Ishaan Bhaskar ((link)) -

Ishaan tried to speak, but his voice came out as a whisper. "Who are you?"

Lines, he realized, were lies. The only truth was connection.

Ishaan grabbed his bag. Inside: a brass compass that pointed to magnetic north only when he didn't need it, a worn copy of the Surya Siddhanta , and a small silver box that had belonged to his grandmother. She had given it to him on her deathbed, whispering, "When the maps fail you, beta, listen to the stones." He had thought she was delirious. Now he wasn't so sure.

He stepped forward. "Tell me what to do."