I laughed. “I guess. I’m eighteen.”
“A child,” breathed Aasha, her eyes widening in wonder. “And your mate?”
The tops of Vikram’s ears turned red. “Eighteen.”
I immediately tried changing the subject. “I don’t understand why Lord Kubera would even invite the Serpent King to the Tournament if the Lady Kauveri hates him so much.”
Aasha only shrugged. “Any Otherworld being who played in a previous Tournament is always invited to play in the next game. Most of the Otherworld is invited, but some choose not to come because they know their presence will only inspire fear. The Lord of Treasures even invites the Dharma Raja and the Queen of Light. Can you imagine what would happen if they came?” She shuddered. “Nothing but chaos. Although I heard they sent a gift since they would not attend.”
We walked in silence as Aasha stepped expertly around the strange groves. In the distance, water smoothed over rocks. Frost hung in the air, and a fine mist spilled over the tree roots.
“What do you eat?” asked Aasha suddenly. The question broke from her as if she could no longer fight the strength of it.
I eyed her. What if she wasn’t staying close because she was angling to feed our desires or hurt us? What if she was just… curious?
“Fruits, vegetables—” I said.
“Sometimes a human if you have no choice,” added Vikram.
Aasha looked startled.
“I read that somewhere,” he said defensively.
“Don’t tell her that!” I hissed, turning to Aasha. “It’s not true.”
She flashed a smile, but it looked more like a wince. “And you may leave from your home at any time?”
Longing filled her voice.
“Not anytime. It just depends what your responsibilities are and who you are.”
Aasha nodded, but I could tell that answer had only created a thousand more questions. The longer we walked, the more the trees changed, tapering off into clumps of straggling saplings or growing sparse and skeletal. A pool of milky white water wound through the land like a slender ribbon. We followed it until we came to a still pond. Not even the trees kneeling around the water’s edges cast a reflection. Enchantment burned in the air, creating pockets in the sky that peered into different worlds altogether.
“This is the entrance to his kingdom?” asked Vikram.
He stepped forward, leaning over the pool, and immediately jumped back.
“What is it?”
“There’s writing in the water.”
“That is the invitation of the Serpent King,” said Aasha. “If you solve it, he will grant you an audience. Otherwise you must catch him when he chooses to surface.”
Aasha and I joined Vikram beside the water’s edge. Here, even the sky seemed different—gray and drained of color. Not a single cloud moved in the sky, and the light mist from earlier had thickened into smoky claws that scraped across the earth.
To one it is invisible
Yet be careful if you lose much
To some it is everything
A history to clutch
Though it is life, it cannot buy time
Speak wrong, and I will take it as mine
I groaned. “Another riddle?”
