The barracks came into view, and my stomach dipped. The doors opened, and Dharma appeared on the porch. Joe stepped out behind her, his sandy hair catching the sunlight. They waved, hurrying down the steps, and I broke into a jog to meet them, falling into their arms as a sob attempted to climb up my throat.
“It’s okay,” Dharma said. “You’re okay. We’ve got you.”
Something tugged at my trouser leg, and the next moment, there was a weight on my shoulder.
Blue…
The knots in my chest eased even before he spoke. “Room fa one more?”
I scooped him into my hands and hugged him to my face, my eyes welling. Tears spilling.
He hugged my cheek with his tiny paws, his whiskers pressed to my skin. “Oh, chickadee. I’m sorry. So sorry.”
The dam broke, and a raw sob contracted my lungs, followed by another. My friends moved closer to cage me in their arms, holding me up. Holding me together while I shattered once more.
A morningof revelations with Chandra, the journey here that had eaten up most of the day, and it was now late afternoon.
I nursed the mug of hot chocolate in my hands, warmth seeping into my palms to ground me. The fire in the hearth crackled, its heat kissing the side of my face. But the greatest balm came from the demigods and drohi surrounding me now. Dharma, Joe, Bina, and Alia had walked into the labyrinth with me. They’d passed the tests and understood what I’d lost better than any others.
Erabi had wandered off with Asura Ione, who she also knew well. So it was just us. The labyrinth crew. The Shantivan crew. But one person was missing. One person who’d taken my heart with him.
“Have a biscuit.” Blue held up a cookie.
I shook my head. “I’m good, love.”
“You gots to eat, chickadee.”
“He’s right,” Dharma said. “You have to keep your strength up now more than ever.”
I’d filled them in on what Chandra had told me about the primordial evil and what it would take to bring him down. But I’d yet to ask them to come with me.
What if they said no? The voice of doubt whispered. What if they chose to ascend and go on with their Asura lives, either training others or joining the Asura forces to fight? Asking them to come with me demanded a dedication. To me. To the crown and to a dangerous cause. We’d planned to free the drohi, not fight a primordial evil. Plus, in the interim, having them close to me would make them a target for all those who wanted to stop me ascending and taking the throne.
They’d be contending with rebel factions and factions who hated the idea of monarchy. These Asura probably wouldn’t hesitate to take out anyone close to me. Asking them to come with me, to be my trusted, would put them in the firing line. But…without them, I wouldn’t have anyone that I could truly rely on aside from Erabi and Chandra, and…Honestly, I still wasn’t entirely sure what his deal was. Without people I could fully trust, I might not make it to ascension. Still, was it too much of a risk to expect them to take? Was it selfish of me to want them beside me?
“What is it?” Bina asked, leaning forward in her seat. “You’re thinking very hard.”
“We’re with you, Leela. Whatever you need,” Dharma said from her seat beside me.
There would be no change in this world if I failed to make it to ascension. I needed them. There was no other choice for me but to ask. “I didn’t come back here just to see you all…I have something to ask you. Will you come with me to the royal domain as part of my retinue? I need people I can trust around me. I told Chandra I wanted my demigod friends, and he said I could ask, but only those who had passed the labyrinth. Luckily for me, the demigods I’d want beside me all qualify.”
Bina blinked sharply. “Me? You would want me?”
I smiled. “Yeah. I know we had a rocky start, but I would trust you with my life now. Dharma, Joe, you know how I feel aboutyou two, and Alia…I’ve grown to respect and trust you too, but…this is achoice. And it won’t be without risk. There are those that will try to hurt me, and as the people closest to me, you might find yourselves in the firing line, so?—”
“I’m in,” Dharma said.
“Me too.” Joe gave me a firm nod.
“Well, I’m not missing all the fun,” Bina said with a grin.
I looked to Alia, catching the doubt in her eyes. “It’s okay. You can say no. It’s fine.”
She exhaled heavily. “I can’t leave my brother. I want to be here for him until he passes the labyrinth too. Maybe I can come after?”
I smiled and nodded. “Of course. After.” But I knew in my heart she wouldn’t. We’d become friends, but we hadn’t bonded, not like I’d done with the others.
“Alia?” Elata called from across the room.
