Ravana’s territory existed on an island at the very southern tip of the known world. His kingdom had long been plagued by the disapproval and punishments of the gods, and he was making pilgrimage to the high mountains in order to seek Lord Shiva’s grace. It was a long, fraught journey, and everyone knew he hoped it would bring his people better fortune.
When Dasharath had told me of his coming, I had wondered why such a seemingly devout leader would have the need for such a pilgrimage. But looking at him now, I knew. He had rakshasa blood in his veins.
“I am not sure how pleasant being knocked over was for you,” he said, and I found myself laughing. The disconcerting color of his eyes was softened by the kindness held within them.
I shook my head. “It was my fault. As I said, I should have paid more attention to where I was going.”
“I understand. Sometimes I find myself lost in thought for hours on end.” He sat down on a nearby bench, and drawn in by his easy manner, I sat down next to him.
“Lost in thought about what?” I asked.
He raised his eyebrows as though surprised to be asked. “Flight, for one thing,” he said.
“Flight? Like birds?” I was intrigued.
“Yes. I am trying to find a way to make it possible for us intelligent creatures to take to the sky,” he explained, his eyes taking on a distant look. “If birds, with no language or tools, can fly, then why shouldn’t we?”
“Birds can speak,” I said immediately. “You and I cannot understand them, but that does not mean they don’t communicate.”
He looked at me as if seeing me for the first time. “And how would you know such a thing?”
My cheeks reddened. “I have read of it,” I mumbled. I would not reveal my father’s boon, especially not to a stranger.
“That does not sound like information one would find in a scroll,” Ravana pressed. “But I am fascinated by this. If I were to wear a pair of wings and flap as hard as I could, I would still not take flight. Something else must buoy birds. If I could only speak to them, I might be able to divine what allows them to fly.”
I laughed at the thought of little sparrows or finches relating the secrets of their wings to this man. I wondered if this was one of the many things my father knew and could never share. “They are far more trouble than they are worth.”
Ravana turned to face me fully. “Now, Radnyi Kaikeyi, you really must tell me. How have you come by such knowledge?”
I had talked myself into a predicament. I needed to distract him, and for want of a better option, I entered the Binding Plane. Happily, we had already formed a bond, a cord the color of the cloudless sky. I could work with that. I sent him a gentle suggestion: Drop the matter.
His brow furrowed, and he shook his head as if to clear a fly away.
To my shock, I felt the suggestion recoil from him, the same way I had bounced off him on the garden path. Such a thing had never happened before. I frowned, concentrating this time, and sent the message again, more firmly.
Ravana sprang to his feet. “What are you doing?”
“Nothing!” I insisted, too quickly.
“Are you a witch?” he demanded, taking a step away from me. His features twisted, eyebrows knitted together and lips pulling back into a scowl. For a moment, he looked like a creature from the tales, from my nightmare in the forest. And yet, however frightening he looked, his actions betrayed his own, mortal fear.
“No, of course not!”
“I received a suggestion in my mind,” he said. “Some sort of magic is afoot.”
“That’s absurd.” I rose to my feet, pretending insult. “I will not be maligned in such a way.”
But he stepped in front of me, blocking my path. “Why such an extreme reaction?” he asked. “I am sorry. I was rude just now, but please do not leave.”
“What do you want?” I asked, eyes darting to the path behind him.
“Only to talk,” he said. “I mean no insult, but you have magic. I know it; I felt it. Look, here. I will swear that I mean no harm. Would that put your mind at ease?”
Cautiously, I nodded. He would be honor bound to such an oath.
“I swear to the great Lord Shiva that I will not tell another soul anything you share with me about this matter of magic, and furthermore, that I mean you no ill will on its account.”
I repeated his words back to myself, searching for any gap in his statement, but found none.
“What would you like to know?” I finally said.