by SGD Singh
The Asura lay defeated. For now.
Ursala turned, his eyes questioning Ariella, and she rushed to him, engulfed in his embrace.
“Tell me you left Nidhan behind,” Lexi snapped, fighting the urge to put her knife to his throat.
“I am done babysitting his ass,” Ursala said, pointing at her. “You should've seen the look on his face when he found out we lied to him. He was definitely about to gut us slowly with his kirpan.”
“Then why the hell did you te—”
“Because my parents had just died,” Ursala shouted, then slumped against Ariella who wrapped her arms around him. He mumbled something to her, then glared at Lexi again. “Yeah. So forgive me if I wasn't putting Nidhan's sensitive feelings first.”
Lexi stumbled back against the wall, exhaustion suddenly weighing on her more than she could ever remember. “No,” she managed to whisper. “Not Uma.”
“Yes, Uma,” Ursala snapped. “And many others.”
Lexi's mind protested, refusing to accept the fact that she would never again hear her teacher shout at her, bark orders at her, or reprimand her actions. Never again follow her into combat.
Lexi remembered the first time she saw Uma, how the white-haired Jodha had walked toward her under the shade of an enormous banyan tree, one of her rare smiles lighting her features. She had known Lexi's name, somehow known her, even before Lexi knew of the existence of The Infernal Guard. Her large brown eyes had danced with the recognition that Lexi was destined to one day become just like her.
Lexi had never met another Guard who could match Uma's fierce dedication to the safety of her realm and every living creature within it, and even as her heart broke with the realization, Lexi knew she never would. Uma was the best of them. And though Lexi had become like her teacher in so many ways, she would never, ever be as great, even if she trained twenty hours a day for the next fifty years.
Wiping her eyes, Lexi pushed the memory aside. Her grief would have to wait.
She could almost hear Uma's voice in the confined space. Wake up, people! These fuckers won't drop dead on their own while you stand around whining like a bunch of candy-ass school girls!
Lexi straightened. “Where is Nidhan?”
Ursala pointed a thumb behind him. “With Kelakha.”
“What—he's here?” Lexi was already shifting, her eagle form swooping above their heads and toward the Headquarters entrance.
Ursala bellowed after her, “I wouldn't try to coddle him just now!”
Lexi questioned Central Headquarters' so-called security for the hundredth time that night as she reached the upper levels of the fortress and saw the destruction. Before she could even get her bearings, a deafening roar exploded above her, and adrenaline drove every thought except reaching Nidhan from her mind.
She burst from the underground building into the night air, swooping in one wide circle before diving toward Kelakha, who was fighting what looked like one of the ugliest Underworlders Lexi remembered seeing in Atala.
Well, at least she wasn't the only one who still dreamt of them.
The Asura closed in, but Kelakha severed each head as it got close enough, stepping with easy grace as his whip-like sword lashed out faster than they could dodge it.
And there was Nidhan.
Lexi would have gasped if white-tailed eagles were capable of gasping. She was looking at herself, screaming for his help and clutching a bleeding stomach wound. The Wraith demanded all of Nidhan's attention, and he stood as if paralyzed, unaware that two Asura rushed at him from behind, their vicious claws slashing toward his neck, darkness thicker than night swirling at their feet.
It was too late.
Time seemed to slow as Lexi swooped toward him, her sword out as she shifted, but the Asura were closer.
She was about to witness Nidhan's death.
She fell from the sky, screaming louder than the Wraith, but suddenly there was Zaiden. He appeared out of thin air at Nidhan's back, like golden light in the darkness.
He extended his arms in a graceful movement that looked like Tai Chi, almost as if he were dancing. Somehow he threw light at the Underworlders, and they shrieked in terror before igniting in flames.
Lexi wasted one precious second gaping at Zaiden, stupid with sweet relief, and the next instant she turned on the Wraith, shoving Nidhan with her shoulder as she spun to behead the creature that looked so much like herself, it was dizzying.
Nidhan stood, pale and shaking, looking down at the remains of the gelatinous mass as Lexi emptied her revolver into it. He was still oblivious to the fact that Zaiden stood behind him, or that the Upperworlder had just saved his life.
Finally, Nidhan raised his eyes to hers. He opened his mouth to speak, and then noticed Zaiden and his eyes widened as he looked around himself. Lexi followed Nidhan's gaze and saw that at least twenty Upperworlders had joined them. They were everywhere, either tending to the wounded or throwing that same light force at the attacking creatures.
“Block the doorway!” Zaiden shouted, his voice carrying with authority, and ten of his Yodakha joined Kelakha at Headquarters' gore-covered entrance. “This whole area will implode once the portals are destroyed, so be ready. Nothing gets past us!”
Satish was by Lexi's side in a blur of colorful feathers. “I don't know what they teach you about portals in Satya, but you guys should move back now,” he said. “Half a mile should do it.”
“But—Asha is in there,” Nidhan said, moving forward instead. “We can't just—”
Dinesh blocked Nidhan's path, frowning, but Zaiden was there. “I'll take them,” he said, his reptilian eyes fierce. Dinesh shrugged and followed Satish to join the others.
Flashes of light strobed inside, followed by the fading shrieks of dying Asura. When she looked at Nidhan again, he turned his gaze toward the darkened desert, and Lexi realized his leg was bleeding beneath torn pants. She also realized he was furious.
Shit.
“Will you let me explain?”
He still didn't look at her. “You mean explain how you lied? Treated me worse than a civilian, made me a hiding coward? Or explain how my life suddenly became more important than everyone else's?” Nidhan raised his arms and turned, indicating the slaughter around them.
“Your life has always been more important than anyone else's to me.”
“Well, here I am! I'm alive!”
His eyes welled with tears, but when Lexi reached out to him, Nidhan yanked his arm out of her reach and stormed off around the fallen, leaving her behind.
What did you guys do?
Lexi sighed, closing her eyes to avoid looking at everything around her.
Asha found out Nidhan was going to die. So we told him he needed to stay in Bhutan on an important mission, and ordered three of our most qualified Jodha to babysit him.
No wonder he's pissed. Zaiden paused. The Prazasti warning was Nidhan's death?
Lexi nodded and turned to him. They looked at each other in silence for a moment, then both of them turned to watch Nidhan's retreating figure. He was barely visible now in the distance, and without speaking, they moved as one to follow Nidhan.
Lexi felt Zaiden's stab of sympathy. I know we fucked up…
I would have done the same thing, Lexi. He'll get over it once this is all over.
Lexi suddenly stopped, and Zaiden's wings rose in what she thought looked like a protective stance.
“You came to help us, even though none of you can ever go home again when the portals close,” Lexi said, realizing the full impact of his actions. “You will never see Tapas again.”
“We understand that,” Zaiden said. “We also understand that if Asha and Silas and Ranya fail, we will all suffer. The Underworlders will come after Tapas next. We made no great sacrifice. We did what anyone would do.”
“You saved his life,” Lexi said, nodding toward Nidhan's retreating form. “Even if he never speaks to me again, I will always be thankful.”
Zaid
en started to walk again. “He'll speak to you again. I don't know if you noticed, but his reaction to that Wraith? Not exactly hate.”
Before she could tell herself it was a bad idea, Lexi reached out and took Zaiden's sleeve. He came to a startled halt, turning to her.
“Thank you,” she whispered, meeting his eyes, her voice failing her. “I was too late. If you hadn't been there…” She sighed. “Just… thank you.”
“I would do it a thousand times,” he said. “It's hard to explain, but I feel the same way you do about him.” Zaiden laughed. “Okay, that sounded wrong. I feel… I would never want anything to happen to him. I hope you understand that.”
As if it had a mind of its own, Lexi's hand moved down his arm until she touched his hand. Her fingers laced through his, igniting every nerve-ending in her body and sending her pulse racing. The touch of his skin was just as electrifying as she always knew it would be, and Lexi couldn't breathe.
Zaiden gasped, his own dark eyes questioning as he tensed.
They stood like that for a long second, statues under the desert stars, and then Lexi was aware of nothing except Zaiden's fingertips touching her face. She closed her eyes against the sensation as her every cell sang with joy even as tears escaped down her cheeks.
Before she could find her ability to speak, or even to think, the ground began to tremble beneath her feet and Zaiden let go of her hand, only to pull her against him as he lifted her in his arms, and Lexi closed her eyes again just as the desert receded beneath her feet.
Chapter 23
Aquila flew around what felt like the millionth corner in the largest building on the entire planet, and the room opened to the size of a football stadium. He picked up speed, winding his way around massive pillars of stone that towered into the darkness above him, swooping toward a bluish light in the distance. He tried to ignore the feeling of icy dread that threatened to incapacitate him with every beat of his wings.
Reaching the source of the light, he found himself in an elaborate clearing. Pillars different than the others bordered a circle covered with ancient markings. Holy water ran beneath gaps in the stone, filling the space with the sound of a rushing river that reminded Aquila of the portal room at Punjab Headquarters, only at least three times larger.
The center of the circle was covered in gemstones that formed an intricate shape, a kind of three-pointed knot. At the tip of each point stood Asha, Silas, and Ranya, each of their figures surrounded by the nearly-blinding blue light.
Aquila shifted to land behind Asha. Her eyes glowed white, and he flinched at the tears of blood that leaked from them, rolling down her face. He controlled himself, just barely, from taking her in his arms and fleeing back up the stairs.
Her arms were outstretched toward Silas and Ranya, their fingers clasped around each other's wrists, and the bluish light twined around their hands, as if to sear their skin together permanently.
Aquila looked around, nearly frantic, and saw that Revenants and Asura lay in various stages of death and decay outside the circle, all the life sucked from their forms, leaving them even more grotesque and twisted than they were in life. These were the Underworlders unfortunate enough to have made it this far, only to face the three most powerful Jodha the realm had ever known.
Aquila realized why Lexi hadn't been concerned with Asha's safety. What he should have known himself if he hadn't panicked.
He turned back to her, and Asha swayed on her feet, seemingly held up only by the light. He reached out to her reflexively, but just then one of the Asura suddenly sat up, whispering his name, and Aquila jumped back, firing holy water rounds into its face.
Ranya hissed, and Aquila snapped his attention to her.
“Don't do that again,” a voice said behind him, and he spun to face another reanimated Asura. Its eyes glowed bright green and it seemed to look at him. “Aquila,” it snapped. “Listen to me.”
Aquila recognized the Asura's voice.
“Ranya?” He spun to look at the Witch, but she stood motionless, her destroyed fingers still clasped around Silas and Asha's wrists. The darkness covered her eyes beneath her mask, giving away nothing. “How…?”
“They will both die unless you do exactly as I say.” Her voice came from the Asura, which stood at an awkward angle as if dangling by an invisible rope around its neck, its oily coils of darkness trailing along the floor.
Asha? Are you… can you hear me?
He watched another tear of blood run down her cheek, but Asha didn't answer him.
Aquila turned to Ranya. “Okay, what? Tell me what to do.” His voice sounded hysterical.
“You must break the connection without breaking the power,” she said. “I need you to help me perform the spell. First, collect my blood. At least half a cup.”
“What?” Aquila blinked, turning from Ranya to the Asura.
The reanimated Underworlder's eyes only glowed brighter. “There is no time!” Ranya's voice rang out, echoing against the cavernous room. “Collect the blood, or she dies. I can feel her life fading even now, while you wonder if her and Silas' death was my plan all along.”
Now that you mention it…
“I can destroy the portals without their assistance now,” the Underworlder said with Ranya's voice, drifting closer. “Understand this, brother. I am the only one with enough hatred in my soul to survive as long as the entire process will take. This is my destiny. This has always been my destiny. Don't you see? I survived the Asura so my endurance would surpass anyone else's. So that I could do one good thing before I die.” The Asura was practically touching him now. “Don't you dare take that away from me.”
Aquila wondered what Ranya's plan would have been if he hadn't shown up, but as she said, there wasn't time. He stepped forward, holding his knife's sheath under the Witch's outstretched arm as he cut along her skin from wrist to elbow. She made no indication she felt the wound as her blood ran down her arm, dripping from her elbow in a steady stream.
When the sheath was full, Aquila stepped back. “Okay, now what?”
“Mix my blood with the remains of an Asura, using one of its claws.”
“Remains, as in…” He looked around at the fallen Underworlders. The Asuras' dark, shadow-like forms had solidified to what looked like charred coal against the stone. Aquila reached for a holy water grenade on his belt and quickly disassembled it, pouring the water out.
“Make sure none of that water remains,” Ranya's voice told him. “It will contaminate the spell.”
He nodded, drying the inside of the grenade with the edge of his shirt, then reached for the Asura's own shadowy garment and stuffed it into the empty grenade. The fabric was cold and slimy, giving him the sensation of fabric that wasn't fabric at all, but a substance made of unlimited fears. He wiped the last remains of the holy water away.
Next, Aquila crouched beside the nearest Asura and, balancing the blood-filled sheath between his knees, he used his Gurkha blade to sever the Underworlder's claws and two inches of charred, shadowy hand. The flesh was like soft chalk as he pulled the claws free, and crumbled to a fine powder at his touch. Ignoring the burning in his skin, Aquila gathered the ashes into the empty grenade until it was half full, then added the blood, stirring with the claw, careful not to touch its edge.
The two ingredients bubbled cheerfully and smelled like old coffee and almonds.
“Now what?” Aquila demanded, returning to Ranya's side.
The Asura's eyes glowed brighter. “Look at the floor beneath my feet.”
Aquila looked. The gemstones ran in a complex maze between the three of them, forming an intricate knot that formed three sections, each of a different stone: red rubies, green emeralds, and blue sapphires. Only one gemstone ran throughout the entire design.
“Rearrange the diamonds,” Ranya said, as if she read his mind. “Touch them with the blood to create a circle that connects to me alone.”
Aquila studied the floor, easily finding the diamonds. But
then the reality of what he was being asked to do hit him, and Aquila hesitated.
“Asha and Silas will live, but this… if I move the stones, it'll kill you.”
“My destiny—”
“Don't give me that destiny crap!” Aquila got in Ranya's face, even though he was pretty sure she couldn't see him. “Tell me how to save all of you! There must be a way, other than you nobly sacrificing yourself for the good of all mankind.”
Ranya laughed, and this time, for the first time, the sound didn't make his skin crawl.
“Don't flatter yourself,” she said. “I do this for myself and no one else.”
Aquila blinked back unexpected tears. “Well, you better think of something else, because I won't do it.”
“You will,” she said. “You will do it. You will do it now, or we all die.”
Aquila stood and faced her. “Then we all die.”
The Asura bellowed in rage, wrapping its clawed hand around Aquila's neck before he could react. Its dark face leaned close, the green light from its eyes glaring inches from Aquila's own, until he could feel his skin crawl. “You will not stand in my way, human. Who do you think you are to deny me the chance to do one righteous deed in my entire miserable life? How dare you act as if you hold a monopoly on honor!”
The Asura's grip tightened around his throat, but Aquila made no move to defend himself.
“You will do this, Desai,” Ranya's voice growled. “You will treat me with the respect a fellow Guard demands. And when I have died so that you and every creature in this filthy realm can live, you will save my sisters.” The Asura released him and sagged to the floor as if its strings were cut.
When she spoke again, the Witch's voice was soft, barely audible. “Allow me this end, brother. Let me be the sister who would make our parents proud.”
Aquila nodded then, and tears spilled from his eyes as he crouched at his sister's feet.
“Aquila?” Ranya's voice sounded almost like a child's.