Aru’s face burned a little. If she had listened to Kara in the first place, they wouldn’t have ended up here.Surprise, surprise, something else is your fault, Aru Shah, whispered a nasty voice in her head.
“So, will you trust me or not?” asked Kara.
Mini, Brynne, and Aiden turned to Aru. She swallowed hard, then nodded. “Tell us what to do.”
A minute later, Aru, Kara, Aiden, Brynne, and Mini were huddled under the slowly breaking violet shield.
“On my count,” said Aru.
Kara twisted the ring on her finger, and it began to glow brightly.
“One…”
Brynne raised her wind mace.
“Two…”
Aiden threw up his hood.
“Three…”
Mini slammed down her Death Danda, and the shield shattered. Immediately, Kara aimed her light trident upward and let it loose in a deluge of gold. Aru thought it would get knocked down, but instead the trident flew straight, turning translucent in the places where the coins hit it, until it lodged in the wall of the pit about a foot below the opening.
“Now!” yelled Aru.
Mini created a small bubble around Brynne, who twisted her wind mace, gathering a cyclone around her. All the while, the coins piled higher and higher. Within seconds Aru was buried up to her hips again. Another minute and she’d be swallowed completely.
“Done!” said Brynne.
Mini retracted the shield, and a steady stream of air blew a path straight through the coins. A second later, Aru transformed Vajra into a hoverboard. Mini and Aru clambered on. They zoomed through the veil of gold until Mini could grab the handle of Kara’s trident.
“Go!” said Aru.
Mini flipped herself up and over the handle. Once she was safely back on land, Mini blasted a new dome above her. Coins pinged and bounced off the hard violet shield as Aru zoomed down to grab Kara and Aiden. Brynne transformed into a blue osprey and together they flew up and out of the pit.
Aru gasped for breath, her hands braced on the warm dirt. Above her, the ancient banyan trees no longer looked menacing, but still and stately. The only sounds in the forest were the distant chittering of squirrels and an occasional birdcall.
She inhaled deeply, trying to center her thoughts. Her heart was still racing, and the smell of coins—like stale tears—clung to her skin. Aru turned the now weakly flickering Vajra into a Ping-Pong ball and tucked it gently into her pocket. Beside her, Kara heaved herself upright and stretched out her hands to summon her trident.
The moment Brynne caught her breath, she turned to Kara. “How did you know?”
Kara shook her head. “Sometimes I get thishunch. Like I can see the truth of a thing.”
“I’m sorry we didn’t believe you,” said Mini. “It’s just—”
“I get it,” said Kara quietly. “You don’t need to apologize.”
Maybe the others don’t need to apologize, thought Aru,butIdefinitely do.
Aiden stood off to the side, holding a bunch of small bags he’d rustled from his backpack. “Snack break?”
“Yes, please,” said Brynne, stomping over.
“Who wants to eat after almost swallowing all those gold—” started Mini.
She must have seen Aiden look meaningfully at Aru and Kara, because she fell silent.
“I mean, wow, who knew coins were such an appetite stimulant? Coins are great. I should have kept some. Wait, I—”
