(no subject)
The golden folds of his armour, shed before Indra like a great coil of snakeskin lying soft and sleek as a sunbeam that gentles the earth; they are in Karna’s mind even when Karna’s mind is no longer in his body. Armour for sovereignty, armour for pride. Strange that he does not miss the one, and still has not lost the other. There are some things Arjuna will not be able to have from him after all, bright though he may be in the dark limits of Karna’s vision.
He thinks: Take the war trophies, brother. By now we would be family, even if we were not flesh and blood. Because of your hatred. Because, like the heavy shell of a star, you swallow darkness and breathe only light. Before I sleep, I will say all of your names.