A dinner table was set up in the open, laden with stew, roasted tubers, nuts and many fruits. Three birdmen sat at the table, including Garuda, who sat to Binara's right. The very air was heavy with tension and excitement. Binara realized it wasn't just due to the prospect of them journeying to Mount Meru, but also the very presence of unusual guests in Kurul. Though Garuda had posted guards to keep away curious onlookers, she had spied one or two residents eyeing them from the trees, their beaked faces looking fascinated.

Binara tucked into the food and tried to decipher the conversation going on between Diyan and the birdmen. The way she understood it, Garuda was going to keep track of Mahasona's activities in the human realm while Diyan got Binara to procure Chandrahasa and Alambara from Mount Meru. She chewed on a berry as she contemplated how she could beat them to Mahasona once she got hold of the items. Surely, Garuda knew that she meant to play a bigger role than grab a bunch of legendary items from a mountain. Meanwhile, one of the kinnaras played a stringed instrument, providing music.

As Diyan conversed with an ancient-looking birdman, Binara decided to test her language skills with Garuda. "So, um, the kinnaras are pretty...skillful."

Garuda turned to her, and he answered in his raspy voice, "Indeed."

Oh, so you understand me. Binara stifled her triumphant smile and threw a glance in Diyan's direction. "I wonder why they hang around him."

"Hang...around?"

"You know, follow him?" Binara gestured, trying make herself understood. "Do his bidding?"

Garuda's quizzical expression cleared. "Well, you could look at it this way—why are there butterflies wherever you find flowers? They carry out the flower's will—taking the pollen to another flower."

She raised her eyebrows, slowly piecing his words to glean the meaning. "They get something in return?"

"Yes." Garuda nodded. "The same way that butterflies and flowers coexist, so have kinnaras and the powerful denizens of Tiamsava. The kinnaras' forest homes are protected from naga invasions and other dangers under Prince Diyan. Hence, they choose to serve him and help his cause the way they can."

"Oh..." She hurled another glance at Diyan and went on eating.

Diyan planned to set off early in the morning, so as soon as dinner was over, two birdwomen showed Binara to a small dwelling at the base of a tree. Built with organic materials and rounded edges, it looked similar in design to the tree houses. The three kinnaras flew up to whatever sleeping arrangements they had prepared up on the high branches.

The inside was cool and comfortable, occupied with minimal cane furnishing, including a hammock. The bedding was soft, doubtlessly made from cotton harvested from the silk cotton trees. The spectral essence seeped from everything around, though now she was so used to it that she tuned it out like the ambient noise.

Binara couldn't sleep, and the wonder of the birdmen settlement beckoned her out. She wished she could go up to the tree houses and take in the view. Since that wasn't an option, she wandered along a footpath, illuminated with pools of lamplight and glowing insects. The residents had retired for the night, judging by the halos of light up on the trees. The canopy was so expansive that it almost blocked out the sky.

The footpaths were limited, since the birdmen had little use for them. One led to a large well, which was obviously the main source of water. When she went off-road, she came upon a cliff.

A gust of wind flung back her hood, and she soaked in the panorama. Hills extended out, interspersed with rock and vegetation—brightly lit under the gigantic moon of Holmanloke.

"Can't sleep?" a familiar voice said behind her.

Her heart missed a beat, and she spun around. "Are you stalking me again?"

He chuckled. "I saw you wandering down the footpath."

"Uhuh." Binara turned her back to him and gazed at the hills. "What's beyond the mountains?"

"Forest and grassland." Diyan came to a stop next to her. "It would be a smooth journey as long as we're on the Monara."

Binara didn't want to ask about the perils they would encounter and ruin the peace of the moment. They stood in silence for a long minute.

"I can't believe King Mayadunne made this exact trip thousands of years ago," Binara murmured.

"It's hard to believe it was so long ago," Diyan said, a note of melancholy entering his voice. "When it seems like mere months to me."

"What was Hevana like back then?"

"The most prosperous kingdom anyone has ever known. Under Mayadunne, it was the hub of arts, sciences and technology. It made an impression on me from the very first time I visited it as a child."

She turned to look up at him. "Oh, right. You're not from Hevana."

"My father ruled Polon, one of the neighboring kingdoms." His expression was solemn. "It was the opposite of Mayadunne's regime. My father was a paranoid man, so he invested much of the resources into his army—not only to ward off invaders but to protect himself from his own people, who were impoverished and discontent. Austerity was imposed on citizens, most of whom engaged in subsistence farming. Art and music were seen as frivolous and heavily frowned on."

"What about your mom?"

"She died giving birth to my younger brother." He paused. "I was only a toddler, so I don't remember her. My brother and I were the only surviving children. Back then, many died in infancy and early childhood."

Binara tried to read his expression, but he kept it inscrutable.

"When I was seven," he went on, his gaze fixed on the horizon, "I accompanied my father to Hevana, since Polon relied on trade for certain essential goods. It was more necessary than ever, since the threat of famine loomed over us due to a failed harvest. My father preferred my younger brother over me, but he was too young to make the journey. Finally, he made the decision to take me. That journey changed my life.

"The city of Hevana was bustling with activity—so many vendors, happy children and musicians performing out in the open. Beautiful buildings soared on mountainous terrain, including temples and libraries—testaments to the city's grandeur and prosperity. Needless to say, I was enraptured by what I saw. We reached the palace, and I met King Mayadunne for the first time."

Nothing moved but for the scudding clouds and the rustling leaves. She waited for him to tell her more. It was nothing short of fascinating to obtain this glimpse into Diyan's human past for the first time—a past that was tied to that of her illustrious ancestor. She couldn't unravel the feelings that agitated her. Yet again, she was confronted with the reality that demons were once human—especially Diyan, who was proving to be a whole other kind of demon. Any other day, she would have been appalled at the very idea of King Mayadunne fraternizing with demons, but this story shed a whole new light to it. She gave her head a shake.

Diyan continued, "King Mayadunne was young. And he was everything my father was not. He was a visionary—just, benevolent and gifted."

A dozen questions sprouted up in her brain, and when he didn't say anything for a full minute, she decided to prod. "What happened after that?"

"When I was nine, I was sent to a school for Polon's elite, which taught us a skewed version of history, as well as politics based on my father's ideology. This was supplemented with grueling physical training. It was meant to transform us into leaders with martial prowess."

She stared up at him, tracing his profile against the night sky. "How was that like?"

"Well," he said, his voice so quiet that she inched closer to hear him, "the school society was unforgiving to those it deemed weak. The training was so intense that some students were sent home due to broken bones and injuries, which their families considered a dishonor. Teachers turned a blind eye to older boys bullying the new, since it was considered a rite of passage. Any and all rule-breaking received harsh punishments—usually caning. It was forbidden to ask questions or criticize officials."

"How did you...survive?"

"It wasn't enough to be a good fighter, especially when some of the older boys were big, hardened brutes. Food was rationed, but they browbeat others into handing over their share. The trick was to outsmart them and stay out of trouble. That was what I did, though I had it easier than my peers, since I was the crown prince. I made elaborate plans to run away, and on my thirteenth birthday, I fled to Hevana.

"I spent weeks exploring the streets of Hevana and reading at the library. I found a nook to sleep in each night and bathed in the river or the public bathing house by the lake. I had gold on me to buy food—including sweets and fruits I'd never had before. Eventually, people started to ask questions. A palace official suspected that I was a runaway noble from Polon and brought me before the king."

Binara almost forgot to breathe. "And?"

"I begged Mayadunne not to send me back to Polon, where I would be severely punished. He agreed to shelter me for the time being. It was a delicate situation, since my identity was kept secret, except for a few trusted advisors, and my father did not know where I was. For the first time, I could ask questions, and I enjoyed all the freedom and learning Hevana had to offer. Mayadunne saw something in me, and he took me under his wing, imparting his knowledge of ayurveda, science and music. His sons befriended me, though they were much younger. I even took part in Mayadunne's experiments and inventions. It was at this time that I learned of the increasing number of hauntings."

"The start of the Great Haunting," Binara whispered, as rigid as the tree next to her while a chill swept over her skin.

"Yes."

A prolonged silence ensued. Her eyes absently tracked a bioluminescent moth that flew by Diyan's face, flashing a blue-white glow on his troubled features. It seemed to break the moment.

He straightened up and turned to her. "Let us head back and get some sleep. We have a long day tomorrow."

She opened her mouth to protest, but seeing his resolute stance, she just nodded. Her whole being itched to know more of his past, and she made a mental note to extract it from him.

Diyan escorted Binara to her quarters without a word, clearly lost in thought. Her own brain hummed with what she had just learned—a bygone era she was only beginning to understand.

A kinnari arrived to awaken her. Binara sprang upright in the hammock, remnants of sleep ebbing away from her eyes at the prospect of the journey ahead. She headed towards the screen on one side, which separated the room from a washbasin and a rudimentary toilet. Within half an hour, she was out in the open.

She immediately sensed the charged atmosphere. It didn't take long to find out what was wrong. Loud shouts reached her ears, and her ears zeroed in on one word—naga.

The outpost was under attack by nagas.

Armored birdmen flew overhead, weaving through the trees and heading straight in the direction of the Monara. Binara broke into a sprint, sneakers thumping on uneven ground. Her heart thumped in her chest, and her eyes darted all around as she picked her way through the gloomy undergrowth. The silvery foliage gleamed under shafts of moonlight, enhancing visibility. Diyan was nowhere to be found—probably fending off the invaders.

When she reached the Monara, the runway was a battleground. Birdmen clashed with serpentine humanoids, whose projectiles whizzed through the sky. They were undoubtedly the nagas. Their humanoid torsos tapered down to what resembled the bodies of snakes, though much of it was covered in armor.

Next to the Monara, she watched Diyan lash out with his hands, sending a directional shockwave that repelled five nagas. Their scaly bodies flew into the air before crashing into trees and the rising slope. In the middle of the chaos, the kinnaras hovered by the Monara, commencing last-minute checks.

"Binara, get onto the Monara," Diyan yelled. "We have to leave."

"What about—" She gestured wildly at the nagas.

"We've got this under control," Garuda shouted from above. "Leave now. If the Monara is damaged, it will delay your journey."

Binara wasted no time climbing aboard the vehicle. A stray projectile thwacked against the hull, and she ducked on instinct. Diyan ran to the stepladder, one hand shooting out an invisible force that sent an approaching naga flying.

Within seconds, he was at the wheel, gripping it with both hands, and the Monara started to move. As it gained momentum, nagas dashed out of the way, slithering with surprising speed. The wings unfurled to the fullest, ready for takeoff.

"Keep your head down and hold onto your seat," Diyan said, his composure back on. "This is going to get bumpy."

The craft juddered over debris or fallen bodies—Binara had no idea which. Her teeth clattered in her head, adding to the noise that pounded her ears. Just when she thought they were about to crash into a tree, the Monara took off. Her stomach wobbled on cue, and she gasped in lungfuls of cold air.

The vehicle had barely stabilized before a projectile thudded against the hull, making it tilt. The three kinnaras chittered at the back. Whatever the nagas fired was not powerful enough to shoot down the Monara. Still, Binara leaned over the gunwale and stared into the distance—in time to see three nagas holding what looked like a rocket launcher.

"Holy shit," Binara muttered.

There was no way the Monara could fly out of range in time. Yet, Diyan pushed the craft to maximum velocity. The vroom blended with the cacophony—a war drum that made her heart rate spike. Binara didn't wait to find out if they would make it. She dug into her backpack.

A second ticked by.

She pulled out her slingshot and a sura pellet from the sealed box.

Another second elapsed.

She could feel the heat seeping into her skin as she positioned the metal and pulled the band—right when the nagas took aim.