He headed for the door, and after dropping a kiss to my forehead, Erabi followed, but Keyton didn’t move from his seat.
“I’ll be fine.” I smiled to show him just how fine. “Go and get some rest.”
“I will rest here in this chair,” Keyton said. “It is very comfortable.”
I was too tired to argue with him. “Okay. But I swear, if you snore…”
He chuckled lightly. “I would not dream of interrupting your slumber.”
As I drifted off, the memory of a blood-soaked battlefield bloomed in my mind. I needed to tell Chandra about that…I’d tell him later today when I woke…
Blue wokeme an hour before lunch, which gave me enough time to shower, change, and grab a bite before Keyton informed me that the carriage was ready to take me to the roost in the Vaayu Raaja domain. It meant the air king’s domain, kind of apt considering the majestic thunderbirds that lived there.
I’d dressed in clothes that resembled my training outfit. Warm, fitted items that wouldn’t snag. I’d bound my hair and added a scarf to my outfit, tucking it into my collar. It would get cold high up.
Once in the carriage, Keyton placed a blanket over me, and Blue snuggled into the scarf around my neck.
We rolled away from the palace, and I sat back in my seat to enjoy the ride.
“Are you excited?” Keyton asked.
“I am. I think I enjoy flying.”
He grinned. “Priti said she was looking forward to the air trial too. When the Vayujaari dropped her on the way to the ship, her scream was more exhilaration than shock.”
I matched his grin. “Yes, she would have kicked ass.”
His smile faded for a beat. “Last night, when Erabi said that souls never die…about them being reborn…It gave me hope, but then she mentioned Yama and…What if Priti is lost? Her soul wondering or trapped in an in-between place?”
There was nothing I could say to soothe him, so I reached across and took his hand.
He swallowed hard. “Best not to think about it, isn’t it?” He gave me half a smile. “Best for us to remember them as they were, right?”
I nodded in agreement, even as my heart squeezed painfully in my chest. There was no point telling him that Araz’s soul had been incinerated by the primordial evil. Used up as fuel by the entity that now wore his body.
Blue nuzzled his cheek against mine. His way of offering comfort. He knew the truth. I’d told him everything.
The carriage jolted, and my stomach dipped. We were airborne.
I sat back and closed my eyes. The carriage ride would be short, the Vaayu Raaja domain only a few miles below the Shahee Kshetra. Long minutes drifted by until a sweet scent, reminding me of a verdant meadow, filled my senses. I peered out the window, my mouth parting in shock at the sight below us.
“It’s a fucking tree,” Blue said. “Bloody heck. It’s huge.”
The tree spread out below us, taking up the sky with a canopy of lush green leaves and powerful branches holding monolith nests, some empty, some housing thunderbirds. Walkways and bridges connected the branches, and tiny figures navigated the passages.
This tree was a monolith. An island of its own, and several birds circled it like sentinels. I searched their plumage, looking for the tell-tale crimson and gold that decorated Pakshiraj’s crown and wings. But none of the birds below fit that description.
A gust of air hit me in the face, and the whoosh of wings followed. A huge eye filled the window, the yellow iris streaked with gold and crimson striations.
My heart leapt. “Pakshiraj!”
“Motherfucker!” Blue exclaimed.
The echo of a warm chuckle filled my mind, and Pakshiraj veered away. Or were we veering away?
The carriage dipped, and Blue let out a squeal.
“It’s okay, buddy. We’re going to land, I think.”
