From that moment on, Ujal did not sit. He stood at the edge of the cliff, looking in the direction of the Dronagiri woods, where the eagle had disappeared, where Prithvi was most likely to be. Fayza went to console him. Every now and then, Aman noticed, she would push her glasses up her nose. He watched the strong wind play with her hair as she encouraged Ujal to keep his spirits up.

Not far off, replaying the events in her head, Idhika realized how Aarti had carried out her plan to perfection. Not only had she learnt Atmayog in less than a month, but she had also bested one of the greatest Sangram duellers. Most importantly, she had kept her wits when Idhika slapped her and not retaliated. In contrast to her composure, Idhika seemed too impulsive, not a trait the Eka should possess.

As dawn approached, Ujal’s eyes stayed hooked to the sky, which was now a palette of orange and red. ‘Worry not. We’ll find her,’ Idhika said as she put her hand on his shoulder. ‘A plan, a risky one, forms in my head. But for it, we need to approach one of the gurus . . . preferably Acharya Ashwini.’

‘Okay, we tell him. And then what?’ Aman said. ‘What’s the plan, Idhika? Surely we can’t go after the eagle.’ His words betrayed his fear of the Dronagiri woods, but the possibility of retrieving his father’s box was too tempting. ‘Umm . . . Where exactly is this . . .? As in, is it in the same—’

‘There we go again,’ Idhika snapped. ‘No, Aman. It isn’t in the same direction, so don’t go searching for it.’ She remembered Aman pestering her about the box.

Ujal didn’t care for the tangent the conversation had taken. He brought them back on track. ‘Telling the acharya is a gamble. If Sanaka finds out, we will be expelled.’

Idhika spoke with a weight of finality. ‘I have thought about it. Acharya Ashwini cares for us, and if we tell him this news in confidence, he might understand.’

It wasn’t like they had a plan B. So it was decided. As they walked hurriedly through the early-morning mist, Ujal’s head was still ringing with Prithvi’s screams. He braced himself. You’re an archer . . . a warrior, Ujal!

They hiked back over the high ridge and climbed over the wall into Vanyasa. The familiarity of home had no effect on their gloom.

That morning, oddly shaped clouds filled the sky, and the valley’s residents remarked on their strangeness. But the four Souls had no time for such trivialities. Despite having spent the entire night near Pataan, they did not think about sleep as adrenaline coursed through their veins. They thought of Prithvi alone.

To reach Acharya Ashwini’s boat-hut, they jogged the winding trail of the central Chakkar that cut through the farmlands, past the bazaar and across Maidaan. The turmoil in their minds dissipated for a second as they crossed the Kalpavriksha. Continuing on the Chakkar, they turned left and crossed Mukti to head towards the southern edge of the lake.