Page 117 of The Surviving Sky
Dust and tears obscured her vision, but she saw past them: Iravan standing in front of the falcon-yaksha, a lone figure in white, his skin gleaming a brilliant teal.
Ahilya’s breath squeezed out of her. Her eyes watered. “E-vuhn,” she choked, trying to form his name.
And he heard.
Somehow, miraculously, he heard.
Iravan turned as though in a dream. He extended a hand toward her, took a step forward, his back to the flapping falcon-yaksha.
The yaksha uttered a bloodcurdling scream of pain and outrage. The cords around Ahilya’s throat tightened. Iravan took another faltering step to her. It seemed to happen very slowly.
The yaksha reached down, its talons snatching at Iravan. Its wings flapped once, twice.
Then the creature was gone, disappeared into the night sky.
Blackness enveloped Ahilya.
38
AHILYA
She was back in an earthrage. The ground roiled under her, and Oam died again. In her dreams, Iravan came to her. “Don’tleave…”he said. “Don’t leave me.” Over and over, the same words. She jerked, trying to catch them; if only she could catch them, it would all be better. Bharavi exploded into blue-green light, and Dhruv slept on the floor by her, glasses askew. Ahilya reached, but his body crumbled into ashes as soon as she touched him. She screamed, and Iravan returned, swallowing her scream with his kiss, pulling back to say again, “Don’t leave me.”
She awoke from a lonely haunted place to raised voices.
“—need to askher—”
“—only one withexpertise—”
Tariya and Dhruv’s voices answered, murmuring insistently. Ahilya blinked, and lights resolved. Sungineering glowglobes twinkled in a low, earthy ceiling. She tried to sit up, but healbranch vines looped around her wrists and chest. Her breath came out panicked; she was choking, the vine was going to kill her. She struggled, gasping, trying to pull the white vines off, but her arms were bound in splints; she couldn’t move.
And then Dhruv was there, hurrying toward her, sitting down on the floor, and stroking her hair. “Easy,” he said. “Easy. You’re all right. You’re safe.”
He braced her as she tried to sit up. Ahilya’s throat felt like sandpaper. She scrabbled for the jug Dhruv was picking up, but he batted her feeble attempts away. He poured the water into a small cup and held it out to her. Ahilya drank thirstily, sloshing water over herself, one cup, then another and another. Dhruv watched, his eyes bloodshot behind his glasses.
“What—”she began, but her voice came out softer than a whisper. She wasn’t sure she had spoken at all. Her throat burned. Tears pooled in her eyes and fell down her cheek.
“You need to slow down,” Dhruv said, gently wiping away her tears with the edge of his sleeve. “You were badly hurt. You broke your arm, you might have a concussion, and you were nearly strangled.”
“Ta-ya…boys…”
“They’re safe. Tariya has gone to get something to eat. She’ll be back soon.”
“Ee-ah-vuhn…”
“You need to rest.” Dhruv put down the jug he was holding and removed his glasses. “It’s only been two weeks since the attack. You still need to heal.”
Two weeks.
“Iravan…”she rasped, more insistently.
The sungineer studied her, his face grave and weary. Tears filled Ahilya’s vision; she began to sob, her throat throbbing. Panic drowned her lungs.
“He’s alive,” Dhruv said hurriedly. “Ahilya, please, Iravan is alive, all right? He’s alive.”
Ahilya stared at him, searching his face for a lie, but Dhruv would not lie toher—notabout this.
“Please,” he said, his voice breaking. “Just lay back.”
