With her other gloved hand, Aru reached for the Agni coin and held it up next to BB’s beak. “Okay, maybe you could just give me a tiny hiccup?” she asked him.
BB belched a flame the size of a dinner plate. Aru shrieked, reeling back and nearly dropping the chick as the Agni coin lit up. Sheela laughed. Mini screamed. Brynne started flapping her hands, which only made the coin burn brighter.
Nikita watched them for about ten seconds before rolling her eyes. Then she stretched out her fingers, flicked her wrist, and a moment later threw a tiny conjured blanket over the coin, immediately dousing it. “Voilà,” she said.
Brynne lowered her hands, looking disappointed. Behind her, Mini had tugged her T-shirt over her nose and mouth. Sheela, still giggling, pulled off the blanket. If anything, the Agni coin gleamed a little more. But that was it.
Aru turned away, a hot flush of embarrassment creeping up her face. Coming up with a fake prophecy and looking for Agni had beenherideas, but what if they didn’t work? Then what would happen?
Gently, she lowered BB into his new cradle. The firebird had already fallen asleep, and although Aru was happy to have Boo back insomeform, she still felt lost. The old Boo might’ve been able to help them figure a way out of their predicament.
Aru stared at the counter. Luckily, the flames hadn’t scorched the stone, but the bright red card now looked charred around the edges.Oops, thought Aru, as she tried to wipe it clean. It was, she noticed, an invitation dated for tomorrow.
You are cordially invited to the wedding of Ravi & Trena
~Portal entrances will be locked at the commencement of the ceremony,
so please arrive in a timely fashion.
At this time, the bride and groom are not accepting any enchanted gifts. Thank you~
Brynne groaned. “Well, that was a total bust—”
Just then, an odd sound filled the kitchen. A very loud and incessant hum.
“It’s coming from the coin!” said Mini.
The Pandavas stared at the golden disk. It began to vibrate on the stone countertop. A friendly automated voice said:
“HELLO. WE ARE SORRY, BUT YOUR REQUEST CANNOT BE COMPLETED AT THIS TIME. PLEASE CHECK YOUR CONNECTION TO A SACRED FLAME AND TRY AGAIN. THANK YOU.”
The coin went still.
“Sacred flame?” demanded Brynne. “What doesthatmean?” She was frowning, but there was a new light in her eyes, and it looked a lot like hope.
“That makes sense!” said Mini. “Agni is always present at sacred functions that involve a fire! Like pujas done at home, or funerals, or—”
“Weddings,” said Aru, holding up the invitation. “This one istomorrow. We could go to it and talk to Agni.”
Aru hadn’t been to many weddings—most invitations kindly requested that Arunotattend—but she remembered that in Hindu ceremonies the bride and groom walked around a sacred fire while a priest chanted and invoked several gods…including Agni.
“Let’s say we manage that,” said Brynne. “What do we do next? Stroll up to the middle of their ceremony and toss the coin into the fire? Won’t someone, I don’t know, NOTICE?”
“Not if we’re careful,” said Aru.
“You mean sneaky.”
“Same thing,” said Aru. “And if Sheela says the fake prophecy in the morning, no one will expect to see us anyway!”
“You’ll each need a whole new wardrobe,” said Nikita, raising an eyebrow.
“Excuse me,” said Mini loudly. “But we can’t go to the wedding! We’re not on the guest list!”
Aru grinned.
Mini took one look at her face and her shoulders sank. “I’m not going to like this, am I?”
With an hour to go before the wedding ceremony started, Aru held still as her mother fastened the final hook on the back of her blouse. Nikita had only been too happy to make them brand-new outfits overnight, and Aru, who loved Indian clothes but always ended up in theitchiestof garments, had found herself pleasantly delighted when hers was delivered in the morning. It was a rich, goldenlehenga. The full-bodied skirt was covered with small mirrors in intricate shapes, and the cap-sleeved blouse boasted miniature lightning bolts in saffron thread.
