Time seemed to slow around Aru. Rudy thrashed his tail as if trying to help his cousin, only for three vishakanyas to step through the black cloud around them.
One of them pointed a red-taloned finger at Mini. “Another move, and I’ll aim all my venom at her heart.”
Rudy’s tail went slack. “Please, you can’t….”
“Oh, but wecan, little princeling,” said another poison maiden.
“And, oh, wewill,” said a third, smiling.
A patch in the poison cloud cleared enough for Aru to catch sight of Brynne. She was still in the form of a blue hawk, sprawled on the high ledge right in front of the gleaming Sun Jewel. They’d been so close, thought Aru with a pang. But now the poison was starting to twist her thoughts. For a moment, she imagined the roof of the cave undulating like the glossy scales of a snake.
There was nothing she could do.
If she’d still had Vajra, Aru could have shocked the poison maidens. Brynne could have used Gogo to clear the air of all its fumes. With Dee Dee, Mini could have kept them invisible as they stole the Sun Jewel and escaped.
What did Aru have now?
Her tongue felt heavy. When she opened her mouth to speak, it was like dragging each word through a wall of lead.
“We’re sorry,” said Aru.
“It is too late for an apology,” said Aleesa. She had not released her hold on Aiden. Aru felt a sharp jolt of panic as she watched his kicking slow and weaken.
“Weneedthe Sun Jewel,” said Aru. “There’s a war coming, like the great one from before—”
“A war?” whispered the vishakanyas closest to Aru.
The black cloud of poison drew back, allowing Aru to suck in some clean air. Aleesa growled, dropping Aiden. He fell to the ground, choking.
“And what dowarsmatter to us?” asked Aleesa. “We were made to be weapons! A weapon does not care whose hand holds it! A weapon merely seeks to aim true! We do not care about the battles of mortals and gods.”
The cloud of poison rose up once more. Aru felt her thoughts flicker dimly at the back of her skull, and yet one word stuck out in the painful haze:Care.
“But youdocare,” said Aru. “You care about those jewels….You treat them like they’re your kids.”
Aleesa cocked her head.
“You care about them because…because you listen to them, and they…they help you remember what everyone else forgot,” said Aru. “This war isn’t about gods and humans.”
“Then what is it about?” asked another vishakanya.
Aru swallowed hard. “It’s about immortality….”
But as she said the words, she realized the answer was more nuanced than that. The Sleeper wanted to rewrite his fate, to escape “the tyranny of destiny.” The people he had lured to his side wanted the same thing, like Lady M, who’d wanted her true story to be told, and Takshaka, who’d sought revenge for the senseless murder of his family at the hands of the original Pandavas.
“It’s about being able to live the life you choose…and who gets to be remembered, and how,” continued Aru. She coughed and inhaled with a gasp. “If we can’t reunite the pieces of the Sun Jewel, the Sleeper will destroy this world and everything in it will be lost. Forever.”
This seemed to have an effect on Aleesa. She stilled, giving a last burst of hope to Aru.
“You guard them, you…you listen to them,” Aru said, gesturing to all the precious gems. “But what aboutyou?”
“What do you mean, thief?” asked Aleesa.
“What aboutyourstory?” asked Aru. “If you…If you let us go—if you let us borrow the Sun Jewel—then we’ll…we’ll be likeyourguardians. Just like what you do for the jewels. And if we win the battle, I’ll…I’ll make sure everyone listens.”
The cloud of poison drew back, and Aru drew in a huge gulp of air. Above her, the top of the cave rippled. The six other vishakanya women stumbled backward, whispering among themselves.
“Impossible!”
