Only…he wasn’t unconscious anymore.
An angry orange eye blinked open and narrowed at her.
The stack of demons began to stir. Magical vines might have been enough to bind them…but ordinary ones? They wouldn’t hold for long. Instinctively, Aru called for Vajra, but the bolt didn’t respond. It lay curled around her wrist as a dull bracelet, as if it had fallen asleep and couldn’t hear her.
The door handle was now within grasping distance. All the Pandavas had to do was get inside and their powers would be restored and the prophecy would be safe.
But the moment Aru lunged for it, an ear-piercing scream stayed her hand.
“Demons!” cried someone in the crowd.
With a loud roar, two of the rakshasas sprang free of their bindings.
The mob scattered.
“Did you really think you could capture us, little ones?” snarled the first rakshasa. He pulled a blade from his wrist cuff and spun it in his hand. He glowered at the Otherworld entrance. “And drag us into that hateful place?”
“Hand over the girl with the prophecy,” said the second.
“Never!” growled Brynne.
Aru shoved Nikita—who was still clutching her sister—behind her, toward the door. “Go through as fast as you can!” she yelled.
Nikita nodded and Aiden extended a hand to the twins so he could pull them through. Nikita tried to grab hold, but Sheela started to shake, and then she crumpled to the ground, her eyes burning bright. In an oddly layered voice, as if at once terribly old and incredibly young, she began to speak:
“THE SCORNED POWERS ARE ON THE RISE,
TO CLAIM THEIR STOLEN IMMORTAL PRIZE—”
The back of Aru’s neck prickled again.
“She’s speaking! Get her!” hollered the first rakshasa.
Aru took a few steps forward, ready to charge headfirst at the demons, but Brynne caught her wrist. Brynne’s gaze fell to the broken vines on the ground. Aru didn’t have to read her mind to know what to do. She and Mini picked up one end of a vine, Brynne grabbed the other end, and they rushed the demons, tripping them.
As the rakshasas scrambled to their feet, Mini whipped out her danda compact. Its magic was inactive, but it was still a mirror. She angled it so light reflected straight into the demons’ eyes.
“Now!” yelled Aiden.
He took Nikita in one arm and grasped the door handle. Brynne scooped Sheela off the ground, and Aru grabbed Mini’s hand. They raced to the door, the earth vibrating beneath their shoes.
Just outside the door, Sheela let out a huge gasp. Beams of light erupted around her, lifting her out of Brynne’s arms.
“I’m losing her!” cried Brynne.
Sheela hovered in the air before the entrance to the Otherworld, while the demons pressed as close as they could.
“Speak, child!” demanded the rakshasas. “Speak the future!”
Sheela’s head lolled back:
“THE SCORNED POWERS ARE ON THE RISE,
TO CLAIM THEIR STOLEN IMMORTAL PRIZE….”
“We’ve got to pull her inside!” said Aru.
Aiden and Nikita held the door open while Brynne, Mini, and Aru formed a chain. Aru reached up and grabbed hold of Sheela’s foot, bringing her down until Mini’s arms could wrap around her waist. Then Brynne heaved, tugging the four of them into the Night Bazaar….
The rakshasas tried to follow, but Aiden started pushing the heavy door closed from the other side while Mini, with magic once again at her disposal, cast a force field to block the remaining open space. Vajra flickered into action and Mini lowered the shield just enough for Aru to throw her bolt like a spear. It hit one of the demons squarely in the chest and knocked him backward.
But it wasn’t enough.
In a voice that sent shivers down Aru’s spine, Sheela belted out the whole of her prophecy:
“THE SCORNED POWERS ARE ON THE RISE,
TO CLAIM THEIR STOLEN IMMORTAL PRIZE.
ONE SISTER SHALL TURN OUT NOT TO BE TRUE.
WITH A SINGLE CHOICE,
THE WORLD SHALL RECEIVE ITS DUE.
ONE TREASURE IS FALSE, AND ONE TREASURE IS LOST,
BUT THE TREE AT THE HEART IS THE ONLY TRUE COST.
NO WAR CAN BE WON WITHOUT FINDING THAT ROOT;
NO VICTORY HAD WITHOUT THE YIELD OF ITS FRUIT.
IN FIVE DAYS THE TREASURE WILL BLOOM AND FADE,
AND ALL THAT WAS WON COULD SOON BE UNMADE.”
Vajra bounded into Aru’s outstretched hand. The steel door shut heavily….
But not quite fast enough.
The last thing she saw was the wide smile of the rakshasa as he sneered, “Thank you, Pandavas,” and leaped into the air.
Worse Than Being Sent to the Principal’s Office
Aru felt time slow around her.
They’d failed.
The Council of Guardians had been clear about the power of the prophecy. The Pandavas’ only job had been to make sure the Sleeper’s soldiers didn’t hear it, and they’d failed. Aru felt like someone had taken a bite out of her soul.
Something bright glinted from the corner of her vision, and she noticed the shoelaces of her customized sneakers sparkling. Great. The Council had tracked them, and now someone was on their way to meet them.
“What are we going to do?” moaned Mini, pacing in a tight circle.
“This isn’t totally our fault,” said Brynne, pointing at Sheela. “Why couldn’t you just hold it in?”
Sheela had fallen to the floor once she’d delivered the prophecy. Nikita propped her up, asking, “Are you okay?”
Sheela looked dazed for a moment before yawning loudly and beaming at everyone. “I feel much better!”
“Better?” Brynne exploded. “Do you know what’s just happened?”
“Easy, Brynne,” said Aiden, laying a hand on her arm.
Sheela blinked, tilting her head. “No?”
“The prophecy?” ground out Brynne.
“Oh, right!” said Sheela, smiling. “I displaced cosmic energy from within myself and now it’s balanced again! Sometimes knowing the future is like eating way too much food—it gives you a stomachache and you need to lie down. Good job, me.”
“No,” said Brynne. “Bad job—”
Sheela looked confused.
“She couldn’t help it!” snapped Nikita, rushing to help her sister stand. “Her prophecies are always like that.”
“As a Pandava, you should be able to control yourself,” said Brynne, crossing her arms. “Or maybe you’re not one.”
Nikita narrowed her eyes. “What did you say?”
“Seemed kinda loud to me,” said Sheela, shrugging. But if she was as offended as her sister, it didn’t show.
“Welp,” said Aiden, pinching the bridge of his nose. “She went there.”
Mini edged closer to Aru. “Aru…do something.”
Nikita extended her wrist. Inky vines shot out, wrapping around Brynne’s ankles and pulling her to the ground.
“You little—” Brynne swung her mace and a gust of wind sent Nikita flying backward.
“Yeah, no,” said Aru, stepping away.
Nikita ran back and got too close to Brynne. Maybe she was trying to reach for the mace, or maybe she just tripped. But their fingers touched, and Aru felt a change in the air—a crackling like radio static deep within her bones. The skies parted above them. Two beams of light—one green and one silver—shot down from the skies…and lifted the twins off the ground.