Emergence (The Infernal Guard Book 1)

by SGD Singh

  “My parents tried to find her. They sent me to Afzal, and they hunted the Asura. Five Jodha joined them. My parents could fight, but they were Healer and Tvastar. The seven of them followed leads to the Congo, then Germany. But… eight weeks after my sister was taken, they were all found dead in a slum in Paris. Varina's trail had gone cold. Sometimes I tell myself she's still alive, that I would feel it if she were dead.” Aquila exhaled, shaking his head. “Stupid.”

  “It's not stupid.”

  Then, without warning, before she could quiet the thought—

  Ranya!

  They stared at each other, Asha watching the blood drain from Aquila's face.

  “Ranya is Varina,” he whispered.

  “Aquila, I could be wrong! Don't—”

  He stood and leaned on the railing. He shook his head once, knuckles white on the carved stone, light glinting off his rings. “You're not wrong. It makes sense. Ranya… Varina is no ordinary Witch.”

  “I… I'm so sorry.” Tears rolled down her cheeks, and Asha began to tremble, suddenly cold.

  She watched Aquila, his eyes staring at nothing as the morning sun filled the garden with light. “It's not your fault,” he said finally. “The Asura… they did this. They created what she… is.” He bowed his head, closing his eyes.

  And the pain, his pain, was overwhelming. Asha could feel his anguish, his rage, as if it were her own, like a cold, twisting vice on her heart. Gritting her teeth, she squeezed her eyes shut and heard Aquila cross the balcony, felt his arms wrap around her.

  Fatigue like she had never felt washed over Asha, and she wrapped her arms around his waist.

  “I'm sorry, Aquila. I'm so, so sorry…”

  “Shhh.” He lifted her then, as if she weighed no more than twenty pounds, and carried her inside to her bed. Pulling the covers back, he tucked her in, brushing her hair gently back from her face, and whispered, “Sleep, Asha. It's okay, everything's okay.”

  She felt his lips on her cheek, like warm velvet lingering against her skin.

  And Asha slept.

  Chapter 25

  When Asha left her room the next morning, Aquila stood leaning against a carved pillar looking down at the indoor garden. Turning at the sound of her door, he looked at her questioningly.

  Okay?

  “I should be asking you that,” she said, taking his outstretched hand as they made their way to the mess hall.

  He smiled. “I heard tonight we start Sphere Training.”

  “What's that? Balancing?”

  He grinned, his golden-brown eyes sparkling. “You'll see…”

  They joined Lexi, Nidhan, and Mia after filling their plates.

  Lexi looked at Asha in alarm, but Asha shook her head. Later.

  “So, Aquila,” said Mia, “is it true you guys have Sphere Training here?”

  Aquila nodded, looking at his food while he ate.

  “And is it also true we're starting it today?” she asked.

  Aquila shrugged noncommittally.

  Before Mia could press him further, Uma strode into the mess hall and shouted, “Okay, listen up, people! Joint class in Training Room Two. Ten minutes. Finish up, let's go!”

  Hurrying to finish breakfast, everyone made their way across the garden, down the narrow stairs, and filed into the training room. Aquila squeezed Asha's hand once and crossed the room to Kelakha and Ursala. Asha watched Kelakha shake his head at whatever Aquila said, his Samurai ponytail moving in the dim light. Asha sat with Lexi, Tzirga, and Ariella while Nidhan joined Wei Feng and Li Tsia at the back of the class, looking like three formidable giants.

  Mia was talking in loud Spanish to Chucho and Freya, and Asha gathered that Sphere Training was some sort of artificial Underworlder combat training, which made no sense. Someone shushed Mia as Uma, Chakori, and Fanishwar entered the sparring floor.

  Uma stood with her hands on her hips, counting them with a quick glance while Chakori spoke to the tall, impossibly skinny Fanishwar. Asha had hardly seen him since Uma introduced him to the class the first day. He reminded Asha of a Zulu warrior. He nodded to Chakori, his expression grim as he folded his long arms.

  “Who's Kevin Garnett's skinny brother again?” whispered Lexi.

  “That's Fanishwar. Lord of serpents.” Asha shuddered. “Any bets on what he can shift into?”

  “Shhh,” said Tzirga. “Uma's starting.”

  Uma began pacing while Chakori and Fanishwar stood still, scanning the class, and everyone sat straight.

  “We are now entering the fourth month of training,” Uma began. “As you know, you make up the largest group of Trainees in quite some time. Already, twelve shape-shifting Jodha make up the majority, with, I believe more to come. This is extremely significant.” She looked at Chakori and Fanishwar, nodding.

  Chakori stepped forward, fixing her orange-red eyes on them one at a time. She settled her gaze on Asha.

  “Today we will discuss any issues or questions that you may have. And starting tomorrow, you will all report here for Jodha training.”

  Li Tsia raised his hand. “What if you know you're not Jodha?”

  Fixing her strange eyes on him, Chakori said, “Everyone who wants to be on active duty can train to be Jodha. It's not a requirement to have shape-shifting Talent.”

  Lexi leaned forward with interest, flashing a grin at Asha.

  “Garud, for example, just happens to be the most formidable fighter within a five thousand mile radius.” Chakori smiled. “And a Healer is always handy in a combat situation.”

  Uma stepped forward. “All of you will be Jodha trained. Together, as a team. You will learn interspecies signals, Underworlder detection, and those of you who can shift will learn to do so at greater acceleration, blending straight into combat situations with weapons ready at zero hesitation. The rest of you will learn how to keep up within civilian-heavy cities, working together with teammates in animal form, carrying Healer supplies and weapons into combat with efficiency and speed.”

  She took a long spear off the weapons wall and spun it through the air. “We will create a team of Infernal Guards the likes of which no Underworlder has ever encountered before.”

  Silence fell. Asha elbowed Lexi, and they grinned at each other.

  Ariella raised her hand. “I'm still having trouble Partial Turning…”

  Chakori said, “It's all about focus, Kahlon. Have you been doing your breathing exercises?”

  Ariella nodded.

  “Don't neglect meditation. Learn to clear your mind.” She raised her hand. Long talons curved out of her fingertips, glinting in the light of the sparring floor. “When there are civilian witnesses, these abilities come in handy. Practice, practice, practice. Training the body without the mind and spirit leads to fatal mistakes.”

  Ariella nodded, looking glum as she stared at her hand.

  “At least you have claws,” whispered Tzirga. “What can I do? Stab someone with my horns?”

  “Hey!” hissed Ariella. “Your horns are crazy awesome.”

  Asha looked down at her own hand and tried to picture a falcon's curved black claws growing from her fingertips. Just as she thought she felt a tingling sensation, Lexi raised her hand.

  “Yes, Hewitt?” said Uma.

  “I was wondering what it means when two people can talk to each other telepathically, so to speak.” She was trying not to smile.

  Asha stomped down toward Lexi's foot, but she raised her knee in time.

  Uma stopped the spear mid-twirl and blinked up at Lexi. She glanced at Chakori and Fanishwar. Then Chakori shrugged, nodding once.

  Uma cleared her throat. “When two members or descendants of The Infernal Guard can read each other's minds, feel each other's emotions, they are what can only be described as soulmates.”

  Asha looked across the room at Aquila before she could stop herself, and found him beaming proudly at her. She noticed Ursala and Kelakha looking from him to Asha in obvious alarm.

  “It's
a rare gift,” Uma continued, “and a curse. Each feels the other's pleasure and pain. And if one dies… well, there can be no life for the one who remains. The pain of separation is said to be unbearable. Having a soulmate brings both unimaginable happiness and the potential for unimaginable pain.”

  “Holy shit,” Lexi whispered.

  Trainees turned their heads to look at her.

  “For members of the Infernal Guard, love is not a civilian emotional roller coaster. Our normal is what civilians already consider soulmates. So… well, good luck, Hewitt. And congratulations!”

  Lexi's protests were drowned out by cheers, Ursala, Kelakha, and Aquila the loudest of all, spurred on by Lexi's horrified expression. Asha turned to Nidhan and stopped smiling. He sat still as a statue looking as if someone had punched him in the stomach.

  Uma raised her arms and the laughter and whistles died down. “As I'm sure you've all heard, tonight will be Sphere Training.”

  Loud applause erupted again.

  Uma shouted, “Go and rest. Drink a lot. Javin will be leading Spiritual Martial Arts in the outside arena at twenty-two hundred hours, and then after dinner we begin.”

  She turned to Chakori and Fanishwar, and they resumed their conversation as they disappeared through the door in the weapons wall.

  Everyone began filing out of the room, talking excitedly. The class had only lasted half an hour.

  Asha turned to Lexi, grinning. “You asked for it, Hewitt,” she said. Then, “Meet me in my room in ten?”

  Lexi nodded, a little color returning to her cheeks, and, glaring murderously at anyone who came near her, she stalked out of the room.

  Asha stopped in front of Nidhan, who sat motionless, his eyes unseeing.

  “Nidhan,” she said.

  He didn't respond, continuing to stare as if into a dark void.

  Suddenly worried, Asha reached out and shook him by the shoulder. “Nidhan!”

  Glancing around her, Asha made sure the room was empty. She raised her voice. “Lexi was asking about me! Did you hear what I said? She meant me and Aquila.”

  She sat down directly in front of him.

  He brought his eyes to hers. “What… ?” he said, blinking.

  “Even the first time we came here… Aquila was standing under a tree? Remember? You bumped into me?”

  Nidhan shook his head.

  “Lexi was asking about me and Aquila. Not herself.”

  Nidhan's eyes finally focused. He shook his head as if waking from a dream. “Oh,” he said.

  Trying very hard not to laugh, Asha patted him on the arm. “Yeah. Oh. We're supposed to be resting before tonight's training session.”

  He stood. “I… think I'll go for a run. I didn't get a chance earlier,” he mumbled, hurrying out.

  Shaking her head, Asha left the training room. Moving past the stained glass lights, she entered the dark stairway and became aware of Aquila's presence only a fraction of a second before his arms were around her.

  Look at you… nice mental stealth!

  “You like that, huh?” He bent his head, running his mouth along her neck, his lips like warm silk.

  “Mmm… I think I can break your concentration though.” Asha let her mind flood with desire, giggling at Aquila's ragged gasp.

  The next second his lips found hers, and dizzying pleasure coursed through Asha, melting what little of her restraint remained. Exhilaration overwhelmed her as Aquila pressed his body against hers, and Asha vaguely felt the stone wall hit her back as her legs wrapped around him, her hands in his soft hair, pulling him closer. The breathless urge to be crushed between the wall and Aquila overrode all other logical thought, and Asha realized with impatient frustration that it would still not satisfy the insatiable hunger to be closer to him. She gasped with astonishment at the sensation of it.

  Aquila's hands, obeying her every thought, were beneath her clothes, igniting paths of unquenchable thirst along her skin as they moved. Asha was no longer able think beyond the consuming craving of her every cell, her every fiber, to merge with Aquila. She pulled deliriously at his clothes, her hands distracted by the wonders of firm muscle beneath smooth, deliciously warm skin—

  Asha! We're… in a stairway…

  Still feeling the intensity of his desire like a physical force, Asha froze, opening her eyes. And gasped in horror. Their blue light was reflected in Aquila's dilated eyes, illuminating his flushed features. A stab of panic more painful than anything she had felt shot through her.

  Have I—hurt you?

  Aquila laughed, and the feeling spread throughout Asha's entire body as he leaned against her, kissing her eyelids softly. His strong hands ran along Asha's legs, her hips, and under her shirt to wrap around her, holding her tighter.

  “I've never felt better.” Aquila kissed her again, his lips fitting perfectly with hers, and Asha felt a wave of arousal crash over her. Surrendering to it, she willingly let it pull her under.

  “But we're still in a stairway,” he whispered against her lips, his voice thick.

  Pulling away with a shudder, Aquila gently unwrapped Asha's legs from his waist.

  Asha slid down the wall with a groan, sitting down on the cold stone, and Aquila laughed his gloriously warm laugh as he sat across from her, twining his legs with hers.

  Closing her eyes and letting her head fall against the wall, Asha said, “If you're quite finished enticing my virginal purity toward temptation, I told Lexi I'd meet her in my room.”

  Aquila laughed again. “From this moment, your virginal purity is my sole preoccupation. Consider me its most ferocious defender.”

  It was Asha's turn to laugh, shaking her head in wonder at his self-control, which she knew to be super-human.

  “C'mon, I'll walk you,” he said, rising.

  Asha slapped his hand away. “I can still walk, thank you very much.” She stood up, straightening her clothes, and stumbled on the next step. “Sort of…”

  Aquila reached a hand around Asha's waist, pulling her to him.

  See you at Sphere Training?

  Asha nodded, leaning in to him. His heartbeat still hammered against her hand, matching her own. Brushing her lips against his once, she hurried up the stairs.

  † † †

  Lexi stood across from Asha's room, staring down at the indoor garden. Turning, she looked at Asha and raised a hand. “Don't tell me. I don't wanna know.”

  Opening her door, Asha virtually skipped to her balcony, grabbing her harp with a twirl on the way.

  Lexi threw herself into a chair. “What did you want to tell me?”

  “Oh, yeah. That.” Asha studied the back of her harp. “Ranya is Aquila's twin sister.”

  “What? But… how?”

  “Asura came and took her when she was a baby.” Asha told Lexi about Aquila's parents.

  “Fuck…” Lexi said.

  “Yeah.”

  They sat in silence, listening to the symphony of insects in the night. The sound of Ranya's laughter threatened to boil over into Asha's mind, and she hurried to change the subject.

  “Lexi, I talked to Nidhan. I'm pretty sure he was actually considering leaving. You know, having Afzal do whatever to his memory and go back to civilian life. He was that miserable.”

  Lexi looked as if someone had slapped her. “You think he would have left if… ?”

  “I think he was battling with himself. Duty, honor, or… sanity.”

  “Jesus,” Lexi whispered.

  “But, never fear, I have a solution.” Asha grinned. Reaching for her cell phone, she plugged speakers into it.

  Lexi raised an eyebrow and folded her arms.

  “This app I downloaded is awesome!” Asha told her. “See, you pick a song, and it plays the music for it—only the instruments you choose. Like a musician's karaoke app.”

  “And?”

  “And you are going to sing, Lexi. Nidhan is on a run and you are going to sing and he will hear you and it will cheer him up!” />
  “And if I don't feel like singing?”

  Asha raised a finger. “You will change your mind momentarily when you experience this app.”

  With a loud sigh, Lexi rolled her eyes.

  “I've been working on making this thing sound like an electric guitar…” Asha fiddled with her harp.

  Lexi snorted. “There is absolutely no way that thing…”

  Asha pushed a button on her phone, settled her harp onto her lap, and turned the speakers all the way up.

  Wiggling her eyebrows at Lexi, Asha played a few chords and touched her phone.

  Paramore's Still Into You began blasting across the garden with Asha playing lead guitar, and Lexi burst into laughter.

  “No way!” She was shaking her head. “It's—look, you're disturbing everyone's rest.”

  Asha closed her eyes and shook her head. “Take your comeuppance like a champion, Lexi. Sing! You're already missing the whole first verse.”

  Reluctantly, Lexi started laughing, shaking her head as she watched Asha.

  Asha played seamlessly along with the music, moving her head and shoulders like a dancing bird, making faces at Lexi.

  “This is stupid,” Lexi said, but she grabbed a spoon for a microphone, jumped up, and began singing the irresistible chorus, louder and louder, tossing her blonde hair as she jumped in time with the beat.

  Asha sang backup vocals as Lexi, her long jacket discarded, danced in a bright red Daddy Yankee T-shirt, her weapons gleaming on her belt, knives and stakes shining in leg holsters, her wrist guard in hilarious contrast with the spoon-mic.

  As the song came to its climactic end, screams of applause erupted from every balcony on their side of the building, and Lexi stood breathless, grinning at Asha, and shaking her head at the harp.

  “Thank you, Punjab!” she yelled, and gave Asha a high five.

  “You're actually very punk rock, Lexi,” Asha said, crossing her eyes.

  “Oh, shut up,” Lexi snapped. “And I apologize. I should never have doubted that a girl who can transform into a bird, heal and kill with a mere thought, and haunt people at will, could make a… whatever that thing is sound like an electric guitar.”

  Asha bowed her head solemnly, putting a hand on her heart. “Apology accepted.” Then she played the intro to AC/DC's Back in Black, wiggling her eyebrows, and they both laughed.