Page 76 of The Divine Lies We Weave

“Anyway, I’m going to get something to eat. Do you want some food?”

“I’m okay, thank you.” Leela hadn’t had much of an appetite for the last week, and she was almost too scared to eat now. “You go on ahead.”

Hema smiled and then walked away.

Leela turned back to the dunes that looked like pregnant bellies and watched as they sped past them. The air grew hotter; she could tell they were making their way north across the Southern Deserts, the red sand turning yellow the further they reached the center. She had studied the giant map in her village’s room, the five continents slathered with oceans of all kinds. The desert island was divided into three parts, with Nihikia sitting right on the edge of the Southern Desert, and Kithium sat on the northern parts. Jhuna Rin was their third desert kingdom, situated further west. If she were to look at it on the map, the desert kingdoms were like a messy circle, split into three uneven parts while the storm blazed in the center.

“You look like you need a drink,” Rajesh said.

Leela looked over her shoulder as he approached. His black shirt billowed in the air, his soft mop of hair waving over his steady gaze. He held a dusty green bottle toward her.

Her gaze jumped between his and the bottle in his hands. “Fine. Thank you.” Leela grabbed it and sniffed the contents. A creamy, butterscotch smell hit her, and she crinkled her nose. “Actually, no thanks.”

“Not a fan of whiskey?” He took the bottle back with a smirk etched in the corners of his mouth. He tilted his head back, bottle to his lips, and downed a good mouthful.

The knot on his neck bobbed, and she looked away from the scar she’d left on his skin.

“No. Not a drinker, really.”

“I remember a few times when we’d sneak a few.” Rajesh leaned over the railing.

Leela searched her mind for something else to say. She didn’t have time to draw on the old memories between them. Not after what she’d done.

“When will we find the monsters?” Leela asked. “We’ve traveled far enough.”

“At this time of the year, most of the monsters drive further south. Toward the waters and Kithium borders, to find sanctuary between the mountains,” Rajesh said. “Be glad we haven’t run into more.”

“What sort have you killed?” She glanced around the ship to make sure no one was nearby and leaned into Rajesh. “Or rather, made? How does it work?”

Rajesh dragged a hand over his face and heaved a sigh. “I had a feeling you were going to ask that.”

“Does that mean you’ll tell me?”

Rajesh shuffled closer, his whiskey breath hot against her face.

Leela stilled, refusing to let it affect her.

“There is the furybeast, which, by the name, makes sense,” Rajesh said. “Born of fury. Then there are the drakion, which are wilder emotions, like splits of happiness or sadness. Emotions I can’t quite change but happen every day. Then, the gullomer, which is when I’m guilty of something. The soulkisser, which is when I might feel high spits of anxiety.”

Leela frowned. She understood the others, but the name of the last monster made no sense.

Rajesh caught hold of her expression. “Anxiety sucks out your soul, right? The thoughts that are forever going? Tearing parts of your soul apart?”

Leela understood. She also understood that the angstent was born of anger. “And then the lustisha, born from heartache.”

Rajesh refused to move his gaze away from hers. “Lust and heartache sort of go hand in hand. And heartache creates the biggest monsters of all.”

Leela sucked in a breath, her pulse thundering in her ears as she saw how the words impacted Rajesh in that moment. She almost tumbled, losing her hold on the railing. She caught herself and righted her footing, a blush riding her cheeks.

Rajesh raised a brow. “You okay, damiji?”

“Yeah. Fine. Just… weak,” she said, fumbling for an excuse for how he looked at her.

His brow raised higher, then lengthened into a smirk. “I don’t ever remember making your legs weak.”

Leela shoved him, and he chuckled. “My legs work perfectly fine, thank you.”

“Oh, I’m aware.” His chuckle deepened.