Poison's Kiss (Poison's Kiss #1)

I play with the hem of my sleeve. “That they are on our coins and our flags,” I say. “And the uniforms of Sundari’s soldiers.” I try to think if there is anything else I know, but I can’t come up with anything. My cheeks are warm.

Deven doesn’t speak for a moment. He just watches me, a dozen emotions flickering across his face. Finally he clears his throat. “The Raksaka was composed of four members. The bird, Garuda, to rule the skies, the tiger to rule the land, the crocodile to rule the waters, and the snake to rule the underground. For years they lived in perfect balance, no animal more powerful than the other. But the snake wanted more power. He craved it.” Deven leans against the counter and folds his arms across his chest. “The only way for a member of the Raksaka to gain power was to gain followers, and so the snake began to search for humans who wanted power too—humans who would be willing to follow the snake, and the snake alone. As the snake gained supporters, he grew.”

I swallow. “His power grew, you mean?”

Deven nods. “His power, yes. But also his body. As the balance of power shifted, the snake physically grew. He grew massive.”

Gooseflesh races across my skin. “And the other animals?”

“Got smaller,” Deven says. “Eventually the snake learned how to transfer some of his power to humans, and they began to kill the followers of the rest of the Raksaka.” I press the back of my hand to my mouth. Humans like me. Humans who killed on command. “Which, of course, only made the snake’s power stronger.

“When the snake was strong enough,” Deven continues, “he came up from the underground and set fire to the world.” With a lurch I remember the illustration from the ancient book Japa showed me—the villagers running from a snake with fire bursting from its mouth.

“The Dark Days,” I breathe.

“Yes,” Deven says. “The Dark Days. The tiger and the crocodile disappeared. Most people assume they were killed off—they had grown small and weak and were easy targets. But Garuda…Garuda could fly.” He unfolds his arms and leans forward. “She had shrunken to the size of a hummingbird, but still the snake couldn’t destroy her. The people of Sundari were desperate for relief, and so Garuda’s followers grew and grew until she was big enough to blot out the sun. Big enough to force the Nagaraja underground again.”

“So where is she now?” I ask.

Deven shrugs. “We don’t know. Once Sundari was safe again, most of Garuda’s followers grew complacent and she disappeared. We hope that if her followers grow, she will show herself again. But the Naga are growing far faster than the Pakshi, and the Snake King is becoming more and more powerful.”

A wave of nausea rolls over me. This is what I’ve spent my life doing. Helping a monster grow large enough, powerful enough, to steal Mani. I rest my forehead in my palms. It’s so much to take in.

“So Iyla was helping you?” I ask. Did she know all of this? Why didn’t she ever tell me?

“Yes,” Deven says. “Iyla asked if we would help her leave the Naga in exchange for information, and we agreed. She’s only been pretending to work with you.”

I feel like I’ve swallowed a brick of ice. “That’s not possible,” I say. “I’ve killed based on her information. Recently.”

“Not necessarily.”

I slam my palm against my thigh. “Stop that. Stop telling me what I have and haven’t done. I kissed those boys. I killed them. They’re dead and it’s all my fault.”

He sighs. “I’m not saying that you didn’t kiss them. Only that they didn’t die.”

“You don’t understand. Everyone I kiss dies.”

His gaze is steady. “Not if they’re immune.” My breath sticks in my throat. I didn’t think anyone was immune except Gopal and Kadru. And me.

“But…” It doesn’t make any sense. Why wouldn’t Iyla tell me? She knew how miserable I was. She knew I would have helped her.

“I’m telling you the truth,” Deven says. “The Pakshi have been trying to infiltrate the Naga for years. Iyla was the perfect way in. She has been feeding them false information and setting up false kills since she’s been with us. The boys you kissed—we made sure they were immune before Iyla set up the meetings. We hoped it would give us a chance to see how the Naga work, without anyone having to die.” If what he’s saying is true, then there was no use being sad about Iyla’s empty house. She left me a long time ago.

And if Deven knew who Iyla was all along, did he know who I was too? It touches something raw inside me, the thought that he was pretending when he took me on that hike. When he showed me the waterfall and the Widows’ Village. When he held my hand. A yawning emptiness opens up in my chest. At least I haven’t killed in a long time.

“So none of the boys died? Not for two years?”

“Well…we’re not entirely sure that none of them died.” My heart sinks—my redemption lasted only a few seconds. Deven rubs his palms against his legs like he’s nervous, like there’s something he doesn’t want to tell me. “Iyla may have been working both sides. It’s possible she set up kills we weren’t aware of.”

Breeana Shields's books