Vasuki’s head dips toward us, his eyes growing larger and luminous as his gaze fixes on me. “I must hear it from your lips, child.”
“Why me?”
“Because you are the key.”
The room trembles, bits of rock falling onto the ground with soft thuds.
“Time is running out,” Vasuki says. “The mountain paths will close soon. Will you leave the way you came or pass through the portal?”
My legs vibrate as the ground shakes.
“What’s happening?” Ravi asks.
“An unmaking. Hurry, child. You must decide now before it is too late.”
The urgency in his tone spikes through me. “Yes. I want to go through the portal. I want to take the risk.”
“Where is it?” Ravi demands.
He lowers his head further, his eyes glowing with an inner fire. “Inside me. And now you must enter.” He opens his mouth, and an eerie, green light spills out.
The portal.
The chamber shakes enough for me to almost lose my balance.
Hurry!Vasuki’s voice fills my head.
I grab Ravi’s hand and haul him forward into the serpent’s mouth.
I do not know when you will emerge, only that you will. Be safe. Stay together. All will be well.
What?
The green light steals my vision, and my body shatters.
Chapter 25
WE NEED TO GO BACK TO MOVE FORWARD
LEELA
Astorm gathered as we approached Shantivan. The sky was dark and churning as it prepared to rain down wrath on the earth. The sea grew choppy, as if attempting to rise to meet it.
“Won’t be long till it hits,” Rathor said as he lowered the rowboat that would take us to the shore.
The wind howled, shoving at the tiny vessel as it shimmied down the side of the main ship to hit the water with a slap.
C’ael and I climbed down the rope ladder into the boat, and Rathor began rowing. But the sea fought back, and it was obvious that each pull on the oars was an effort.
There was another set of oars, and I reached for them, but C’ael beat me to it, picking them up and settling into a rhythm with Rathor, as if they’d been tandem rowing all their lives.
I squinted at the shore pressed beneath a sky heavy with darkly pregnant clouds. The coast watchers must have seen the ship arriving because a small party waited on the beach to greet us—Drohi and djinn standing side by side. Were Zarael andJaantor among the party, or had they dropped off the djinn from the devouring force camp and already headed back to the Swargana?
I recognized Bhartina, the leader of the djinn that lived here, and Ramashi her son. They were Pashim’s kin. Jasha stood to one side. He and I didn’t have the best history.
The sea surged, the boat rocked, and I grabbed hold of the lip to steady myself.
“Water’s shallow enough here.” Rathor brought the rowboat to a halt.
