“Aren’t they divided into clans according to the element from which they harvest magic?” Talei asks suddenly. “Eulalie has some books about the middle world in the house library. I read that each clan has a keeper who has the power to harvest magic from a specific element or a natural metal or stone like copper or gold. These keepers have the responsibility of distributing the magic they harvest to all their clan members. The book said there are keepers of land, sea, air, metal, river, and whatnot.”

“The mark of their office is in their eyes,” Ligaya adds, and we stare at her. “What? I read too, you know!” Yes, if forced. But we are nice and say nothing.

“So that man in the Between…” Etsuko raises an eyebrow at Taraana.

“His name…” Taraana stops and swallows. It doesn’t seem to help, so he gulps down some tea and tries again. “His name is Baarish. He is the Keeper of the Rivers and Lakes in Uttar Pradesh. He is also known as the Dar.”

“Ah!” Widad blinks. Her curls are out of control in this weather. “Dar from the Urdu word ‘daria’?” When we look at her, she explains. “ ‘Daria’ means river in Urdu and Hindi.”

“Yeah.” Taraana nods. “Being the Dar means being the head of a clan that functions primarily on magic harvested from rivers and lakes.”

“So why does this Dar, this Baarish, want to capture you?” Paheli asks.

“To tell you that, I need to tell you the story of a boy. Will you listen?” he asks. We lean closer and do.

Taraana was born to human parents in a small village in India. They knew nothing about the middle world that existed around them. They had no idea their child was made of magic and had a fate beyond what they imagined possible. Taraana grew up in abject poverty, surrounded by hungry siblings and helpless parents until he was about six years old. His life took a turn for the worse shortly after his sixth birthday.

“There was a lake near my village,” Taraana continues. “I used to spend hours on its shore, playing. People left me alone there, you see. That day, I remember it was raining, and my parents told us to stay home while they went out to beg from house to house with my youngest brother. It was stifling at home; we lived in a one-room shack that leaked and had no windows. My brothers played rough, and I was often on the wrong side in fights. So, I ran away to the lake. I didn’t mind the rain.