“Then do this,” Priti said. “Take your future queen where she needs to go.”
His exhaled sharply. “Well…I heard rumors but…You’reblood of Vijayroodra?”
I lifted my chin, owning it. “I am. Will you help me?”
He inclined his head. “It would be my honor.”
Chapter 21
AN IMPORTANT ROUND TABLE
CHANDRA
Familiar faces look at me from their seats around the circular table. A table, no doubt, chosen to emphasize equality. These are the leaders of the various factions that have existed in our sky world for centuries. Factions now given a face, forced to unite under a common enemy, to join with me, the Asura who was once the threat they hoped to rid themselves of.
Now I’m one of them.
Standing among them.
The great hall sits vast and silent around us. Cold marble floors, high ceilings, and ornate chandeliers speak of majesty and power in a place where there is none. Tall arched windows let in a cool breeze that carries the scent of the sea, evoking a memory from a time long ago. My bare feet in the sand. Laughter vibrating my throat, joined by another’s—feminine yet throaty and full.
My chest aches with longing for that simpler time. That singular pure moment of joy. I push down the memory and focuson the gathered. Umbra, the tantrik who has done my bidding for decades in Prashikshan domain, sits straight-backed, hands clasped on the table before her. Tonight, she represents all tantrik. Beside her sits Bhoomika, the head sage at the Vidya tower. Both women belong to the rebel faction who wish to bring down Authority rule. Both women hold positions of power. One has access to the recruits and therefore has the opportunity to gauge their views, and even shape them, and the other holds access to knowledge. Then there is Tiraj, from the Jangal domain. The hulking rakshasa representative glares at me with accusation as if the predicament that we find ourselves in is my fault. Beside him sits the representative of the pari. Erabi. My adopted daughter.
I meet her eyes, and she drops her gaze, a flush staining her cheeks even though I have made it clear that I hold no grudge against her for allying with those that would bring down the Authority. Those that would see a true monarchy rise.
There are others here too: Talun, chief of security and leader of the Danava troops. Troops that have until now worked beneath the Authority banner. So far, the primordial evil has either been unsuccessful in controlling them or hasn’t truly tried. Either way, we must use their freedom to our advantage.
“I must confess that I did not expect to see you here,” Umbra says to me.
Her lack of formal address isn’t lost on me. And the slight smirk on her face tells me that she knows it and doesn’t care. If she thinks I’ll be affected by the familiarity of her address, then she’ll be disappointed.
I reply coolly. “I believe we are entering a time of unexpected events.”
It’s strange to see her without her official robes. Dressed in black pants and a brown long-sleeved tunic, she looks like a commoner. If not for the staff, snug in the holster looped on theback of her chair, there would be no indication of her status or power.
She asks the question that I can see is on everyone’s mind. “How is it that you, an Asura, escape the primordial evil’s control?”
Tiraj’s eyes narrow as he leans forward, chest vibrating in a sound that makes the hairs on my body stand to attention. I have no doubt that he would happily tear out my throat if he didn’t suspect I’d be more useful alive right now. The rakshasa have never been afraid to be vocal about their displeasure at being forced to serve the Asura, and as the Authority mouthpiece, it has been up to me to smooth ruffled fur.
The heavy silence pulls me out of my thoughts, reminding me that everyone is waiting for my explanation.
I smile as warmly as I can and give them the same rationalization that I gave Arpita when I arrived, beaten and bloody on her doorstep. “I believe my Deva blood affords me some protection. It is why Leela Vijayroodra was able to escape. The primordial evil has no grasp on Deva.”
It’s true, but it isn’t the whole truth. That I must hold back for now. Until the time is right.
“Then surely we should look at summoning the Deva back to this world,” Bhoomika says. “The Deva can stop this threat. Was it not them who locked away this evil in the first instance?” She looks around the table, her expression earnest.
Everyone murmurs in agreement, and the ancient festering wound deep inside me opens a little more. “No. The obelisk is heavily guarded. If we attack, we risk what little forces we have, and we will undoubtedly fail.”
“Then what?” Tiraj asks, his gruff voice a stark contrast to Bhoomika’s melodious one. “What do you suggest we do?” There is a challenge in his tone. An overt one that everyone seems toregister, and once again, I find myself the focus of attention. Distrustful faces and hard eyes.
Arpita answers for me. “We trap him ourselves. We have the means to do so.” She goes on to explain my plan to use Blue to find the dagger that can trap the primordial evil in Araz’s body. They listen without interruption because they trust her. Becausesheisn’t the face of the Authority that has kept them under its control all these years.
“You want to rely on a rat to execute this plan?” Tiraj asks, his lip curling slightly.
“Now wait a moment,” Bhoomika says, her delicate brows snapping together. “Blue is more than a rat. He is a person in his own right. A highly capable and intelligent one. I trust he can do this.”
For a moment I’m confused as to why the sage would advocate for Leela’s anchor, but then I recall his time working at the Vidiya tower. Of course, he would have charmed the sage. Blue is something special.
