Aru Shah and the City of Gold - Roshani Chokshi Page 0,14

a spectacle,” grumbled Mini. “The vote should’ve put the decision to rest. Now Kara will lose and we’ll leave her behind, which will make things even more dangerous for everyone. If the Sleeper finds out that she’s missing, then what?”

“You don’t know that she’s going to lose,” said Aru.

“Against Brynne?” scoffed Mini. “We can barely hold our own against her.”

Aru said nothing. She remembered Kara’s escape from the Sleeper’s lair—the way she’d darted quickly, and how her ring had instantly transformed into a brilliant trident. There was more to this girl than it seemed at first glance.

“Ready?” asked Brynne, twirling her wind mace.

Kara nodded.

Brynne blurred forward, spinning out her wind mace. A cyclone tore through the museum lobby. Papers and dust swirled into the air. Some of the papers folded themselves into birds with sharp beaks. As Brynne slammed down her weapon, the creatures rushed at her opponent.

Kara spun out of the way, then stretched out one hand. Her white-gold ring shattered apart, lengthening into the six-foot-tall trident. Brynne’s eyes widened, and her jaw dropped as Kara waved her weapon. An arc of burning light followed the movement, incinerating the paper birds in mid-flight.

“You think you’re the only one who knows how to play with fire?” asked Brynne. A red stripe appeared in her blue mace. She pointed the club downward and swung it so a line of flames raced across the lobby floor.

Kara aimed the trident and searing light exploded from its tips, meeting the fire in the middle of the room.

Beside Aru, Mini screamed, “Watch out!” She slammed her Death Danda, Dee Dee, on the ground and violet light ribboned around the room, sealing off the exhibit halls and staircases. Brynne’s flames sloshed up the side of Mini’s shield and then dripped down like lava, leaving Aiden, Mini, and Aru untouched.

“Quick thinking,” breathed Aiden, who was crouched on the floor.

Aru groaned, looking down at the spilled popcorn. “But what a sacrifice…”

“It was either your popcorn or the entirety of your mother’s museum, and I didn’t want to risk the insurance plan,” huffed Mini.

On the other side of the shield, Brynne’s mace swept the flames into a great tornado. Smoke clouded the contained sphere of their makeshift arena. Brynne squinted, swiping at the air in front of her eyes, but Kara didn’t blink or cough. Brynne stumbled out of the cyclone of smoke, gasping for oxygen.

Kara’s trident zipped through the lobby, this time leaving a trail of light in its wake.

Brynne defensively swung up her mace, but Kara’s weapon was too quick.

A second later, Brynne was pinned to the floor by her shirt. Her flames went out.

Aru, Aiden, and Mini stared in shock at Brynne’s defeat. The moment the wind died down and cleared away the smoke, Mini dropped the protective shield and the three of them rushed over. Kara stood over Brynne and pulled up her trident. It shrank and swooped back into Kara’s hand, where it transformed into her ring once more.

“Bee, you okay?” asked Mini anxiously.

“Ugh.”

Kara looked nervous. “You’re the one who wanted to fight.”

Brynne scowled. “Where did you get that weapon?”

“It was a gift,” said Kara defensively. “It’s a drop of sunshine. Dad caught it for me and kept it in a bag made of night cloth. When I opened it, this is the form it took.”

“That’s a pretty violent gift,” said Aru, ignoring the sudden pinch in her heart. The Sleeper had given his other daughter so much. Aside from the picture book he’d bought at the hospital, all Aru had ever gotten from her father was threats.

“Aru told us the Sleeper called you his secret weapon,” said Mini, examining the trident. “Is this what he meant?”

“I don’t think so,” said Kara. “He said drops of light are uncommon, but they’re not that rare…. I honestly don’t know what he meant by that, but I do know Dad is looking for the nectar of immortality, and Sunny has nothing to do with that.”

“Sunny?” asked Aiden.

“It’s what I named my trident,” said Kara quietly. “So…can I come?”

Brynne exhaled loudly, still lying on the floor. “You’re really not going to tell us about the weapon the Sleeper is looking for?”

Kara eyed them. “If you were in my position, would you?”

Welp. That was fair. Brynne looked like she wanted to push it, but Aiden toed her leg with the end of his shoe. She swatted at him.

“Okay, what’s your idea for getting to Lanka?” she grumbled.

Kara beamed. “Well, it’s easy, really. All gold roads lead to Lanka.