“That bad?” Kyle said with a quirk of his eyebrow.
“Hash browns solve everything.”
“So they say.”
The diner was jam-packed but they managed to get a booth in the middle. Sera nodded at the owner, who was standing near the kitchen. Big Jim’s lips curled into their customary scowl as the waitress came over to take their orders. Kyle ordered his usual bean-and-cheese burrito. After Sera ordered a coffee along with her heaping plate of hash browns, she leaned back in the booth and sighed, studying the faded, peeling, aqua-colored wallpaper in comfortable silence.
Seriously, Sal’s was one of the few places where she could just be herself—a girl. No more and no less. No goddesses and demons or secret light and dark dimensions. No pressures and responsibilities. No evil Azuras trying to take over the world. It was Sal’s—and that was all she needed. She drummed her fingers on the cracked red vinyl of the booth, tension easing from her body. She felt freer at Sal’s than anywhere else—freer, even, than in the secret world she and Dev had created together.
Sera hadn’t been to that world since the day she’d told Dev that she wouldn’t be returning with him to Illysia. She was afraid that going back would make her feel that she made the wrong choice. She had chosen the Mortal Realm and her family over the god she was forever linked to. And each day that passed without her seeing Dev felt like a month. Sera would never tell anyone that, though—being so emotionally dependent on someone was all-consuming, in a way she never expected. And now she couldn’t even get answers without Dev’s permission. Her fingers dug into the vinyl of the seat as she angrily stripped off a thin section. And then felt instantly guilty for defacing private property.
“What’s wrong?” Kyle said, squinting at her. “You went all blotchy.”
“Nothing.”
The waitress poured Sera a steaming cup of coffee and Sera mumbled her thanks. Discarding the strip, she wrapped her marauding fingers around the mug and took a long gulp. “God, this coffee is the best in the world.”
“You’re deluded,” Kyle tossed back, grimacing as he put his cup down. “It tastes like liquid dirt. Dirt with a splash of coffee.”
“The best,” she said after another sip. “How’s Carla?”
“Fine,” he said as the waitress delivered a plate of steaming hash browns and Kyle’s burrito to the table. “You know Carla. She’s just glad I made it to senior year. Now I just have to finish it, and she’ll be off my back.”
Despite his grouchy tone, Sera knew how much Kyle loved Carla. His foster mom had always been there for him, and he wanted to make her happy more than anything. If that meant he had to graduate, Sera knew he would do it, despite his constant moaning. “Well, you made it through the first day, so that’s a start,” she said.
Kyle tucked into his burrito and said, his mouth full, “Barely. Did you forget we almost got creamed by a feral goddess?”
Sera rolled her eyes, spearing some potato with her fork. “As if I could. My mom nearly popped a vein.”
“You think she would have done it?” he asked quietly, pausing between bites. “Killed all those kids? Purged the earth?”
Sera shrugged. “My mom seems to think so. From the way she was behaving, you’d think we dodged an atomic bomb. Thanks to you, that is.” Her eyes narrowed at him. “How did you do that, anyway? I’ve never seen you handle so many demons in one go.”
“Not sure. I didn’t think about it; I just did it.”
“You told Kira you could do it again. Can you?”
Kyle’s worried gaze met hers. “I honestly don’t know.” He leaned in, placing his half-eaten burrito down. “What do you think is causing it? All the smaller demons suddenly showing up, possessing human hosts?”
“I was going to ask you that. You’re the portal master.”
“The portals I control are all sealed. The demons have to be coming from somewhere else.” His brow scrunched up in concentration. “There’s got to be an exit point, somewhere nobody’s thought to look—not us and not the Ne’feri. Maybe Ra’al created another gateway to the Dark Realms when he was here, and we missed it.”
But Sera shook her head. “Demons can’t portal in and out of this realm on their own, unless it’s through a portal created by an immortal. Maybe someone’s helping them? Like my uncle was.”
The thought of Azrath’s coup left a sour taste in her mouth—he’d plotted with the worst Demon Lord in Xibalba to murder his own brother and use Sera to get into Illysia.
“Azrath is gone.”
“Doesn’t mean the Demon Lords couldn’t have other allies who want to break into Illysia and to rule the Mortal Realm. Could be anyone.”
Kyle shoved the last of his burrito into his mouth, chewing rapidly as he thought. He started to speak and then stopped, looking doubtful. Sera waited. Finally, Kyle took a deep breath. “What if Kira is the one helping them? She wants to purge the earth, right?”
“I don’t know,” she answered honestly, her brain scanning through what she knew of the goddess. “She’s known sometimes as the great protector and the great mother.”
“What mother would want to destroy her own children, no matter how awful they are?” His laugh was hollow. “Well, mine would have.”
“Yours was a demented Azura.”
“True.” He fidgeted in his seat, picking at a corner of the peeling tabletop. “I don’t trust Kira.”
Sera grinned knowingly, reaching for another forkful of potato. “You don’t trust yourself, you mean.”
“Same difference.”
“Not the same at all.” She glanced at the clock on the wall and winced. It was nearly five thirty already. It would take a miracle for her to make it home without being discovered. With a contented murmur, she shoved the last of the fried potatoes into her mouth. “I have to go. But admit it—you like her, and that scares you.”
The expression on Kyle’s face was comical. “She’s a goddess. And she’s gone.”
“Five bucks says she’ll be back.”
He groaned. “Can we not talk about this right now?”
“You mean about Kira, or your love life in general?”
“Both.” He sighed heavily.
“Too late,” Sera said, looking past him. “Because you owe me five bucks. Super-crush just walked in.”
“What?” Kyle spun around and then turned back to his plate, his expression panicked.
Over his shoulder, Sera studied the girl who had stopped to speak to Big Jim in a low voice. She wore a tan skirt with brown leather boots and a soft ruby-colored sweater. Her glossy, dark hair was fashioned into a neat braid at the base of her neck, and she looked poised and beautiful, a far cry from the leather-clad style of the girl they’d seen at school.
Sera squinted. She was definitely the same person—she had the same bone structure, the same dark eyes, and the same warm brown complexion. Her face was flawless, but the dark rings of kohl around her eyes and the blood-red lipstick she’d flaunted earlier were both conspicuously missing.
Kyle gave her a bewildered look in response to her expression, and Sera shrugged, offering the first explanation she could think of. “She looks . . . different. Maybe she had a job interview, or went to church, or something.”
“Why is she here?” Kyle said in a strangled voice. “At Sal’s?”
“She could be hungry.”
“But why here?”
Sera wondered the same thing, but it seemed like all of Illysia knew what she and Kyle were doing at any given moment. No doubt Mara and Ilani were hiding in the rafters. “Maybe she knew you were going to be here?”
Kyle shot her a dirty look as the girl moved to sit at the counter directly across from their booth. Either she hadn’t seen them, or she didn’t feel like socializing. But after a minute, she turned to look around, her gaze moving past their booth and then returning to them. There was no acknowledgment—or recognition—in the cursory glance.
“Hey, Kira,” Sera said.
/> Confusion flickered across her face for a second, and then smoothed out. She nodded. “Oh, you must mean my sister.” Her voice was melodious, the complete opposite to the husky tone they’d both heard her use before.
“Sister?” Kyle blurted out.
The girl smiled, making her eyes sparkle. Her whole face gleamed from the force of that smile. “Yes. I’m Darika. Her twin.”
Why would Kira—Kali’s mortal avatar—have a twin?
Sera froze, her brain jumping into overdrive. The realization hit her like a cold slap to the face. It wasn’t one goddess incarnating as two sisters. It was two goddesses.
The blood drained from her body, and her limbs suddenly felt boneless. Of course. It all made sense now—if Kali was here, a mortal incarnation of a twin sister could mean only one thing.
Durga was here, too.
THE GODDESS YOU KNOW
Twenty minutes later, Kyle was standing in Sera’s kitchen—which, strangely, was starting to become as familiar as Sal’s—his gaze swinging from Sophia to Sera and back.
Durga. It made sense, and yet it seemed ridiculous. What were the odds that two warrior goddesses, both known for their prowess in battle, would take on human avatars at the same time? Kyle wasn’t sure what it meant, but it couldn’t be good.
He swallowed hard. “How do you know she’s Durga?” he asked Sera’s mother. “Aren’t they the same?”
“Yes and no,” Sophia said, shooting him a wary look. Kyle squirmed. Though she’d come to trust him more in recent months, Sera’s mother had always been aloof toward him, especially in the presence of her daughter. Her gaze fell back on Sera. “You remember what I told you? What people believe about the gods of Illysia?”
Sera nodded. “Human beings have different beliefs about heaven and hell, but all religions are versions of one single truth, and all the gods and goddesses are inherently the same, born of one Supreme Being.”
“Brahman,” Sophia confirmed with a flat smile. “The gods and goddesses we know, and the incarnations of them—like Dev and like you—have all come into being or taken human forms for a specific purpose. They all appear at different times, for different reasons. In your case, it was to defend the Mortal Realm against Ra’al and Azrath.” She frowned. “We can only assume that Darika and Kira, too, have been sent here for a reason by the Trimurtas.”
“To fight the rakshasa infestation,” Sera guessed.
But Kyle shook his head, his stomach clenching into knots. He couldn’t ignore his instincts—not when they had served him so well in the past. “No, not fight. Kira said she’s here to purge the mortal plane. That’s a big difference. Those were her words.” Their stares converged on him and he stuffed his hands into his pockets. “And if the Trimurtas didn’t mean to kill everyone, why send both of them?”
Sophia cleared her throat, her mouth opening and closing a few times. Kyle couldn’t recall the last time he’d seen her at a loss for words. She smoothed an ashen brow with shaky fingertips and looked to Sera’s dad, who also looked troubled.
“In the scriptures, there are many stories about the reason Kali first came into being,” Sam said, almost to himself. “Some say that when Durga fought the fearsome rakshasa Mahishasura millennia ago, Kali burst forth from her forehead in a fit of rage to defeat the demon. Others say that Kali was formed when the goddess Parvati shed part of her skin. But these stories have one thing in common: they describe Kali as the transformer of time, called upon only when the world is at its end.”
Sera’s gasp was loud. “And you think that’s now? But we stopped Ra’al. We stopped the KaliYuga, the apocalypse.”
“I agree with Kyle,” Sam went on. “It doesn’t make sense that Kali and Durga would appear simultaneously. Durga is a warrior goddess in her own right. She is an incarnation of Parvati”—his gaze slid to his daughter—“just as you are an incarnation of Lakshmi.”
Kyle frowned, recalling the information Sam had drilled into him. “Isn’t Parvati the goddess of love?”
“Yes,” Sophia said. “But also of power and divine strength. She’s Shiva’s consort—and we all know what he does.”
Sophia didn’t have to explain. Kyle knew who Lord Shiva was. The Trimurtas consisted of three main gods—Brahma, who created, Vishnu, who sustained, and Shiva, who dissolved. Shiva was called the Destroyer, just as Dev was known as the Protector.
Kyle felt suddenly queasy. There had to be a reason that the god known as the Destroyer had sent his consorts—or wives, or whatever you wanted to call them—to the Mortal Realm, and it wasn’t because he was bored.
“This can’t be happening,” Sophia muttered, leaning heavily on the kitchen counter, her forehead creasing with worry. “If Kali has manifested as Kira, that must mean that the Trimurtas believes the world is on the brink of apocalypse.”
Her already ashen countenance had paled considerably. She—an immortal herself—looked haggard, and Kyle sucked in a shaky breath. “But Sera’s right,” he said. “We prevented the KaliYuga. I killed the rakshasa that Ra’al summoned with my blood.”
Sam, who was pacing agitatedly, cleared his throat. “That doesn’t mean that Ra’al’s forces aren’t still at work. Even the Ne’feri have been whispering about something far worse on the horizon. The Demon Lords are persistent. Evil doesn’t just stop when we tell it to. Illysia and Xibalba will always be battling for the souls of humankind.”
Conversation stalled as a wide-eyed Nate ambled into the kitchen with an innocent look on his face. “Hey, guys.”
Kyle stifled a laugh. The guileless expression was pure performance—Nate had probably been eavesdropping on the whole conversation. The kid had a knack for being in the right place at the right time, especially when sensitive information was being discussed. Maybe he’d inherited it. You couldn’t be the child of a goddess without being unique in some way.
Kyle went still at the realization.
The boy was special, there was no denying that. He’d never thought to read Nate, to look past the cherubic face and childish humor. There’d never been any need to, but now, Kyle was curious. He opened his power of sight, letting his gift flow through him, and focused on Nate’s aura.
At first glance, Nate felt mortal, but there was something indeterminate below the surface that Kyle couldn’t quite categorize. It reminded him of when he’d first taken measure of Dev, whose energy had been formless. Kyle withdrew as Nate’s green eyes met his, a faintly mocking expression on his face—as if he somehow knew what Kyle had been doing. Kyle shrugged guiltily and looked away.
One thing was certain: if any godlike abilities ever decided to manifest, Nate would be a force to contend with.
“Nate,” Sophia warned. “I’ve told you time and time again that these conversations aren’t for your ears.”
“I wasn’t listening, I swear.”
“Save it. Go finish your homework.”
“Already did,” he chirped. “Aren’t we supposed to be having dinner with the Kumars? It’s nearly seven.”
Sophia shrieked, making everyone flinch. Kyle almost summoned Mordas. “Oh heavens, the casserole!”
Kyle met Sera’s eyes across the kitchen counter as Sophia rushed toward the oven and started herding them all out of the room. “Guess I’ll catch you later.”
“You’re not staying?”
“No, thanks,” he said with a glance at Sera’s mother. He didn’t want to outstay his welcome, especially not at a family dinner with old friends. Even if he had nowhere else to be.
Sera walked him to the front door. “You sure?”
“I’ve got a project proposal for modern world studies that’s due tomorrow. I’ll see you in school, okay?” He lowered his voice. “Let me know if your parents find out more after they talk with the Ne’feri or the Trimurtas.”
He headed back to his car and climbed in. It was still early, and Kyle didn’t want to head back to Carla’s just yet, despite the homework burning a hole in his backpack. Honestly, who mad
e students nail down their senior research project after the first day of school? Evil teachers, that was who.
Kyle sighed. He had worse things to worry about than some research project—even one investigating the causes of change in the world. He grinned to himself. He could propose a paper on how a bunch of Demon Lords got together and plotted to devour all the souls of the living. That would probably go over great with the administration.
He drove aimlessly for several miles before finding himself pulling into the parking lot of Sal’s. Even though he’d just left, it was that or Carla’s—and he didn’t want to talk to his foster mom about school or grades. Kyle got of the car and rolled his neck, groaning at the sharp ache shooting through his shoulders. He leaned against the side of his car and closed his eyes for a moment. It felt like sharp teeth were biting into his muscles. And he still couldn’t shake the unsettled feeling that remained in his belly.
The roar of an engine pierced the silence as a familiar sleek black motorcycle pulled into the parking lot next to where he was standing. He sighed outwardly, but inwardly every part of him came alive. It had to be her.
He watched as the rider threw one black-clad leg over the side of the bike and pulled her helmet off, glossy hair falling loose. Not Darika this time, but Kira. Kyle couldn’t help his immediate response to her. Sure, she was a goddess—a dangerous one, hell-bent on the destruction of the world—but something inside of him responded to that danger with excitement.
“Miss me already?” he drawled. A good offense was the best defense.
“Nice trick earlier,” she tossed back, “but I come and go as I please.”
“You guys must really like this place,” he said, pushing off the side of his car and tucking his hands into his pockets. “Your sister was here, too.”
Kira’s dark eyes met his, confusion puckering her brow. “She was?”
“Yeah. She looked just like you.” His gaze slid from her head to her scuffed leather boots and he smiled. “Not exactly like you,” he amended.
As they walked into the diner he nodded to Jim, who glowered back, and headed toward an empty booth in the back. Kira followed, drawing every eye in the place. The minute Kyle sat on the cracked vinyl seat, he felt the tension leave his body.
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