Page 57 of The Surviving Sky
“Iravan, please.” She took a deep breath. “You know I’m right.”
“But—”
“I’m unhurt. Trust me.”
For a long moment, her husband’s face was still, his jaw clenching and unclenching in indecision.
Then he nodded reluctantly.
“I’ll return as soon as I can.” His voice became quiet. “Ahilya, takecare—trajectionisn’t—”
“I know,” she said hurriedly, aware of the listening ears. “I know, Iravan.”
He ran his hand through his hair; she glanced up to see the action across the crater. Iravan waved at her. Then the message disconnected and he was turning away in his wheelchair.
Ahilya looked away from her citizen ring to where Maze Architects in their brown kurtas and translucent robes hurried down a staircase. Thetemple—orperhaps Iravanhimself—hadalready sent people to manage this crisis. The rest of her group rose on shaky feet, a couple of them limping. Tariya gestured to Ahilya and they joined the others.
“—was lucky,” one of the Maze Architects was saying. “Had you not focused your desire at the same time as the architects were rebuilding, you would not have made it out safely. Whose idea was it to do that?”
The others turned to Ahilya.
The architect, a short man with a thin mustache, nodded, impressed. “I did not think a non-architect could be so astute about these matters.”
“She’s Iravan-ve’s wife,” Reniya muttered.
“Ah! That explains it.” He turned away, gesturing to the other architects.
Irritation bubbled in Ahilya. After everything she and the others had endured because of an architect-made mistake, the casual insult of the statement burned her. She opened her mouth but Tariya placed a hand on her arm. “No, forget him. Look at what you justdid—withall ofus—”
“Look how little it mattered.”
“It mattered,” Tariya said flatly. “You saved us. Have you considered you’re stronger when you want the same things as everyone else? That the ashram is stronger when we all want the same things?”
Stunned, Ahilya stared at her sister, momentarily robbed of speech.People like us, Oam said,we don’t know anything about flight and architecture. Survival is the council’s business.
Her mind spun. A thousand objections rose to her lips, about the council wanting the wrong things, about the justiceshehad always wanted for people like her, those who couldn’t traject. That was what all her work was for. But, in the face of death, did any of Ahilya’s ambitions matter? She had always dismissed Tariya’s perspectivebefore—thetwo of them had never seen things the sameway—butwas Tariya right? They all knew the power of their own desire, even Tariya—especiallyTariya—whohad struggles even Ahilya barely understood. Ahilya blinked and said nothing.
“Come,” Tariya said. “Let’s go to the infirmary.” She grabbed her hand and followed the Maze Architects up the stairs.
Silently, Ahilya let herself be led away.
19
IRAVAN
The wheelchair impeded his speed, he wasn’t allowed to traject, and the ashram was not back at full capacity.
All in all, it took Iravan nearly two hours to return to the temple.
He noticed the passing scenery inflashes—thedrying grass, the decaying trees, the popping bark that indicated just how poorly Nakshar was being maintained. Relief and anger throbbed in his head. He had been so close to trajecting. Even now, when he was not in the Moment, he could almost see the Resonance, familiar and tempting. What if Ahilya had not emerged? Would Iravan have let her die, rather than enter the Moment? Shame coursed through him; he was sickened with himself. If their positions were reversed, Ahilya would have damned the consequences and come to save him, no matter what.
Iravan entered the temple’s extensive main chamber and immediately skimmed toward one of its honeycomb corridors, away from the rudra tree. He tapped at his bracelet and a wall opened to reveal a lush green elevator. The temple had recognized him; the elevator was already attuning itself to Iravan’s preferred design, with bark opening to let in sunlight and a view of the open sky. How much trajection was being used to maintain this? Iravan saw again the earth cracking open near the Academy and Ahilya slipping through his grasp. His jaw tightened in anger at this magnificent waste. He emerged into a plumeria-lined corridor and skimmed to the council chamber.
Grown in the highest levels of the temple, the council chamber was a large, luxurious room with a massive mahogany table at its center. Thick, sweet-smelling moss layered the floor, and the walls were a tessellation of dark flowers. No windows wereopen—thecouncilors on their high-backed rosewood chairs had clearly been discussing sensitivematters—anda hologram hovered on the table: Manav smiling, a picture from before his excision. And beside him, Iravan’s own face.
Airav smoothly waved the holograms away, and all five councilors turned to Iravan as he entered. Laksiya, who had been leaning forward, closed her mouth and sat back.
For one disoriented moment, Iravan saw himself sitting with them, in his own rosewood chair. He had once looked at Manav with the same expression the others had now, as though considering a dangerous animal.
