walked in another slow circle around the room.
“You need me now, Pandavas, not this old professor,” said Opal. “Only I will tell you the truth about how all this looks on the outside. The ‘untrue’ sister? Everyone will be wondering who it is.” She grinned, then pointed to Mini. “Maybe the little timid one…probably easy to manipulate into working for the enemies.” She gestured to Brynne. “Or the strong, shape-shifting, belligerent one with”—she dropped her voice to a whisper—“asura blood, which is never a good look.” Next, she swiveled to Aru. “Or you! The flesh-and-blood daughter of the Sleeper. Almost two years ago, you failed to destroy him…. Why was that, exactly? Did you suddenly feel sorry for dear old Dad? Surely by now you’re used to life without him. At any rate, it doesn’t sound like something a true sister would have allowed to happen….”
Aru shot an agonized look at Mini and Brynne, but they were both gazing down at their laps.
“As for the twins”—Opal shrugged—“not much to be done about them, frankly. But I will say that a clairvoyant who can’t control her powers is very dangerous. Henceforth, they shall be kept in Amaravati until they are deemed less volatile.”
Mini stood up. “You can’t do that! What about their family?”
Opal snorted. “What family? They have no family here.”
“They have us,” said Aru.
Opal ignored her. Instead, she clapped once. The mirror floor instantly brightened, and a diamond-encrusted door appeared in the wall. “Trust me on this, children. I’m on your side. I’m fighting for the heavens just as much as you and the devas are.”
She took her seat at the table again. “Come back here in five days’ time so I can get you ready for the Holi festivities. In the meantime, I’ll start spreading the word about your good deeds to polish the reputations you tarnished with that failed mission.” She straightened her papers and cast the Pandavas one last dismissive look. “The best thing you can do for now is just keep out of sight.”
She pointed to the door. “Go. I’ve got a lot of work to do.”
When they stepped into the portal, Boo pecked around until he hit the green button for the Nandana Gardens, where they could collect Aiden and the twins. He didn’t say anything. Maybe he felt sad having to return to the place of so many unfulfilled wishes, Aru thought.
They were all reeling from Opal’s words. Mini seemed close to tears. Brynne looked like she wanted to smash something.
Aru’s mind kept churning, and when they arrived at the gardens, she only dimly registered the beautiful greenery flanking the marble walkway.
They crossed several courtyards, climbed up and down terraces, and eventually came to a small bower. In the middle stood a huge golden tree.
The sight of it stopped Aru’s breath. When she’d heard stories about the legendary tree as a kid, she’d never thought she’d get to see it in person. She felt lucky enough that she’d seen a few branches from it on the floor of the Ocean of Milk last year.
It towered over their heads like a skyscraper, the top disappearing into veils of mist. Glowing jewel-like fruit of many different colors hung from its branches, perfuming the air with the smell of ambrosia. The ground around the tree was cold and damp, dotted with magical flowering bushes. Nestled between two massive roots was a sign that read:
KALPAVRIKSHA, THE TREE OF WISHES
PROPERTY OF ARANYANI, GODDESS OF THE FORESTS
They found their friends on the other side of the trunk. Aiden was busy taking pictures. Sheela appeared to be talking to a bush while Nikita crouched over the ground, her hands thrust into the dirt and her eyes closed. Her veins glowed a pale green, and when she opened her eyes, the crown of flowers on her head gleamed even brighter.
The moment she saw the other Pandavas, Nikita pointed at the tree.
“That,” she said dramatically. “Is a fake.”
Goal: Don’t End Up a Dragon Snack
Aru stared at Kalpavriksha soaring above them. It didn’t seem fake to her. Fake things should be obvious! Like a bootlegged movie that was recorded by someone who got up and left the theater in the middle.
Nikita lifted her palm off the dirt, her ice-blue eyes sheening bright green for a moment. “I’m an expert on what’s designer and what’s a dud, and this thing? This is a dud. I read its roots,” she said. “Its earliest memory is of being carried in a dark pot and placed here. And