The guests began arriving by early afternoon. Marpa, assisted by several townspeople, had arrived to set up large braziers scattered around the courtyard, several for cooking and one by the freshly painted gate for burning fragrant juniper. As they began cooking traditional dishes Tserung arrived with a truckload of tables and chairs. Lines of brightly colored prayer flags were strung across the courtyard and more juniper boughs were stacked by the gate. Tara the goat scampered about happily, though more than once she had to be guided away from the tub of beer that Trinle began dispensing.

Shan had stood in the window of his new second-story bedroom, watching the activity in the courtyard with an unfamiliar contentment. Not since his childhood had he felt the joy of family, and he had long ago given up any hope of ever again finding that happiness. Lhamo, Trinle, and Lokesh had already begun to enthusiastically play the role of grandparents to the other residents of their new home. He was well aware that Ko would soon be back in prison and Meng would succumb to her disease, but this joy would live forever in all of them, in this life and the next.

From the adjoining room where the women were preparing for the ceremony he made out Meng’s throaty laugh, then Yara’s giggles, and thought once more of the transformation the three of them had been undergoing. When Shan had finally returned with the rapidly recovering Ko, Meng and the others had already rehabilitated much of the old house, scrubbing and painting and even bringing back two large rugs donated by the carpet factory. Only later had Shan realized that the paint-stained tunic Meng wore was in fact her old Public Security uniform, stripped of insignia. With Lokesh’s help, she had made a little altar in their bedchamber and joined in the construction of a larger one by the main entry below. With the aid of local herders and two yaks, they had even brought down from the hills a weather-beaten, centuries-old figure of a Buddhist saint they had found toppled and half-buried on the slope above the house and erected it outside the gate, to protect the household. Kami’s campaigns of terror had largely subsided, and she had developed an odd rapport with Tara, who stayed at the farmhouse with the girl while Lhakpa helped Tserung and Lokesh with their daily work in the secret archive.

Out in the courtyard, Shan found Lokesh chatting with Shiva by the row of auspicious signs the astrologer had painted on the courtyard wall. As Shan approached, Lokesh cocked his head toward the gate. Squeals of laughter could be heard down the dirt track, and Shan hurried to the entry to see Tink in a beautiful, if overtight, silk dress, holding a cane as she walked beside Cao, who carried Natalie Pike on his back. Cato Pike rushed past Shan.