The clouds above broke, revealing a starry band across a completely black canvas—the graceful arc of a billion celestial bodies making up the heavens from horizon to horizon.

Idhika saw the exact moment Aman’s soul left the vulture. Slowly, but with energy, it rose, and she felt a profound emotion as the soul made its way up to Brahman, the ocean of souls from whence Aman had come many lives ago, at the beginning of his cycle of Samsara.

‘Whether you’ve considered yourself a servant of god or considered yourself god, you’re still an atman,’ Idhika said softly.

‘He was truly the best among us,’ Savitri said.

The Souls did not go near Aman’s mortal body, for it was the vulture in which he truly resided in the end. They surrounded the bird and wept. And eventually, it was the vulture they cremated.

They waited for the last of the bees to clear from the hives, and only then did they drain the Madhu into their kamandalus.

With the ticket to the valley in her hands, Idhika said, ‘And now, we must let the world know the truth about Sanaka.’ She led them down the mountain, and they began the journey back towards Vanyasa.

Epilogue

The clouds above were dark, and the sky behind it was purple. Idhika, Aarti, Payal, Jagrav and Savitri descended the mountain with their Madhu-laden kamandalus. No one said anything. They simply walked down the slopes of the thumb-shaped summit.

There was much distance between them and Vanyasa. The path ahead was curved like a river. And in the cold, hazy wind, little could be made of each other except for the scrape of the heavy steps on the loose pebbles. But Aarti could tell when Idhika, who walked ahead, halted every now and then, and assuming no one was looking, knelt and bent down, weeping.

Making sure to stay near Idhika, Aarti walked faster. She had to turn the tide in her favour, and with Payal at her side, her confidence grew. So, it was her plan more than her empathy that made her reach out to Idhika. ‘Let us rest here,’ she pronounced to those still a few steps behind.

‘Why here?’ Idhika’s nose whirred from the mucus in her throat.

Aarti paused and waited for Payal, Jagrav and Savitri to catch up, letting them register Idhika’s condition, and then spoke, ‘It is as good a place as any. We’re all tired. And we finally have Madhu.’

‘A chance to find something to eat,’ Jagrav said and sat down, letting his sprained ankle unbend.

‘No, we are to head back instantly,’ Idhika said, hiding her swollen eyes. ‘Already our gait has slowed due to these kamandalus, and in the little time that is left before we are greeted by Lord Aditya, we should cover much ground. In the day, against these white mountains, the kirtimukhas will spot us from miles away.’

‘Listen to me, Souls!’ Aarti barked. ‘You’ve all fought valiantly. This is nothing more than much-needed rest. We are at least a day ahead of any of those beasts. There’s no worry or rush. And our heavy kamandalus are our tickets to a hero’s welcome, not our burden. Our licence to the air around the Kalpavriksha, to the different gifts of the valley . . . including immortality. We must embrace this victory.’