Aru felt like someone had let loose a thunderstorm inside her skull. Everything roiled together—the prophecy, the twins’ and Aiden’s disappearance, the barely disguised venom in Opal’s voice. But there was no time for it to settle. The cloud floors beneath the Pandavas disappeared, replaced with shiny mirror panels that showed different sketches of them in color-coordinated outfits and new hairstyles. In yet another mirror panel, there were sketched Instagram photos and quotes, sample tweets, and pre-written interview answers.
“Think of your brand as a promise,” said Opal. “Let’s start with aesthetics.”
She got up, walked to Mini, and passed a hand over her face. Mini’s chin-length hair instantly looked glossier and straighter, and there was a purple stripe down the middle. Her glasses were gone, and her eyes…Were they violet?
“A little goth chic,” said Opal. “That could work. We have to play to your image—”
Mini shook her head, and the illusion vanished. “I like how I look.”
“Aww, that’s the spirit!” said Opal, patting the top of her head.
Rude! thought Aru.
“And we need some personal stories.” Opal continued moving around the table. “A little vulnerability is great for publicity. Makes you accessible, aspirational, and authentic!” She leaned over Brynne’s shoulder. “Maybe a background piece about how your mother abandoned you?”
Brynne appeared ready to send Opal into the stratosphere.
But the crisis manager just kept going. “The fifth day of the prophecy will coincide with the Otherworld’s Holi party. Perfect timing. When you show up in all your glory, people will be focused on you, not the Council. After I’m done tweaking your image, they won’t be thinking about your botched missions or wondering which one of you is the ‘untrue’ Pandava.” Opal stopped and looked directly at Aru.
Aru felt punched.
Boo swooped in front of Opal, wings flapping.
“How dare you insult my girls?!” he spat. “Their reputations are spotless! None of this is necessary—I can vouch for them myself!”
“What do I care about what you can vouch for?” asked Opal. “The Otherworld hasn’t forgotten that you were once called the Great Deceiver. And now you’re training this generation’s Pandavas? Some might find that a trifle curious, to say the least.”
“His name has been cleared,” said Mini angrily. “If he vouches for us, people will listen.”
Opal flashed a thin smile. “Is that so? Well. Let’s review my notes, Subala.”
She sat back down and a sheaf of papers magically unfurled in front of her. Boo returned to his stand, where he perched stiffly.
“By my count you’re at, what, two hundred visits to Kalpavriksha?”
“Th-that’s PRIVATE!” he spluttered.
Aru frowned. What was she talking about?
“Your little teacher is under quite the nasty curse,” Opal explained to the Pandavas. “What were the exact conditions again? Oh yes. ‘Pay your dues and show your worth; a wish will free you from this earth.’ And you’ve flown countless times to the Nandana Gardens to visit the wish-granting tree, but it never works, so you’re reduced to this rather pathetic hobby.”
Opal waved her hand, and across the table sprawled a vision of Boo soaring above the sidewalk when the sun was at its highest.
Aru had seen him do that plenty of times on his days off. Brynne had assumed it was to clear his head. Mini had insisted he wanted vitamin D from the sunshine. But Aru had noticed that Boo never looked up—only down, where his shadow sprawled huge and epic.
“Trying to trick yourself into remembering your glory days?” taunted Opal. “Because trust me when I say that all anyone sees when they look at you is a disgraced sorcerer and bedraggled pigeon. No one will care that you’ve vouched for your poorly trained students.”
Boo was so stunned he swung backward on his perch, forcing Aru to catch him before he fell.
“Boo?” asked Aru softly.
He trembled in her grip, utterly silent. Aru glared up at Opal, shaking with anger, but the crisis manager didn’t even notice.
Opal stood up and walked in another slow circle around the room.
“You need me now, Pandavas, not this old professor,” said Opal. “Only I will tell you the truth about how all this looks on the outside. The ‘untrue’ sister? Everyone will be wondering who it is.” She grinned, then pointed to Mini. “Maybe the little timid one…probably easy to manipulate into working for the enemies.” She gestured to Brynne. “Or the strong, shape-shifting, belligerent one with”—she dropped her voice to a whisper—“asura blood, which is never a good look.” Next, she swiveled to Aru. “Or you! The flesh-and-blood daughter of the Sleeper. Almost two years ago, you failed to destroy him…. Why was that, exactly? Did you suddenly feel sorry for dear old Dad? Surely by now you’re used to life without him. At any rate, it doesn’t sound like something a true sister would have allowed to happen….”
Aru shot an agonized look at Mini and Brynne, but they were both gazing down at their laps.
“As for the twins”—Opal shrugged—“not much to be done about them, frankly. But I will say that a clairvoyant who can’t control her powers is very dangerous. Henceforth, they shall be kept in Amaravati until they are deemed less volatile.”
Mini stood up. “You can’t do that! What about their family?”
Opal snorted. “What family? They have no family here.”
“They have us,” said Aru.
Opal ignored her. Instead, she clapped once. The mirror floor instantly brightened, and a diamond-encrusted door appeared in the wall. “Trust me on this, children. I’m on your side. I’m fighting for the heavens just as much as you and the devas are.”
She took her seat at the table again. “Come back here in five days’ time so I can get you ready for the Holi festivities. In the meantime, I’ll start spreading the word about your good deeds to polish the reputations you tarnished with that failed mission.” She straightened her papers and cast the Pandavas one last dismissive look. “The best thing you can do for now is just keep out of sight.”
She pointed to the door. “Go. I’ve got a lot of work to do.”
When they stepped into the portal, Boo pecked around until he hit the green button for the Nandana Gardens, where they could collect Aiden and the twins. He didn’t say anything. Maybe he felt sad having to return to the place of so many unfulfilled wishes, Aru thought.
They were all reeling from Opal’s words. Mini seemed close to tears. Brynne looked like she wanted to smash something.
Aru’s mind kept churning, and when they arrived at the gardens, she only dimly registered the beautiful greenery flanking the marble walkway.
They crossed several courtyards, climbed up and down terraces, and eventually came to a small bower. In the middle stood a huge golden tree.
The sight of it stopped Aru’s breath. When she’d heard stories about the legendary tree as a kid, she’d never thought she’d get to see it in person. She felt lucky enough that she’d seen a few branches from it on the floor of the Ocean of Milk last year.