Page 99 of Aru Shah and the Tree of Wishes

Aru had scrambled out of the shade and run to her mom, whom she wouldn’t let go of until they were back in the car. Afterward, she’d told herself that the whole thing must have been a bad dream. But she’d never forgotten what it had felt like right before she heard that ghostly voice. It was if she had stumbled into a place she wasn’t meant to see, a place where the world turned in on itself and the light ran too thin, and all the shadows came alive.

That was how it felt now, as they entered the hallway lined with things the sun god had seen and never shared. It was full of low murmuring and soft weeping, harsh whispers and music played for no one. The sounds raised goose bumps on Aru’s arms. Dozens of pure white pillars as tall as ancient oak trees lined the passage, which stretched the length of a football field and then came to an abrupt stop, like a balcony with no rail. Beyond, there was nothing but the star-strewn expanse of space. Between each pillar stretched a long, cloudy mirror. The floor beneath them looked more like steel wool than clouds, definitely not the softness spun by the cloud-knitting elephant, Airavata.

“This place isnotthe vibe,” declared Rudy, throwing up his hood.

“I kinda like it!” said Mini.

“Let’s just get out of here,” said Brynne gruffly. Beside her, Kara floated on a ribbon of cloud that Lady Saranyu had given them. Kara was still glowing, her hair billowing around her eerily and her trident gleaming like a ray of sunlight.

“I’ll take the lead,” said Aru. Vajra wound up her arm as a rope and then stayed still and wary. “Mini, can you guard the middle? That way you can cast a shield on either side.”

Mini nodded, twirling Dee Dee with one hand.

“Can I hide behind, I meanassistMini?” asked Rudy.

“Ask her, not me,” retorted Aru.

Rudy grinned at Mini. For the briefest second, joy spread across Mini’s face, but she quickly turned her smile into a glare.

“I guess so,” she said.

“Me and Ammamma will take the rear,” said Brynne.

Aiden rolled his eyes at the nickname, as usual, then tapped Shadowfax. The camera quickly folded up and turned into a watch on his wrist.

“What, no photos?” asked Aru.

He looked around the hall, his gaze narrowing. “Some things aren’t for us to see, Shah.”

Just then, something flashed in the corner of Aru’s eye. In one of the mirrors, instead of her own reflection, Aru saw a teenaged girl with long hair moving out of sight, her hands clutching her pregnant belly.

I wish I could keep you with me. But it’s better this way. I’m so sorry.

A chill stole through Aru. There was something familiar about the girl, but Aru couldn’t get a good look at her face. One moment she was there, and the next, she’d been swallowed up by the mirror’s mist.

“Let’s…Let’s get moving,” said Aru, trying to keep the tremble out of her voice.

She turned Vajra into a sword and kept a tight grip on it as they marched down the hall. Even though the space was open and light-filled, the air smelled musty, like the basement of an abandoned house. Aru tried to keep her eyes focused straight ahead, but small flashes of movement to her left and right kept stealing her attention.

Don’t look, she told herself.

To avoid glancing anywhere else, Aru started reading what was written on the pillars surrounding them. She discovered they weren’t just columns, but slender storage units labeled with rare things Surya had seen or heard on his travels.

One held:

BLACKBIRD LULLABIES

A BABY’S FOURTH YAWN

Another held:

A POLITICIAN TELLING A TRUTH

THE LAST WORDS OF THE DECEASED

Aru read the labels aloud, forcing one foot in front of the other. Up ahead was a pillar that looked slimmer than the rest….

PROPHECIES UNHEARD AND UNWANTED