He pulled the Dorinah book from his pocket, the one with the ciphered phrases. He had tucked a sheet with the translations inside. Mostly, Etena and Kirana had debated philosophy and Garika politics. They talked about lovers and old Dhai battles. But there was that exchange:

The Temple’s heart is barred to me, Etena. She says she will only speak to a Kai. Why close all the roads to me?

And Etena’s reply:

Because if you can open the way, so can your shadow.

Ahkio faced the slab again and gazed up the face of it into the darkness, where it seemed to merge with the roots of the temple. His mother had said the temples were living things. Living things had hearts.

It felt foolish to yell in the darkness, but he was out of ideas. “I’m Ahkio Javia Garika,” he said, “brother to Kirana Javia Garika, and I am Kai of the Dhai.”

His voice echoed.

Kai. Yes. He was Kai, and Kirana had believed he would get this far, for good or ill.

But nothing happened. The slab remained unchanged.

“Any other ideas?” Liaro asked.

Dead ends. Ghost trails. Kirana was killed by the invaders, the assassins he murdered in the square, just like the others. Trying to make it more than that would lead him down a path to madness, the way they all said Kirana had gone. He was trying to unpack riddles on top of riddles, and he had a country to secure.

But Kirana said she killed herself, and that only made sense in the context of who the invaders were. There was something down here she didn’t want her other self to be able to use. Something she had to die to ensure only her successor had access to. Not her shadow. And not Nasaka.

The only way for her to raise another Kai, one recognized by a living temple, was to die.

Ahkio sighed. It had made more sense in that warm bed with Ghrasia than it did in this oppressive dark. He leaned forward. Pressed his head against the stone–

–and tumbled forward.

He landed hard on his side. Lost his breath. It was like falling through soup, as if the slab were some gauzy webbing. His face and hands felt sticky. He’d bit his lip. He tasted copper.

A warm glow suffused the darkness, like liquid gold. Ahkio shielded his eyes. A humming came from all around him.

“Kai Ahkio Javia Garika,” a tremulous voice said, “welcome to the soul of Oma’s seat. We’ve been waiting for you for some time.”

Chapter 53

53

Ghrasia arrived at the Liona Stronghold by Line. It had been a long time since she last saw its walls. The great living vines that bound the hold’s walls were comforting. When she stepped out of the Line chamber, familiar faces greeted her, though far fewer than she would have liked.