I smiled thinly. “I can’t fly, but I know a thunderbird that can.”
The temple wasa circular chamber with no roof, allowing the night sky to peer down on us through a veil of rainbow colors. The space was bare, save for four crystal pillars. One glowed likeflame, another a soft azure hue, the third pulsed white, and the final one a deep, earthy red. A crystal sat on a pedestal between the pillars. Beams of amber light radiated from it to touch each one.
“The pillars contain the ancestor energy,” Falima said softly from behind me. “They hold what is left of the ancient djinn who walked beside Iblees when he was prince Ilyarien. These ancients were monarchs once, loyal to Iblees and the throne that should have been his.”
“And the crystal?”
She smiled up at me. “That is the essence of King Raknara…Queen Vayelle’s father. The Raknara were mediators, strong in spirit and able to procreate with the djinn kind. Many djinn bloodlines contain Raknara blood. But the royals were wiped out by the Asura once they took the throne.”
“Wait…the Asura killed the whole bloodline?”
She nodded. “Yes. But your souls go on. You are here, blood of Vijayroodra but soul of Raknara. An irony and a justice, don’t you think?”
I stepped through the beams of light and stood by the crystal. I wasn’t sure what I expected to feel. Some kind of connection maybe? A kinship. But there was nothing but the churning in my belly that warned that I was running out of time to stop the primordial evil. “This crystal helps power the wards, doesn’t it?”
“I believe so. It is the lynch pin.”
“And if I remove it from the pedestal?”
“It will still be connected to the pillars.”
My heart sank. “I have to destroy it, don’t I?”
“If you do that, you’ll be destroying the last remnant of an ancient bloodline.”
But would I? “Can energy ever be destroyed?”
Falima’s mouth parted in comprehension. “No. It cannot. And…what rests in the crystal is not the last of the bloodline…” Her eyes glittered. “The last stands before me.”
The tightness in my belly softened as I plucked the gem from the carefully crafted nook it was nestled in. “I think it’s time for all this energy to be freed.” I looked around at the pillars. “But that isn’t my call. That’s a decision for the descendants of these bloodlines. I’m sure they’re out there somewhere, and I’ll do my best to find them, but for now…” I raised the crystal high in the air. “I make the call for the Raknara.” I threw the crystal to the ground as hard as I could. It hit stone with athunk,and a splintering noise echoed around us, thencrack.
A gust of air slammed into me, lifting my hair and making my eyes stream. My ears popped, and a silvery ringing filled my head for several beats.
“You did it,” C’ael said from the doorway. “The ward is gone. And now…you’ll be going too…” He took a step forward. “Let me come with you. I can help.”
His eyes were dark, mouth turned down. He’d been abandoned, used, and betrayed too, but I didn’t have time to console him right now, and taking him with me was out of the question. I had no idea what he truly was or how much control the primordial evil could assert on him. He was a liability, and frankly I wasn’t even sure I could trust him, but right now, he needed direction. He needed purpose, and maybe giving him my trust was the first step to handing him true choice.
I crossed to him and placed my hand on his cheek. “I can’t take you with me, C’ael. The primordial evil controlled you once, and he could do so again. He left you behind, and that means he no longer has use for you. Take it as a blessing.”
He gripped my wrist gently. “I want to help, Leela. I can’t just sit here and do nothing.”
“You won’t be doing nothing. These people need someone to lead them through this loss. I need you to be that person. I’m leaving you in charge in my absence.”
He sucked in a breath and straightened. “Yes. They need someone. We need to burn the dead, and we…You’re right. I won’t let you down.”
I nodded and stepped back. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.” I traced the calling sigil for Pakshiraj in the air, my pulse throbbing in my throat. What if it didn’t work? What if I’d misremembered?
Long seconds passed, and the claws of doubt dug into my chest. I could feel Falima’s and C’ael’s eyes on me, but I kept my attention on the sky, on the stars winking down at me.
Come on, Pakshiraj. Please.
How much time did we have before it was too late?
A fist squeezed my lungs.
Please…
A flash of blue lit up the sky, and a winged shadow blocked out the stars.
