He belched, scorching a patch of grass next to the path. The god was still chewing on the bright idea, Aru noticed, like it was a piece of gum.
“Smart thinking,” he said, pointing at his idea-filled cheek.
“Can’t take all the credit,” said Aru, glancing up at the sky.
She didn’t see any sign of Indra there. No thunderclaps or flashes of lightning.But she and her friends were no longer dripping wet, and the air seemed warmer, as if the world were pleased.
The four of them still huddled close. Agni might have pulled back on his terrible splendor, but it was hard to trust someone who had tried to consume you in flames.
Agni noticed and waved them closer. “Technically, we’re family!” he said happily.
The four of them were too horrifiedto move.
“Oh, I can see you’re still not over the whole set-you-on-fire thing,” said Agni.
DUH!Aru wanted to say, but she knew better.
“I’m not evil. Destructive, sure. But destruction isn’t necessarily a bad thing,” said Agni, gesturing at the golden trees and jeweled picnic table. “At my most elemental stage, I’m a force of change, even purification.”
“But we’re not the bad guys here,”said Aru. “Why would you want to stop us?”
“I was doing my duty, as we all must,” Agni said. “My duty is to burn, and long ago, the gods tasked me to fulfill it against anyone who tried entering the Ocean of Milk.”
“That’s just great,” said Brynne. “So we’re still trapped here?”
“Not at all,” said Agni, moving aside to clear a path to the archway. He nodded to Aru. “You found a way to extinguishthe fire, so you may pass with my blessings.”
