Deafeningsilence.
The music on Aiden’s phone had paused for a commercial.
“Unsatisfied with your car insurance?”
Takshaka grew still. His hooded face tilted, and the corners of his jaw turned up in a smile.
C’mon, c’mon, c’mon!Aiden mouthed as he shook his phone.
Brynne kept summoning tiny cyclones, trying to distract Takshaka, but the naga’s forked tongue tasted the air and caught the scent of blood. He darted toward Aiden. Aru had to bite her lip to keep fromscreaming.
Brynne whirled around, panic clear on her face, and as the mace turned with her, it sent Aiden’s phone soaring high into the air on a blast of wind.
“No!” he yelled.
Takshaka’s cobra hood flared. “Found you,” he hissed.
Aiden pulled out his scimitars. Wrong move. The sound echoed around the room. Takshaka’s mouth curved into a smug fanged grin. He reared to strike.
Aru didn’t think—shejust reacted. Hopping onto Vajra, she leaned back on her lightning-bolt hoverboard and shot up toward the phone, which was spinning on top of a mini tornado. She stretched out her fingers, straining to reach it.Just … a little … farther. If the phone fell and broke, if they had no way to fill the chamber with music, they’d all die.
She thrust her hand into the column of wind and grabbed. Arufelt the cold weight of the phone in her palm just as a new song started. It was hard to hear it over the howling storm.
She glanced behind her.
Aiden had shoved one of his scimitars into Takshaka’smouth,propping open his powerful cobra jaws. The serpent thrashed his head, dislodging the blade, and brought down his tail like a merciless whip. Aiden went sprawling, his remaining scimitar skiddingacross the treasury floor.
Aru cranked up the volume.
“TAYLOR SWIFT?” roared the naga king.
“What’s the matter? You a Katy Perry fan?” Brynne taunted, but her face was pure panic until Aiden rose blearily to his feet. She blasted some air in his direction so that his two scimitars were within grabbing distance.
Aru and the hoverboard rocketed higher.
Takshaka whirled around, slamming histail onto the ground. More treasures rained down from their shelves, and this time he reacted to every sound.
Aru spotted the red orb. It was rolling toward the edge of a shelf. She grabbed it just before it fell off and found that it was on a neck chain. Instantly, a cold tingle went through her arm and she heard a piercing note in her thoughts: the sound of someone stifling a cry. It took Aruby surprise and a gasp slipped from her lips.
Takshaka heard it.
Down below, Brynne yelled and jumped, trying to distract him. But the serpent king paid her no mind. His tail slashed through the air, knocking Aru off her hoverboard. Brynne’s wind caught her just in time, and the hoverboard flew back under her feet. Aru wobbled, trying to get her balance. While her grip tightened on the soulsong, the phone slipped out of her hand. Below, Aiden and Brynne ran to try to catch it. The phone seemed to fall slowly as it blasted music all the way down:
I’msorry, the old Taylor can’t come to the phone right now.
Why?
Takshaka raised himself up to his full size, so large it seemed he could have blotted out the sun. The phone hit the treasure-littered floor with acrash. Its screen shattered.Takshaka slammed it with his tail again and again until the music cut off.
“Oh,” said Takshaka mockingly, “’cause she’s dead.”
