The Library of Fates(34)

I felt a wave of resignation and stood up, brushing myself off. “Come on,” I said to Thala.

“You’re sure you want to leave?” she asked, her eyes downcast with worry.

“We’ll figure it out.” I turned on my heel and walked to the door, pulling the golden dagger out of my satchel as I reached for the doorknob with my other hand.

“Wait,” Meena said, her voice trembling.

I turned around to look at her. She was eyeing the golden dagger in my hand. “Where did you get that from?” she asked, pointing at it.

I stood up straight. “Mala gave it to me.”

She hesitated for a moment before she quickly turned and cleared the maps from a chair. “Please,” she said, gesturing at me. “You must sit down. And you too.” She nodded at Thala before she removed an armload of maps from an old trunk. She walked gracefully toward the windows of the shop and pulled the drapes. She lifted a steel carafe and poured two tumblers of water before she placed them before us. “Your Majesty. Forgive me. I simply never believed this moment would come, but if you’re here, we must be in grave danger. I should introduce myself. I’m Meena Amba, the royal cartographer.” She reached out her hand to shake mine. It was an unusual greeting, one I wasn’t used to, but it put me at ease. “I’m acquainted with your father. May he live a long and healthy—” She stopped herself before she could finish the sentence, sensing that her words came too late.

It was what people said, what they were supposed to say. I opened my mouth, but I couldn’t speak. Tears pierced my eyes. I forced myself to pull it together. “Meena, we need help. The palace is under siege. Arjun has been taken prisoner. Bandaka and Shree too. My father and Mala are . . . gone. And Emperor Sikander’s men are after us.”

“They chased us into your shop, practically,” Thala said.

“We don’t know where to go, but Mala mentioned that I should warn someone. Would you know what she was—”

But before I could finish, Meena got up and went to a desk. She opened the top drawer and took out a small key. She then walked to the wall behind us and very carefully slid the key into a small keyhole in the tree.

“We’ve been in the map business for generations. Everyone in my family learns the trade—how to draw maps, care for them, preserve them, how to read them, how to let them speak to us.” She turned to me. “I’ve worked with your father, Bandaka, and Shree, even Arjun. I know them all well. Many, many years ago, my family was approached by . . . an associate of the Sybillines.”

Thala and I glanced at each other as Meena carefully turned the key.

“He asked us to draw this map . . . based on his descriptions. And so we did. And then he asked us to keep it safely.”

She tugged at the key, and the wall opened like a door. I gasped as Meena stepped aside to reveal an iron box—a safe.

“He handed my ancestors a dagger. Not just any dagger—a golden dagger with three rubies on the handle. We were told to give the dagger to the royal family with careful instructions: If any member of the royals was ever in danger, they needed to find a way to come here with the dagger in hand. He told us to be on the lookout.” She bowed before me. “This part, I can’t do without you,” she said.

I stared at the dagger and then back at her. Slowly, I stood up and walked toward the safe, inspecting it carefully. On the side of the box were three large rubies in a triangle, identical to the arrangement of rubies on the dagger.

“Go ahead, Your Majesty,” Meena said.

I noticed a small crevice on the side of the safe and slipped the blade of the dagger into it. It moved easily into the fold, then the rubies lit up and something clicked. I glanced at Meena, who simply nodded. Slowly, I turned the dagger to the right, and as I did, the safe opened.

“It’s a key,” I said.

Meena reached inside and pulled out a piece of parchment with her long fingers.

“This map—it’s been kept here for you,” she said, unfolding it.

“For me?”

“We’ve safeguarded this map under lock and key for generations. It’ll take you to the Janaka Caves.”

“Where the Sybillines are?” I was stunned. “I thought there was no way to access the Janaka Caves.”

“There is one way. And this is the only map in the world that can get you there. You must warn them that Shalingar has been attacked. They’ll offer you protection.”

I glanced at the complex ancient calligraphy before me.

“It’s very old, but well-preserved. It’s been kept in this safe for hundreds of years. You have a small window of time to get to the Janaka Caves and warn the Sybillines that their way of life is in peril.”

“But what about the Library?” Thala muttered under her breath as she nudged me.

I shook my head. “This is my duty. And this is something we can actually do. Where’s your map to the Library of All Things?” It came out a taunt, and I regretted it the moment I saw a flash of hurt in Thala’s eyes. She recovered quickly, turning away from me.

Meena traced her fingers along the map. “Can I offer you a piece of advice?”

“Of course.”

“Mount Moutza is on the way to the Janaka Caves. You’ll want to make a pilgrimage to the temple there.”