Chitt offers Mathura his elbow, and they go. Only Deven, Ashwin, and I remain. Given our quarrel last night, it is a wonder we are all in the same room together without arguing.
Ashwin waits until the door shuts and extends a letter to us. “Late last night, I received a message from the bhuta warlord. Hastin has requested a meeting with the kindred and me.”
Of course Hastin knows where we are. He has informants all over the continent.
Deven demonstrates no inclination to take the letter, so I do and read the warlord’s message aloud. “‘I would like to propose an accord. Meet me in Samiya to discuss uniting against the demon rajah.’”
My heart yanks hard in my chest. I have not returned home since Tarek claimed me, but I dream of the mountains often. Jaya is always in my dreams, as is Deven. “Why the temple?”
“Samiya is a neutral site,” replies Ashwin. “Hastin wouldn’t dare attack us on sacred ground.”
“You’ve clearly never met the bhuta warlord,” Deven retorts.
I finger the Tarachand seal, a scorpion, at the top of the letter. Hastin stole this parchment from the rajah’s personal belongings in the palace. I want to disregard his request just to spite him, but I consider it for the ranis and courtesans he has trapped there. They and their children are caught in the middle of this war. An alliance could set them free.
“We should go,” I say.
Deven tugs the letter from my hand. “I cannot believe you’re considering this.”
“We cannot rightly ignore him. The demon rajah is more powerful than we are, and he has our army. The Lestarian Navy is of no use to us now.”
“Not entirely.” Deven tosses aside the letter. Ashwin tries to catch the corner, but it drifts out of reach to the floor. “Other waterways lead to Vanhi. The navy could still fight with us.”
“Hastin’s troops are already in Vanhi,” counters Ashwin. “With the rebel soldiers on our side, we can surround the imperial army when they reach the city.”
“The imperial army may be scattered, but it’s the largest in the world,” Deven explains. “On his way, the demon rajah will pick up deserters. The closer he gets to Vanhi, the more loyalists he will bring into his fold. Army outposts are stationed all along his route. His troops will rally with him, and his ranks will swell.”
“Even more reason why we need the rebels,” I counter. “Hastin may have a vendetta against Tarek, but he’s no fool. He knows he cannot defeat the demon rajah without help.”
“Do you really believe the rebels want to unite?” Deven jabs a finger at me, marking his every point. “Hastin betrayed you. He tried to murder Ashwin by burning down the Brotherhood temples. Hastin will sooner slit the prince’s throat than unite with Tarek’s heir.”
Ashwin swallows loudly, his color paling.
I have not forgotten Hastin’s actions. Nor has my guilt lessened over my former naivety. Hastin used me to further his vendetta against Tarek. The result goes beyond the loss of the Turquoise Palace and his imprisonment of the rajah’s wives and courtesans, many of whom are my friends. Hastin murdered palace guards and soldiers. To escape him, citizens fled the empire to the sultanate. Many fell ill with swamp sickness in the encampments and died. Our downtrodden people were primed for the return of Rajah Tarek. Without their hardships, I doubt they would have so readily accepted his miraculous resurrection. But thanks to Hastin and the landslide of suffering his insurgence caused, our people and army are now following a demon.
No, I have not forgotten Hastin’s part in our misery. But I am not the same woman I was when we first met. Hastin will not deceive me again, nor will he keep what is rightfully mine. He has my father’s journal, my only connection to my parents. The last time I saw the warlord, he dangled the journal before me as a bribe, but I refused to align with him over Ashwin. I have been patient long enough. I want what is mine.
“Kali, this is Hastin,” Deven says. “He’s setting a trap.”
I nearly crack under the weight of his warning, but the gods have preserved my life to stop the fall of the empire. And I will do just that. “We cannot stand against the demon rajah alone. Partnering with Hastin is our best chance of winning.”
“I’ll send him a carrier dove right away.” Ashwin selects a plain piece of parchment to jot his letter upon. “We’ll agree to meet at the Samiya temple, far away from the sea raiders and the imperial army.”
“You’ll also be far away from help when Hastin stabs you in the back,” Deven clips out.
“We have another reason to meet in Samiya.” Ashwin picks up an open book. “I spent the night researching demons in hope of discovering the Voider’s identity. Many demons serve Kur, but I narrowed them down per their abilities and found one that possesses the icy breath of cold-fire.” He shows us the page with a sketch of a demon exhaling a plume of blue flames.
Deven and I shuffle closer to read the caption beneath the drawing, and our sides bump. He steps away and tells Ashwin to summarize.
“The demon’s name is Udug, Kur’s top commander. Udug has three siblings, who are also eternal soldiers of Kur’s: Edimmu, Asag, and Lilu. All four of them possess a version of bhutas’ land, fire, sky, and water abilities.”
Deven’s brows shoot up. “Udug and his siblings have bhuta abilities?”
“A perverted form of them, though their powers are rarely seen in our realm. It’s a long-held belief that demons are more powerful in the dark.”
The Voider—Udug—serves the demon Kur, who holds a grudge that goes back millennia, to the war between the sky-god Anu and his primeval parents. Kur means to avenge the deaths of the primeval gods by wiping out mankind’s strongest connection to Anu—bhutas. The First Bhutas vanquished Udug long ago, and their method was recorded in a sacred book. A book Udug destroyed.
I point at the picture of the Voider. “What does any of this have to do with Samiya?”
“The gods’ temple was built at the top of the Alpana Mountains,” Ashwin answers. Every member of the Parijana faith believes in Ekur, the gods’ mountain house, though no mortal has seen it. “This book says the only way to vanquish a demon is to banish it, just like the First Bhutas did. We have to find the gate to the Void and return Udug through it. The gate is rumored to be hidden near Samiya.”
The sisters spoke often of Ekur, but they neglected to mention that an entry to the Void was close to our temple sanctuary. That is, assuming they are aware it is there.
Deven blusters out a breath. “Kali, he’s only trying to convince you to go with him. The rebels don’t want to make peace with us. Hastin will never side with him.” He motions at Ashwin. “He represents everything the warlord despises.”
Ashwin rubs the back of his neck tiredly. “Your concerns are noted, Deven.”