Free Shattered: The Iron Druid Chronicles, Book Seven by Kevin Hearne Page B

Helgarson too, right up until he betrayed me.
    At their cores, Leif and Laksha are the same: They must prey on humans to ensure their continued existence. They are predators, and we mustn’t forget that.
    When we shifted to a banana grove near Thanjavur, Oberon passed judgment without much deliberation.
    
    Oh, come on, it’s not that bad
. I thought the air was pretty clean, due to what had obviously been a good shower overnight. The ground was soft and I could see standing water in places below. The morning sun banked off the surfaces and glinted in my eyes.
    
    Maybe a little. We have to find Granuaile and Orlaith, and meatless air isn’t registering high on my threat dial. The temple is a couple miles away, so let’s go, and stay close, okay?
     Oberon said, loping along beside me as I descended from the grove,
    I imagine you would have to travel many miles
.
    
    Which one?
    The deejay was talking to Butterfly, and she said, “And I have promises to keep, and miles to go before I eat.”>
    Ha! No, Oberon, it was “miles to go before I sleep,” and the movie was actually quoting a poem by Robert Frost
.
    
    The Brihadeeswara Temple was built in 1010 by the Chola emperor, and I figured it hadn’t moved very far since then. But when I checked in with the elemental Kaveri, just to let her know I was visiting, she responded with the news that she knew precisely where Granuaile was and she would lead me to her. Going to the temple was no longer necessary.
    A tightness in my chest relaxed with the confirmation that Granuaile was still alive. We found them to the south of the city in the rural farming district, walking wearily along a ridge borderinga rice paddy. Oberon and Orlaith said hello to each other and began to play.
    “Thank you for coming,” Granuaile said, giving me a quick hug. I think both of us would have shown more emotion had we been alone—well, I know
I
would have. Laksha was capable of truly frightening magic besides her already-creepy body-snatching, and Granuaile wasn’t protected from it as I was, so myriad worst-possible scenarios had run rampant through my mind, like kobolds in a mine shaft. What I wanted was to squeeze Granuaile close and say how glad I was to see her, but instead I gave a tight nod to Laksha, which she returned, and then replied to Granuaile as if I’d never been worried.
    “Of course. You look wiped out. What happened?”
    “We’ve been working all night, exorcising these demons in an attempt to lure my father out of hiding. So far it hasn’t worked, and we are exhausted. We decided to take a break and continue after we’re rested.”
    “Good plan. Catch me up; I’ll walk with you.” The hounds trotted behind us, making happy growling noises and nipping at each other.
    Granuaile recounted their night and explained their exorcism process to me, and I asked for clarification on one point. “Why is water effective again?”
    “The rakshasas are of the ether, and their powers are drowned in it.”
    Something about this was familiar. “But they have to be submerged for this to work, or would taking a shower be sufficient?”
    Granuaile looked to Laksha for help, and the witch supplied the answer.
    “The rakshasas are attacking the heart chakra, so they must be submerged, preferably up to the neck.”
    “But telling everyone to take a bath wouldn’t solve the problem.”
    “No. The rakshasa would merely move to the head until the victim got out of the tub—and that’s more for comfort than necessity. Surrounding it with water cuts off its access to theether