Page 66 of Aru Shah and the End of Time

She surfaced from the cloth. “I’m allergic to dogs.”

“Of course you are,” said Aru.

“Are you dead?” asked Ek, the dog with the high-pitched voice.

“I don’t think so?” replied Mini.

At the same time, Aru said, “Of course not!”

“Well, you can’t come in if you’re not dead,” said Ek. “Those are the rules.”

“You don’t understand—” started Aru.

“Ah, but we do!” said Ek. “You have two choices. You can die on your own, or we can help by killing you!”

Do wagged his tail. “I love helping! Helping is fun.”

Who’s a Good Boy?

“Nope!” said Aru. “No thanks! We’ll find another way in—”

“I’m not going anywhere!” said Mini.

Ek yawned as if he’d heard this before. His teeth were really sharp. Why did they need to be that sharp? And was that…bloodon his fangs?

“You don’t have to go anywhere to die, little one,” said Ek.

“That’s not what I meant. I’m not going anywhere, because…because this ismykingdom?” said Mini. Her voice went up at the end. “I am the daughter of the Dharma Raja, and I demand entrance—”

“And I’m the daughter of Lord Indra!” butted in Aru.

Mini glared at her.

“Celebrities! Oh! Welcome, welcome!” said Do. “Could I get your autograph? We could do it before or after the whole killing-you thing. Whichever is most convenient.”

“Who cares if they’re celebrities? Death is the greatest leveler of them all! They are not the first. Nor the last. We’ve carried the souls of queens and murderers and infernal Yogalates instructors between our teeth,” said Ek proudly to the girls. “Even the Pandava brothers had to die. Evengodsreincarnated in mortal bodies have to die.”

“That’s true,” said Do agreeably.

“It’s just a body!” said Ek, staring down his nose at them. “Leave them behind! Then we’ll let you through.”

“You can get new ones!” said Do.

Aru saw the telltale signs of Mini’s confidence waning: glasses off-kilter, lip tucked between her teeth.

“Um,” said Mini.

Ek’s teeth gleamed whiter. “We’ll make it quick.”

“I don’t really feel like rending someone apart,” mourned Do, even as his fur turned more bristly and his fangs elongated. “Why don’t we go out to the cremation grounds instead and bury bone shards? Or we can play Catch the Beheaded Thing! I’ve always liked that game.”

Ek growled. “Not now, Do! This is our job! Our dharma! Our duty!”

“Ha. Duty.Doo-tee.”

“Do, now is not the time—”

“It’s never the time, Ek! Yesterday you said we could play catch. Did we? No!”