The first thing that Idhika told them was: ‘He had notes. I saw them. He’s looking for Madhu!’

‘Notes?’ Aman asked.

Idhika described the different objects she’d seen. Aman and Fayza managed to decipher most of them: a toothbrush, a pen, a head-covering with a peak, which was undoubtedly a cap. But the most important item was a diary. ‘He’s after the location of Madhu . . . and he was meditating! I am sure he knows Atmayog himself.’

‘What?’ Fayza interrupted. ‘The Preserver knows Atmayog? Is there a chance he’s listening to us right now—as a fly or an ant himself?’

‘It’s possible,’ Idhika continued. ‘But we have to beat him. If we can find Madhu first, we can prove my father’s innocence. Show everyone that there is more than enough Madhu in the valley and the people have been lied to for long. That we need not increase the frequency of the Mahayatras . . . Then maybe we can tell Aranyani and the Sabha and Samiti. Once they learn of Sanaka’s motives, he will be put under trial—and Father will be allowed to come back home.’

‘So Madhu is hidden somewhere only animals can go?’ Fayza asked.

‘Maybe . . . likely,’ Idhika said. ‘And that doesn’t help. There are so many places it could be. I cannot do it alone . . . Aman, Fayza, you have to learn Atmayog. And fast.’

PART III

24

Atmayog

Two months later

The Mahayatra was now a day away. The slow and subtle degeneration of Vanyasa had taken on more noticeable hues, and certainly the wisest of the residents saw the unmistakable signs.

Much had changed in the lives of the Souls. Idhika could now Atmayog into the bodies of animals outside the valley. Prithvi had vastly honed her skills and was now deserving of the title of Tritiya Archer—an honour given to few. Ujal was not too far behind. Fayza had taken up sword-fighting and was often pitched against Aarti, who was top-notch in the discipline. As for Aman, even though his arrow shots were half-decent, his swings of the sword considerably accurate and his flair for Chaturanga commendable, his attempts at Atmayog continued to disappoint.

Idhika had withdrawn further into herself, even more than Aman in his time as a plain dweller. Over the month leading up to the Mahayatra, she got into the habit of taking long walks by herself. When Aman asked what was troubling her, she told him of her worries, about the fact that she was unsure of her instincts. Was she good enough to lead the Souls to the Himalayan bee and steer clear of the Mountain Pishachus? But Aman knew there was something graver that occupied her, something she wasn’t ready to tell him. She would frequently be seen spending long hours in Aranyani’s hut, talking to the matriarch about things unknown to them. Yuvan was the one who ludicrously suggested, ‘Since she’s never had an Adwaita, isn’t she vulnerable to Chayan’s Atmayog?’