Page 146 of The Divine Lies We Weave

Leela hated turning her back on the others, knowing they were fighting a battle they never asked to fight. Some would be dead, ascending to the Awakening or descending to the Netherworld for their mortal crimes.

Eventually, the Viperess stood in another open field of sand. More mountains curved into an embankment. Sunlight streamed from above, the fog now risen far enough to show a cloudless sky.

Leela had no more questions to ask. All of them had been answered, and now, all she had to do was sit back and watch and wait for the chaos.

The Viperess curled her hand around the seed as she stood in the center of the field. A deep, relieved sigh shook through her. Leela may not have control over her body, but she felt that sigh like it was a giant wave crashing down.

“I cannot believe I did it,” the Viperess spoke into the open. A tear slid down her cheek, and she brushed it away. “You have no idea, mortal, how freeing it is to have control over your life once more. To not be banished to a realm you never wished to descend to.”

Leela didn’t pity the Viperess. She had taken everything from her, and no sob story would ever make her feel sorry for her. Thoughts of Rajesh rose and tugged at her heart.

That was all this was for?

“To be free, Leela. That was what all this was for. For centuries, I was trapped within the realms. For years, I was trapped within a romance I thought would last forever. For years, I was trapped, having to obey higher beings. But not anymore. Once I plant this seed, I get to ascend into the Awakening and watch as the Flames are stuck in their mortal bodies. I win. I get to drink the elixir of immortality and reign once again.”

The elixir…? It was what you wanted?

“To live for centuries and earn the years I should have had back,” the Viperess said. “I drink that elixir, and I get to control it all.”

I don’t understand. Do you not live for centuries, anyway?

“Many centuries, but like you, mortal, my body grows weak and my mind more so. I end up all alone, again.”

Are you not alone if you ascend too?

“No. Because I will bring those who obey me up to the Awakening and make them all mine. Forever. I will be their queen.”

Leela thought of the rebels and how many of those would survive to ascend with her. Was this what it was all for? For the rebels to help the Viperess conquer the earthen realm, to find the seed, and then go home? Leela supposed it was a winning bet, the rebels doing whatever the Viperess wanted to ensure they got to ascend.

Why kill the Scorpion then? I don’t understand. If all you ever wanted was the seed, why delay and hunt him down?

“Why waste a perfect opportunity?” the Viperess said. “I broke free of the Netherworld, and the Scorpion descended into the Awakening. For the first time, I could enact my revenge. Kill him. Ascend. And take the throne. Besides, it was the perfect lie to spin while no one suspected what I was really after.”

Leela ground her teeth. You had me fooled.

The Viperess smiled a genuine smile as tears streamed down her face. “Yes. I did. I wove the biggest lie of all. That to love means to be weak. To betray is to string a set of steps into their perfect position. To win is to finally heal.”

Yet, you hurt so many people in the meantime. What does that make you? You manipulated people to get what you wanted. You cursed Rajesh’s bloodline with the Scorpion. You split the realms apart, scattering monsters across the realms. You have lied over and over again. And for what? To go back to the Awakening and forever be alone? Leela laughed a twisted laugh filled with heartache and betrayal. You will end up all alone, Viperess. So yes, I really do hope you get what you want—or rather, deserve.

The Viperess’s lips twitched. “You have been a great Vessel, Leela. Perhaps you will ascend and live forever in the first realm.”

Un-fucking-likely.

The Viperess crouched and dug the ground. Her fingers parted the earth as if it were mere water. Leela watched patiently, biding her time as the Viperess planted the seed and covered it back up.

The Viperess leaned closer, inching her face over the seed. Her tears dampened the earth, which soon grew a murkier brown.

She rose and took several big steps back.

“Now, we wait.”

Leela gulped, an unnerving feeling tingling through her. Anticipation rolled in her stomach like a stone turning with jagged edges. Yet, the Viperess stood perfectly still. No hair upturned or blood vessel pulsing.

When Leela had finally grown tired of waiting, the earth answered. It quaked and bubbled, the world seeming to tumble around her. The Viperess continued to stand, watching as the trunk pierced the air until it reached the edges of the surrounding mountain peaks. Branches snapped out like twisting arms, reaching for something they craved until they ended in sharp, navy points. Leaves bloomed, unfurling like curved smiles and lying like sparkling gems across the tree. Pearls budded into delicate flowers. Diamonds grew as fruit, with a clear center and a pulsing, glowing middle.

Leela gasped, the beauty too profound to detail all the intricate pieces. The gold glittered within the trunk and branches, right down to the fruits pulsing underneath the sun.

Oh…