The Stone Peacock's Song

When the gate shut behind them, the darkness was so deep that Mehran could hear the sound of his own breath. In his heart he saw his father's face — the face of stone, standing in the darbar, as if the Sardar were still watching his son. Mehran pressed the pouch to his chest. Inside it were four pieces, and the fifth piece lay somewhere inside this very mountain. In his heart he said, “Abba, I have come.”