Lake Kalinda robbed her of breath to speak. Mountains buttressed a tranquil stretch of water. In the distance, she heard the susurration of waterfalls like wind in the treetops. Birds with small round wings and no apparent tails darted among the trees, chirping with voices to match their size. From higher in the canopy, bell-like notes filtered down through the leaves.
In a small village at the headwaters of the West Sujata River, Julis found a fisherman to deliver a message to the town of Kalinda. The following morning, barges arrived to take them to the southern tip of the lake.
They journeyed south into a pleasant summer and the breathtakingly lush highlands of Hathor. Irenya savoured the sights—and the superb wines and beers of that region.
‘They say it is the soil and the water,’ i
