Black Avatare

42 | DOORWAY

Binara opened her mouth to warn Diyan, but he was already on his feet, staring into the distance. His body language didn't exhibit danger, so she stood up and squinted, trying to make out details.

As the figures emerged from the mist, their features gained definition—wings and beaked faces.

They were three birdmen.

Their armor was worn and battered, glinting dully under the moonlight. One of them limped along, with a clipped wing hanging on one side.

"What happened?" Diyan asked darkly.

The rapid-fire exchange that ensued wasn't easy to decipher, but Binara understood enough to know that soon after she had left Kurul with Diyan, Garuda had sent his men after them. Two of the birdmen had died on the way, flying through stormy weather. The reason they had risked their lives on this journey was unclear to her.

Diyan's face was grim when he finally turned to her. "We need to head back."

"What?" she blurted out. "What's going on?"

"Mahasona is opening his dimensional rip. Now."

She gasped. "Shit."

"Quite a few demons are already in the human realm." He started pacing, one hand raking through his hair. "Garuda is holding them back."

"We're right at the foot of Mount Meru." She waved in the general direction of the mountain. "I'm not going to quit now."

"But we cannot continue. This whole journey was based on hopes that the Asuras will hand over the items, among other things. The time for that is gone and—"

"You mean you can't continue."

He stiffened. "What?"

Silence stretched out for a prolonged moment. The lake lapped against the rocky shore—a steady burble that mocked the chaos in Binara's heart.

"Binara," Diyan said, jaw clenching as if it took supreme effort to stay calm. "What are you—"

"You can go and hold back Mahasona's forces, while I complete what we came here for." She stood up straighter and crossed her arms. "The time I spend here would be half that in the human realm, so I should be able to catch up to you without much of a delay."

A series of emotions darted over his face in rapid succession. "No."

Even though the word was uttered barely above a whisper, it carried in the air. The birdmen sat down by the lake and tended to their injuries.

Binara aimed a ferocious glare his way. "I thought we established that you do not make decisions for me."

Before he could respond, she turned her back to him and stuffed the half-eaten fruit into her mouth. In the corner of her eye, she watched Diyan deliberating for the longest time before going to talk with the birdmen.

When she was done wolfing down the food, Binara hoisted her backpack and stomped through the ferns, heading straight into the forest. She glanced back at the shore one last time before the silvery foliage obscured her view.

It only took a minute for Diyan to call out, "Binara!"

She ignored him.

Leaves rustled behind her, and his voice emanated right by her head, "You're going the wrong way."

She halted and spun around, glare intensifying. "I'm going up the mountain."

"The mountain is huge. It might take you over a day to climb up. Besides, your destination is the entrance to the Asura's abode, which lies towards—"