“Wifey’sbride?” Aru asked incredulously.
“Hmpf!”said the vanara in front of Aru. He tore off the red silk and snatched back the bangles.
Then he hopped over to Aiden, who put up his hands and took a step backward while looking very alarmed.
“Soyou’rethe bride!” the vanara said to Aiden. “We’ll have to do this as a vow-renewal ceremony.”
Aiden threw off the garland, grabbed the comb, and hurled it over the wall.
“No wedding, no vows, no thank you,” he said, turning red in the face. “Been there, done that.”
“Oh, I see,” said the vanara, nodding sadly. “Separated?”
“Reincarnated,” snapped Aiden.
He hefted Shadowfax and, without another look at Aru, stomped off in a different direction. The other two vanaras shrieked and bounced back to the amphitheater, cackling all the while.
“Hey!” grumbled Aru. “At least let me keep the bracelets!”
Brynne, Mini, and Kara burst out laughing. Even Aru thought it was funny. Obviously, Aiden had not.
Maybe if he’d just laughed it off she wouldn’t have felt so embarrassed right then. It was one thing to say that it was silly. It was another to be so grossed out by the idea that he had to get as far away from them as possible.
Brynne squinted into the distance. “Oh, Ammamma. Let me go talk to him. He’s been a little…in his head lately.”
“He has?”
“Ever since you got kidnapped, actually,” said Mini.
“Why?” asked Aru.
But Brynne didn’t have a chance to answer. The sound of trumpets echoed through the branches and a guard announced:
“Her Illustrious Majesty, Queen Tara of Kishkinda Kingdom, shall see you now!”
Two handsomely dressed vanaras sprang from a door in the courtyard wall and invited the Pandavas, Kara, and Aiden into the palace. The group was escorted through a passageway lit with floating lanterns. On the right, statues of former vanara kings with grim faces lined the walls. On the left stood a row of glowing silver pillars that broke up a view of the ocean. As Aru stared out at the water, a golden glimmer in the distance caught her eye. It looked like a star pinning the horizon into place.
“That must be Lanka,” whispered Kara at her side.
“That’s not so far, right?” said Mini. “I mean, maybe we could get there by boat in time for Kubera’s deadline tomorrow….”
One day left,thought Aru, her stomach lurching. One day left to show up in Kubera’s court, and less than a week before the Sleeper’s army marched on Lanka. On top of that, they didn’t even know if Kubera would give them the mighty Nairrata army to fight back with.
All that lay between them and Lanka was the sea….
But there was something strange about the water—it had an eerie, almost deliberate calmness to it that reminded Aru of a predator lying in wait.
Aru heard Aiden and Brynne whispering to each other behind her back. He hadn’t said anything to Aru since the vanara’s silly mistake.Whatever,thought Aru.Just get over it already.
Soon, the guards brought them to Queen Tara’s private chambers.
Like everything else in Kishkinda, there was a faded beauty to the place. It looked as if it hadn’t changed since ancient times.Diyasand gauzy swaths of silk floated down from the ceiling to give the room a peaceful air. In one corner, blindfolded vanara musicians struck up a tune. Rose petals were strewn across the floor, and a semicircle of satin cushions had been arranged around a low table piled high with gleaming fruits, steaming dishes, and crystal glasses of fruit-infused ice water.
Queen Tara eased herself onto one of the cushions. Even though she looked like a young woman, she moved as if she had grown weary of time. She wore a traditional sari of red-and-blue silk, heavy golden bangles about her wrist, and chiming anklets. On her forehead was a line of red powder that Aru recognized from her mom’s art books assindhoor, the sign of a married woman.
They all sat, unsure of what to do until Brynne—whose stomach was grumbling loudly—reached over, grabbed a plum, and gobbled it down. Aru grimaced. Watching Brynne eat was a lot like watching a human vacuum cleaner.
“I understand you wish to go to Lanka, but I’m afraid we cannot help you,” said Queen Tara. “Lanka banned any contact with Kishkinda Kingdom after the war with the god king Rama. As you know, Rama was only able to reach Lanka because my people built him a bridge. We could not be forgiven for that. And after Hanuman set Lanka on fire, somehow we were the ones who took the blame.”
