Epic of Aravinda 1: The Truth Beyond the Sky Read Free Page B

look.”
    “So much for miracles…”
    “Miracles? I’m talking about solutions, Zahn. Like in science. Like the science we practice at this observatory every day. We find the truth. We find solutions.”
    “So a solution has never presented itself miraculously? A solution has never shown up serendipitously? Ever?”
    For the first time that day, Zahn noticed Vina sigh and take a moment to think. She looked over to Tak who raised his eyebrows at her and tilted his head.
    “You know I can’t prove that either way,” she said.
    “Leave him alone, darling,” Tak said. “We may have heard the rumors, but we don’t know what he’s been through.”
    Vina looked off into the distance and then down to her food, which was still untouched.
    Zahn was silent and continued to eat. For the rest of the meal, Tak read, Zahn collected his thoughts, and Vina did something she hadn’t done in months:
    She ate without talking.

CHAPTER4
     
    AN OLD FRIEND GIVES RIDDLES
     
     
    When he left the observatory many hours later, the sun was much nearer to the horizon. As Zahn walked the trail back to where he’d parked the airboat, he noticed someone sitting on a bench out of the corner of his eye. He wondered why his eye seemed drawn to this person, but continued walking.
    “Is that you, son of Vivek?”
    Zahn turned around and saw a short old man wearing a dark orange robe walking toward him. What he saw made him stop dead in his tracks.
    “Oldman Kavi?”
    “I am he. I have been away. It is good to see you, Zahn!”
    “Kavi! I can’t believe you’re here. It’s been… years,” Zahn was nearly in shock.
    “I suppose it has, at least here.” Kavi seemed lost in thought for a few seconds. “But these are auspicious times.”
    “Are they?”
    “Oh, yes. Where are you headed, my old friend?”
    “Home, and then I’m going up to Zikhara tonight. You should come with me. I’m sure my father would be happy to see you, especially after all these years.”
    “Oh Zahn, your ritual shows your connection, your hidden strength. With that in your heart, why don’t you keep the lens in your pocket all of the time?”
    “Thanks Kavi—wait, what?”
    “That lens! That lens. Verily, it is a living memory of your mother in physical form. Yes–yes. Will come in handy if a feather falls from the sky. Yes–yes.”
    “A feather?”
    “Mmm. Let me ask you this, my young friend. What would you do if an unborn rockturtle wasn’t strong enough to hatch? Would you break its egg or give it more time? Either choice could lead to its death. What if it is too weak? Or not ready?”
    Zahn imagined a silvery, baby rockturtle fighting its way out of its egg. For their journey to the ocean, rockturtles had long since adapted to blend in with the silvery sand of the beach. It had been a long time since Kavi had asked him a riddle, and he hoped he still had the clarity to solve them.
    “And of course,” Kavi continued, “we must remember that every rockturtle that has ever lived has prepared the world for that new, unborn hatchling. It is never alone, and it never will be. All the hatchlings of eternity have gone before it.”
    Kavi allowed Zahn to contemplate this for some time.
    “Do you understand the gravity of this situation?” Kavi said.
    “Hmm. Did you come up with that yourself? Does it have a right answer?”
    “How could I write a song that even the birds already know?”
    There was silence between them as Zahn considered this.
    “I think I’d give the egg more time.” Zahn finally said. “Hey, how do you know about my mother’s lens, anyway?”
    “A small rockturtle told me,” Kavi said, winking one eye.
    Zahn looked at Kavi suspiciously, but couldn’t help but grin because he knew Kavi usually had a surprise up his sleeve when he talked like this. When Zahn studied his face, it seemed as though there was an ancient mystery hiding within it, if he only knew where to look.
    “You know what, you really should come back