Page 25

Chapter 24

A LITTLE KNOWLEDGE CAN GO A LONG WAY

M orning training was canceled with no explanation, so most of the jodis headed to the gauntlet to get some extra practice, but Dharma and Chaya offered to accompany me to the Vidya Tower. Chaya explained that the word vidya meant knowledge. An apt name for a library.

It was our first time leaving Prashikshan domain since our arrival, and I’d forgotten how vast Aakaash Sansaar was. I was reminded now by the many bridges and land masses hanging above gray churning clouds which hid the dharti below us. The earth was a battleground, and so was the sea, according to Chaya. Although Aakaash Sansaar was the safest place in Svargana, nowhere would be truly safe until the devouring force was dead.

The towering spires of the Shahee Kshetra were lit by shafts of sunlight so it stood out like a jewel in a crown of mist and fog. We caught glimpses of majestic castles and vistas as the haze shifted, and at one point, a thunderbird burst out of the mist and flew up and over us before diving into the clouds.

We took a bridge to our right that sat on an incline, walking at a leisurely pace. The sun was out, the breeze was cool but not cold, and the air was crisp and revitalizing as it filtered through my lungs.

Dharma and Chaya were subdued, so I had to ask, “Are you two okay after this morning?”

“You mean Jasha?” Dharma made a disgusted face.

Chaya tutted. “I won’t sully my breath speaking of him.”

“They were a thing for a while,” Dharma said. “It’s been over for ages, but Jasha still carries a torch.”

I guess jerks were the same in every world.

“When do we get to see the other domains?” Dharma asked Chaya.

“Once your training is complete and you ascend, you’ll be allocated to a house in the royal Asura domain, dependant on where the strength in your blood lies. You’ll be free to travel to Aakaash then.”

“Houses like the ones on the other side of the complex?” Dharma asked.

“In a way. Yes. The houses on Prashikshan are split by affinity, same as the ones in Shahee Kshetra. You both have the blood of gods in your veins. And the gods have abilities. You won’t manifest them unless you ascend, but your potential will be revealed at the next solar eclipse in a few weeks’ time. That’s when the nobles that head the houses will claim you as mentees. You will be moved to the barracks on the other side of the complex and housed with demigods of the same affinity as you.”

“Nobles will attend? You mean gods?” Dharma asked.

“The nobles are gods, yes. Asura not Danava. Nobles reside in the royal domain but will be present for your affinity ceremony. The Asura have their own hierarchy with the royals at the top and the ascended Asura at the bottom. The nobles are somewhere in between—a mixture of born gods and ascended gods who are claimed as seedborn. And before you ask, seedborn means that the ascended god has been recognized as belonging to a particular Asura bloodline.”

“So we get to find out who spawned our mortal bloodlines?” Dharma said.

“Not always. It is up to the born god to claim you. Some are never claimed.”

There was so much to absorb, so much to learn that it made my head spin, and yet I was hungry for the knowledge. “What kind of abilities do we get?”

“Oh, there are many. The ability to communicate with plants or animals. To breathe beneath the waves or fly, but the affinities are elemental. Earth, air, or water.”

“No fire? ”

She shook her head. “Fire as an affinity for the gods has been obsolete for centuries.”

The dream I’d had about Nani came to mind. “What about premonition dreams?” Chaya threw a curious look my way. “Back in my world I dreamed of the pishacha coming for my grandmother before it happened.” I knew now that the thing had been hunting me, that my going to my nani’s house had caused her death. That nugget of information would continue to bore a hole in my soul for eternity.

“I’ve not heard of premonition being an ability,” Chaya said. “But you can ask the sage.”

“What if we don’t ascend?” Dharma asked. “Like, if we fail the labyrinth.”

“Then you remain on Prashikshan or are allocated homes elsewhere in Aakaash Sansaar. I don’t know much more, I’m afraid.”

“Then maybe we can find out from the sage. What was her name?”

“Bhoomika,” Chaya supplied.

We were almost at the top of the staircase, and the air should have been thinner, but it didn’t bother me. I guess my body had changed.

We stepped onto a second bridge with stone barriers wreathed with flowering blooms. It ended in a stone arch and an iron gate, beyond which sat a glistening white tower with turrets jutting off it and way too many tiny windows. It reminded me of a fairytale castle from a storybook .

“Here we are,” Chaya said. “I’ve always wanted to see inside.”

“You’ve never been?” Dharma said.

“Vidya is not for drohi. We are only permitted entry with our demigod, but we are provided with storybooks for our enjoyment, and there is a small library in the complex for our use.”

Dharma and I locked gazes, and I was sure she was thinking what I was. That knowledge was power, another thing that the drohi were denied.

“Well, you can come with me anytime,” Dharma said to Chaya.

The gates swung open to admit us onto the neatly clipped grounds awash with color. Someone had a green thumb.

Double doors opened, and a woman dressed in black pants and an emerald tunic appeared. Her hair was shorn short, but she had the strong features to pull it off.

“Welcome.” She smiled warmly at us. “My name is Bhoomika, and I’ve been hoping for visitors.”

The inside of the tower was warm and spacious, cream and brown décor adding to the cozy vibe, and several neat tables piled with books and lined with chairs created a scholarly, academic aesthetic .

Two staircases curved up from either side of the room, meeting in a balcony that cut across the back wall that was one huge bookcase with a rolling ladder attached to it. Twin arches sat on opposite ends of the balcony, probably leading to smaller towers.

“We’re doing a little cataloging today,” Bhoomika said, leading us to the staircase on the left. “Books come in and go out a couple of times a month.”

“Demigods can check out books?” Dharma asked.

“Yes, there is a selection of approved texts.”

Approved? “Why approved?”

“Some texts are too delicate, some too dangerous to be loaned out. There is a reference section for those that wish to browse, but most texts are written in the old tongue, one which only a handful of Asura and sages can read. And then there are texts that were made only for the eyes of a Deva.”

“What about the drohi?” I watched carefully for her reaction when I asked. “Can they borrow books?”

Her sharp blink told me she was surprised by my question. “The drohi have a curated selection of fiction that is held in the library at Prashikshan.”

“So that’s a no then.”

We entered a small passageway and took a narrow flight of steps into another tower with a ceiling so high I could barely see the top. Books made up the walls, and ladders and staircases connected balconies creating three levels.

“I’m afraid I don’t make the rules.” Bhoomika’s gaze flicked to Chaya, who stood with her head tipped back, a rapt look on her handsome face as she took in the many shelves loaded with colorful spines.

Was that pity in the sage’s eyes?

It was gone too soon for me to be certain.

“Our main collection is held here,” Bhoomika continued. “Come sit.” She showed us to a cozy seating area near a hearth with a fire burning low. “I’m sure you have questions.”

I sat forward in my seat. “I wanted to know a little about the history of your world. About the domains and the drohi.”

“Those are very general questions. Our world is old, and there is much history here.”

“All right, tell me about Aakaash and the domains here. Umbra mentioned Guru Chandra was a regent. I’ve gathered there’s a royal domain for the Asura, but why is the Danava domain off limits?”

“It’s a sad tale,” she said. “One of betrayal and death.” She sighed as if recalling that time. “There were two royal houses once—the Asura and the Danava. Although they did not see eye to eye, the larger threat of the devouring force gave them no recourse but to work together. There were small civil unrests back and forth, but nothing unsurmountable. There were even rumors that…” She trailed off and shook her head. “Never mind.”

“Oh, you can’t do that,” Dharma said. “That’s just mean. Tell us. ”

She glanced around, then sat forward in her seat. “There were rumors of a blood alliance. They’ve since been proven to be untrue, of course.”

Blood alliance? “What kind of blood alliance?”

“One of marriage between the two royal houses. Shocking, you see, because the royal houses have never intermarried. The Asura royals have Deva blood in their veins. It is believed that the Deva blood gave the royal Asura the unique affinity of fire.

“The Danava royals are believed to be descended from Vritra, a being who caused much chaos when he turned to evil.”

“Vritra was an evil god then?”

“So the stories say. So powerful that the Deva, Indra, was forced to forge a weapon specifically to kill him.”

“What kind of weapon?” Dharma asked.

“One made from the bones of the most dedicated and powerful sage. This sage’s sacrifice gave the weapon great power. They called it the vajra. And Indra was able to use it to stop Vritra once and for all.”

“Wait, is this Vritra guy connected to the primordial evil?” Dharma asked.

“He may have been at one time,” Bhoomika said. “The primordial evil has touched many lives. It grows in strength ever since the walls of its prison have become compromised.”

Guru Chandra had said that the devouring force infected gods, and Ima had said the gods now referred to the stolen god army as the devouring force, but what was it exactly? “What is the devouring force? An infection, an army or…a person?”

Bhoomika’s eyes lit up. “No one knows. No one who has ever seen it has returned to tell the tale. It hides behind the army that carries its name.”

“If no one has seen it, then how do you know it exists?” Dharma asked.

“You cannot see the wind and yet you know it exists because you feel it and you see its effects in the world around you.”

“Good point.” Dharma sighed. “So there is no way to kill the devouring force?”

“There is no known way. All we can do is weaken it and hope that the gates of the primordial evil’s prison heal. If that happens, then the source it is drawing its power from will be cut off and maybe…maybe we can end it once and for all.”

But they’d had a weapon once. “Won’t the vajra thing work on it?”

“It may have,” Bhoomika said. “If it had not been destroyed in the battle between Indra and Vritra.”

We fell silent, absorbing everything that we’d just learned.

Bhoomika slapped her palms on her thighs. “And that is why the royal houses did not intermarry.”

I was momentarily thrown, then realized she’d reverted to the topic we’d been discussing before we’d gotten sidetracked .

“The Asura royals, carrying Deva blood, did not want to pollute their bloodline with a house descended from evil.”

“But you said there were rumors of an alliance,” Chaya pointed out.

“Yes, preposterous really.” She laughed a little, but it sounded brittle. “I suppose the rumors began because of the increased visits between the Danava king and the Asura king. It was also on one of these visits that the unthinkable occurred.”

She pressed her lips together, exhaling through her nose, and for a moment, I thought she was going to leave us hanging, but thankfully she continued.

“The Asura royals had their annual meet. The family gathered in its entirety for the event, all under one roof. It was at this meet that the Danava king struck. He used an eternal flame to set fire to the ballroom, killing everyone. Guru Chandra was the only survivor. He had been summoned by the Asura king that night but was delayed, which saved his life, but left it too late for him to stop the massacre. He was able to apprehend and kill the Danava king for his atrocious crime, but that night, the royal bloodline was all but wiped out. Guru Chandra, a distant cousin several times removed, is the only Asura with royal blood left to take the throne; however…” She paused and licked her lips. “The throne refuses to accept him.”

“What does that mean?” Dharma asked. “The throne refuses? How can a throne refuse? ”

“The Asura throne is a sentient artefact attuned to the blood of the royals. Only the rightful heir can claim it.”

“But everyone is dead, right?”

“Everyone except the Regent Chandra. But the throne denies him.”

“What does that mean?” I sat forward. “If he’s the only one left from the bloodline, then surely the throne should accept him, right?”

She tipped her head to the side. “One would believe so. Yes.”

“But it hasn’t so…Are you saying that there’s someone else?” Dharma asked.

Chaya sucked in a sharp breath. “A true heir?”

“Speculation. Rumors. We do not know for…certain…” Bhoomika’s gaze flicked to the window for a moment before returning to us. “Regent Chandra is the sole heir to the throne, but the consensus is that his blood is too weak to claim it. Yet he carries the mantle of regent selflessly.”

Wait a second. A moment ago, she’d been telling us that there might be another heir to the throne still alive somewhere, and now she was glossing over it?

She continued. “The mass murder of the Asura royals sparked a civil war which Guru Chandra was only able to quell by executing the insurgents and claiming the Danava territory. The Danava royals were killed in retribution of their monarch’s crime. Regent Chandra brought peace to Aakaash and?—"

There was a crack and a fizzing sound, and a man ran into the tower. He wore jeans and a long-sleeved polo shirt, and his eyes were wild with panic. “No…This isn’t it either.”

Bhoomika smiled kindly. “Are you lost?”

“I was at the vault, and I…I have to get back. I have to save her.”

She approached him and placed a hand on his shoulder. “Did you find what you needed in the vault?”

“I…I can’t remember.”

“You’ve been in the passages too long. I’m sorry. I do hope you find your way.” She pushed him, and he fell back and vanished with a pop.

“What the fuck was that?” Dharma asked.

“We call them seekers.” She took her seat again. “Travelers through the passages that connect all the hubs of knowledge in the universe. The vault is the central hub, and there are various doorways hidden in various worlds for those that seek knowledge. But being given admittance doesn’t mean that you will return. Some remain in the vault, driven mad by the knowledge they consume. They become addicted to it. Others lose themselves in the passages.”

Just when I thought I was getting a grasp on the whole multiverse thing…“So that man was from another world?”

“Yes. I hope he finds his way home.” She clasped her hands together. “Now I’m sure you have more questions. I’ll be happy to answer them. ”

I considered pressing her about the heir issue, but my gut warned me against it. What I really needed to know more about were the drohi. I was about to ask, but Dharma spoke first.

“So the gods sowed their seed in the multiverse?” Dharma said. “Like, they actually went out and had sex with?—”

“Oh no! Goodness no.” Bhoomika’s cheeks went red. “There is no physical contact required for a god to sire a child with a mortal. In some cases, gods did venture forward to locate viable bloodlines—warriors by nature—and offer them the boon of gods’ blood before gifting them the seeds of divine power. In others, the seeds of power were scattered, and it was purely random where they took root, although only the strongest, most viable wombs would have succeeded in carrying to term.”

“And the drohi?” I had to know more about them. “How did they come into it all?”

“What do you mean?”

“Did they get a choice?”

“Oaths were made,” Bhoomika said curtly.

“That doesn’t answer my question.”

She pressed her lips together for a beat, considering her response before speaking. “Choice is a luxury only a handful have in this endless war.”

“So that’s a no then?”

She shifted in her seat and clasped her hands in her lap. “The drohi are content. They are born for war. Aggression runs in their veins.” She smiled tightly at Chaya. “Does it not?”

Chaya nodded. “I will admit that I thirst for battle.”

Shit, I’d forgotten Chaya was with us. But if she was upset by my line of questioning that highlighted the impotence of her people, she didn’t show it, which emboldened me to ask, “Is there a way to dissolve the binding?”

Bhoomika blinked sharply. “Why would you want to dissolve it?”

“I don’t. Not now, but surely there must be a way to reverse it. I mean if we decide we want to. Nothing should have to be forever. There should be a choice, right?”

Her gaze shifted to the left, then back to me, and she smiled indulgently. “You are from a different world, and it is understandable that you should hold different views, but in this world, a binding is permanent. The Shakti know best. They are never wrong in their pairings.”

That was bullshit, and I was about to tell her as much when her gaze shifted left again, and this time I tracked it in time to see a shimmer in the air.

An ankh. Shit. Was she being monitored? Were we? Goosebumps tickled my arms as I fixed a smile on my face. “That makes sense. About the Shakti knowing what they’re doing, I mean.”

It was only when her shoulders relaxed that it hit me how tense she’d been. Under watch. Her words measured by the invisible eyes in this room. How much of what she’d told us was true and how much was she holding back?

“You are truly blessed to be chosen,” she said. “This is your home now.” The smile that had been warm and genuine earlier now looked stiff and forced.

“Sure…” Dharma said. “We loved getting kidnapped and ripped away from our world.”

A shadow crossed Bhoomika’s features. “I’m sorry that it had to be that way. But you will adjust in time. Are there any more questions?”

“Oh, Leela, ask about your vision,” Dharma said.

“Oh yes.” I sat up straighter. “I had a dream while I was in my world, about my grandmother getting killed by a shadow monster, and then…Then she was killed by a pishacha.”

Bhoomika seemed to go still. “A prophetic dream…”

“Yeah, but Chaya said she’s never heard of that being an Asura ability.”

“It isn’t,” Bhoomika said. “But humans have abilities too sometimes, or so I’ve heard. You call them psychics?”

“I’m not psychic. I mean I haven’t had another premonition since I got here.”

“Then maybe it was a singular event.”

But the way she was looking at me was a little too intense, and my scalp tightened. She was hiding something. About my premonition and about the binding, but now wasn’t the time to push her, not with an ankh floating around. I’d have to come back another time.

“We should go,” Chaya said. “You both must eat before afternoon classes.”

Bhoomika stood. “I have a gift for you both. One moment.” She hurried off through a side door.

“Well?” Dharma whispered. “What do you make of everything?”

“It’s a lot to take in,” Chaya said. “Some of it I knew, but there is information that is new even to me.”

I scanned the room surreptitiously, looking for the tell-tale shimmer of the ankh but found nothing. It didn’t mean it wasn’t still in the room with us. “Let’s chat later.”

Dharma gave me an odd look, and I shook my head slightly, hoping that she’d get the message. Luckily, Bhoomika chose that moment to return.

“And here we are.” She held out two canvas bags. “I put together some introductory text packages for the new demigods in anticipation of visits. But you two are my first.”

She handed one to Dharma and one to me. “You should read them,” she said, looking me in the eye.

“Are they in English?” Dharma asked.

“They are in all tongue, and while in this world you will be able to read them.” She hurried to the arch. “I’ll see you out.”

She ushered us back the way we’d come, stopping at the main steps to watch as we exited the gates. I looked back at her as the iron bars closed between us, and for a moment it felt as if the bars were there not just as a boundary, but as a cage.

Bhoomika dropped her head in a nod.

An invitation to come back? Or was I reading too much into our encounter?

Chaya broke the silence once we were on the bridge home.

“I do not believe she was wholly truthful with us,” she said.

“You think she lied?” Dharma frowned.

Hadn’t she felt it? “The binding, for one. I don’t think it’s as clear cut as she makes out, and my dreams. I got the feeling she knew more.”

“But why?” Dharma asked. “Why would she lie?”

“I think there was an ankh in the room at one point.”

Chaya’s frown deepened. “How can you know that?”

“I saw it, I mean, a shimmer in the air.”

“I didn’t see anything,” Dharma said.

“Because no one should be able to see an ankh,” Chaya said, studying me with a strange expression. “Don’t tell anyone else you can. Keep it to yourself.”

“Why?”

“Because it’s unnatural, and unnatural things are feared, and fear…Fear leads to violence."

"But we can find out more," Dharma said. “Maybe we can go back to see her and hope no ankh are about?”

I’d come here hoping for answers, and all I’d gotten were more questions. It was frustrating as hell.

I hoisted my bag onto my shoulder. “Come on, let’s grab some food and get to class. I feel the need to hit something.”

“Ah,” Chaya said. “A wholesome plan indeed.”