Aru Shah and the City of Gold - Roshani Chokshi Page 0,26
it, until it lodged in the wall of the pit about a foot below the opening.
“Now!” yelled Aru.
Mini created a small bubble around Brynne, who twisted her wind mace, gathering a cyclone around her. All the while, the coins piled higher and higher. Within seconds Aru was buried up to her hips again. Another minute and she’d be swallowed completely.
“Done!” said Brynne.
Mini retracted the shield, and a steady stream of air blew a path straight through the coins. A second later, Aru transformed Vajra into a hoverboard. Mini and Aru clambered on. They zoomed through the veil of gold until Mini could grab the handle of Kara’s trident.
“Go!” said Aru.
Mini flipped herself up and over the handle. Once she was safely back on land, Mini blasted a new dome above her. Coins pinged and bounced off the hard violet shield as Aru zoomed down to grab Kara and Aiden. Brynne transformed into a blue osprey and together they flew up and out of the pit.
Aru gasped for breath, her hands braced on the warm dirt. Above her, the ancient banyan trees no longer looked menacing, but still and stately. The only sounds in the forest were the distant chittering of squirrels and an occasional birdcall.
She inhaled deeply, trying to center her thoughts. Her heart was still racing, and the smell of coins—like stale tears—clung to her skin. Aru turned the now weakly flickering Vajra into a Ping-Pong ball and tucked it gently into her pocket. Beside her, Kara heaved herself upright and stretched out her hands to summon her trident.
The moment Brynne caught her breath, she turned to Kara. “How did you know?”
Kara shook her head. “Sometimes I get this hunch. Like I can see the truth of a thing.”
“I’m sorry we didn’t believe you,” said Mini. “It’s just—”
“I get it,” said Kara quietly. “You don’t need to apologize.”
Maybe the others don’t need to apologize, thought Aru, but I definitely do.
Aiden stood off to the side, holding a bunch of small bags he’d rustled from his backpack. “Snack break?”
“Yes, please,” said Brynne, stomping over.
“Who wants to eat after almost swallowing all those gold—” started Mini.
She must have seen Aiden look meaningfully at Aru and Kara, because she fell silent.
“I mean, wow, who knew coins were such an appetite stimulant? Coins are great. I should have kept some. Wait, I—”
“Why don’t you stop while you’re ahead, Mini,” said Brynne, steering her toward Aiden, and leaving Aru and Kara alone together.
“Thank you,” Kara said to Aru.
Aru’s gaze jerked to hers. “What?”
“Thank you for getting us out of there. And I need to thank Brynne for transforming, and Mini for shielding us, and Aiden for, well—”
“Aiden was pretty useless,” said Aru.
“I heard that!” shouted Aiden.
Aru grinned and shouted back, “For the most part, you’re a great wifey!”
Aiden grumbled in the distance.
“Wifey?” asked Kara.
“Long story,” said Aru before sighing loudly. “Listen, about what I said to you earlier…That wasn’t fair.”
“But it was true,” said Kara. She looked helpless. “When I look at it from your perspective, I get it—I really do. I thought maybe if I proved that I could be helpful, you guys would give me a chance, but I keep doing things wrong. I promise I’m trying—”
Aru groaned. She hated feeling guilty. It was like someone had held a lit match to her insides.
“You’re not doing anything wrong,” she said reluctantly. “If anything, you’re doing everything too right. Like, creepily perfect. Not that you’re creepy—”
“I used to watch you sleep,” said Kara, twisting her golden ring.
“Welp, I take back what I said.”
Kara laughed a little. “When Dad—I mean, the Sleeper, brought you to the cave, he kept you unconscious for almost two months.”
She paused, staring down at her feet. “Every day he told me ‘watch over your sister.’ I loved that word…sister. The whole time, I couldn’t wait for him to wake you up, Aru. I couldn’t wait to be your sister. I know I’m not a Pandava, but I guess I just thought…I don’t know…that it would be different or something. That’s all.”
Kara didn’t look up. Aru stood there, shocked. Usually, she never ran out of things to say, but this time, she stayed quiet. Kara as a sister felt like something that could’ve been but never would be, like the Sleeper being her dad. But then again, maybe, like everything else in Aru’s life, sisterhood didn’t have a clear-cut definition….
“I know it’s not how you thought it would be, but maybe we can figure out our own…version?” tried Aru.