‘Popular in school, were we?’ Fayza asked, leaning in.

And back they went downhill.

‘This time, I cross first,’ the teacher said. He gently walked on the tree’s trunk, cautious not to dislodge the calm edges.

Aman waited for Fayza and Macchli to cross before stepping on the trunk himself. Then Ujal and finally Idhika joined them on the other side.

They all knew that their stronger selves were behind them now, but none spoke of it. Aman was aware of the energy draining from him. A sharp pain shot up his left leg. It had also been a while since they had eaten, and their entry into this strange land brought the weakness caused by this into sharp focus. All they could do was drink neer from the kamandalu and walk towards the unknown.

The forest thinned out as they made their way to the spire of smoke. They trudged up an elevated glade that overlooked the banks of the Varunasmati. Beyond that, a belt of wide tree stumps ran on both sides, and in the far distance was the hut with smoke coming out of its top, through a chimney of sorts.

Drawing closer, they saw the yellow light that emanated from the structure and fell on stacks of felled logs surrounding it. More wood stock and tree stumps dotted the area.

Acharya Ashwini had only just started to speak when Macchli ran up ahead and started barking. An eagle flew out of the meadow and flapped its wings furiously. ‘RUUUFF . . . WOOF, WOOF!’

Everything after that happened at lightning speed. A girl’s scream was heard from the hut: ‘AAAAHHHHHHH!’

Ujal recognized the voice. Before anyone could react, he ran towards the hut, drawing his bow and jumping over tree stumps. ‘PRITHVVVIIII!’

Acharya Ashwini and the others ran after him.

14

Kirtimukha

The kirtimukha was furious. He stood silently, a storm brewing inside him as he observed the sleeping girl. He swung his arm with force, striking her face. ‘Who’s the Eka?’ he said.

Prithvi sat up in shock. Her world spun in a frenzy, and her cheek burned with a searing pain. He can speak?!

He went on to slap her repeatedly, asking questions about her Adwaita and her first days in Vanyasa. When he realized she had no useful answers to give, he grabbed her by the hair and swung her over his shoulders. He was just about to carry her out of the hut when a loud barking was heard.

‘RUUUFF . . . WOOF, WOOF!’

The kirtimukha let go of Prithvi, whose head came crashing down; she screamed in pain.

As the creature rushed towards the back of the cottage for his axe, Ujal charged towards the hut. ‘PRITHVVVIIII!’

Prithvi’s insides flooded with hope, for she knew Ujal’s voice. But it wasn’t Ujal who was there first. Macchli overtook him and entered, and only in the moments that followed were they joined by the rest. The dog had intended to dart in and dig her teeth into the enemy, but one sight of the kirtimukha and she no longer growled—only whimpered—and kept away. With all of them in his cottage, the fiend stole a quick glance out of his doorway. Then, once certain that no more reinforcements were to join his enemies, he grinned and snarled at them.