We followed her out the door into the night. She ran to the right, but Chandra took us left toward the gardens and the nest.
“What the fuck is going on?” Bina demanded.
“The primordial evil has taken the crown,” Chandra said. “He’s taken over the minds of the raees and Asura, and soon his influence will spread throughout the whole of the royal domain.”
“But the anchors need the nest, don’t they?” Joe said.
“No. They do not,” Chandra said.
We rounded the palace, and the nest came into view in the distance. Chandra took my hand, and we broke into a jog toward it. Blue had been right about the nest, about maybe not needing it.
Wait, what was the strange blue aura hanging over the dome?
Two figures stepped out from behind the structure as we approached, staffs held aloft, their faces blank, eyes glassy.
Chandra pulled me to a halt. “We’re too late.” He turned to me, his hands going to my shoulders once again. “Leela, you need to run. Get off the domain. Get far away.”
“What? What are you talking about? I’m not leaving Blue and my friends.”
He pulled me closer, his lips coasting my ear. “The nest is compromised, and your friends are now inhiscontrol.”
I turned my head to look past him, to find the others frozen in place, their faces blank, eyes glassy like the tantric mages. Like the Asura and the raees in the throne room.
The primordial evil had them in his grip.
“Leela,” Chandra whispered. “I’m sorry. For everything you’ve been through. For everything that is to come, and I swear to you, I will do everything in my power to protect your friends and free the anchors. I will find a way to get them back to you, but for now, you must retreat. Summon Pakshiraj and leave.” He pulled back slightly, his gaze dark and filled with what looked like regret. “Without you, there is no hope for any of us.” He pressed a kiss to my temple, then shoved me away. “Run!”
I staggered and ran a few feet as a collective battle cry rang out behind me. I glanced over my shoulder as my friends converged on Chandra. He threw up his hands, knocking them back. “Run, dammit! Run!”
My friends’ eyes glowed crimson. They abandoned Chandra and raced toward me.
Fuck!
I ran, drawing Pakshiraj’s summoning sigil over and over.
The air behind me crackled and fizzed, my body humming with awareness of pursuit. The vast grounds stretched ahead of me. Forest land in the distance. If I got into the woods, it would be impossible for Pakshiraj to find me.
Don’t look back, Leela. Do not look back.
I looked back to find Keyton barely a meter behind me, his bloodred eyes glowing eerily in the gloom. The others were close at his back, aimed for me like a pack of hungry wild dogs.
My ankle buckled. I stumbled and kept my balance but lost momentum. Keyton surged toward me, his hand outstretched like a claw, ready to grab.
My ears popped, and Chandra appeared between us, blasting Keyton away with a surge of his Asura power.
A shadow blocked out the stars.
Pakshiraj!
But we were too close to the treeline for him to get to me. I veered left, making a U-turn to get to clear ground, but Dharma and Chaya ran to cut me off.
I was trapped.
Arms wrapped around me.
“I’ve got you,” Chandra said.
Whoosh!
