Chapter 11: Back in Laos, 1975
Suryavarman greeted Nick—this time the tears were in
his eyes. “I’m so sorry Nickolas. We didn’t mean to
stop you from leaving.”
“No—please—I’m the one who is sorry for putting
everyone in such danger. Rama told me what happened.
I was such a fool to think that I could just walk
out of here. I’m sorry.”
“Nickolas, you needn’t worry about our safety. Our
temple is very isolated and far from all the
fighting. The soldiers will find the raft and think
you fell over. And you know how difficult it is to
get here. Our sanctuary is perfectly safe. No one
has followed you here. You haven’t brought any
danger upon us. On the contrary, you have only
blessed us. Now come, sit with me. Lunch is
almost ready.” Surya reached out and patted Nick on
the head, a gesture of love that pleased everyone
who saw it.
