“I've heard things,” Kalani said softly, looking into the flames.
“So we have a plan,” C’ael said. “How far is Vasuki’s lair from here?”
“Puranee Ghaatee would take several days to reach on foot,” Yudh said.
We could all go in the hope of making contact with Patala. But I doubted that we’d all be given admittance. Plus, only Ravi and I had tokens from Vasuki that would keep us safe through the mountain. There was no guarantee that the others wouldn't be attacked. And we still had the settlements to think of. Maybe the primordial evil needed time between his attacks. Surely it must take energy to make a whole settlement vanish. We might still have time to warn the other settlements.
There was only one thing to do. “We’ll have to split up. Yudh and Dhoona, you have the moona, so you can fly to the nearest settlement and warn them of what's happening. See what you can do about saving as many people as you can. The rest of us will head to the Red Mountain. We can't all go in, but hopefully Ravi and I will be able to get us all into Patala.”
“We vowed to protect you,” Yudh said. “We cannot do that if we are not by your side.”
“I have Pashim, Ravi, C’ael,andKalani by my side. I’ll be fine. But none of us will be okay without an army to help us fight our way to the obelisk. Vasuki may turn out to be a bust, so we need to hedge our bets.”
“Then we should arrange a place to regroup,” Dhoona said. “Somewhere we can meet once we’ve gathered our troops.”
“We meet back at the devouring force camp,” C’ael said. “There is a hidden entrance to the south where the rock face is steepest. It was closed off by the wards before. I doubt the primordial evil has watch on the place now, but if he does, his spies won’t see us enter via that route.”
It was the best plan we had. “All right, we finish up our tasks and meet there.”
“I can’t come with you,” Pashim said softly.
For a moment I thought I’d misheard him. “What?”
“I can’t come with you,” he said, and this time there was no doubt.
My heart sank. “Why not?”
“I have somewhere else I need to be. You need allies. An army, and I believe I can secure you one. I came to the portway with you because it was en route to where I needed to go. I hoped to see you safe, surrounded by warriors before I left, but time is running out.”
My throat pinched at the thought of him leaving again. “Where do you have to go?”
“To Mrytu Valley.”
“What? That place is lethal. We barely got out alive.”
“I know. But I understand what they are now. Who they were. Trust me. I’ll be fine.”
“You…you plan to reason with the wrathful dead?” Kalani asked, staring at him as if he was insane.
“An army of fallen warriors,” Pashim said. “Yes, I would recruit them to our cause.”
“Fuck…” Ravi said softly.
I’d lost him once. I couldn’t bear to lose him again. “Then we go there first. Together and?—”
“No, Leela. This is something that Imustdo alone. Besides, the Red Mountain is on the other side of the Isle from Mrytu Valley.”
“He’s right,” Kalani said. “Youneed to focus on Vasuki. Yudh and Dhoona on the settlements, and Pashim will gather an army of dead.”
She was right. This was the smartest plan, whether I liked it or not. A weight settled on my chest, a hollow feeling opening inside me.
Pashim slipped his hand into mine and squeezed. “We’ll be together again soon enough,” he said. “I promise.”
He’d come back from the dead for me. A couple of weeks apart was nothing in the grand scheme of things. I exhaled and nodded.
“We will all have long journeys tomorrow,” C’ael said. “We should get some rest.”
Kalani let out a gruff laugh. “I doubt I’ll sleep much tonight.”
