Page 40 of The Divine Lies We Weave

Leela jumped. “Yes. They had this particular artwork at the palace too.”

“Speaking of, were you in the palace this entire time?” Iravan arched a brow.

“Of sorts, yes,” Leela said, fidgeting with her shirt. She glanced at the mysterious rock in the middle of the conflicting groups. “What is that?”

“Ah, the elixir of immortality. The thing the Flames have fought over for generations.”

Leela frowned. “Don’t Flames live forever anyway?”

Iravan barked in laughter, holding his stomach. “Oh, you are still so very new to this, aren’t you?”

Heat rushed to Leela’s cheeks, and she glanced out the window. “I am aware.”

Iravan slapped her shoulder. “I’ll show you the library later, and we can talk about history.”

“Sure. Thanks.”

Eventually, Iravan found an unoccupied room and flopped on the bed. His messy curls hung over his warm brown eyes as he cradled his sore leg between his fingers.

Leela entered the lavish room with the finest oak furniture. Wooden cupboards stood against the wall beside a mirror, which reflected how messy she looked. How could they have possibly carried it all and decorated the place? Especially given the tiny tunnels and passageways. She was exhausted just from walking, let alone having to carry furniture.

“Enjoying the walk so far?” Iravan asked.

“It’s all so…” Leela glanced over the room, trying to soak it all in.

Curtains hung against the window, curbing the heat from rising in the room. Even the cupboards were decorated with beautiful designs.

“Pretty?”

“A lot,” Leela corrected. “Today has been a lot.”

Iravan sighed. “Yeah, I can only imagine seeing your ex-fiancé, who you thought was dead, alive and well.”

Leela’s chest tightened. She leaned against the wall and looked at Iravan as the candlelight cast shadows along his elongated jaw. There was nothing strange about his shadow, at least she knew he wasn’t a Vessel too.

“How did it happen?” Leela asked. “How did he become the Scorpion?”

Iravan bowed his head with a nervous chuckle. “I don’t know if I can tell you that, Lee. It’s not my story to tell. Well, it sort of is but isn’t. Anyway. You’ll have to ask him.”

“He won’t even look at me.” Leela crossed her arms and glanced at her feet, now dyed red from the cave walls she walked.

“You won’t even say his name,” Iravan pointed out.

She gave him a look, one of irritation.

He grinned, smug. “Am I wrong?”

“No.”

“I mean, I understand why.” Iravan rubbed the top of his cane, carved into the tip of the end of a scorpion tail. “He was distraught about you as, I am sure, you were about him.”

She wondered if Rajesh had told his brother about their last conversation. How she had snuck out with him to talk, and was then left heartbroken? She assumed Rajesh hadn’t. He wasn’t ever one to talk about those things with his family.

Leela was the one he spoke to. The one who listened without judgment. Yet when Leela looked at Rajesh now, he was so distant she wasn’t sure she actually ever knew him.

“I’m still processing it all,” Leela whispered. It was the only thing she could say. “Besides, he’s changed.”

“As have you. You got hotter.”