Shiva and Gopal immediately stood up. They greeted the Mithra with the ancient Parihan salute: the left hand was placed on the heart, fist open, as a mark of admiration. The right arm was held rigidly to the side of the body, bent upwards at the elbow. The open palm of the right hand faced outwards, as a form of greeting. The Mithra smiled genially and folded his hands together into the traditional Indian Namaste.

Shiva grinned, but remained silent, waiting for the Mithra to speak.

The Mithra was a tall, fair-skinned man, dressed in a simple brown cloak. A white hat covered his long brownish hair, with tiny beads wrapped around separated strands of his beard, much like all Parihans. Though the sack-like cloak made it difficult to judge, his body seemed strong and muscular. Of interest to Shiva were his delicate hands with long, slender fingers; like those of a surgeon rather than a warrior. But Shiva was most intrigued by the Mithra’s nose: sharp and long. It reminded him of his beloved mother.

The Mithra walked up to Shiva and held the Neelkanth by his shoulders. ‘What a delight it is to finally see you.’

Shiva noted that the Mithra didn’t even cursorily glance at his blue neck, something most people could not resist. The Mithra’s attention was focused on Shiva’s eyes.

And then the Mithra said something even more intriguing. ‘You have your father’s eyes. And your mother’s nose.’

He knew my father? And my mother?!

Before Shiva could react, the Mithra gently touched Shiva’s back, as he smiled at Gopal. ‘Come, let’s sit.’

As soon as they had seated themselves, the Mithra turned towards the Neelkanth, ‘I can see the questions that are running through your mind. How do I know your father and mother? Who am I? What was my name before I became the Mithra?’

Shiva smiled. ‘This eye-reading business is very dangerous. It doesn’t allow one to have any secrets.’

‘Sometimes, it’s important that there be no secrets,’ said the Mithra, ‘especially when such big decisions are being taken. How else can we be sure that we have taken the right step?’

‘You don’t have to answer if you don’t wish to. The questions running in my mind are not important to our mission.’

‘You’re right. You have been trained well. These questions may trouble your mind, but they are not important. But then, can we really carry out our mission with troubled minds?’

‘A troubled mind makes one lose sight of the mission,’ admitted Shiva.

‘And the world cannot afford to have you lose sight of your mission, great Neelkanth. You are too important for us. So let me answer your personal questions first.’

Shiva noticed that the Mithra had called him the Neelkanth, something which no Parihan had, until now.