CHAPTER 9

The night air was cool, a welcome relief from the day's heat. Inside the small, dimly lit room they now called home, Mandlavi and Ramna sat in silence, their gazes fixed on Karna's sleeping form. The child's breathing was soft and steady, her tiny hands curled close to her chest. She looked peaceful, but Mandlavi knew better. Karna had started stirring in her sleep, whispering things that made no sense to them.

Mandlavi smoothed a hand over Karna's soft curls, brushing them away from her round face. She was still small, still fragile in so many ways. But the world was already pressing in on her, forcing her to grow up faster than she should.

"She's been dreaming," Mandlavi murmured, keeping her voice low.

Ramna, who sat by the door, her back pressed against the wall, frowned. "Dreaming?"

Mandlavi nodded. "She murmurs in her sleep. Names we don't know, things she shouldn't know. She's seeing something."

Ramna's frown deepened. "It's nothing. She's a child, Mandlavi. Children dream."

Mandlavi exhaled. "I know that. But something about it feels different."

Ramna shifted, stretching out her legs. "The past is already too heavy on us. Let's not make more of this than we need to."

Silence stretched between them for a moment. They both knew the truth—they were running out of time.

"We can't stay hidden much longer," Ramna finally said. "We've barely survived on the scraps we brought with us, and we have nothing left to trade. We need to find work."

Mandlavi nodded. "I've been thinking the same."

Ramna hesitated before asking, "What skills do we have that would help us survive here?"

Mandlavi let out a tired sigh. "We healed."

Ramna nodded slowly. "We did."

For as long as she could remember, healing had been a part of their lives. Back in the Isaki caverns, they had tended to the wounded, mixed herbs for fevers, set broken bones. It had been their way of giving back to their people, their way of proving their worth. But now, their people were gone, and all they had left were their hands and what knowledge remained in their minds.

"We could heal here," Mandlavi suggested hesitantly.

Ramna's lips pressed into a thin line. "If we do, we draw attention to ourselves."

Mandlavi met her sister's gaze. "If we don't, we starve."

Ramna groaned and ran a hand down her face. "Why does everything always have to come back to food with you?"

Mandlavi shrugged. "Because food keeps us alive?"

Ramna huffed. "Fine. You win. But we have to be careful. If we're going to do this, we need to do it in a way that won't make people question where we came from. This kingdom doesn't trust outsiders, especially those with unknown skills."

Mandlavi nodded in agreement. "We will offer small things at first. Nothing that makes us seem too different."

Ramna leaned her head back against the wall. "We'll start with herbs. Every kingdom has the same sicknesses. Fevers, cuts, coughs. We can mix remedies, help with minor wounds."

Mandlavi glanced toward Karna. "We do this for her. She needs stability. A home. And if we are to build that for her, we need to be useful here."

Ramna groaned dramatically. "I was hoping for something easier. Maybe we could start a bakery instead?"

Mandlavi raised a brow. "You messed up our last meal and it wasn't even on fire."

Ramna scowled. "That was one time!"

Mandlavi folded her arms. "One time? You burned water, Ramna."

Ramna sputtered. "That's impossible! How does one burn water?"

Mandlavi smirked. "You tell me. You were the one who did it."

Ramna crossed her arms with a huff. "Fine. No bakery."

Mandlavi chuckled. "No bakery."

A comfortable silence settled between them until Ramna sighed.

"She will ask questions, Mandlavi. We cannot keep the truth from her forever."

Mandlavi stiffened. "We can try."

Ramna turned to look at her sister fully. "And when she asks about her family? About who she is? About what happened?"

Mandlavi swallowed hard. "Then we will give her enough to keep her safe. But not the whole truth."

Ramna studied her carefully. "You want to protect her."

"Of course, I do," Mandlavi said.

"But at what cost?" Ramna whispered.

Mandlavi had no answer for that.

She knew Ramna was right. The truth would come for Karna, no matter how hard they tried to shield her from it. But for now, they had to survive.

"Tomorrow, we will go into the village," Mandlavi finally said. "We will find the market, look for herbs. See if there are any healers here, people we can learn from."

Ramna nodded. "We move carefully. We don't draw attention."

Mandlavi glanced at Karna once more. "She's still too young to bear the weight of our past. We must give her time."

Ramna didn't argue this time. Instead, she reached out and took Mandlavi's hand in hers, squeezing it gently.

"We'll find a way," she said.

Mandlavi nodded.

Ramna sighed. "But who's going to be with Karna while we're gone?"

Mandlavi blinked. "She will have to come with us."

They both stared at each other in silence, the realization sinking in.

Ramna groaned. "Great. So we'll be those people. You know, the ones who drag a child through the market while she complains about being hungry every five minutes."

Mandlavi smirked. "Well, at least she gets it from you."

Ramna gasped. "How dare you?"

Mandlavi simply shrugged, amused. "You just said food is your priority."

Ramna sighed dramatically. "I hate it when you're right."

Mandlavi patted her shoulder. "It's a terrible burden, I know."

Outside, the wind whispered through the trees, and inside, Karna stirred in her sleep. She mumbled something neither of them could quite make out, a name neither of them had ever spoken.

"Tse…tse… Tsegunki…"

The name drifted from her lips like a secret carried by the wind.

Mandlavi and Ramna exchanged glances, their hearts heavy with unspoken fears.

They didn't know what Karna saw in her dreams.

And they didn't know how much longer they could keep the truth from her.