Page 18 of The Divine Lies We Weave

By the time night descended upon her like a scorned lover, her stomach was growling louder than the howling desert wind. She sat atop a hill, overlooking more endless dunes. Her feet were blistered and bruised, her thighs screaming at her to stop. Her stomach… Flames, her stomach…

Anger fueled her forward, one agonizing step at a time. She was mad. Mad at the Viperess. Mad at the circumstances. Mad she was stuck in a situation with no way out. What was the point in having a Flame in her head if said Flame wouldn’t help her?

Who says I am not helping, mortal?

Me. Because what are you doing other than idly sitting by?

Would you rather I take over your mind and control you?

Leela ground her fists. No.

I will only help when you are in dire circumstances. I’m still learning how this Vessel works. Keep walking. There is a way.

Leela cursed under her breath.

Her lips were stinging by the time she tumbled down the thousandth dune, rolling in the sand and landing at the base. She was too tired to move. Too tired to even blink. She lay there, staring up through watery eyes at the thousands of stars twinkling across the inky indigo skies. Her mother used to tell her stories of the stars, drawing on the constellations to spark stories of the Flames they feared. There was the Tiger and how harshly she twisted sandstorms or blistering winds when enraged. Her mother used to say that those who didn’t ring the Tiger’s bell would be afflicted with disease or breathe toxic air.

She let out a panicked breath and curled into a ball.

“Take me…” she whispered. “Take me….”

This wasn’t the way she had pictured herself dying. She’d pictured it with children by her side and a loving husband. My, how she would’ve wanted to be loved by someone for all eternity. But here she was, trapped in the desert she’d watched from her bedroom window.

Eventually, her body gave in to the welcoming darkness, and she sank into the sand.

“I just wish… I wish I had a way to get my revenge.”

A tear slid down her cheek.

“I’m sorry, Anika, you deserved better,” she whispered.

A heaviness settled, a dark fog calling her name like the gentle lull of ocean waves. Not that she’d ever heard waves before.

A golden hand reached through the darkness.

It could only be death.

Leela floated through space and time. Somehow, she was moving. She had no idea how.

No. Someone was moving her.

Leela glimpsed golden hair and a poised face. Arms were steadily wrapped around her. Whoever carried her stood tall. Proud.

I have you, mortal

6

LEELA

Something cold on her cheek startled Leela. She snapped awake and stared into a pair of deep, dark eyes.

“She wakes.”

Leela bolted to her feet, but she slipped down on the sand and fell back on her ass. Days of wandering meant her hips were tired, and she cried out in pain, cursing the skies above.

The person crouched before Leela had a look of sincerity steeped within her gaze.

Leela quickly assessed her new surroundings, a lump forming in her throat. Women held onto their young, and men gripped their weapons. Tiny clay huts lay scattered beside a tranquil river. Trees sprouted between the thatched huts and a fire pit flickered and burned behind the crowd. The twin moons peeked beyond a dune that nestled the tiny village.