of Melukhha who lounged beside their wares, wrapped in woolen shawls that protected them from the chill autumn breeze. Arrays of bangles and necklaces, amulets and armlets, finger rings, earrings and bracelets flashed past, making her shiver with excitement.

Ishvari glimpsed shop verandas raised above street level, with no more than the thickness of a tree trunk separating one from the other, where merchants sat cross-legged, bargaining with customers even as they kept an eye on squat wooden barrels of spices and oils that stood on the busy pavement outside. “Chandi, come
quick!” a woman cried. “Look down at the street! It’s our new High Tantrika!” Ishvari looked up to see women and children milling about on curved wooden balconies constructed above the stores, many pointing down to her cha...

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