Page 38 of The Divine Lies We Weave

“Trust us, we’ve tried,” Nalini said. “But there is no way to get a Flame out of a mortal body. Not without…”

“Dying,” Iravan finished, avoiding Leela’s gaze.

Leela clutched her head, pulling at her hair and shutting her eyes as she tried to grapple with this information. This couldn’t be happening. Despite what Rajesh had told her and her feelings, she’d found a piece of home when he found her, and now, everything might be ripped away from her—again. She just wanted a minute of peace. A minute to collect herself and gather her thoughts.

“There’s no way? At all?” Leela choked out.

The look in Nalini’s eyes was all Leela needed.

“What about the artifacts?” Leela asked. “The Seven Artifacts of Fauna and Flora from the Awakening?”

The others all glanced at one another, a tale hidden within their gazes.

The Seven Artifacts were the reason Leela had hunted down the weapon in the first place. They were said to be the artifacts dropped from the Awakening when the realms split, dropping down blessed waters, poison, and wish-fulfilling trees said to grant any wish. Magical items that, unfortunately, dropped from the Awakening as the Flames left the realm. Nothing like the weapons the mortals had foraged from their bones, claws, or even wings.

Leela had been searching for the magical bow and arrow, said to strike true when unleashed, or even the poison meant to kill anyone or anything it touched. Or even the wish-fulfilling tree dropped from a seed in the Awakening, but that was more myth than real.

“What do you know?” Leela pressed.

To Leela’s surprise, it was Rajesh who responded. “We stopped looking when we found out the artifacts were all myths, or someone stole them so no one could track them down.”

So it was all useless? It was all… gone? Just like that? Hope lay dead in their eyes.

“I refuse to believe that. They are out there,” Leela countered. “And we can find them.”

Nalini responded, “I love your enthusiasm, Leela. But we have been hunters for quite some time now and its always led to a dead end.”

“Or, lost on the other side of the world or in another kingdom,” Iravan added.

Leela bit her lip. They had been in this game longer than she had. She needed to believe them, but she still clung to the hope that the artifacts were out there. She would find the weapon to kill the lustisha, and she would find a way to get rid of the Viperess without losing herself along the way.

Or killing Rajesh.

Nalini approached Leela. “You are more than welcome to stay, Leela. We can help you try to control the Viperess. But you have a long road ahead of you. Grasp your mind or she will control you, and you won’t like what will happen.”

Leela bit her lip and nodded. She understood the risks. The longer the conversation continued, the more it was all she could think about.

“And we can try to find the artifacts?” Leela suggested.

“We can try, but we’ve been trying for years, and it hasn’t gotten us anywhere,” Nalini said. “Besides, the kingdom decides who hunts the artifacts. We are Gilded Thorns. Hunters for monsters, not artifacts.”

“What about the palaces? Or the empires? Do they have any of them tracked down?”

“We are the Nihikian Empire,” Nalini said. “We work for the King of Nihikia to hunt the monsters and protect the people. We are the Gilded Thorns, the king’s weapons. Vessels, on active duty.”

Leela squeezed her eyes shut. “Oh…”

They really had tried everything. All the things Leela had been working hard for over the last few years were now useless. All the nights she pondered and had her informant sneak out of the palace. Now, it was all over. The hope was lost.

And she was stuck with a vengeful Flame.

“We will find a way to help you,” Nalini said. She smiled, one that tugged at Leela’s heartstrings. “We will do whatever we can, so we don’t lose you again.”

Unlikely.

“We’re just going to keep her here? Under the same roof as me? Why don’t you just get a katar and drive it through me now?” Rajesh argued.

“We will work it out,” Nalini said, tearing her gaze from Leela to her son. “We are not losing Leela again. We don’t need to lose anyone else in this game.”