Brynne held out her hand.Now we find our way to the center and we blast this thing apart. We’re going to move fast. You ready?
Aru grinned and clasped her sister’s hand and reached for Mini with the other.Ready.
Brynne hooked the Sun Jewel lantern to the end of her wind mace. She raised it slowly, and the wind picked up, swirling around them, ruffling her hair and lifting her feet inches off the ground. Brynne breathed out a word before slicing her weapon through the air….
Fwoomp!
Aru felt like she was flying. The Sun Jewel lantern burned away the shadows as Brynne maneuvered them through twists and turns of volcanic rock. They cut through caves full of deep pools and narrow channels of rock that towered hundreds of feet above them. The wind stung her eyes, so Aru had to squint until, finally, they came to a stop before a great boulder. The gust died down as Aru’s feet hit the ground. Mini kept up her shield and put a finger to her lips. Here, a circle of fire pits held back the darkness.
They were not alone.
Aru took a cautious step forward, peering around the side of the great boulder. The Sleeper was pacing just a few yards away. She couldn’t see his face, only his broad back and the sherwani he wore, the hem of which curled into smoke and shadows. Beyond him was the sprawling mass of his army. Even from a distance she detected their restlessness. Frustration rolled off them in waves.
“I do not understand why we cannot take the nectar for ourselves as you promised! The troops are not pleased,” hissed a pale naga—a lieutenant, maybe?—rising up on his orange-and-green-banded tail. “This is not what you promised us, Suyodhana.”
The Sleeper did not turn his head. “I am your general, am I not?” he asked calmly. His hands were clasped behind his back as he surveyed the sky. “It is my judgment you trust….It isIwho have gotten us this far.”
Overhead, thunder rattled, but the sky was still hidden behind the labyrinth’s barrier.
“Have you noticed how quiet it is?” the Sleeper asked the naga lieutenant beside him.
The naga nodded. “And what of it? Surely that is good!”
“Why is that? Hmm? Is it because the gods have managed to trick us once more? Do they know something terrible will happen to us when we imbibe the nectar of immortality? If it is the grand treasure we were told it was, thenwhy has no one come to claim it?” The naga hissed, his snake hood flaring out as the Sleeper turned sharply to face him.“Do you understand?”
Now that the Sleeper’s head was turned her way, Aru flinched…and felt a familiar wave of emotion. It was hard to look at his features and see only the bad. She could still envision the person who had wanted to be her father. Aru pitied him, and she grieved what they had both lost….But it didn’t change the fact that what he was doing wasn’t right.
“Yes, sir,” said the naga, coiling down on his tail. “But does that mean we are waiting for a battle?”
“Not exactly,” said the Sleeper. “If we can accomplish this without bloodshed, that would be ideal. But I am not opposed to violence, if it is necessary.”
“Then whatarewe waiting for?” asked the naga lieutenant, growing bold again.
“Test results,” said the Sleeper, turning away again. “Kara has some power over truth, and she told me she had to perform some tests on the nectar to make sure it is safe for our consumption.”
The naga paused for a moment. “And you believe her?”
The Sleeper froze. “Why wouldn’t I?”
Aru was so absorbed in their exchange that she almost yelped when she heard Nikita’s voice in her mind.We will be there soon. Start thinning the barrier.
Won’t they notice?asked Brynne.
Not if I show them an illusion, said Mini.
We’re on it, said Brynne, smiling.
The Sun Jewel lantern—concealed by Mini’s ever-expanding shield—emitted a ray of light that pierced the darkness. Through it, Aru saw a patch of sky…and a flash of lightning. Aru’s gaze flew to the Sleeper, but he didn’t seem to notice. The naga’s question had frozen him on the spot.
“I said,whydo you think I wouldn’t be able to trust my own daughter?” he asked, his voice rising.
“Well, she…She…It is rumored that she has a fondness for the Pandavas,” said the naga lieutenant.
The Sleeper snorted. “That is a feeling she no longer entertains. I am sure of it. Nevertheless, she should have her results soon. Bring her to me. Now.”
Can you extend the protective shield, too?added Nikita.
Mini worked her jaw, then stretched her neck.I can manage.
