“Are you ready?” asked Jambavan with a determined look on his face. “I’ll accompany you to the staircase, but then I must turn back.”
Earlier he had gone outside to clear a pathway to the stairs leading to the World Elephants. Snow still dusted his long muzzle and the thick black fur on his shoulders. The old bear king seemed rather sad to see them go. Since the battle with Brynne, there was more sparkle in his eyes and he stood a little straighter.
The Potatoes looked at one another, something unspoken passing between them. As of now, there were four days left until the entrance to the labyrinth closed for good. Four days in which Aru hoped to win back her celestial weapon the way Brynne had.
Even now, Gogo glowed on Brynne’s neck. A steadiness had taken over her sister, and Aru felt even more weird and off-balance. She tried to shrug it off, but the feeling clung.
“We’re ready,” said Aru.
Jambavan nodded toward the door. A stray winter wind had followed him inside, and even though Nikita’s jacket kept her warm, Aru felt a chill creeping past her coat.
The moment they set foot outside Jambavan’s palace, Aru kept her eyes focused on the lantern. Since Brynne was the only one who had her celestial weapon back, the Potatoes had decided that she should be at the front of the line with Jambavan. Behind her was Aiden with his two scimitars sticking halfway out of his sleeves. Rudy followed him, holding an enchanted rock to create a sound barrier and keep them from getting distracted. Next came Mini, then Aru.
Aru tried to think of nothing but the light on the snow as they trekked through the sparse trees and damp ground for what felt like eons. Finally, they came to a stop.
“Take a final look, children,” said Jambavan.
Aru lifted her head. They were standing at the base of a huge staircase carved out of white stone. The steps were at least twenty feet wide and they wound up so high into the sky that they disappeared into a layer of clouds. Beneath the glowing staircase was nothing but space…and the single leg of a massive elephant whose gray hide was crisscrossed with old scars. The rest of its body was too large to comprehend from where they stood.
“Go now,” said Jambavan. “Be careful of what will greet you on the other side, for as I said, there are many amongst us who simply wish for the world to begin anew.”
Brynne nodded, then took the first step. Aiden, Rudy, and Mini followed, each of them bowing their heads and pressing their hands together as they walked past Jambavan. When it was Aru’s turn, Jambavan held out his paw.
“This is for you, daughter of Indra,” said Jambavan. In the middle of his palm was the tip of a sharp black claw, roughly the size of a pencil. Aru took it gently. It was lighter than she thought it would be, as if it were hollow.
“What’s it for?” she asked hopefully. Maybe it was a cool weapon she could use and then not feel quite so useless.
“To remember me by,” said Jambavan.
“Why me?” asked Aru, trying to mask her disappointment.
The bear king glanced at her sisters and friends slowly making their way up the stairs. “Because I think you see more than you let on,” he said in his rumbling voice. “Perhaps this token will help you when the time comes for you to make your decision.”
“Decision about what?” asked Aru as she turned to place the claw gently inside her backpack.
When Jambavan didn’t respond, she looked up…but the old bear king was gone.
No one spoke as they walked up the stairs. No one complained about how their feet ached and their back hurt, how it seemed like they’d been climbing for ages. Aru knew the rules.
Stay focused.
Don’t catch the attention of the doors.
Eventually, Aru could sense the clouds parting around them. The surface of the steps became smooth, flattening out into a platform that had the feeling of a wide space. Like a school gymnasium. On the white stone, she could see the stark shadows of dozens of doors spinning around them. It looked like the Potatoes were standing in the middle of roving teeth.
The lantern seems to be shining brighter at one of the doors, said Brynne through the mind link.Let’s take this slowly. Four steps ahead on my count. Three…two…
Onone, Aru took a step forward. Mini followed Rudy, and Aiden moved in sync with Brynne. Aru exhaled, her shoulders relaxing by a fraction. They were doing it….They were almost there….
On the third step, Aru closed her eyes. It was only supposed to be for a second. The light from the Sun Jewel was giving her a headache.
But the moment Aru closed her eyes, she did something she never meant to do…
She hoped.
And with that hope, she saw the entrance to the labyrinth at Lullwater Park, where her mom had taken them. Aru imagined her mom smiling with pride, while Vajra’s glow rivaled that of the Sun Jewel itself….
WHAT’S HAPPENING?came Brynne’s panicked thought.
