When I raised my face to the stars, I thought I saw hanging in the river of constellations a great web. Its glinting threads wove from my past and present actions. Amarisa, Kesar, and I were caught in the midst of it.

The others were thrown in there, too. My mother, my friends, they all got trapped like flies on the web of destiny. My puny struggles would only entangle us more.

For the longest time, I sat riveted on the ground. The weight of my despair left me drained and defeated. I thought of their hassle at the camp, no one would notice my absence. But as the cruel...