INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Every morning for two hours Grandmaster Li and Zerelda Sangama practised their skills with swords, long fighting knives, short throwing
knives, tomahawks, sticks, and feet
As they fought it felt as if the whole forest came to a standstill and crowded around to watch
Of all the Sangamas she was the only one who had an itch for foreign travel, a desire to see the world beyond her own part of it
whisk her child away from her forever
A similarly adventurous nature had brought Li Ye-He south to Bisnaga, and in the forest he told Zerelda tales of his journey by land and
sea; as well as tales told to him by his friend Cheng Ho, general, eunuch, and constant voyager, in search of treasure, around and across
the ocean to the west; and, in addition, stories Cheng Ho had heard from the descendants of people who had met the Italian Marco Polo at the
In the city of Zerelda, time flies
Every day the citizens, who know that life is short, rush about with large nets trying to capture the minutes and hours that float around
just above their heads like brightly coloured butterflies
But time is elusive, and many fail
And all the inhabitants of Zerelda know that there will never be enough time for them, and in the end they will all run out of it
They are sad, but put on cheerful expressions, for they are a stoical people
flight, live on the treetops while the birds, who are flightless, peck around for worms on the ground
In the trees one can find many stores selling warm clothing, because those who fly know that the air, as one rises up through its layers,
Because of this they, the featherless aerialists, understand that every gift, no matter how wondrous, also creates problems, and so they are
of these fabulous descriptions
home, and mothers must content themselves with memories and yearnings, but it was hard to hold back the tears
initiative and be the one to suggest the big move, so that Zerelda would not have to feel guilty for abandoning her mother in exile
Remember that Number Two is king of all the land up to and including Goa, and that we are all declared to be witches, so we are fugitives
from what he would call his justice
Therefore I release you from your oath
My daughter loves you and I see that she loves, too, the kind of journeying life you have in mind
So we must find a way for you to eat a fish curry in Goa with General Cheng Ho, and then go on with him or without him, to China or Timbuktu
or wherever the spirit moves you, or the wind blows you, to experience whatever chance has in store
permission from Penguin Random House India
