For children: Xuan, a scribe from China, finds himself entangled in dangerous intrigues in Taxila

Food of the gods here in your own market!
Minced lamb stuffed in brinjal!

Ekla’s face brightened immediately. Fairness and justice clearly came second to delectable food; this was something we both agreed on. Even before I heard the hawker, the aroma of salty meat had hit my senses. We walked over to the stall. Ekla seemed to know the vendor. He spoke to her in a rapid dialect, of which all I could make out was that he was asking for a portion. The woman replied in a more comprehensible dialect.

“Do you think I am running a charity, Ekla? You want me to give you both food for free because your friend will otherwise never taste the delicacies of Taxila? Do you have no shame? This is my livelihood! By rights, you shouldn’t even be showing your face here!”

“I am not asking it for free. You know that I am the best archer in the kingdom. I will join the army as soon as I am allowed to and I will pay you all the silver in the world. Just put it in on my long-term account.” This was interesting as just a short while ago, he’d told me he was going to be...

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