A demon.
Her hair wasn’t lovely black locks, but coils of fire. Her teeth weren’t teeth at all, buttusksthat curled up and out from thin black lips. Her skin wasn’t a dusky shade of amber, but a pale and sickly white.
And there was something at the top of her head. A fancy blue hair clip?
No, a twig with tiny blue blossoms. Minus the color, it was identical to the design on their mehndi maps.
It was the sprig of youth.
The first key to the Kingdom of Death.
Ashes, Ashes, We All Fall Down
“What are you doing out of your chairs, children?” asked Madame Bee.
Mini gulped loudly. The compact closed with a sharpsnap.
“Taking in the scenery,” said Aru quickly. “It’s really pretty. Like you.”
Madame Bee beamed her widest smile. She raised an eyebrow and flipped her hair over one shoulder. “I’ve collected beauty for years, so of course I’m beautiful,” she said. “Now sit down, why don’t you? Who should I cut first?”
“Uh…don’t you mean whosehairshould you cut first?”
Madame Bee tilted her head. Whatever light had been in the room dripped off the walls. Velvet shadows slid forward like snakes.
“No.”
She tossed her tray to the ground and lunged. Aru only just managed to dodge out of the way, dragging Mini with her.
“Oh, come now, don’t you know it’s rude to play with food?” asked Madame Bee. “I don’t like being rude. Just stay still.”
Mini and Aru ran. Aru skidded on the floor, nearly crashing into a chair. She righted herself and her legs pumped beneath her. But no matter how hard she tried to get to the door, it seemed to loom farther and farther away.
Aru glanced up to the mirrors on the ceiling. Where was the asura? Her reflection didn’t show in the mirrors.Maybe she disappeared, thought Aru for one bright moment.
But then a cold feeling spread through Aru.
A voice right behind her tickled her neck.
“Come closer, darling child. I’m running low on beauty. You don’t have much, but it’ll be good for a bite or two,” said Madame Bee.
Aru jumped and spun around, but Madame Bee disappeared with apopand reappeared on another side of the room.
“No use in hiding!” she sang.
With every word, she disappeared and then reappeared closer and closer.
“Psst!”hissed Mini.
Madame Bee was still cackling and spinning around in circles, or whatever it was asuras did whenever they were gloating. There, shoved up against one wall, was a giant table covered with postcards, hairbrushes, and bottles upon bottles of hair spray. Mini peered out from under it, and Aru scrambled after her. The asura just laughed, strolling toward them as if she had all the time in the world.
“Boo, help!” shouted Aru.
But if the pigeon could hear her, he didn’t come.
“Don’t think I don’t know exactly who you are,” crooned the asura, “little Pandavalings! It was very considerate of you to come all this way just so I can take your beauty. There’s no use calling for your little feathered friend. He cannot enter my world. Just like you cannot leave it.”
“Oh gods, what do we do?” whispered Mini, drawing her knees to her chest. “How are my parents going to identify my body if I’m only ashes? All I have are dental records and—”
