beside the river, so still you can barely tell her from stone.…”

The men approached her with uniformly confident bearing, and as they drew nearer, Ishvari saw that the palanquin was covered in crimson silk embroidered with gold needlework. Diaphanous curtains hung from a central point, concealing the identity of the personage reclining within. Men garbed in green, crimson and saffron came forward, four carrying the palanquin, the fifth leading the train. The head porter stepped forward and she saw that the insignia decorating his uniform defined an elephant on its hind legs—the royal emblem of Melukhha!

“Takshak of Melukhha honors the healer of this valley!” the man cried.

How foolish she had been to believe Takshak would forgive the impudence of a rustic healer! Ishvari d...

Please subscribe to keep reading.