Page 137 of The Divine Lies We Weave

The Viperess jerked her head around to Tanmay, and he gasped. “Tell anyone! And I will gut you too. I already have Leela captured in her mind. Do not make me kill her or anyone else on this ship. Get me to the mountainside by the end of tomorrow, or I will begin killing your crew one by one.”

Tanmay stared at Leela long enough to soak in the galaxies. Eventually, he must’ve noted the Viperess’s desperation and did as he was ordered.

Leela shut her eyes, tears sliding down her face. Another crew member was hurt by this outcome—hurt by her because she hadn’t been strong enough to withstand the Viperess.

“Hoist the sails. Raise the anchor! We fly until dawn!” Tanmay ordered the crew.

“What about the captain?” Vedant asked.

“I said fly. I am second mate. I can command this ship too,” Tanmay snapped, tears springing to his eyes. “We need to get to the mountainside by tomorrow’s nightfall.”

The crew nervously glanced at one another but eventually moved into position.

“We’ll never make it to the dunes by then. Where is Navya?” Vedant asked.

“Find someone who is a Vessel to the Hawk,” Tanmay ordered.

Before long, the ship lurched forward and soared across the plains.

Leela was too tired to think of who flew them now that Navya was dead. As much as Leela hadn’t liked her, she’d never wished her dead. She was just a lovesick woman who wanted Rajesh.

And who wouldn’t?

He was kind. Pleasant. Knew how to care for anyone. Knew how to work his fingers to entice a single moan. His heart was as thick as gold and as strong as a lion.

At the thought, Leela’s chest squeezed, and she fell back against the glass and didn’t move.

34

LEELA

The Viperess stood in silence as dawn breathed life into another day.

A day Leela didn’t want to see, but a day, nonetheless. All night, she toiled with the idea of how to overpower the Viperess and regain control of her body. But the numbness drowned out the thoughts, sucking her into its withered hands.

It was as if she were falling.

Over and over again.

Drowning.

Surfacing.

Drowning.

Eventually, her thoughts kept running wild as if they were in sync, like a beautifully twisted harmony.

What if this was it…? What if she was alone…?

Rajesh was all she had left. She knew the crew well enough, but there was no one like him. No one knew the inner workings of her mind or how to push her buttons without pushing her over the edge. He always knew how to make her laugh whenever she fell, like the time she grazed her knee and he helped her up, dusted off the sand, and carried her to the hut to bandage it.

The hollowness in Leela came from the realization that she was alone.

And loneliness was the biggest beast of all.

The ship bumped, and Leela tuned into the surroundings. The Viperess stared up at the twin mountain peaks. With Kithium being near the coast, a fog would often settle over the mountains like hair over a woman’s shoulder.

The Viperess surveyed the peaks. An eerie stillness nestled between the two bulging masses. Leela slowly stood and gazed into the distance, the peaks rising high on either side and a long narrow stretch in between going as far as she could see. Goosebumps rose along her arms.