“Then it will be a typical day at the palace.” My humor does not cheer up Ashwin. “Will you wait up for Deven while I’m gone?” Ashwin agrees, his jaw muscles ticking. I stop myself from fixing his disheveled hair. “You were born for this, Ashwin. You’re the rajah the people deserve.”
He sniffs hard. “Come back soon. And be safe.”
“You too.”
He kisses my cheek and then goes, dragging his heels.
I slump over myself and stare at my bag. What do I even pack? I open my wardrobe closet, and there on the bottom shelf rests my old slingshot. The relic of my upbringing in the Sisterhood temple has been retired. Much has changed since I wielded it. I am so overwhelmed by the task of acquiring a god’s aid that I wish I had never entered the world of men and was still sheltered in my ignorance.
That woman is gone now, and I cannot go back. I can only move forward, regardless of how difficult. The gods’ temple might as well be the sun for how likely I am to reach it, but Deven found me night after night. I can search the unknown to locate this temple. Because if the Void exists, so must Ekur.
A steady flow of feet travels the palace corridors. By some mercy, I venture outside without a single hello and dash down a path shaded by eucalyptus trees. The supplies in my pack are minimal: warm clothes, water flask, hair comb, and a sketch of Deven.
At the rear of the palace, I reach the stables. The long, narrow outbuilding has several archways under domed roofs, stalls that house the imperial elephants. My nose itches from the scent of manure. In an adjacent riding arena, Parisa leads a bull elephant along the fence line. She visits the stables often to assist the trainers due to her gentle hand with the animals.
I pass behind the riding yard to a canopy crafted of poles and palm fronds. The temporary aviary shields Tinley’s mahati falcon from the sun. As I anticipated, Tinley saddles her bird, Chare, in preparation to patrol the sand dunes.
“Going somewhere?” Tinley asks without turning around.
“I’d like you to fly me to the Alpanas,” I reply. Tinley pivots and awaits my explanation. “I have to find the gods’ temple and ask for guidance through the Void.”
Many believe Ekur is hidden in the northern Alpana Mountains, yet I quickly grasp how ludicrous this sounds.
“I’ve patrolled those mountains often,” says Tinley, tugging on her gloves. “The weather is moody and the northern wind is a trickster. Finding anything there will be a challenge.”
“You would save me a lot of time,” I press. On horseback, the trip takes weeks.
Tinley mounts her falcon and grabs a handful of Chare’s red-orange plume. “You ask for more than a favor. This requires a miracle. Ekur cannot be found. It doesn’t exist.”
“Let that be my concern.”
Chare rakes her talons into the ground, keen to take off. The mahati’s feathers blaze brassy in the sunshine. Her rider scrutinizes me, Tinley’s pale eyes cool.
“I’ll take you to my father,” she says. “He’ll know how to help you.” She tosses her silver hair over her shoulder and tilts an ear to the sky. “Pons knows we’re leaving. He says someone else gets to tell Natesa.”
“Ashwin will.”