Aru scrutinized her sister’s face, wondering if Mini still had a crush on the naga.
“I can’t believe we ran into you,” Aiden said to Rudy, shaking his head.
“I can,” said Aru.
The last time she’d seen Sheela, the prophetic girl had told herTwo friends will return. One you will welcome, the other you’ll spurn.
Though Aru frequently wanted to kick Rudy, she had no desire to spurn him. Which meant he was the welcome friend. Who was the other one?
“How did you find us?” asked Brynne.
“I mean, technically, you guys are onmyproperty. This tunnel is part of my parents’ royal naga territory. I heard a weird crashing sound and came out to investigate.”
“You must have heard our battle,” said Mini, eager to talk to him. “We were fighting our doubles, and Aru—”
“See that?” Rudy talked over her, puffing out his chest a bit. “I’mofficially on guard duty, which proves that my family thinks I deserved an upgrade in responsibility. I mean, evenIlost count of how many times I saved your lives on the last quest. My parents are calling me by my full title now: Prince Rudra of Naga-Loka, Heir of the Jewel-Strewn Seas. And I even have facial hair.”
Rudy angled his face up and Aru saw a single sad hair beneath his nose.
“Last time I saw you, your mom called you ‘Baby Snekky-Snake’ and carried you into a fountain,” said Mini with a little edge to her voice.
Aru snickered.
“Also, that isahair,” said Aiden.
“That’s because I had to shave the rest! It was getting unruly!” Rudy scowled. “And my mom was using my DJ name then….”
“DJ Baby Snekky-Snake?” asked Aiden.
“The music industry is crowded—I need to distinguish myself,” grumbled Rudy.
“How far is your place?” asked Brynne. “I could use a break.”
“C’mon. I’ll take you back to the palace, and you guys can shower.” Rudy paused, sniffing the air and frowning. “On second thought, youhaveto shower. You smell like rancid potatoes. And you look—”
One glare from Aiden and Rudy coughed loudly.“Tired,”he continued. “I’ll feed you and you can rest and change and whatever.”
“Food?” Brynne perked up. “What kind of food?”
“Whatever you want!” said Rudy. “Then we can figure out what to do next. Fair warning: It’s my parents’ summer shack, so it’s tiny.”
Tiny the palace was not.
It was roughly the size of a celebrity compound, its mother-of-pearl exterior sprawling across the ocean bed. Inside, the walls were made of enchanted aquamarine stone, and floating moon-jellyfish chandeliers patiently bobbed in the water. Everywhere Aru looked, piles of treasures met her eye—huge statues, odds and ends from shipwrecks, rubies and emeralds the size of her head.
As Rudy led them through the opulent halls of his “summer shack,” the Potatoes filled him in on Kubera’s trials, the doppelgängers’ attack, and now, Kubera’s weirdly defunct eye, which had gone dim instead of transporting them to their next trial. On top of that, the only thing that would cure Kara waslight,and they were thousands of miles beneath an enchanted sea.
“Makes sense,” said Rudy. “Lord Kubera happens to be pretty good friends with my parents, and I know for a fact, heloveshis games. My mom doesn’t actually like going to dinner at his palace because one party lasts almost a week, and she gets bored. But as for the light situation…My parents have this one treasure that might work, but I dunno how to use it.”
“Butwhyis Kubera playing games with us?” demanded Aru. “We’ve only gotoneday left before the Sleeper’s army is supposed to attack!”
“I know,” said Rudy quietly.
It was only then that Aru realized the palace was empty, which was strange, because Rudy came from a big family. “Where is everyone?”
“Off training the troops,” said Rudy. For the first time, his confident smile faltered. “No one really knows what’s going on with Lanka, and if Lord Kubera withholds his Nairrata army, then the rest of us have to be prepared to fight.”
Aru felt a cold knot rising in her throat. She and her sisters were all that stood between the Otherworld and the Sleeper’s approaching army. Theyhadto win the Nairrata.
