“I’m not going to wake you every time I have a nightmare.”
“You won’t be waking me. I don’t sleep much anymore.”
“Insomnia?”
He let out a soft chuff. “No, Leela. Gods don’t need sleep. Not in the same way a mortal might. We drift to integrate. But the longer we live, the less we need to do that. The nights can be…lonely.” The corner of his mouth lifted, and he exhaled softly through his nose.
“How come you’ve never married?”
He blinked sharply, then let out a soft laugh. “No one has ever asked me that question so bluntly before.”
I winced. “I’m sorry. Broken sleep seems to have softened my filter.”
“It’s all right. It’s…refreshing. And to answer your question, I plan to marry for love. That has not happened…yet.” A shadow crossed his face, and he fixed his gaze out of the window.
“Wait…you’veneverbeen in love? Like…ever? You’re how old?”
He let out a bark of laughter and shook his head.
What was wrong with my mouth today? “Sorry.”
He chuckled softly. “No, don’t be. Don’t be.”
The carriage began to slow, and my stomach dipped. “I think we’re here.”
Chandra sobered. “Yes. We are.”
We came to a smooth halt a moment later, and Yudh opened the door to let us out. Chandra descended first, sunlight highlighting the streaks of silver in his dark hair and making the gold embroidery gleam against the dark material of his tunic.
He exuded power and confidence, and it calmed the nervous knots in my belly.
He held out this hand, and I took it, allowing him to help me out of the carriage, careful to lift the skirts of my simple sky blue lehenga—an outfit chosen for the occasion by Erabi.
“You must look the part when you go about the domain,” she’d said. “First impressions are lasting.”
She’d pinned my hair back in a simple knot at my nape and applied kohl and a little rouge. I looked fresh and innocent. Pliable. Good. Let the Authority see me as a puppet they could maneuver.
The obsidian mountain in which the throne rested was wreathed in an aura of amber light where the sun reflected off its glistening surface. This was the foundation from which the domain had sprung. My bones hummed, just as they had done the last time that I’d approached this place.
Chandra lightly squeezed my hand, his long fingers warm and secure around mine. “Are you ready?”
“As ready as I’ll ever be. Let’s do this.” At least I didn’t have to walk in alone this time.
We crossed to the epic golden doors, then slipped through the gap which was wide enough for us to walk in side by side. A red glow bathed my skin as we entered the mouth of this place, and a shroud of silence settled over us. The entrance arch waited up ahead. The space between the stone pillars was a blanket of stars that we’d have to step through to enter the throne’s resting place.
Chandra paused to look at me, waiting for my cue. I smiled and nodded.
We stepped through into the chamber beyond, heels clipping on stone. I’d forgotten how intimidating this chamber was with its shadowy high ceiling and walls. But the most impressive feature, the throne, sat at the center of the space. A precious, ancient relic. The gray stone seat shimmered as if it contained the light of a billion teeny stars. The backrest reached for theceiling, the crimson artery bisecting it pulsing softly, lighting up the many veins fanning outward from it.
“It feels you,” Chandra said. “It’s awakening.”
I felt it too. Like a caress to my senses. An iron tang filled the air. Earthy, like damp moss and life. A low vibration seeped through my soles and up my legs.
The balcony above us lit up, and my attention strayed to it briefly, to the shadowy figures of the Authority watching us, before quickly returning to the throne in time to see the glyphs along its base light up and begin to move.
Yes, the throne was waking up all right.
I released Chandra’s hand. “I’ve got this now.” No need to wait. I was ready, and the throne needed to know that.
