Idhika had been trying to read the parchment she had found. She then handed over what she understood to be a letter to Acharya Ashwini. He took the piece of animal hide from her and held it up so it caught the light from the burning hut. The recruits tried but couldn’t decipher the words.

He read it out loud, ‘All our blessings will be upon you and rewarded for a dashak will be your gain. Find and ye shall overcome those who outcast you. Find the flower that is hued bright and blue; find the Eka and . . .’ He stopped, suddenly aware of the Souls with him. He read the rest silently and shuddered as he reached the signature at the bottom. For the first time, they saw fear in the teacher’s eyes.

They could sense the horror in Acharya Ashwini’s mind, but he spoke of something else. ‘There are Bhuts—in the trees behind you. Don’t look them in the eye. They’re servants of Yama and are pulled to places that have seen Death. We should promptly head back home.’ He secured the letter between the strings on his body.

Home? Aman thought.

Walking out of the glade, Aman could see long, white strands of hair falling from the branches. What happens if you hold up a mirror to them? White bodies shuffled and whispered behind the leaves, but he made sure not to look at them directly.

Instead of six, seven beings trekked back over the Varunasmati and back through the jungles towards the valley.

15

Sanaka

Acharya Ashwini helped Prithvi while Ujal and Idhika trudged up ahead. Their teacher led them back another way that saw them walk south and head towards the entrance into the valley through Rohini. Aman walked by Fayza, looking up every now and then at the clear sky of stars, a sight he was still getting used to after Delhi.

The entire way back to Vanyasa, Aman was surprised at how easily his conversation with Fayza flowed. It filled his heart in ways he couldn’t have anticipated. He found himself confiding in her about his time in Delhi. He told her exactly how popular he was back in the plains. Before too long, she knew the main points of his entire life. When he mentioned his father and the photographs he had seen of him standing beside the Kalpavriksha, Fayza raised an eyebrow. He hesitantly told her his theory of how his father was possibly connected to it all and what people in the ‘normal’ world thought of his alleged betrayal as an army officer. It had been hard to speak of the last part, despite how relaxed he felt in Fayza’s presence.

‘Pft! Really, Eleven?’ Fayza said. ‘You believe them, the army?’ Fayza had always been taught to dig under the surface. First impressions rarely formed the basis of her opinions.

‘Mother never let me.’

‘And why will I judge you for anything your father may or may not have done, especially when you hardly knew him?’