Brynne beat her wings furiously. She flew backward just as Jambavan toppled to the ground. A huge cloud of dust and dirt puffed into the air. The rocks in the cave trembled. There would’ve been a shocked silence after Jambavan fell if Rudy hadn’t put on his playlist. In the background, Brynne heard Aretha Franklin belting out:
R-E-S-P-E-C-T
FIND OUT WHAT IT MEANS TO ME
Followed by Rudy saying, “Fine, fine! I’m turning it off! You guys have no sense of atmosphere….”
Brynne closed her eyes and took on her human shape once more. She rolled her shoulders and stretched her neck from side to side as she walked over to Jambavan. The bear king rolled onto his back, a stunned expression on his face. From the sidelines, her sisters had recovered from their momentary shock and were screaming and whooping.
“How did you do that?” asked Jambavan. “You are not—”
“I know,” said Brynne, cutting him off. “But I don’t have to be stronger or bigger to beat you. I amsomuch more than the things I fight with.”
At that moment, Brynne felt a soft wind stirring through the cave. The candles flickered out, then roared back to life. A cold sweetness enveloped her senses, and for the first time in days, Brynne’s stomach gave a loud growl. She licked her lips hungrily.
“And by the way, your hot chocolate isn’t that great,” she said, planting her hands on her hips. “For a trulyexceptionalhot chocolate, add a pinch of cayenne!”
The wind picked up, swirling the pebbles and ruffling Mini’s hair.
“Use a splash of double cream for richness! Grate nutmeg into it and add two sticks of cinnamon to the pot!”
Something blue glinted in the air, and dimly, Brynne realized her feet had lifted off the ground and her hair had lifted off her shoulders. But she couldn’t stop mid-recipe!
“And then coat the rims of the mugs with Nutella before pouring in your cocoa concoction!” said Brynne, throwing up her arms. “THAT IS HOW YOU MAKE THE BEST HOT CHOCOLATE!”
The moment she put her hands in the air, Brynne felt something fly into them. The blue wind wrapped around her like a soothing breeze. It swirled inside her rib cage as if a humming cyclone had rooted itself to her bones.
Brynne’s feet slammed onto the ground. She blinked a couple of times as the dust settled. And then she looked at what was in her hands, her mouth falling open.
Laid across her palms, gleaming turquoise and aglow with the power of Vayu, god of the wind, was Brynne’s celestial wind mace.
Aru couldn’t stop staring.
“It’sback,” she said. “Your weapon came back….”
It was, perhaps, the fifteenth time she’d said that in the past ten minutes. Mini had been stunned into silence. Gogo had transformed from a wind mace to its usual glowing blue choker at Brynne’s throat. Aru couldn’t help putting her hand in her pocket and feeling a twinge of sorrow when her fingers didn’t find her lightning bolt.
That wasn’t the only change. Jambavan was almost unrecognizable. At first, Aru had panicked, wondering if they’d have to make a run for it with an ego-bruised bear king on their heels. But instead, he’d beenecstatic.
“AT LAST, A WORTHY OPPONENT!” he’d roared, shaking the stalactites hanging from the cave. “I AM OFFICIALLYINTRIGUED!”
The fact that Brynne had proceeded to transform into a large blue bear had only delighted him more.
“Perhaps we are related!” he said, patting his stomach. “That would explain why you could defeat me. Are you of my blood?”
“Uh,” said Brynne. “Maybe?”
Jambavan had let out a big, rumbling laugh. “And now my descendant will have a hand in the remaking of the world! How excellent. Come. There is something I must give you.”
Jambavan led them out of the arena and through the honeycombed passages of his home until they stood before another wall lined with photos.
“What do you see? Look closely, children.”
The Potatoes stepped up to the wall. Aru tilted her head, scanning the images of Jambavan with his various opponents, but it was hard to make out everyone’s expressions. Every photo was covered in a thick layer of dust.
“I am little more than a relic,” said Jambavan in his sonorous voice. “My descendants have long passed, and I am all that remains of the old world and its time of heroes. I am blessed—or burdened, perhaps—with longevity. I was meant to witness history, and now I am reminded to look at the world anew.” He took a deep breath. “You have earned my piece of the Syamantaka Gem.”
Jambavan reached into the wall, and when he withdrew his paw, the final piece of the Syamantaka Gem sat in his palm. From his backpack, Aiden pulled out the lantern holding the other two pieces of the Sun Jewel. Brynne took the gem from the bear king, and when she reunited the last piece with the others, the glow that burst through the caves might have been the rising of a second sun. In that light, the bear king smiled and laughed.
