Aru Shah and the Tree of Wishes (Pandava Quartet #3) - Roshani Chokshi Page 0,228

hoverboard beneath her feet.

Go, she urged.

The hoverboard zoomed forward, heading straight to the Sleeper.

“No, Aru!” screamed Mini.

But she didn’t listen. She wasn’t listening to anyone except herself. Aru wasn’t sure what guided her in that second, but her hands seemed to move of their own accord. The Sleeper’s army moved closer, and he was now ten feet away, now five….

With one sharp tug, Aru removed the necklace at her throat. The three beads of memories winked in the light.

The Sleeper spread his arms wide.

In another world—in another life—it would have looked like a hug.

Aru struggled to keep her eyes open as the shadows leaped up and wrapped around her legs and stomach, squeezing her like snakes. She flung her arms around the Sleeper’s neck and cinched the pendant of memories in back. As the shadows overtook her and the world went gray at the edges, Aru found that she had the strength to say one last thing.

“I’m sorry, Dad.”

Aru stirred.

Snatches of dreams and memories fluttered through her. Shadows. Darkness. The feeling of being gathered and held close…

Someone in the dark speaking her name as if it were a question…

“Arundhati?”

A sudden rush of cold.

Aru opened her eyes. She was in front of a dark cave. But she was not alone. There was another girl sitting across from her, the same age as Aru. She had long black hair, high cheekbones like a model, and catlike eyes. There was something uncannily familiar about her face. Aru felt as if she’d seen it before, only she didn’t know where.

“I’m Kara,” the girl said.

Aru raised her hands, struggling to break free, but her hands were tied and a steel chain attached her to the cave wall.

She dimly remembered Mini screaming No, Aru! and the sensation of slick shadows hauling her off the hoverboard….

Vajra! she thought. She looked down and was flooded with relief when she saw her lightning bolt firmly attached to her wrist.

“Where am I?”

Kara smiled sympathetically. “You’re in the house of the Sleeper, Aru Shah.”

“So, then, who are you?”

Kara lifted her chin. “I’m his daughter.”

GLOSSARY

AHA! YOU’RE BACK! I knew it. Good job, me. As always, I’d like to preface this glossary by saying that this is by no means exhaustive or encapsulating of all the nuances of mythology. India is GINORMOUS, and these myths and legends vary from state to state. What you read here is merely a slice of what I understand from the stories I was told and the research I conducted. The wonderful thing about mythology is that its arms are wide enough to embrace many traditions from many regions. My hope is that this glossary gives you context for Aru’s world, and perhaps nudges you to do some research of your own.

Adrishya (UH-drish-yah) Hindi for invisible or disappear.

Agni (UHG-nee) The Hindu god of fire.

Amaravati (uh-MAR-uh-vah-tee) So, I have suffered the great misfortune of never being invited to/having visited this legendary city, but I hear it’s, like, amazing. It has to be, considering it’s the place where Lord Indra lives. It’s draped in gold palaces and has celestial gardens full of a thousand marvels. I wonder what the flowers smell like there. I imagine they smell like birthday cake, because it’s basically heaven.

Ammamma (UH-muh-mah) Grandmother in Telugu, one of the many languages spoken in India, most commonly in the southern area.

Amrita (am-REE-tuh) The immortal drink of the gods. According to the legends, Sage Durvasa once cursed the gods to lose their immortality. To get it back, they had to churn the celestial Ocean of Milk. But in order to accomplish this feat, they had to seek assistance from the asuras, another semidivine race of beings who were constantly at war with the devas. In return for their help, the asuras demanded that the devas share a taste of the amrita. Which, you know, fair. But to gods, the word fair is just another word. So they tricked the asuras. The supreme god Vishnu, also known as the preserver, took on the form of Mohini, a beautiful enchantress. The asuras and devas lined up in two rows. While Mohini poured the amrita, the asuras were so mesmerized by her beauty that they didn’t realize that she was giving all the immortality nectar to the gods and not them. Rude! By the way, I have no idea what amrita tastes like. Probably birthday cake.

Apsara (AHP-sah-rah) Apsaras are beautiful, heavenly dancers who entertain in the Court of the Heavens. They’re often the wives of heavenly musicians. In Hindu myths, apsaras are usually