The car ride was long, the longest she had ever been in. But Satya managed to keep her entertained with a running commentary on how much things had changed. Every now and then, the woman would exchange conversation with the driver, a middle-aged man who at first had been hesitant to take the job but had quickly agreed once he saw the thick roll of notes Satya offered him.

"There-" Satya pointed across a lake they were driving past, "There it is." Valkyrie peered through the window at a huge white stone building that shadowed the lake, a temple the size of all the houses on her street put together back home. It was magnificent, the white glinting and sparkling in the water, pillars made of marble that shined in the sunset.

"It's beautiful," She whispered in wonder.

Satya let out a noise of agreement.

It was another ten minutes of driving when the driver pulled to a stop about twenty metres away. Valkyrie got out of the car, grabbing the small suitcase out of the boot while Satya paid the driver.

She looked around. There was no one to be seen around the temple or by the lake. Everyone must have retreated from the heat, but based on what she had picked up on, this heat was pretty standard for India.

The car drove off, Satya walking towards Valkyrie.

"Looks empty," Valkyrie noted.

"You know better than that," Satya said, wiggling her fingers at her, "This is a temple of Necromancy. You can sure as hell bet they've got Masks and wards up."

Satya grabbed the suitcase, picking it up easily, "Come on."

Valkyrie followed her up the stairs, stopping as Satya did about ten metres from the huge wooden doors.

They waited. Satya set the case down, shouldering her backpack awkwardly with a sigh. "Come on, come on," She muttered.

After about a minute of silence the doors opened a creak, revealing a brown skinned woman about Satya's age.

She stepped into view, wearing a white silk sari with a scowl on her face. She said something sharply to Satya.

Satya tilted her head in a very Skulduggery manner, "Larki, I was walking these halls before you were even a thought in your mother's mind," She said harshly in English, "We seek refuge from the Temple of Kali, who are you to turn us away?"

"I am a trusted confidant of the Lady of the house," The woman said haughtily, switching to accented but good English, "We don't take just anyone." She wrinkled her nose at Valkyrie. "Goriya," She all but spat.

"That's lovely," Satya said sarcastically, "Why don't you tell the Lady of the house to come and greet her guests."

"Do not speak of her in that-"

"Kala!"

The doors opened wider, creaking open loudly to reveal a woman in a cream, silk sari, the fabric covering her head. She wore gold jewellery, a large hoop through her nose that trailed into her hair and around her neck. She was beautiful.

But that wasn't what made Valkyrie gasp.

It was the familiar nose and set eyes, the thick eyebrows and the sharp jaw, the full lips.

She looked like Satya. But the only difference that set the two sisters apart was her longer face and the prominent streaks of gray that ran through her hair.

The woman had two younger girls by her side, one in a red sari, the other in a grey sari. She stood next to Kala who suddenly looked small, looking down at her feet in shame. The woman muttered an order to her and she nodded, hastily going back inside.

Then the woman looked at Satya, surveying her before meeting Valkyrie's eyes. Valkyrie swallowed, holding her gaze for a few moments until she pulled away, looking back at Satya.

"Juta utar do," She said, her voice echoing off the marble floors. It was a majestic kind of voice, the smooth rolling type that reminded Valkyrie of a feminine version of Skulduggery's. But the problem was that she had no clue what she had said. Was she refusing them? Greeting them?

"Seriously, Mastani?" Satya said in disbelief, "First time in two hundred years and you tell me to take my shoes off?"

Valkyrie coughed to cover her laugh, cheeks red when Mastani looked at her.

"This is a temple," She said, "And your shoes are dirty."

"I can't believe you."

Valkyrie watched as Mastani's eyes crinkled into a familiar smile, a smile she was used to seeing on Satya. She watched as the woman's sari dragged on the ground, the fabric rustling in a beautiful sheen as she raised her arms and embraced her sister.

"Welcome home," Mastani murmured. And Satya hugged back tightly.

Ooooooooooooo

The street food had nothing on this.

Satya watched as Valkyrie ate with gusto, digging into the meal with the full mannerisms of an indian girl. She had been taught well, Satya thought in amusement.

Mastani was watching the girl too, furrow in her brow as she tried to figure out the girl's placement here.

"We need you help," Satya cut to the chase.

"Why else would you be here?" There was no bitterness in her sister's voice, just raw honesty. Because why else would Satya come back to the country she had left behind as a child?

"Will you help us?"

Mastani smiled, "You haven't even told me what you need." Satya watched as she arranged the sari shawl around her arms. She remembered when she first came back to India two hundred years ago. Her sister had placed a white sari in her hands, the colour of widows and Satya had thrown it aside in disgust.

She had pushed away the title of being a window with disgust, her sister had taken it like a crown. She had built her temple on the foundations of being a widow, and wore its colours proudly.

Although, Mastani did throw away the tradition of widows not wearing gold. She'd always had expensive taste.

"Valkyrie knows her true name," Satya said, "She needs it sealed."

"Why is it that you do not have your own people to do these kind of things?" Mastani asked, not out of rejection but curiosity.

"We do, they can't be trusted," Satya replied. The only creature that they knew of was Doctor Nye, a war criminal that was notorious for its horrible experiments on prisoners. Satya wouldn't let Valkyrie near that thing even if it were a case of life and death.

"Very well," Mastani said with a nod, "We may begin tomorrow. For now, eat and rest. Niriksha will show you to your rooms. Satya, do you mind…?"

Satya nodded and then turned to Valkyrie, "I'll be there soon," She promised, "Get some sleep, okay?"

Valkyrie nodded, flashing her a smile, "I'll be fine, take all the time you need." Satya smiled back and watched her retreating back, following the woman in the red sari.

"Chalo hamare pas," Mastani said, getting to her feet. Satya did too, taking her older sister's side.

They walked together for a little bit, down the halls and out the back end of the temple, appearing by the lake. Mastani sat at the steps, looking out at the water as she gestured for her to sit.

Satya sat.

Mastani's lips were lifted up as she took her sister's hand in her own, pressing it to her lips. "I'm glad you came to me," She said in hindi, "I can tell how much this means to you. How much the girl means to you."

Satya leaned forward, resting her head on Mastani's shoulder. It was strange, how easily they fell into the comfort of eachother, the same way Satya would with any of the Dead Men. Difference was, Satya had only seen her sister once in the past four hundred years and the Dead Men everyday.

"She does," She murmured, replying in hindi, "As good as a daughter. She's a good kid."

"She carries a load on her shoulder," Mastani noted, "She would make a good Necromancer."

Satya pulled away sharply. "Don't you dare try to seduce her," She warned, "She's an Elemental through and through."

"She might surprise you," Mastani said with a smile.

"She does that anyway," Satya murmured, taking back her comfortable position.

"How are your boys?" Mastani asked.

"Multiplied since we last saw eachother," Satya murmured with a smile, "Some of them can even cook a full Indian meal."

"Tell me all about them."

And so Satya sat at her sister's feet, telling her all about her tales of Ireland. All of Robin's pranks and Saracen's exploits and Dexter's badly shaped rotis. She told her of Skulduggery's car and Ghastly's workshop and of Anton's hotel and Hopeless' tendency to stay up reading, reappearing after days with wild, tired eyes.

She told Mastani about her family.

Then she told her sister about heartbreak, the nightmares and the secrets. She told her about her lost child and the war.

Tonight she was an open book.