“Tell them what?” asked Mini.
“Where you’re going next, of course,” said Sheela, pointing to the door.
It was closer now. Aru didn’t like the look of it. There was something eerie and endless about what lay ahead.
“That’s the entrance to the labyrinth, right?” said Mini.
“Wrong,” said Sheila.
“WHAT?” asked Aru. “How many more strange doors do we have to—”
“It should look familiar, not strange,” said Nikita. “You’ve been here before.”
“I have?”
“Oh yes,” said Nikita. “But you might not remember it. You’re going to the Halls of Nidra.”
Aru paused. She knew that name. Nidra was the goddess of sleep. She recalled Jambavan and his great silver table.Above all, one must never shirk one’s rest, he’d said.Even the most powerful of beings do not neglect what they owe to Nidra….
Those words made her shiver now.
“Do we have time for this?” asked Mini. “The labyrinth will be closing soon, and we still don’t have our weapons back. What if we’re too late?”
Aru shared Mini’s concern but wanted to get as much intel as possible from the twins while she could, so she jumped over her questions. “What’s going on in the Otherworld?”
“Well…some people have gone into hiding,” said Nikita. “And others are trying to join the Sleeper.”
Aru’s heart sank.
“But there’slotsmore who want to fight withus,” said Sheela.
Aru lifted her head. “Really?”
Nikita smiled. “Really.”
“They want to know how to help,” said Sheela. “We can see it in their dreams.”
Aru thought of all the people they’d met over the years…the Maruts, those thunderous warriors who lived in the immortal city of Amaravati; the monkey-facedvanarasof the Kishkinda Kingdom who had fought in the first war against Lanka….
All had said they would fight.Whenever you have need of me or my people, we will honor your call, Queen Tara had promised.
The Pandavas weren’t alone.
That realization knocked down walls Aru hadn’t realized were around her. It was as if she’d stepped into a bigger, brighter room and she could see more clearly than she had before.
“Well, if they want to help, then let’s send them a message,” said Aru.
Mini caught her eye and smiled.
“Fine,” said Nikita. “But I’m not making any more outfits. They just get blown up, incinerated, or thrown intowashing machinesinstead of being treated like the priceless works of art they are.”
Aru groaned. “It wasonetime, Nikita! I’m sorry I ruined the dress!”
“The instructions very clearly said DRY-CLEAN ONLY!” retorted Nikita. “What monster doesn’t look at care instructions?”
Sheela tugged on her sister’s sleeve. “Time to go, Nikki. They’ve reached the door. And there’s someone else I need to talk to….Someone I’ve been visiting.”
Aru frowned. She was on the verge of asking Sheela who she was talking about when the door to the Halls of Nidra creaked open. Pale wisps of smoke uncoiled in the air like tentacles reaching out for them.
