But it was Aiden who spoke first. “Did you tell anyone?”
Aru felt like she’d been thrown into cold water. “About what?”
“About the…” He trailed off, glancing at the floor.
“The kiss?” She crossed her arms. “No.”
Was it her imagination or did his shoulders fall just a little bit?
“Oh,” he said. “Good.”
Good?! thought Aru. She felt like someone had taken a cheese grater to her soul. Good. That meant he didn’t want anyone to know…because it had been a mistake.
Why had she ever thought otherwise?
“I don’t think we should’ve done that,” he said, staring at the floor. “I’m sorry.”
Aru gave herself roughly three seconds to be sad. Then she shoved the feeling far away from her.
“Are you…Are you okay?” asked Aiden. “Can we still be friends?”
Aru had never missed her lightning bolt more. Vajra would have happily electrocuted him on the spot.
“Am I okay?” said Aru, taking a menacing step toward him.
Aiden nervously stumbled back. “Aru…? It’s not you, it’s—”
“Finish that sentence and even without a lightning bolt I will fry you,” said Aru.
Aiden shut his mouth.
“No, Aiden, I’m not okay. My birthday was crap. My half sister hates me, and my weapon is gone.” Aru drew herself up. “I’ve literally got an entire world to save in nine days! I don’t have time for this!”
“Uh—” said Aiden, his eyes widening.
Aru flipped her hair over her shoulder. “Sure, Aiden, we can be ‘friends,’ mostly because I don’t need this nonsense on top of everything else. But when this is over, don’t ever talk to me again. That should be easy enough for you.”
And with that, Aru turned on her heel and stomped away. She caught sight of Aiden’s reflection in the mirror. He looked stunned. And handsome…
But mostly stunned.
Ha, thought Aru, even though she felt a terrible digging sensation behind her ribs.
It was only when she’d reached the exhibit and saw Brynne’s thunderous frown and Mini’s shocked face that she realized she’d accidentally broadcast all that through the Pandava mind link.
Brynne spoke telepathically: He might be my best friend, but I will beat the—
I wish you’d told us! Mini cut in before Brynne could finish. If you start crying, please drink water. Dehydration is serious!
Brynne: Really, Mini?
Mini: I’m looking out for her! Aru, what can we do?
It doesn’t make sense, said Brynne. There has to be a reason why he’d backtrack like that. Let me talk to him—
No way, said Aru. Please, just let it go.
Neither Brynne nor Mini looked convinced, but at that moment Aru’s mom cleared her throat and raised her hand to get their attention.
“Oh, hi, Aiden,” said Krithika. “I thought your mother was coming?”
“She’s on her way,” said Aiden. He lifted his camera, avoiding all eye contact with the girls. “I, um, I got the footage of Sheela’s fake prophecy to show you.”
He glanced at Aru, Brynne, and Mini. When none of them spoke, he pulled the images out of his screen, where they hovered in midair. Aiden must have filmed it secretly, because the angle was all off, and Aru could barely see the lower halves of Sheela’s and Nikita’s bodies. Judging from the glittering floor, they were in Urvashi’s dance studio.
“—a vision?” said Urvashi off-camera. Her voice was pinched with concern.
Sheela began to shake. Aru heard Nikita whisper, “Don’t overdo it.”
Sheela’s voice rang clear as a bell. “You cannot see, you cannot know, where the Pandavas will go….If you seek them, you shall find…destruction of another kind….”
“Aiden!” shouted Urvashi sharply. “Why are you filming this? Get help!”
“Sorry, masi,” Aiden muttered.
The camera’s viewpoint careened toward the ground before going dark.
“And they bought it?” asked Brynne.
Aiden nodded. “Hanuman and Urvashi left after that. They’re following some leads about the rest of the Sleeper’s army.”
“What leads?” asked Aru coldly.
Aiden didn’t meet her eyes. “There’s no way to access the labyrinth without a celestial weapon. But once you’re inside, how do you let people in? Hanuman and Urvashi are trying to find out what his plans are.”
Aru considered this, her stomach turning. All they’d been thinking of was how to get into the labyrinth. She hadn’t even begun to consider how they were going to fit a whole army inside.
“Sorry I’m late!” called a musical voice down the hallway.
Malini Acharya entered the room and all the air seemed to leave it. Malini was tall and slim, with rich brown skin and beautiful eyes that looked like amber jewels beneath moonlight. Her supernatural grace was the only clue that she had once been a celebrated apsara before she had left her celestial city to marry a mortal man.
Malini smiled at Krithika and Brynne, nodded at Mini, and, as usual, ignored Aru completely. For some reason, Aiden’s mom didn’t seem to like Aru very much. Malini went to Aiden, resting her palm against his cheek.
“It’s time,” said Krithika, gesturing to Greg the stone elephant.
The statue’s jaw unhinged, dropping to the floor.
“You have our blessings,” said Krithika.
“And this,” added Malini. “Should you need it.”
She hummed a quick tune, and the music was what Aru imagined a shooting star would sound like. It filled Aru’s senses, lifted her hair off her neck, and shimmered through her bones. When she blinked, Malini was holding a coin-size piece of light, which she handed to Aiden.
“Here. A pure note of music. It will let you call upon my family,” said Malini. “But it is to be used only in emergencies.”
Aiden took the note of music, a curious combination of fury and wonder on his face as he tucked it away.
“I believe in you. All of you,” said Krithika. “Please come back safely.”
Aru took a deep breath. Mini, wearing a purple lehenga covered in silver stars, stepped through the portal first. Next was Brynne, in a midnight blue salwar kameez with gold stripes. Aiden followed, and then it was Aru’s turn.
“Don’t forget to feed BB while we’re gone,” said Aru to her mom. “And not too many Oreos—he’ll get indigestion. And then the museum will be on fire.”
Krithika laughed. “Noted.”
With one last look at her mother and the place where she had lived for almost ten years, Aru stepped into the portal.
Aru had imagined that crashing a wedding would involve a high-speed car chase, but what it really came down to was blending in with the guests and getting to the sacred fire before anyone saw them. After that, all they had to do was throw the Agni coin into the flames and get out. Easy enough.
The wedding venue looked pretty swanky. The outside of the fancy hotel was covered in twisting ivy and roses. Enchanted bronze lions yawned sleepily when they saw the Pandavas. Behind them, people jogged and walked their dogs without a second glance. To humans, the enchanted hotel looked like a pile of unfinished construction.