The Library of Fates(75)

“Ready,” I told her, and I fished the dagger out of my satchel and placed it under the moonlight.

“Varun,” I asked. “Please come help us.”

We waited.

I watched the moon, until I saw a small speck growing and growing against the light.

It was flying toward us. A bird. Not just any bird. Saaras.

He landed before us, flapped his wings, and transformed into Varun.

This time I ran to him, embracing him, a mixture of relief and desire coursing through me as I felt the warmth of his body against mine. But there was something else: I ached to be comforted. Only Varun could understand how world-weary this journey had made me. He wrapped his arms around me and held me closely for several minutes.

Finally, I looked up at him. “We’ve done it—what we came here to do,” I told him.

He smiled, tracing my jaw with his thumb. “So you’re ready?” There was excitement in his voice. But something more, a release, as though it was finally here—the moment he had waited for over the span of so many lifetimes.

I looked from Varun to Thala, and a small laugh escaped my lips. “I’m not entirely sure what I’m ready for. I don’t know where I belong. All I know is that I don’t belong here anymore.”

Varun nodded, still holding me, so close that I could feel his breath on my hair. Goose bumps prickled my neck. “I can take you to the Library. There, you’ll collect your book. You’ve finished one leg of your journey, but there are many places we can go to next.”

“But I thought that humans can’t enter the Library,” I said.

“Humans can’t. Only the vetalas. And those who are no longer of the Earth.”

My heart felt as though it stopped as he said that. “What do you mean, I’m no longer of this Earth?”

“You’re no longer Amrita. No longer human. You’ve sacrificed your life for the greater good. How do you think gods and goddesses are created?” he asked. “They’re anomalies. People who have sacrificed themselves for something bigger than themselves. And that’s what you did. It’s time that you become Maya. But you can’t do that without going to the Library and taking back your book—if you’re ready,” he said, pulling away from me for a moment. He watched me carefully, taking in my reaction.

I still wasn’t entirely sure what he meant, but something was propelling me forward into the very Unknown that had once frightened me. Now it had somehow become my friend.

“What about Thala?”

He turned to her, his eyes full of apology. He fished in his pockets and drew out a piece of silver bark, handing it to her.

“If you take this, you’ll fall asleep. You won’t wake up till you’re born again.”

Thala accepted the bark in her hand, hesitating for a moment. I felt a swell of affection for her when I saw the uncertainty in her eyes, but Varun caught her apprehension too.

“Don’t be afraid. It’s the only way you can depart this plane and end up where you belong once again. A life awaits you, a body waiting for you to slip into it. But you can’t be in two places at once. It’s what you must do.”

But something within me ached at the idea of saying goodbye to Thala. She had helped me escape the palace. She had come with me through the desert and to the caves and all the way to Macedon.

But I also knew in my bones that I had to take the last leg of the journey on my own, that Thala and I had different destinies now.

I wanted to comfort her, but instead, it was she who comforted me.

“Don’t be scared, Amrita.” Thala squeezed my shoulder. There was tenderness in her eyes. “You brought me to Macedon. You changed my fate. I owe you everything.”

“I couldn’t have done any of it without you,” I said, reaching for her hand.

She choked back her tears before she looked at me and said, “You’re the only friend I ever had. This isn’t how I expected it to turn out, but—” She shook her head as though she had already said too much. “Just know that I’ll miss you. I don’t know if I’ll see you again, but I’m glad our paths crossed.”

It wasn’t till that moment that I realized how much Thala had needed me too. We had both needed each other through this time, and now I wouldn’t join her for the last leg of her journey either. She would have to go it alone.

I threw my arms around her and held her tight as she wiped away her tears. I thought for a moment. “You’ll come visit me one day,” I said.

“How do you know?”

“Because I’ll make sure of it,” I told her.

Thala stepped back and smiled. She was still holding my hand. She looked to Varun.

He nodded, and we watched Thala as she placed the bark under her tongue and lay down in the grass. I placed my scarf over her. She fell asleep quickly, and soon, I could see that she wasn’t breathing anymore.

I wiped tears from my eyes. “I’m going to miss her,” I told Varun.

“I know,” he said to me, pulling me close to him. “But I promise you: Nothing is ever lost.”

My eyes were still on Thala. “What do I do now?”

“Simply ask. Ask the Library to reveal itself to you.”

“That’s it?”

Varun nodded his head, a small smile crossing his lips.