Surpanakha’s humiliation … her pain … hadstarted a great war.
“That story is thousands of years old,” said Mini. “Why would she be stirring up trouble now?”
Aiden turned his camera over in his hands. It was a habit of his, Aru had noticed. He always reached for Shadowfax when he was thinking through something or trying to remember a fact. When he caught her looking, Aru quickly found the spot of black nothingness beside him intenselyinteresting.
“Yeah,” echoed Aiden. “Why steal Kamadeva’s bow and arrow?”
In the background, Durvasa said nothing, but his posture seemed rigid.
“Maybe she wants vengeance?” suggested Aru. “Aiden, you were the one who noticed that the thief was only choosing men as her victims.”
“It’s ancient history!” said Brynne. “EvenIdon’t stay mad that long.”
“Takshaka has stayed mad at Arjuna all theseyears, though,” said Aru, shivering as she remembered the intense hatred in his milky cobra eyes.
“What’d you—” Aiden started, before catching himself. “I mean, what did Arjuna do?”
Aru fiddled with her sleeve. She didn’t like the answer, because it was cruel. It flew in the face of everything she’d been taught about the great hero.
“He burned down Takshaka’s forest,” she finally admitted.“Lots of creatures died, including Takshaka’s wife.”
“That’s awful …” said Mini. “Why’d he do it?”
Aru looked to Durvasa, but the sage had closed his eyes. Perhaps he was meditating.
“I don’t know,” said Aru. She wished she weren’t telling the truth.
Aru glanced down at the song between them. The smoke inside the orb had changed to what now resembled liquid silver, but it was still swirlingaround.
“Maybe Surpanakha is just waiting for the right time to strike,” said Brynne. “It definitely fits her name.”
“What’s her name mean?”
“Oh! I know!” said Mini, raising her hand.
Aru laughed. “This isn’t school. You don’t need to raise your hand.”
“Right,” said Mini, flushing. “Um, it’s Sanskrit. It translates toshe whose fingernails are like slicing blades.”
“Yikes.” Aru shuddered.“Who gives a kid a name like that?”
A couple of years ago, there was a French girl in her class named Hermengarde, but everyone just called her Ehrmagawd! But at least Hermengarde had been funny and nice. By all accounts, Surpanakha wasnot.
By now, the soul song had finished its activation sequence. The orb shivered a little before it melted into a silver pool. A scene rippled across it, andthe four of them leaned forward to watch.
Surpanakha was moving past what looked like a row of men. Aru saw a variety of crisp suits and rumpled sweatshirts, boots and bare feet. The view was low, making Aru think Surpanakha must be short—until she realized they were seeing things not through the demoness’s eyes, but from the perspective of where her soul had lived in her body:heart level. Arukind of wished Surpanakha would lean way back. Looking out at chest level basically meant just seeing a bunch of buttons.
The image in the mirror went still, as if Surpanakha had stopped walking. She reached up toward one of the men—perhaps to stroke his cheek, it was hard to tell. Aru thought Surpanakha’s skin would be gray and mottled, her nails long and ragged. But her hand was a warm brown,with trimmed nails painted a shade of red.
“Soon,” said Surpanakha. “You are nearly enough in number….”
Aru didn’t know what surprised her more—the fact that the vision had audio, or that this was the voice of the hideous fanged demoness. Aru had assumed that someone named afterterriblenails would have a screeching voice, but Surpanakha’s tone was sweet and melodious.
She must have been talkingto some Heartless, Aru realized. But wherewerethey? The soul song was supposed to reveal the thief’s location, but she didn’t see anything recognizable. Peering between the row of men for any clues, Aru glimpsed a shimmering white landscape. Snow? It almost looked like mother-of-pearl. Was it … moving?
“Princess!” called a voice behind Surpanakha.
She whirled around, and the view showed anaga man slithering toward her. Aru recognized him immediately—Takshaka! He was in his half-snake/half-man form.
