along the ring, and when she was done, Dharma and Priti were small figures on the other side of the vast chasm.

A gust of wind tore at my hair, and the beat of wings drew my attention to the night sky, where a winged figure cut a path toward us.

Guru Chandra landed on the other side of the ring. His wings snapped closed, then vanished, and he crossed his arms. My scalp prickled in that way it did when I was being watched. Was he looking this way? It was hard to tell at this distance.

Another winged figure joined us that I recognized as Guru Mihir. He took a spot on the left of the ring, adopting an almost identical pose to Guru Chandra.

A soft rumble sounded, and it took a moment to figure out that it was coming from the donut hole below us. It was moving, turning counter-clockwise to reveal an aperture…a dark rectangle.

The flames in the wall burned higher and brighter, illuminating the lower platform and the steps hidden in the aperture.

“Welcome to the binding,” Guru Chandra said, his voice rising easily into the night for us all to hear. “Tonight, the Shaktis will descend, and you will be placed in a jodi with a drohi. A jodi is a partnership that will aid you in the many years to come. It’s a pairing that only death can destroy. It is a sacred union of souls that will make you a formidable force to be reckoned with. Your drohi will guide you, protect you, follow you to the ends of the earth if you so wish it. Your drohi will be an extension of you. This is a pivotal day, and we rejoice in creating these powerful unions.”

There was movement below as drohi rose out of the aperture to fill the platform. All were powerfully built males and females, and all were dressed in gray tunics that stretched across muscle-rounded shoulders and loose black pants that made their bare feet look eerie and pale in contrast.

They filed in, keeping to the perimeter of the space. I caught sight of a few faces I recognized. Jasha, the drohi who’d warned me to stay away from Araz, Pashim the blue and silver-haired guy, and Araz, who looked irritated as usual, probably wondering why he had to be here.

Why was he here?

There had to be over thirty drohi down there now.

Another rumbling sound drifted up from below, and the center of the lower platform pushed up to create a new, smaller platform. It rose until it was a meter below us.

“Look!” Poppy pointed to the sky, where a swirling gold and silver light had appeared.

It descended, growing until it had to be about six feet in diameter, then stopped about ten feet above us, hovering over the small platform in the center of the donut.

We watched in awe as fingers of light lashed out of it, hitting the ring we were standing on, reminding me of the lightning in the crystal balls I’d seen in the novelty stores back home.

The etchings on the rings burst to life, glowing amber, and a voice filled the air, echoing as if three people were speaking in unison.

“New blood and new life. New unions to be formed. Let us see. Let us test.”

My body jerked as the light from beneath washed up and over me. It coursed through my body, warm and tingling, testing and reading me somehow.

The pulsing sphere—that must be the Shakti—expanded a glowing arm and latched on to Dharma. It raised her up and carried her to the central platform.

“Strength of mind and will. We see your match.”

A second beam of light shot down to the mass of drohi and plucked out a female with golden curls that sat close to her head and skin like burnished copper. She landed on the platform facing Dharma, and there was a flash of intense light that obscured them for a moment. When it died, the platform was empty.

Where did she go?

Another beam, and this time Sylvie was chosen. She didn’t go easily, kicking, yelling, and sobbing as if she was being attacked. And heck, who knew what being in that tracker beam felt like? She landed on her knees begging the beam to let her go.

“Will and heart clouded by fear. Let us find your courage,” the Shakti said.

A male drohi with dark brown skin etched with gold swirling tattoos landed beside her. He reached for her hand, and she stilled, looking up at him in awe. The flare of light swallowed them too, leaving the platform bare once more.

Joe was taken next and paired with a powerful female drohi with hair like a rippling waterfall. Then Eve, Poppy, and Priti. One by one, they were matched and taken.

The warm light cocooning me pulsed, and a voice filled my head.

The path is unclear, the road filled with unknowns. The heart can guide. It can be given. It can be returned. There is power in it. Do not forget.

I was yanked off my feet and flailed for a moment, panic setting in before the security of the beam’s hold registered. I relaxed, allowing it to carry me across to the platform in the center.

If I was going to become a god, then this was part of the process. I needed a drohi to succeed.

“To feel too much is to risk being broken,” the Shakti said. “An anchor will help against the storm.”

My pulse beat hard in my throat as I waited for my match. Maybe I’d get Pashim? He’d seemed like a solid, grounded guy. Very anchor-like, and we’d kinda connected when he’d stepped in to stop Eve from attacking me then offered to teach me how to punch. Yeah, I’d be okay with that.

A bellow interrupted my thoughts, the sound so full of rage and pain that it made my insides twist.

“NO! No, you cannot do this!” the male voice cried.

The Shakti’s voice rolled over us like thunder. “You will comply!”

Another rage-filled scream and then a drohi appeared over the lip of my platform.

Araz’s wrath-filled topaz eyes locked on me as he was pressed to the platform, and my heart forgot how to function.