“Yeah. And guess what? He was meant to take the throne when the deva left. Not the Asura. There was a war and allsorts. A peace treaty was signed, but the Asura betrayed Iblees. Except he was called Ilyarien then.” Everyone stares at me in confusion. I shake my head. “It’s…complicated. Look, all that matters is that the djinn god was meant to rule. He’s been locked away in some mystical prison for feck knows how long. Probably the same fecking prison that the primordial evil was locked in.” There’s so much more, but it’s all a tangle in my head. I have to trust that the correct information will come out when the time is right.
“So what have the Asura been keeping at bay?” Bina asks. “This primordial evil or Iblees?”
My brain itches. “I don’t think the Authority realizes that the primordial evil is real. The deva changed history that time. The Authority probably thinks the primordial evil is a myth and used the name, attaching it to Iblees to scare people. To hide the truth of what he is.”
“Fuck…so what took over Araz?” Joe asks.
Silence falls over us all.
“If it’s Iblees, then he won’t hurt her,” Dharma said. “I mean…he’s not bad, is he? Just…he got fucked over by the Asura, and that’s not Leela’s fault.”
“But if it’s the primordial evil…” Bina shakes her head slowly, her eyes widening. “Chandra must know about Iblees. He’s part of the Authority. He knows Iblees isn’t bad, and he’s still taking the throne…”
The throne…something about the throne?—
“Someone’s coming,” Keyton says, moving away from the door.
Erabi enters the room a moment later. “How is everyone this morning? Ready for the big feast tonight?”
“I don’t see why we can’t attend the coronation,” Bina says. “We’re Leela’s trusted circle. Doesn’t that qualify us?”
Erabi sighs. “I wish it did. Not even I’m permitted to go, and Chandra is…He’s like a father to me.” She fixes a bright smile on her face. “But we’ll have fun afterward. Chandra will lead the ascension ceremony here in the great hall once he returns. We’ll feast, then dance…it will be wonderful.”
“While Leela remains a captive of the primordial evil,” Keyton says flatly.
Erabi’s smile dies. “I know. I know it’s awful, and we will get her back, but the Asura…they have protocol and etiquette and?—”
“We get it,” Dharma says. “We understand, Erabi. We’re not attacking you.”
Erabi’s eyes mist, and she blinks rapidly. “Let’s just…make the most of it tonight. Who knows what tomorrow may bring?”
She’s right. We have no idea what tomorrow will bring. But if Chandra doesn’t act to bring Leela home once he has the throne, then we’ll have another name to add to our list of enemies.
Chapter 32
NOT THE WAKE-UP CALL I NEEDED
LEELA
“She’s coming to. Good. That’s good.”
Falima hovered over me, her red-rimmed eyes sharp with concern. “Leela? Can you hear me?”
Memory hit me like an avalanche of bricks. The wine. Araz’s words…his awful words. “No!” I sat up fast, and the world tipped, a fist of nausea squeezing my stomach.
“Slowly. You must take it slowly,” Falima said. “Drink this, it will help settle your belly.” She pressed the rim of a wooden cup to my lips, but I pulled away. “It is water and a little lemon. Trust me, rani, it will help neutralize the effects of the unami.”
My stomach rolled again, and I fought a gag.
Dodi appeared on my other side. “Please drink it. You need to drink it to be better so you can stop the bad thing from doing something evil.”
The bad thing…the primordial evil…
I gripped the cup with trembling fingers and sipped the water.
“That’s good,” Falima said. “You will feel better in a moment.”
The nausea did indeed ebb, my stomach settling enough for me to focus on my surroundings. I was on the floor by the table on the platform. “Where is he? Where’s the bastard?” I pulled myself up, gripping the table with one hand and allowing Falima to support me. “Where is everyone?”
