Aru Shah and the City of Gold - Roshani Chokshi Page 0,80
of them. They each bent over to touch the ground in respect. Aru looked up to see the twin goddesses studying them coolly. To Rudy, the cloud-dressed goddess gave a small bow. To Brynne and Aiden, she granted a smile.
When it came to Aru, she…
…scowled.
“You,” she said, and this time her voice was not so kind.
“I was wondering when you’d notice that one,” said the goddess wearing shadows. She’d been silent the whole time, but now she rubbed her hands together a touch too gleefully.
The cloud goddess ignored her twin and stepped toward Aru. “Do you know who I am?”
“Mini’s grandmother?” asked Aru. “And so, therefore, kinda adjacent-related to…me?”
“Nice try,” muttered Aiden.
“I am Saranyu, goddess of clouds and chief queen of the Sun Lord, Surya,” she said, drawing herself up. “Mother of Yama, the Lord of Death, and Yamuna, the river goddess, and the Ashvin twins, Lords of Health and Medicine and Sunrise and Sunset, and Revanta, Lord of Horses.”
Aru stared at her. Was she supposed to clap or something? Ask to see a résumé? Tell her that sounded a lot cooler than Mother of Dragons?
“That’s…good?” said Aru.
“And you are the daughter of the god of thunder,” spat Saranyu. “The god responsible for the death of my brother.”
“That’s…not good,” said Aru. She took a step back, raising her hands and hoping Vajra decided to stay in its very humble bracelet form.
“Maybe it was an accident?” ventured Aru.
“Your father, Indra, cut off his head.”
“Oh,” said Aru, in a smaller voice. “Yeah, that sounds kinda intentional.”
“And then he hired a carpenter to carve off each of my brother’s other three heads, and he threw them across the earth so my poor Tsiras could never be revived!”
“Well, that just sounds like overkill and paranoia to me,” said Aru.
“And now you dare to make demands of me?” asked Saranyu. The clouds around her bubbled up.
“Technically, I am making the demand?” said Mini, raising her hand. “If that helps?”
“And you stroll into my home?” continued Saranyu, as if she hadn’t heard Mini at all.
“Our home,” said the shadow goddess.
At her twin’s words, Saranyu’s face darkened. “Not by choice.”
“Oh really? So you didn’t choose to leave the splendid halls of the House of the Sun?” The shadow-gowned goddess tossed her hair. “If you don’t like being here, you can leave again, and like last time, I’m sure no one will notice.”
Aiden looked alarmed. He muttered to Brynne, “I thought they’re sisters?”
Brynne smirked, her gaze flicking to Aru. “Sometimes sisters fight.”
True, thought Aru. But not like that. Not like every word was a knife shaped out of ice.
“We’re not sisters,” said Saranyu viciously.
Aru frowned. If they weren’t sisters, then how come they had the same face?
“You look identical, though?” said Rudy.
Saranyu snorted. “Merely because she is my shadow.”
The goddess in shadows scowled. “Perhaps I began that way, yes.”
“If you’re just her shadow, then—” started Brynne.
The goddess whirled around, her face contorted in fury. “Just her shadow?” she spat, darkness pooling underneath her. “I am Chhaya, goddess of shadows and second queen to the Sun Lord, Surya. I am the Mother of Shani, Lord of the House of Saturn, and Tapti, the incomparably beautiful river goddess.”
Shani! Aru remembered meeting the Lord of Saturn on their last quest. He probably would’ve been pleasant to be around if not for the burning-gaze-that-incinerated-everything-in-its-path thing.
“But how did you…?” Mini started. “No offense, but…” She trailed off.
“How did I go from being a reflection to being a queen?” asked Chhaya, lifting an eyebrow.
“You mean how did she go from a temporary replacement to a usurper?” demanded Saranyu, crossing her arms.
“Um…” said Mini. “Sure?”
“Like this…” said Saranyu.
She swept aside a swath of clouds and stomped on the gold floor. Images shimmered on the ground, showing Saranyu standing beside Surya, the god of the sun. Aru squinted. It was like catching the sun’s reflection in a mirror. In the images, Saranyu looked as if she was always wincing and rubbing her eyes.
“My husband was so resplendent he radiated an eternal source of heat,” said Saranyu. “He was, in truth, too hot to bear.”
Aru waited one second…two seconds…and then started choke-laughing, which is what happens when one tries not to laugh but the laugh wriggles out your throat anyway.
“I understand that,” said Rudy solemnly. “At least, I did, before someone ripped off my mustache out of jealousy.”
“It was a hair,” Aiden said with a sigh.
“There would’ve been more!” said Rudy. “Eventually.”
Brynne swatted both of them.
“I had to leave or I’d burn up,” said Saranyu. “But I