Page 41

Chapter 40

ISN’T CAMPING SUPPOSED TO BE FUN?

W e were on a narrow trail bordered by woodland for ages. The heightened vigilance of the team was palpable. These people were in our care now, and it was our job to keep them alive.

I chatted to Viki and Meena, his mother, about Patala, the home of the naga and discovered that Patala was more than a network of tunnels underground like I’d imagined; it was a whole world, the passage to which lay deep in the earth.

“They have a sun and moon,” Viki said.

“Another realm,” Araz explained. “The naga are an elusive breed. They are happy to watch over the mortals living beneath the earth but will not contribute resources to the war.”

By resources, I was certain he meant warriors .

“So is the doorway to this Patala place like a portal?” Joe asked. He’d fallen back to listen.

“You could call it that,” Araz replied.

“Humans cannot live there,” Meena said. “So we live in the space between, and there is no sun or moon. But it is safe.”

“Why did you leave then?” Joe asked.

She stroked her son’s cheek, her gaze tender. “For Viki, and the children to come. We did not wish for them to be born beneath the earth. Viki was born in Nahee Aasha, and this one…” She placed a hand on her swollen belly. “This one will be born in our new home. They will know the gentle touch of the moon and the warm embrace of the sun.”

Viki perked up at the mention of the baby. “And if the baby is a girl, we will call her Jyoti, and if it is a boy we will name him Vijay, right, Mama?”

“Right, beta .”

He yawned, and she pulled him close.

“Close your eyes. Mama is here.”

My heart filled with love watching them, and my eyes pricked because I remembered what it was to be held like that. To be called beti and to be loved so deeply the awfulness of the outside world paled.

I miss you, Nani. I miss you so fucking much. I’m going to save you. And…and I’m going to keep these people safe so that no one has to lose a loved one. Not on my watch.

It wasn’t much longer before we abandoned the trail for a wide, open road. Good on one hand, because if anything came at us we’d have plenty of advance warning, and bad on the other, because if anything came at us, there was literally nowhere to hide the people we were protecting.

"I don’t like this stretch,” Dharma said. “It’s way too exposed.”

“I was just thinking the same,” Joe said.

“We’ll be entering an old town soon,” Pashim said from ahead. “The plan is to make camp for a few hours and let the people and the animals rest. We’ll continue at first light.”

I had no idea what time it was or how long we’d been on the move, but it felt like forever. Viki and his mother were fast asleep, and I’d spoken to Daji, the father, briefly. He was worried about his wife, about the pregnancy and the traveling. She was due in a few weeks, and the midwife who’d agreed to come with them had backed out at the last moment. There were several women with us who could help birth her child, but none as qualified as the midwife.

Daji was back at the front of the assembly now with the elite, but he’d checked on Meena several times .

It was easy to spot Pashim ahead of us. The drohi stood a couple of heads taller than everyone else, but I’d be able to find him by the sound of Aradha’s sultry laugh that punctuated the air every few fucking minutes.

Araz had barely spoken two words to me since we’d left the settlement, and I got the feeling he was regretting his admission about finding my jealousy appealing.

And honestly, the whole back and forth, push-pull thing with him was beginning to get on my nerves. My stomach grumbled.

Araz held out a fruit and nut bar. “Eat this and stop thinking so hard.”

I took the bar and bit into it. Pashim made these all the time. Held together with honey and…stuff. They were the protein bars of this world.

“Thanks.”

“That’s what a good drohi does.”

Had he been a good drohi to Aradha? No, no, do not think about that. “So, tell me about Aradha.”

“What do you want to know?” Araz asked.

“What’s her role here? It seems that only people essential to the setup and running of this new farming settlement are going.”

“Aradha designed the domes. She understands how to harness bijli and how to find water in the earth.”

“So she’s a scientist?”

“Is that what you call sages in your world? ”

“I suppose so.”

Pashim laughed softly at something Aradha said, and I gave an involuntary snort of irritation.

“It bothers you,” Araz said. “Seeing them together.”

“It would bother me more seeing her with you.” The words slipped out before I could think them through.

He sighed. “This is my fault. I have been selfish. Taking when I cannot give.”

I didn’t want to talk about this right now. About us or a lack thereof. “Let’s just focus on the mission and getting these people to safety.”

“Spoken like a true demigod.”

I finished off the bar he’d given me.

“I see it,” Araz said. “The town is in sight.”

“The benefits of being tall, eh?”

He grasped my waist and lifted me up. “Better?”

Gray and white stone jutted up against the night sky like the bones of a dead civilization, but it was difficult to take much in when my focus kept drifting to the feel of his hands on me. “I see it. Thanks.”

He set me back on my feet, hands lingering on my waist for a little longer than necessary before releasing me.

Our convoy sped up.

The first half of the stretch was almost over.

We set up camp in what was once a house of worship to the gods. White stone pillars supported a domed ceiling etched with images that were too faded to make out. Nature had reclaimed the cracked marble floor so that it was now a blanket of moss and blooms with only the edge of a tile peeking out here and there. An empty altar sat in the center, and the chains that had once held huge brass bells hung limply from the ceiling.

The whole town was the same, broken, desecrated, abandoned, but there was evidence of beauty everywhere—in the gently arched peaks of empty windows and the intricate carvings on the walls of buildings.

This had been a gorgeous town once. Before the war.

We built campfires to keep the people warm, and food was handed out—dried meats, bread, and nuts. There were six children in total, the oldest fifteen and the youngest, Viki, at five years old. We made beds for them in the center of the temple, close to the broken altar.

Silence fell soon enough as the humans fell asleep. The drohi and elite teams drifted off to take posts around the temple, leaving us potentials to make camp with the humans.

Pashim lingered a moment, and I got the impression he wanted to speak with me, but Guru Mihir summoned him, and he left with the others.

The potentials and I picked a camping spot between the children and the adult sleep area. It was easier to watch over both that way, although from the sounds of the snoring, it was unlikely that we’d have much to deal with till dawn.

“They’re exhausted.” Dharma passed me a canteen of water. “Chaya says it’s dipping moon time. She says if we leave at dawn, we should reach the new settlement by the end of dipping sun.”

“Imagine living like this,” Joe said. “You have the whole world, but…you don’t. The monsters own it.”

“I guess that’s why we’re here. To make it safer,” Priti said.

I took a swig of water and handed it to Joe. “Yeah, but they’ve been trying to make it safer for centuries. They need to kill this devouring force or whatever. There must be a way.”

“I’m sure if there was, they would have used it by now,” Joe said.

“They had a way, but it was destroyed,” Dharma said.

Oh yeah. “That Vajra thing.”

“What’s that?” Joe asked.

Dharma and I filled him in on our visit with sage Bhoomika and what we’d learned.

“So this thing they’re fighting…the thing we’re going to be fighting has existed for like…forever?”

“It sounds like it,” Dharma said.

“But everything must start somewhere,” Priti said. “ Be born somehow, and nothing is invincible. It must have a weakness.”

“I guess they haven’t discovered that yet,” Dharma said. “Oh, Leela, did you read the books she gave us?”

“Not yet.”

“Oh…You were so eager to learn more about this place.”

“I know. I got sidetracked with training, and to be honest, I doubt the stuff I want to know will be in any of their introductory books.”

“You’re right,” Dharma said. “Although it’s interesting. There’s stuff about how they built Aakaash and the truce between the Asura and Danava, and did you know that the Danava and Asura used to live together before all the wars started, but they had some kind of falling out over how humans should be treated? It’s fascinating stuff.”

“But is there anything about the drohi and demigod bond in there?”

“Nope.”

“What about the bond?” Joe asked.

“Leela was wondering if it could be broken,” Dharma said.

“Why would you want to do that?” Joe asked with a frown.

“Where have you been the past few weeks?” Priti said. “Have you seen how shittily Araz has treated her?”

Joe winced. “Ah…yeah, sorry. So is there a way? ”

“Not according to Bhoomika,” Dharma said.

“That sucks,” Joe replied. “I mean, I’m happy with Mahira, but for you…it sucks.”

But I didn’t believe that the bond was irreversible. Bhoomika was hiding something. I was sure of it.

Someone moaned in their sleep, and someone else wept.

“I think I understand why they wanted us to take this test,” Priti said. “It’s nothing to do with the actual protection of the people, and more to do with knowing who we’re protecting.”

“Yes,” Dharma said. “To understand why we’ll be fighting.”

I’d gotten to know Meena and her family well, and the others had spent time chatting to the humans around them too. Priti was right.

We sat in our own thoughts for a few minutes before Dharma broke the silence.

“What’s up with Pashim and the smudgy kohl woman? They were getting cozy earlier. Seemed like they knew each other.”

So I hadn’t been overly sensitive about those two then. I mean, if Dharma had noticed the dynamic too… “Yeah they know each other, but she used to bang Araz, so…”

“Ah…”

“Well, she isn’t any longer, so…” Joe said.

“It’s fine. I’m fine. It’s not like Araz and I are…an ything.”

“He’s your drohi,” Dharma said. “That is something.”

A shadow fell over us. “Mind if I join you?” Aradha sat down cross-legged before I could protest.

Dharma shot me a look that said, Just say the word and I’ll get rid of her , but I shook my head slightly.

“You not tired?” Joe asked Aradha.

“I’m an insomniac.” She shrugged a slender shoulder. “Always have been. I guess I never got used to being above ground.”

“Were you born in Patala?” Joe asked.

“No mortals are born in Patala. I was born in an underground city between Patala and the dharti. I moved above dharti when I was a teen. When the wards were new and relatively untested. We lost many people that summer. Including my parents.”

Shit. “I’m so sorry to hear that.”

“It was a long time ago, and my adoptive parents are wonderful. They supported me when I said I wanted to be a sage. And now here I am, building domes.” Now that she wasn’t flirting, there was something grounded and humble about her that appealed. I could see why Araz might have been drawn to her.

“How are you all coping? Pashim told me you’re not native to our world. I knew that the Asura brought mortals from other realms, but I guess I didn’t expect them to look so…ordinary.”

“Gee, thanks,” Priti said.

Aradha’s brow wrinkled. “I meant no offense. ”

“We know,” Dharma said, shooting Priti a stern glance.

One of the children sat up and rubbed his eyes. It was Viki. He pushed off his covers and stood.

“Hey.” I crawled over to him. “You okay?”

“I need to make a wee.”

“Oh. Okay.”

“Viki?” Meena sat up. “You need to go wee?”

“Yes.”

There was protocol in place for this. “I can take him.”

“I’ll come too,” Meena said. “Baby is pressing on my bladder.”

“I’ll come with you,” Dharma said.

There was a spot behind the temple that the elite had set aside for toilet business. Not too far down the trail, but behind a huge fountain structure in sight of the main building.

Pooja and another elite stood guard there.

“Toilet break?” she asked as Dharma and I led Meena and Viki onto the steps outside.

“Yes, just the two.”

“Okay, we’re here, but all is clear.”

I offered Meena my arm to support her as we descended the steps to the overgrown garden, and Dharma held Viki’s hand.

The fountain was a large, cracked structure, half of it on its side. There was a deep hole in the space between, perfect to use as a toilet .

Dharma and I stood guard while Meena helped Viki pee, then I held on to Meena while she relieved herself.

Viki skipped off a little way to pick some white blooms that were growing at the edge of the woodland that backed on to the garden.

“Hey, stay close,” Dharma called out.

Meena finished, and I helped her up.

“Viki.” Dharma ushered for him to come back.

He looked up, flowers clutched in his hands. “I got these for you, Mama.” He held them out and took a step toward us.

Huge white fingers shot out of the brush and pulled him into darkness.

His scream cut out, and Meena’s began.