The other girl looked up suddenly. It was hard to see in the shadows, but were those tears in her eyes? Kara swiped at her cheeks, then rang the bell. A low peal echoed through the alley. The walls shifted around them, folding back and rearranging until it looked like they were in another place entirely on Lanka’s map. Lights flashed, and Aru shielded her eyes as the golden mongoose statue began to spin, moving faster and faster until…
SLAM!
Aru was thrown to her knees inside a walled-in courtyard. Pomegranate and orange trees filled the neat grove, and the high walls were made not of gold but of intricately cut panes of topaz and amber, through which Aru could see the ocean crashing on the shore and the now faraway city lights of Lanka.
Aru shook her head as she stood up. Her friends were recovering from the translocation, too. “That wasn’t so bad,” she said. “I guess this is a different palace entrance—”
“Um, Aru?” said Kara.
“For a second, I kinda thought those heads were going to get us—”
“Aru,”said Mini.
“Which would have sucked, but at least—”
“Shah,” said Brynne slowly. “You might want to turn around. Like,now.”
Aru stretched her neck from side to side and then spun around. “What is it? Oh.”
On the plus side, they had found the palace. She could see jagged gold steps rising to a passage lined with tall mongoose statues. The golden structure loomed above them, its exterior covered with molded images of dancing yakshas and birds in mid-flight, their feathers studded with sapphires and emeralds.
The problem was, in order to walk up the steps of said palace, they had to get past…
“Ravana,” said Aiden, his eyes going wide as he took in the giant demon king standing before them.
Ravana was at least a hundred feet tall, and his ten heads stretched over several pairs of broad shoulders. Each head sported a pointed golden helmet. Thick golden bands emphasized the muscles of his huge blue body. Ravana had twenty arms, and each arm brandished sharp and gleaming weapons as his eyes lasered in on the Pandavas.
Aru felt her mouth go dry with panic. With a shaking hand, she pulled out the golden coin Kubera had sent to them. She raised it slowly into the air.
“We…We have an invitation?”
Ravana stretched his arms to either side, his long swords glinting menacingly. “NO ADMITTANCE!” he roared.
“Except on party business?” tried Aru.
But Ravana didn’t seem to care for herLord of the Ringsjoke as he roared once more and then lunged at them.
Ravana’s gigantic blue hand swept toward them.
“Watch out!” yelled Mini.
She twirled her Death Danda over her head, and violet light shot into the air, heading straight for Ravana, but the demon king was too quick. Before the shield could even form, he’d snatched Mini off the ground.
“THIS IS VERY UNSANITARY!” hollered Mini as she thrashed in Ravana’s grip and beat his fist with Dee Dee.
Ravana laughed.
“Let her go!” shouted Aru.
Ravana and his ten heads gazed down at them. A smug, bored look crept into all his eyes.
“Make me,” he said.
Kara practically growled. She hurled her light trident. It spun out fast, hitting Ravana square in the chest and exploding across his armor. Ravana leaned backward, and for a second Aru thought he would topple, but then the demon king began to laugh.
“Is that all?” he asked.
Kara’s trident bounded back to her arms.
