The Child of the Valley turned around and, when she saw that it was Aman, smiled. ‘Aman, today, I speak your name in respect and gratitude. Indra be praised that you intervened on the first day of Gurukul or I might have lost my soul.’

‘I too speak your name in . . . you’re welcome?’ Aman said, taken aback at her warmth and effusiveness. Her manner of speaking set her apart—but she wasn’t a plain dweller, so that was understandable. ‘But don’t thank me too soon—Aarti is still a menace in Gurukul.’

Idhika looked at him and laughed. ‘The concern that is Aarti is no longer mine because . . .’ She didn’t say anything further and searched Aman’s eyes, wondering if she could tell him more.

‘What are you doing in the bazaar?’ he asked.

She swung her shoulders around and the basket rattled with wood. ‘Trees. Once they die, I pick them up and sell them here. After my father’s exile from the Seven Hills, my food and water come from these earnings.’

‘Ever been outside these hills?’ Aman asked.

‘Not really. Only until Pataan. But I long to see the world outside of this valley,’ Idhika said. ‘Take the plains, for instance. Tell me a little of them, would you, please?’

Aman did. He told her of skyscrapers and pens and space expeditions and computers. ‘Among all these “nations” and “cities”, my home is in Delhi, far from here.’

Her eyes were bright. ‘Sounds glorious. Vanyasa pales in comparison to the outside world.’

Aman nervously looked over his shoulder, hoping the trader he had run from wouldn’t show up. ‘But . . . you don’t have pollution and diseases. By the way, I’ve been meaning to ask: How . . . your arm was glowing . . . why did the vulture listen to you?’

‘No, no. The vulture and I were one. These are the fruits of years of practice. You’ll learn how to do it yourself soon enough. Your arm too will develop the Deh, which shines only when you’re in Atmayog.’

Idhika wasn’t the only one on whom secrets weighed heavy. Despite this being the first time he was speaking to her properly, Aman felt he could confide in Idhika. ‘Honestly, I’m not sure if Atmayog is for me.’

‘What do you mean? You want to go back?’

‘For the moment, my only concern is some belongings of my father that I left outside these Seven Hills. They contain the last of his memories. I was hoping you could tell me the way.’

‘Only trouble will come of that. Unspeakable creatures circle the valley, Aman, feeding off the leftovers of the Kalpavriksha’s vibrations.’

‘I have to try. It’s all I have left of him.’ He lowered his voice. ‘Believe it or not, my father was here in the valley a long time ago. I don’t know how but he had managed to enter. Ever heard of “The Preservers”?’

‘You put no thought before speaking.’ She looked cross. ‘That is in the realm of the impossible.’