Page 35 of Aru Shah and the Tree of Wishes

The moment she saidLanka, shrieks rolled through the amphitheater.

Uh-oh.

Brynne, how much longer?

It’s going to take a bit!said Brynne.

“Lanka,”seethed the prosecutor. “The city where our woes started…and you dared to utter its name in our presence?”

“Sorry—”

“AHA! Our official apology from the humans has come at long last!”

The vanaras cheered, throwing down cherry pits and banana peels.

“Read out the defendants’ crimes against our people, counselor,” said the judge, bored.

The lawyer puffed out his chest. “Thousands of years ago, you demanded our help! Do you remember that?”

“I’m fourteen!” said Aru. “I wasn’t even there.”

“The god king Rama, avatar of Lord Vishnu,godof preservation, demanded our help, and we gave it, did we not?”

The vanaras cheered.

“He wanted to cross the sea to Lanka, and what did we do?”

“BUILT! BUILT! BUILT!” shouted the vanaras from their seats.

Built?thought Aru. Oh, yeah…She knew the tale. Rama had needed to get to Lanka, where his wife, Sita, was being held prisoner by the ten-headed demon king Ravana.

“The sea would not answer to Rama,” said the attorney, “so we threw rocks into the ocean and built the god king a bridge! But what did we receive for all of our efforts?”

The crowd went silent. A sea breeze blew through the amphitheater, rustling up dust and broken jewels. The lawyer turned slowly to Aru.

“When Lanka was set on fire, who did they blame?Us. When the prince of Lanka grew hungry, who did he devour?Us. When the world moved on, who was left behind and forgotten?Us.”

As one, the vanaras rose from their thrones. The only sound came from the drag of their tails over the stone tiers as they advanced toward Aru.

“You cut us off from the world, leaving us with nothing but scraps…” said the lawyer, jabbing a finger in Aru’s face.

Aru tried to squirm out of her seat, but the guards on either side of her growled.

“Only broken things found our shores,” the prosecutor hissed.

From the highest tier of the seats, someone shouted, “We want to know what happens after season three ofLaw and Order! Tell us, human!”

“Tell us! Tell us! Tell us!” the rest chanted.

Suddenly, the judge, the jury, and the lawyer made a lot more sense.

“How does the defendant plead?” asked the judge.

One of Aru’s guards stepped forward and yanked the silk cloth off the object on the podium. Aru’s jaw dropped.Oh my gods…Is that a—?

“VIVE LA FRANCE!” shouted a vanara in a wig and lipstick.

“WhatisFrance?” asked someone else.