Page 129 of Aru Shah and the Tree of Wishes

Brynne, Mini, and Aiden grabbed hold of Rudy, Hira, and the twins, and fled to the front door. Nearby, Krithika lay slumped against the wall, unconscious, while the Sleeper got to his feet and watched his daughters with keen interest.

As Vajra and Sunny clanged against each other, the sound was like someone had thrown wind chimes into the washing machine.

“It’s for your own good!” yelled Kara, pushing Aru off her with the trident. The necklace still dangled from one fist.

Aru swiped out her hand, missing the necklace by inches. She charged forward once more as storm clouds gathered in the open ceiling overhead. Thunder and lightning shattered the sky.

Vajra twisted out of Aru’s reach. The lightning bolt trembled as something elemental stole across it. It no longer seemed likehers, but just a random fork of lightning that had fallen to earth.

“Vajra?” whispered Aru.

The weapon contorted in the air, its shining zigzag shape facing her one last time. Aru reached out to grab it when a peal of thunder echoed in the room, stopping her hand. With one last shudder, Vajra shot up into the sky and lit up the clouds.

Brynne, Mini, and Aiden reentered the lobby, and shadow restraints immediately leaped out of the floor once more, tethering them in place. Brynne had her fists up. Mini was holding a stick she must have found outside. Aiden still had his scimitars, but without Vajra’s electricity roping down them, they were nothing more than ordinary blades.

Only Kara’s weapon was still intact and active. Aru wondered why. Maybe because Kara was the one who had used the astra?

In the middle of the room, the Sleeper sighed loudly. “Let there be no ill will between you two,” he said, beckoning Kara. He patted her head. “Kara was only being a dutiful daughter. When the world is remade, we will all be together, as a family.”

Kara looked horrified by what she had done. She clutched Sunny to her chest, staring at the floor. The astra necklace lay there, its now dull and lifeless pendant broken in half.

Behind Aru, Krithika tried to stand, only to fall to her knees. “Don’t,” she croaked, her eyes on the Sleeper. “You promised me….”

For a moment, something human flashed in the Sleeper’s eyes. Pain and sorrow, and so much…longing.

“I promised that, if I had to, I would break the world in half to make our family whole and happy,” he said roughly. “I intend to keep that promise, Krithika.”

Without another word, he and Kara vanished on the spot. The shadowy restraints released and melted into the ruined floor of the museum as Krithika Shah collapsed on the ground.

Krithika Shah had been sleeping on the couch for exactly nine hours and twelve minutes.

Aru knew because she had been watching her practically the entire time. Occasionally, Aru’s hand reflexively moved to her wrist, where she expected her lightning bolt bracelet to be…but Vajra was gone. All of their weapons weregone, leaving them powerless.

How had everything ended up so…wrong?

One moment, Aiden Acharya had kissed her, and it had been amazing.

The next moment, all of that was shattered.

Aru felt too numb to cry, and maybe that was a good thing, because she was worried that if she started crying now, she wouldn’t be able to stop.

Mini and Brynne had taken turns waiting beside her. Both of them were just as shell-shocked. Brynne’s eyes were red from crying, and Mini had barely said a word.

After Kara and the Sleeper had left, everything had become a chaotic blur. The moment Brynne, Mini, and Aiden had shuttled them outside, Sheela and Nikita had fled with their parents and taken Hira with them for safety. Gunky and Funky had sounded the Otherworld alarms. Rudy had immediately gone back to the underwater kingdoms to warn the nagas.

“I should go to Hanuman and Urvashi,” said Aiden. “What do I tell them about…you know…the weapons?”

Aru felt another sharp twist of loss deep in her stomach.Vajra. The lightning bolt had left, unraveling into its true elemental form and fleeing through the broken roof to join the storm clouds overhead.

“Don’t mention the weapons,” said Brynne. “If they find out we don’t have them anymoreandwe’ve lost the astra, they’ll panic.”

“Maybe theyshouldpanic. Wedon’thave our weapons,” said Mini, her voice hollow. “We can’t fight the Sleeper anymore. We don’t have…anything.”

“We need time to think,” said Aru. “To figure something out—”

“There’s nothing to figure out, Shah,” said Brynne sadly. “I don’t even thinkyoucan get us out of this one. All I want is to buy some time before we have to answer to everyone…. I just want some peace and quiet before all of this ends.”

Aiden nodded, his face bleak. He left without saying another word.