“Welcome, warriors, nobles, and honored guests,” Yaday said. “Tonight we come together in celebration to honor the Great Ten. We call on their strength and wisdom to guide us on the dangerous mission ahead.”
With a wooden mallet, Ajeet struck the side of a large bronze bowl, and a loud gong reverberated around the room. He then ran the head of the mallet around the lip of the bowl in a circular motion, and the single note grew louder and more resonant, washing over the hall. Milena’s breathing slowed, and the tension in her body melted.
Once the note faded, the dinner commenced. Servants emerged from side doors carrying bowls and plates filled with a variety of fragrant foods. Ajeet must have had an army of chefs to make so many unique dishes. Milena was dipping a ladle into a steaming bowl of yellow stew when Yaday walked over.
“Would you like to eat with us?” Giacomo offered.
Yaday glanced over at Milena, who met him with an icy stare.
“It’s all right, I’ll give you some time with your friends,” Yaday said, turning to slink away.
Giacomo grabbed Yaday’s sleeve. “There’s plenty of room. Sit.” Giacomo nudged Milena over, knocking her arm holding the ladle. Yellow liquid splashed onto her dress. Milena glared at Giacomo, but he was too busy fussing over Yaday to realize what he had done.
“So, Yaday, Giacomo told me you’ve been teaching him to meditate,” Milena said, her voice barely hiding her contempt.
“That’s correct,” Yaday said. “Giacomo will need a calm mind to face Vrama.”
Milena shook her head with disbelief and elbowed Savino. “Are you hearing this? Yaday has Giacomo convinced he can go up against a dangerous Preta as long as his mind is calm.”
“What does that even mean?” Savino said.
“The most dangerous threat to Giacomo will come not from without, but within,” Yaday answered.
“Yeah, that didn’t make things any clearer,” Savino said flatly.
Milena huffed. “Savino, Aaminah, and I have been killing ourselves to get ready for this mission. What have you two been doing? Just relaxing?”
“Meditation is a lot harder than you think,” Giacomo shot back. “I was skeptical of Yaday’s methods at first, but it’s the only way to defeat Vrama.”
“Then you two have a plan?” Milena pressed. “Care to share it?”
But before Giacomo could elaborate on what he and Yaday had discussed, another bell rang out. Once again, Samraat Ajeet stood and addressed the gathering while Yaday translated.
“Before dessert is served, the samraat would like to acknowledge the brave warriors who will join him tomorrow on this most important of missions.” Ajeet gestured at Lavanthi. “First, his fearless daughter will lead a team of Rachana’s finest—Govind, Azad, Devika, and Kavita.” Two male and two female warriors stood and bowed as everyone around the room applauded. Milena recognized Azad and Kavita from her training sessions.
Lavanthi rose and declared that she was honored to add Ozo Mori to the team as well, and when Ozo raised a cup to Lavanthi and smiled, saying, “The honor is mine,” it became clear that Ozo’s motivation wasn’t money. Aaminah’s hunch about them being in love had been right. Samraat Ajeet seemed to take notice of their connection too. He smiled warmly at his daughter, and Milena guessed he was glad that Lavanthi had found happiness again.
Next, Ajeet recognized Yaday and Giacomo, holding them up as a shining example of what could be accomplished when two powerful empires worked together. He finished by thanking Giacomo for his selfless offering and said that Rachana and its Geniuses owed him an enormous debt.
Giacomo waved, looking self-conscious, and Milena wondered what kind of offering he was intending to make.
Through Yaday’s translation, Ajeet continued. “And by Giacomo’s side will be his loyal friends Milena Solari and Savino Poletti.” The samraat gestured for them to rise.
Milena stayed put, waiting for Ajeet to call out Aaminah’s name.
He didn’t.
“Don’t make me stand up here all alone,” Savino whispered, looking down at her.
Begrudgingly, Milena got to her feet and acknowledged the applause with a polite curtsy. As she sat back down, she glanced over to Aaminah, whose usually bright demeanor had been consumed by a gloomy scowl.
“This is so unfair,” she fumed.
“I know … The samraat’s making a mistake.” Milena got back up.
“What are you doing?” Aaminah asked.
“I’m going to have a word with Ajeet.”
“No, don’t,” Aaminah protested.
But Milena was already marching toward the dais. As she got closer, two guards stepped into her path.
She looked past them and got Ajeet’s attention. “Could we speak, Your Excellency?”
Ajeet nodded and waved off his protection. Milena approached, trying to keep calm, but her heart pounded in her chest.
“I hope you found the meal enjoyable?” Ajeet said merrily.
“It was delicious, thank you,” Milena said, briefly disarmed by Ajeet’s small talk. “But I’m not here to speak with you about the food.”
Ajeet’s expression lost all trace of cheer. “You’re here about your friend.”
“Aaminah helped us find the Compass. All four of us work together. She has to come.”
“Lavanthi’s evaluation determined that she would be a burden on a mission of this importance. I need warriors who are focused, who follow orders, and who are determined to succeed at all costs.”
“Then you need Aaminah,” Milena insisted.
“Not according to Lavanthi.”
“Aaminah will be the first to admit that she’s not the strongest physically, but she has abilities that Lavanthi overlooked. She’s a powerful healer. She would be enormously valuable if any of your warriors were injured. She saved Giacomo’s life.”
For a moment, Ajeet looked intrigued, but then he waved her off. “No, Guru Yaday is quite knowledgeable when it comes to healing poultices and medicines.”
Milena’s hands balled into fists, and heat flushed through her. “Are you joking? There’s no way Yaday is a better healer than Aaminah!”
Ajeet glanced over Milena’s shoulder, and she turned around to find Yaday standing right behind her, grimacing like she had kneed him in the gut.
“I … I didn’t mean…” Milena shrank back, realizing she’d gone too far.
Aaminah, who had followed Milena to the dais, tugged at Milena’s sleeve. “What are you doing? Let’s go.”
“I think that would be best,” Ajeet said firmly.
Aaminah had begun to drag Milena away when Yaday told them to wait. While he and Ajeet conferred in Rachanan, Milena began to sweat. What if Yaday was trying to get her kicked off the mission for what she had said? She regretted ever opening her mouth.
After what felt like an eternity, Ajeet called Aaminah over to him. “Yaday has persuaded me to reconsider my decision. Be ready to head out first thing in the morning.”
Brimming with excitement, Aaminah thanked the samraat and his guru and then ran off to tell Savino and Giacomo the good news.
Milena turned to Yaday, flushed with embarrassment. “Thank you. Whatever you said, thank you. And I’m sorry … I’m sure you’re a wonderful healer.”
“Have a good night,” Yaday said coolly, and walked away.
24
JOURNEY TO THE CALDERA
The palace bell chimed early in the morning.
Way too early.
Giacomo groaned and peeled his eyes open, cursing the dawn. He had barely slept all night. He pulled himself out of bed and got dressed, then shuffled over to the basin. He splashed cool water on his face, dried himself with a towel, and gazed into the mirror.
Vrama stared back at him.
Giacomo sat up and screamed, finding himself back in bed, sweating, short of breath. Mico darted around him, chirping frantically.
“Another nightmare…” Giacomo said, shaking off the vision. Mico o
nly settled down once his breathing had returned to normal.
Outside his door, Giacomo found a pack of supplies. He slung it onto his back, and he and Mico headed into the courtyard, where Milena, Savino, and Aaminah were waiting for him, carrying their own packs. Giacomo was glad that Aaminah was joining them, but he wondered what Yaday had said to change Ajeet’s mind.
“Good morning,” Giacomo said.
Savino and Aaminah replied cheerily, but Milena nodded silently, a suspicious look in her eyes. Giacomo looked away, knowing sooner or later he’d have to tell her the risky plan to vanquish Vrama. Better to wait until after they set out, he reasoned. By then it will be too late for her to try to stop me.
“All of you side by side, as it should be,” Pietro announced, shuffling toward the group, still in his nightclothes. “Remember, the tetrad symbolizes strength and stability. You four are stronger together than you are apart. Take care of one another.”
“We will,” Aaminah said.
They hugged their teacher goodbye, Milena lingering a little longer than the rest.
* * *
When Giacomo and his friends arrived at the palace, they came upon Lavanthi and the four warriors mounting horses that were laden with bags full of supplies.
A stable boy led over four more horses. He gave the gray one to Ozo, then passed the reins of the others to Savino, Milena, and Aaminah.
“Where’s my horse?” Giacomo asked.
Ozo and the stable boy spoke for a moment, then Ozo translated. “He says you’re not riding on horseback.”
“Then how am I getting there?”
BOOM. BOOM. The ground shook. Giacomo thought an earthquake had struck, but then he saw the source of the tremor: an enormous black elephant with tusks as thick as tree trunks lumbered out from behind the palace. The animal carried Yaday on its head and a golden carriage with a domed roof on its back. Samraat Ajeet was seated on some pillows inside the carriage.
Yaday hollered a command, and the elephant came to a stop, towering over Giacomo. The elephant snorted and gently placed its heavy trunk on Giacomo’s shoulder. He stared up in awe. “Uh, hello to you too.”
“I think Padma likes you,” Yaday called down.
“Good thing,” Samraat Ajeet said, “since you’ll be riding up here with me in the howdah.” He gestured around him to the domed carriage.
Using a rope ladder, Giacomo climbed up into the howdah to sit next to the samraat, who had the Compass slung across his back. The Sacred Tool gave off a faint, energetic hum that Giacomo could feel in his bones. Since seizing it upon their arrival, Ajeet had kept the Compass locked away somewhere in the palace, as if it rightly belonged to him. But until they returned and the horse-Geniuses were restored to full power, Ajeet couldn’t even use it. It was the whole reason they had to travel to the caldera on horseback and not through a portal.
As the sun crept over the dunes, Lavanthi led the caravan out of the fortress. Giacomo settled into the cushions, Mico in his lap, grateful for a comfortable place to meditate during the long journey.
A few hours later the world was ablaze. Hot, dusty air whipped Giacomo’s face. Though the howdah’s roof blocked the sun, any relief Giacomo felt was negated by the guilt eating away at him. He glanced down at his friends, who were out in the open, slick with sweat, and sagging miserably. Their Geniuses were perched on the backs of their horses’ saddles, their feathers drooping.
Thankfully, once night swept over the land, the temperature dropped rapidly. The Rachanans set up camp. The warriors raised three apricot-colored tents—a small one for Giacomo and his friends, a larger one for themselves and Ozo, and an even grander one for the samraat. Afterward, the warriors built a fire over which they cooked a meal of meat and rice while Lavanthi passed around skins of water to share.
In Giacomo’s tent, the food was consumed in tense silence. He was grateful his friends had been allowed to come on the journey, but now that they were here, he couldn’t even talk to them honestly about what was going on.
Every so often, Savino cast a suspicious glance toward the warriors’ tent, where Lavanthi and the others ate their meal amid enthusiastic chatter. “What do you bet they’re all talking about how to steal the Straightedge from us once Giacomo gets it?”
“Oh, come on, Savino.” Giacomo sighed.
“Sounds to me like they’re just having a good time,” Aaminah said.
“So you’re not even a little worried that Ajeet will leave us stranded in the desert once he gets what he wants?” Savino said.
“I wasn’t until you brought it up,” Aaminah replied, suddenly looking troubled.
With his belly full, Giacomo rolled out his sleeping mat and was reaching for his sketchbook when Milena pointedly asked, “So what’s the plan, Giacomo?”
“I’m going to do some drawing, then go to bed,” he said, playing dumb.
“I’m talking about Vrama,” she said. “You and Yaday seem to have devised some secret strategy to defeat him. Care to share it with us?”
“Yeah, if we’re going to help you, we need to know what to expect,” Savino said.
His friends waited expectantly for a response, but something within Giacomo held him back from telling the truth. He got up and headed out of the tent. “I … I’m going to take a walk,” he said.
“You just said you were going to bed,” Savino complained.
As Giacomo walked away, he heard Milena call out after him, “Why won’t you just tell us?”
* * *
Giacomo wandered past the second tent, where the warriors were still sharing food and stories. Yaday must have noticed the troubled look in Giacomo’s eyes, because he immediately came over to him.
“Is everything all right?”
“I think I’m ready to learn about that final meditation,” Giacomo said.
Yaday led Giacomo away from all the noise and took him to the howdah, which had been taken off Padma’s back and placed in the sand. The guru sat cross-legged facing Giacomo, who figeted on his cushion.
“Now that you’ve acknowledged your fears and sat with them for a while, it’s time to visit their roots,” Yaday explained. “I want you to think back to when you were younger. Where did your fears of losing control and ending up alone first begin?”
“With my mother and father, I guess,” Giacomo said. “When I was five, my parents became Lost Souls after their Geniuses were killed. Eventually, they passed away.”
“I’m sorry,” Yaday said, then paused before continuing with the lesson. “Inside you, there is still that wounded child who experienced so much pain and sorrow from their deaths. For this meditation, I want you to find that child and show him compassion. Lead him out of the darkness.”
“Okay…” Giacomo said, unsure what Yaday meant. “Does that mean opening my heart to him or something?”
“That’s right. You’ve probably been trying to avoid that part of yourself for a long time, but that little boy needs you to return. Once you’re able to treat him with kindness, fear will have a much harder time gripping you.”
“And this is going to help me face Vrama?”
“If you can heal your scared inner child, you will not only set yourself free, you can help release others who are also suffering,” Yaday said.
Giacomo still wasn’t sure about Yaday’s methods, but with time running out, he had no choice but to try the meditation. He relaxed and closed his eyes.
After Giacomo sat in silence for a while, his thoughts drifted, and he found himself in a dark stairwell. He heard someone sobbing and made his way toward the voice. When he reached the top of the stairs, he came to a door and opened it, stepping into a familiar room. Though it was hard to see in the dark, Giacomo could tell the place was in shambles—broken furniture littered the floor, and paintings had been ripped from the walls, the canvases sliced to shreds. This had been his home.
Panic swept through him, and Giacomo retreated into the hallway. He was about to escape down the stairwell
when the sobbing returned, growing louder.
Giacomo stepped back inside the room, where he soon found the source of the crying—a boy of about five years old, his eyes swollen with tears, who was curled up under the table, rocking himself back and forth.
That’s me, Giacomo thought.
Not sure what else to do, Giacomo held out his hand. The boy looked up at him, also unsure.
“I’m so sorry I left you here all alone,” Giacomo said. “I know how horrible this all feels. But I’ve come back for you.”
The little boy cautiously crawled out from under the table and took Giacomo’s hand. Giacomo found the lantern his father had kept hanging by the door and lit it. The room filled with light, and the little boy rubbed away his tears.
When Giacomo opened his eyes again, he found them damp and quickly wiped them dry with his sleeve. He looked over at Yaday. “Thank you for helping me find him,” Giacomo said.
“Keep visiting him,” Yaday urged. “He’ll need you.”
* * *
The journey moved out of the desert and into wide, grassy plains. As they traveled, Giacomo spent hour after hour in the howdah meditating, strengthening his bond with his inner child. At night, he took his meals with Yaday and slept in the howdah.
But Giacomo could sense his friends’ silent resentment growing stronger with each passing mile. And he realized that by avoiding them, he had only succeeded in pushing them further away. If he told them about the plan to deal with Vrama, they still might not want to have anything to do with him, but at least they would know the truth. So one evening after dinner, he returned to their tent and laid out the plan.
He reminded them that weapons and sacred geometry attacks would be useless against Vrama. As he had expected, his friends were skeptical when he told them that Yaday would perform a ritual to subdue Vrama. They turned hostile when Giacomo explained that he was to be the bait.
“What are you thinking? It’s too dangerous,” Milena objected.
“Ajeet and Yaday are playing you,” Savino said. “They don’t care if you make it out alive or not.”
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