Severance (The infernal Guard Book 3)

by SGD Singh

  Lexi started to warn Silas that Uma was the absolute worst person to be dealing with civilians, but then she pictured a bunch of ancient generals under Uma and Chakori's authority, and shrugged.

  “And now,” Silas said, “I suggest we all take a break and enjoy the celebrations.”

  Uma and Chakori made the same disgusted snort, and Inala smiled at them, his bright eyes laughing. “It wouldn't hurt you guys to relax once in a while.”

  Before she could hear Uma's inevitable threat in response to that, Lexi left the room.

  † † †

  Making her way toward Asha's bungalow, Lexi was glad she didn't encounter another living soul. She felt an inexplicable urge to shoot someone. She told herself it had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that she had felt the Upperworlders join them on the island twenty minutes earlier.

  Entering Asha's bedroom, it seemed her friend suffered from the same urge. Turning to face her, Asha leveled her revolver at Lexi and pulled the trigger before Lexi could think past her shock.

  “It works!” Asha beamed down at her, and Lexi realized she had shifted, completely out of her own control. Asha hopped like a little girl, shaking her hips and laughing while Lexi lay dazed against the tile, her Jodha instincts screaming through her eagle feathers.

  Lexi shifted back and scowled. “How the hell? Wait, why the hell did you just shoot me?”

  Asha danced across the room, holding up a handful of what looked like green, rubbery bullets. “It's the latest from the Tvastar's in Tokyo. Check it out. You shoot a Jodha with one of these rounds, and it causes them to shift, making them easier to transport if they're injured or unconscious.” Asha studied the round, then scowled. “Well, I guess in some cases it wouldn't help. Like, if you forced Bao Chen to shift, it wouldn't be easier to carry a giant snow leopard.” She snapped her fingers. “Unless! I wonder if you can strap them to you, and then shift yourself. All interesting questions.”

  Lexi snatched a bullet from Asha's hand, loaded it into her own revolver, and shot Asha in the thigh. Within half a second, a peregrine falcon glared up at her from the tiled floor.

  “Huh! It really does work.” Lexi shook her hips at Asha in an exaggerated imitation. She turned to look around the room until she found the box of new ammunition sitting on Asha's night table and felt herself smile for the first time all day. “I like it.”

  “Your own box is waiting for you in your room,” Asha said, narrowing her eyes.

  “Fine.” Lexi returned the box. “Now, as much I would love to talk weapons all night, we have a pre-wedding dinner party to get ready for, and a last-minute wedding checklist to go over. Plus, Uma wanted me to make sure you're mentally prepared for your Eternity Mark ceremony.”

  Asha crossed the room and picked up what looked like an old-fashioned silver stamp. She saluted Lexi with it. “One magical-Tvastar-wedding-injection thingy filled with the blood of my betrothed, to be branded over my heart at dawn, check.”

  Lexi glared.

  “What?” Asha said. “That's the official definition of this thing. Ask anyone.”

  “I get the feeling you're not taking this seriously enough.” Lexi crossed her arms, fighting the urge to shoot Asha again. “An Eternity Mark isn't to be used lightly. It binds you to the other person physically. Until one of you dies.”

  Asha froze, and her eyes filled with a sadness that Lexi couldn't bear to look at.

  “Oh, shit, Lexi,” she said. “I didn't mean…”

  “No one even knows what it does to soulmates, Asha. My guess is it's more intense than sensing where your spouse is, being able to feel their emotions as if they are your own, and experiencing a bond beyond human explanation,” Lexi quoted the textbook, then added, “Since we both know that's already a given.”

  Asha's eerie eyes widened and Lexi realized she was admitting her connection with Zaiden. She hurried to add, “I'm just saying. I hope you're ready to appreciate its significance before dawn.”

  Asha sat heavily on the bed. “You know I'm aware of how lucky I am, right?”

  Lexi returned her revolver to her weapons belt in order to have something to do.

  “I don't mean to sound ungrateful,” Asha continued, “and arrogant. And beyond stupid. Idiotic. Insensitive?”

  Lexi ignored Asha, who lay down with her head hanging off the bed, twisting her neck to meet Lexi's eyes.

  “And just a really, really, extremely shitty human being. Really shitty. Terrible person. Awful. No one should be friends with a person like me.”

  Lexi smiled before she could stop herself. “Okay, shut up,” she said. “And get your ass ready for the party. What the fuck do you think this is, anyway? You think everyone's just gonna wait around for you to show up fashionably late?”

  Asha groaned, rolling over. “Do I have to dress up?”

  “Dress up?” Lexi shouted, raising her hands, but Asha smiled instead of flinching. “Heavens, no! You should show up to your reception dinner, where, by the way, every Infernal Guard member that can make it from around the world will be in attendance, in sweatpants. Go ahead! Shit all over everyone! What the fuck does it matter, right?”

  Asha laughed, throwing and catching one of the green ammunition rounds. “Will you do my hair?”

  With a rude gesture, Lexi pointed at the garment bag she had tossed onto the bed. “You should know we have a plan to ditch you guys if you're late tonight. Ursala came up with something genius.”

  Asha unzipped the bag a couple inches with one ringed finger and half-peered, half-cringed at the dress. Then she bolted upright and pulled it open. “This… are you serious right now, Lexi? This looks… this looks amazing.”

  “Cotton, comfortable, and Colombian, just like you keep whining for.”

  Asha lay back with a sigh. “It'll only take me ten minutes to get ready. Tell me all about the meeting.”

  “Hell, no,” Lexi said. “You heard Silas. I'm not telling you shit until after your honeymoon. You're supposed to be focusing on meditative introspection. Henceforth you are only required to socialize, perform the Eternity Mark ritual at dawn, get dressed up one more time for a big party, and start enjoying marital bliss. You are officially on vacation. Don't talk to me about Guard business.”

  Asha crossed her arms, pouting. When Lexi ignored her, she shrugged.

  “Is it true Garud is here? And Javin?”

  “You'll see. Maybe.”

  “Is Tanvir here?”

  Lexi thought of the Punjab Headquarters cook and felt a pang of nostalgia for their days of training. She'd been furious every time she was stuck on kitchen duty, missing classes. But every time she smelled cooking, she could still hear Tanvir's loud, off-key singing, still see his black crow-eyes twinkling beneath his backwards Yankees cap as he danced around the kitchen.

  Still see Nidhan's smiling face as his gaze met hers across a counter piled high with chopped vegetables.

  “He couldn't make it,” Lexi said, turning away before Asha could see the sudden tears in her eyes. “He's dealing with his wife's disappointment at having to move to Malaysia. He sent you guys a present. And BapuJi got here a couple hours ago.”

  Asha nodded at her rings, twisting them around her fingers. Lexi knew she was thinking of Avinash and Kairav, the only other people who had been close to her parents. They wouldn't be at the wedding because of Kairav's recent Werewolf status. The transformation and adjustment to her new life would take at least three moon cycles, and even then it would be a while before she would be stable enough to return to The Guard.

  “They sent you a present from Top Secret Werewolf Academy,” Lexi told her.

  Asha shrugged, trying to smile as she fixed her gaze outside. “Will you sing tonight?”

  Lexi lowered herself to the floor and said what she was thinking without meaning to. “Everyone wants Zaiden to sing…”

  Asha sat up. “Does he even know songs in a Satya realm language?”

  “Doubtful,” Lexi said. �
��I told him Iron Maiden's ‘Fear of the Dark’ is a traditional Guard wedding ballad, but he's apparently not as dumb as he looks.”

  Asha laughed, then frowned, and Lexi braced herself for what she knew her friend would say next. “Lexi, you can't just… how long are you going to…?”

  “What, Asha? How long am I going to what, exactly?”

  “You could… you could sing together.”

  “No.” Lexi jumped up, panic welling in her at the mere thought of joining herself with Zaiden in song. And publicly, no less. She knew the pain, the finality that action would cost her. She could already feel the agonizing delight of hearing his voice, a voice she wanted to hear with all her soul, and yet, a voice that every fiber of her being cringed away from at the same time.

  Asha was watching her, concern in her creepy eyes. “But you—”

  “I don't want to talk about Zaiden.” Lexi strode across the room and threw the door open. “Be down on the beach in one hour. And do your own fucking hair.”

  Chapter 8

  Asha studied the intertwining design of the Eternity Mark, similar to the Buddhist endless knot, and her pulse began to race with anticipation. In less than twelve hours the intricate lines would be permanently etched onto the skin above her heart, seared into her flesh with Aquila's blood, like a red tattoo. An Infernal Guard “wedding ring,” of sorts.

  The island frogs began their symphony as light faded from the sky, and Asha realized she would be late to dinner if she didn't get going. She resisted the crazy urge to kiss the Eternity Mark where Aquila's blood glowed within it like rubies, and instead laid the metal device on the table, tied her hair into a bun, and left the room.

  Tropical gardens crowded onto the paths between scattered white bungalows. Stone walkways wound toward the white beach and crystal-clear water that surrounded the hidden island. An island that was pretty much the universal impression of paradise. Bright, aquamarine ocean, weather like warm hugs, and the fruit tasted nearly as good as a soulmate's touch.

  Really? I'm offended by that. I didn't realize you enjoyed pineapple that much.

  A flutter of wings, and Aquila stood beside a palm tree to her right, watching Asha with a mischievous grin. He wore loose-fitting white cotton to match her own dress, and his feet were bare.

  Asha felt actual physical pain at the effort it took not to touch him, and she watched Aquila's smile broaden.

  I was thinking about the kiwi, actually.

  Okay, that's fair. The kiwi is pretty fantastic.

  And you. Asha stepped forward until only inches remained between them. She felt her own smile broaden as Aquila struggled against the urge to wrap his arms around her. You are supposed to stay at least five feet away from me until the ceremony tomorrow night. Something about a period of meditative introspection. She leaned closer, her lips almost touching his. Or was it four feet?

  Aquila shoved sideways off the tree, and took a step back, bowing low with a sweep of his arm. I was never here.

  Asha watched the silhouette of the hawk against the nearly dark sky. It swooped low to touch her with its feathers, and she leaned away, laughing.

  When Asha entered the outdoor dining gazebo a few minutes later, Aquila was already seated at one end of the massive table, smiling at something Barindra was saying. He didn't look at her as she sat at the opposite end of the table, with Lexi, Nidhan, and Jax. There were at least thirty Guard present, as well as the Upperworlders, but a number of her friends were absent.

  Asha folded her hands in greeting to BapuJi, who nodded to her from Silas' side at the center of the table.

  “Can we eat now?” Nidhan said. “Or is starving your guests part of some Infernal Guard wedding tradition?”

  Asha reached for a fried plantain and took a bite. “I hope you're starving as a result of spending the afternoon creating some awesome wedding gift for me.”

  Nidhan stood to gather the serving bowls closer to himself and began piling food onto his plate. “You'll just have to wait and see, dear sister. You'll just have to wait and see.”

  Lexi shook her head at Asha, mouthing, no, and Jax said, “He hasn't stopped messing with that dumb dragon heart he's obsessed with.”

  Asha stopped chewing. “You're being careful, right? I mean, that thing could theoretically barbecue you to a crisp. As in, dead. As in, definitely not a toy.”

  “Thank you for the vote of confidence,” Nidhan said, his mouth full. “But, believe it or not, I am actually a Tvastar. I know what I'm doing.”

  “Oh, you know what you're doing?” Lexi said. “Why won't you tell Arihan and Dhevan about it, then?”

  “I'll tell them. I'm gonna tell them,” Nidhan said, not meeting her steely glare. “It's just that there are only two of these things in all of Satya. Asha, don't look at me like that, okay? Eyes all glowy with protective hostility.”

  Asha straightened. “Protective hostility?”

  “It's pretty alarming, actually,” Jax said.

  Asha and Lexi turned to Jax, and she flinched.

  “You're helping him with these experiments, aren't you?”

  Jax seemed to shrink into her chair. “Define helping.”

  Asha leveled her gaze at Jax, but the civilian only crossed her arms. “What?” she said. “I only looked at the damn thing. What can I say? New and intriguingly complicated tech is hard to resist.”

  Nidhan raised his giant hands. “I talked to Silas. He said it was fine.”

  “He said it was fine?” Lexi glared down the table at Silas, who sat beaming at the center of the table. About ten Guard members hung on his every word.

  “Yep, he definitely said it was fine.” Nidhan looked down at his half-empty plate, as if seeing it for the first time. “What exactly is this, anyway?”

  “Tropical island cuisine,” said Jax. “Only slightly more enjoyable than the culinary art of Forced Ayurvedic Health Infusion.”

  Asha hardly noticed the food. Her attention was pulled to Aquila at the far end of the table. She would've thought it impossible a year and a half ago, but he looked more beautiful than ever. Just as she realized this miraculous fact, he turned to her and winked.

  “How's the meditative introspection coming along?” Ursala whispered in her ear, leaning over her chair from behind her.

  “Oh, piss off.” Asha aimed her elbow at his stomach, but Ursala twirled out of her reach, holding a giant platter of food above his head and laughing.

  Aquila grinned at her down the long table.

  She scowled at Ursala. “Where is everybody, anyway? Where are you taking all that food?”

  “Kai, Kenda, and Koko challenged the Upperworlders to some Navajo field hockey game, and Kelakha was bullied into joining the Satya team to make it four against four,” said Ursala. “Also because his name starts with a K, obviously.”

  Nidhan jumped out of his seat, scrambling to follow Ursala, and Jax knocked over her chair in her rush to follow them.

  Lexi rolled her eyes.

  “A few of us are bringing them food,” Ursala called over his shoulder. “Nice dinner party meeting thing, though, Asha. Congratulations.”

  Asha watched BapuJi rise from his seat next to Silas. “BapuJi, too? He's not even into sports!”

  “BapuJi wouldn't ditch your celebrations for some dick measuring contest,” Lexi said. “No way in hell.”

  Asha's grandfather approached them, nodding once to Lexi. “I must borrow the bride for a moment. And since,” he raised his voice, “everyone else seems to be engaged, I'm sure the rest of you will appreciate the excuse to cheer on our team.”

  Dhevan and Arihan followed Wei Feng as they hurried from the table, and Asha watched them jog out of sight along the beach.

  Lexi stayed in her seat as the table emptied. Asha looked at her until she scowled, standing.

  “Fine,” she growled, leaving the table and disappearing into the darkness.

  Asha smiled across the expanse of food at Aquila, relishing the ache he felt at being
so far from her.

  Go ahead. You know you want to watch the match just as much as everyone else.

  And leave our formal pre-marriage dinner? Never! Even if we find ourselves alone at this ridiculously large table, I will remain! A horde of wild Ngiri demons couldn't drag me away.

  Oh, shut up and go already. You know that stuff about sensitive brides is all bullshit, right? Plus, BapuJi finally wants to talk to me.

  Aquila's eyes filled with concern Asha could feel. You mean, talk, as in, talk talk? As in The talk?

  Yep. Silas must've told him he had to do it before the wedding. Closure? Maybe recognizing BapuJi's need to send his granddaughter into the next phase of adulthood with a clear conscience? Or something. Yeah, no. I got nothing.

  Aquila glanced at Silas, who remained at the mostly empty table talking to a few elder Guard members.

  Nice wedding present, Silas. Jesus.

  Asha rose to follow BapuJi from the table. I'm fine. It's good. Just go. Cheer for Zaiden for me.

  Screw that! We're gonna kick those Upperworlders' shimmery asses.

  Asha started to laugh, but the look on BapuJi's face stopped her cold. Her heart began to pound as she followed her grandfather down the darkened path to the sand, where he turned in the opposite direction of the game. The cheers began to fade as they moved along the beach.

  She walked toward the truth of her parents' deaths.

  When the sound of waves seemed to fill her head to bursting, Asha said, “BapuJi, you know you don't have to do this, right? Silas… he means well, but really, it's okay. We can go watch the match with the others…”

  It was as if her grandfather hadn't heard her. He continued to walk in silence, his gaze fixed on the white sand stretched out before him in the moonlight. They walked for what must have been a mile, and then BapuJi suddenly stopped. He turned toward the ocean and sighed as his legs seemed to give out beneath him. Even as Asha rushed to support him, he was sitting in the sand.

  The sadness in his eyes was more painful to her than any wound, and Asha fell to her knees at his side. “BapuJi! Let me get someone.” She thought of shifting or calling Aquila. The two trees closest to the shore died, their life force given to BapuJi before Asha realized what she was doing. “This was a bad idea. Why would Silas tell—”