Jambavan refused to let them go without a meal, and considering that the Potatoes had been subsisting on algae protein bars, they didn’t fight him. Down the hallway next to the photo gallery, the cave opened into a beautiful vaulted room. A low silver table stretched almost fifty feet, and at least a hundred soft silken cushions lay all around it.
“This is no ordinary table,” Jambavan said proudly. “A single meal at it will restore your strength and make you feel as though you’ve had seven nights’ sleep. Above all, one must never shirk one’s rest! Even the most powerful of beings do not neglect what they owe to Nidra, goddess of sleep.”
As a gesture of thanks, Brynne had offered to make a feast worthy of the bear king, and he had only too happily agreed.
In an alcove next to the silver dining table was Jambavan’s sort-of kitchen. As a bear, he ate raw food, so the shelves were laden with jars of nuts and dried fruits and baskets of dark, gleaming berries. One side of the wall was nothing but beehives, beneath which streams of honey lazily collected in a golden basin. Fat bees drowsily swooped in and out, disappearing into the hidey-holes of the cave.
“You were so partial to the skin-of-my-enemies couch, just wait until you see the wonders of the other relaxation chambers!” said Jambavan, gesturing at Aiden and a faintly nauseated-looking Rudy to follow him on a house tour.
Now that the three of them were alone, Aru plopped onto the floor and Mini sagged against one of the counters.
“How did you earn back Gogo?” Mini asked Brynne. “What happened? Was there a sign? A voice? Walk us throughevery single detail.”
Brynne started preparing a fruit cobbler. She sifted flour, nutmeg, and cinnamon together. Then she sliced a couple of spiky plums to add to the rainbow-colored berries.
“Honestly, I don’t know,” she said. “I was just thinking, I guess, about strength and weakness?”
Aru stared at her. “What?”
“I know how it sounds, Shah, but it’s the truth.”
“Lord Agni said that the gods test in mysterious ways,” said Mini slowly. A look of horror crept onto her face. “Do you think Aru and I have already been tested and…failed?”
“Of course…not?” said Aru, but she had the same worry herself.
“I don’t think the test works like that,” said Brynne thoughtfully. “It’s more about figuring things out. For yourself.”
“And you figured out that…?” prompted Aru.
“I figured out that I’m…strong.”
“That’s nothing new!” said Aru.
“I don’t know how else to explain it,” said Brynne. “But it’s a good sign, right? I mean, if I can get my weapon back, so can you guys!”
Hopefully that was true. Aru felt genuinely happy for her sister, but envy gnawed at her, too. What if Aru ended up being the only one who didn’t get her weapon back? But there was no point wandering down that brain road. Worrying wouldn’t make a difference.
“Gods, I miss my lightning bolt,” said Aru.
“I miss Dee Dee, too,” said Mini, flexing her hands. “What will you do when you get Vajra back, Aru?”
“Electrocute Aiden,” said Aru flatly.
Mini snorted. “Poor Wifey.”
Brynne went oddly silent.
“Okay, what aren’t you saying?” demanded Aru. “You’re being shady.”
Brynne’s face turned red. She turned to reach for a bowl of honey.
“It’s, um, not what you think,” she mumbled.
“What isn’t?” asked Aru.
“What he said to you in the museum lobby,” said Brynne, the words coming out in a rush. “There’s just more that he’s not saying. Or can’t make himself say.”
Aru’s pulse kicked up a bit. “Okay, so tell me.”
