that Maruti had led her to the outskirts of Devikota! In fact, the rambling house on the hill belonged to Andhaka! Torches flickered in the fields behind it and she heard the buzz of voices, followed by the rhythm of hoofbeats. Soldiers were not arriving, she realized with a shock, but leaving, the hard gallop of their horses receding into the night.

The village square where Takshak had ordered Daruka to carry out his inhuman sentence was situated a stone’s throw from Andhaka’s home. She crawled forward, inch by inch along the boundary of the fields then cut through them, thanking Mandakini for the protection afforded by her rough garb. A dog barked, the sound grating fiercely on her nerves. Behind her an owl hooted. Crouching behind a clump of shade trees, she peered down into the torch-lit square....

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