Page 101 of Her Soul for a Crown
A drop of water landed on Reeri’s face. Not from the pool lapping at his waist but from the sky above. The rain fell on his shoulders. Reeri stilled. The season was turning, signaling the equinox mere days away. He opened a palm, let it fill with water.
Mighty Heavens, what was he doing, wasting time in the bath, dreaming of a life that could possibly never be, dreaming of—
It started at his navel, a force binding and confining. Just as it was in his memory. Reeri’s heart beat swiftly. This was not the tether.
It was his Lord.
***
When the Second Heavens called, there was nothing a Yakka could do.
Fire and brimstone reflected off the smooth ivory floor. Reeri coughed against a heap of broken statue, his head swimming from being ripped out of a body. Kama and Sohon bent with him. Calu collapsed on his knees. Reeri fought through the panic. They still had time. They should not have been called.
“You dare disobey my orders once again?” The booming voice of their Lord echoed through the vast chamber.
“Please,” Calu cried.
Dread traced Reeri’s throat.
“Shall I rescind the bargain now?” Lord Wessamony growled, heavenslight illuminating him atop his grand throne. The GreatSword trembled in his hand. “Shall I send you to final death for your repeated insolence?”
Reeri’s head snapped up. “My Lord, there has been no such thing.”
Blue burned the base of Wessamony’s horns. “Do you think me blind?”
“No, my Lord.” Reeri’s mind raced. Only they knew of the soul sacrifice, the purpose behind it. Anula would not be so daft as to tell the one she had marked for death. There was no other reason for Wessamony to believe they had tricked him or acted against the terms of their bargain. There were not even Kattadiya left to call upon him once more. They were dead and buried by their own people. “Please. We are close. I feel it in my soul.”
Wessamony smoldered. “You feel the call of the Bone Blade?”
“It is close.” It was not a lie. Residing in the kingdom brought them closer than they had been in the aether.
Wessamony reclined back, regarding them. It took one flick of Reeri’s gaze to see the line of Yakkas missing. A sight Reeri had never seen. His stomach twisted.
“Our bargain stands,” Wessamony declared. “Yet this cannot go unpunished.”
“What cannot?”
A wicked smile spread. “Calu, my son. Tell them.”
Reeri’s mouth dried as he turned to face Calu.
A shiver raked Calu’s shadow. He did not look up, nor meet their gazes. “I unwound the mind of a human. Without a bargain.”
Kama sucked in a sharp breath. The edges of Sohon’s specter thrashed.
No. None of them would break taboo, least of all Calu. Unless…had he not said he feared their plan going awry? ThatRatti would never return to his side?
An ache swept through Reeri’s shadow. Calu believed Reeri had already failed him. Again.
Calu bowed. “I accept full responsibility for my actions, my Lord. I deserve punishment.”
“Indeed, you do.” Wessamony held up a hand. “Yet tell me, what action did you take on the human?”
“I unwound his mind, my Lord, and gave him only one thought: to make an offering to me,” he whispered.
“Did he?”
Calu nodded, grim and haunted.
