Days passed in silence without another word from him and Ayla began to wonder if she had simply imagined speaking with him in her mind, the conversation a fabrication of her own exhaustion and mental depletion. She had been neglecting her meditating for weeks while seeking answers. She had strayed from reading the ancient passages that always gave guidance and direction to her, otherwise, disordered life. She had given herself over to the present only, forgetting about the immortal inside her, around her, and had lost her way. The secretive search for answers to questions she barely knew how to ask had led her far from the teachings and training she had received year after year in the Temple and she knew there was only one course of action left to her.
himhimWith Mardan beside her she ret
