Mehr had learned some days ago from the Amrithi that her father was no longer the Governor of Irinah. He had left the province entirely. The news had hit her like a physical blow. Generations of her family had governed Irinah. Now their governance—the blessing they had earned through loyal service to the Emperor and his line—had ended.

She didn’t know if her father had chosen to relinquish his position willingly or if politics had forced him from the role. All her knowledge was fragmented and secondhand; the brief gossip the Amrithi had imparted to her told her nothing of the games of power that must have been played in her father’s court after her departure, or how well her father had fared. She desperately wanted the truth, but she had chosen to dedicate her life to a service that ensured the survival of the world. She couldn’t step beyond Irinah’s borders and seek out her family herself. Secondhand knowledge, then, was all she would ever have.

But ah—her heart ached for him, her father, who had governed Irinah loyally, who had loved her and Arwa so unwisely, who had promised to keep Arwa safe, no matter the cost.

So much was unknown to her now. She had little hope that Kamal would find her father or Arwa. But little hope was still hope, and Mehr had learned that even the smallest kernel of it, preserved in the darkness, could bloom into a miracle.

“Thank you,” she said to him. “It was a kind offer regardless.”

Kamal’s smile was thin. She knew he still didn’t care much for her.

“You’ll be missed,” Lalita told him gently.

“More Amrithi arrived this morning,” Kamal said to her, his expression warming. It was hard to dislike Lalita. “You won’t be short of company for long. And I’ll send messages, of course.”

Amrithi had been making their way to the temple for the last few days, following the guidance of the daiva, the whispers on the wind. Many seemed determined to stay, hungry for the security and promise the temple now offered them. But some—Kamal included—had decided to leave. We’ll need to know what’s happening in the Empire, if we’re to protect ourselves, he’d told Mehr’s mother, and she and the elders had agreed. But really, Mehr thought he simply wanted to see the world beyond Irinah’s borders. The Empire was still far from a safe place for the Amrithi, but Kamal could travel through it now without fearing for the clan he’d left behind. The Amrithi had a home again: a safe haven, cradled on the backs of the Gods.

“Where will you go?” Lalita asked him.