Aru Shah and the Tree of Wishes (Pandava Quartet #3) - Roshani Chokshi Page 0,45

I wake them, you must promise to forever remain silent about this episode. They can never know that you saved them.”

Aru was just about to ask why when the goddess continued. “As for you, daughter of the god of thunderstorms, I must take this memory from you.”

Wait…what?

Aru felt crushed. Mini was usually in the shadows. She was always watching, always analytical…but hardly ever the star. Aru wanted to remember this, to celebrate it when Mini sometimes forgot.

Mini stared at her friends, then glanced at Aru with a sad smile on her face before she turned to her aunt. She squared her shoulders.

“It doesn’t really matter if they know I saved them, does it?” Mini asked. “I mean, they still got rescued in the end.”

Yamuna smiled. “Spoken with true wisdom, little Pandava.”

“At least I’ll always know what I did,” said Mini quietly.

The river goddess turned to Aru. A cool mist enveloped her body, and Aru’s mind went blank.

Aru, Mini, Rudy, Brynne, and Aiden stepped off the end of the bridge and onto the pathway to December, the ground level of the House of Months. Crisp snow crunched underfoot. The silver trees were strung with lit candles that cast a warm glow over everything.

Rudy turned and looked at them triumphantly, both hands on his hips. “You’re welcome,” he said smugly. “Told you I could get us to the other side.”

“Yeah, well, you needed my help,” said Aiden.

“And mine,” added Brynne, crossing her arms.

Aru shook herself. She had the weirdest sensation of having just woken up from a dream she didn’t remember. The others looked a little dazed, too…except for Mini, who smiled to herself.

Aru had a weird flash-forward, if that’s what it could be called. For a moment, it was as if she were seeing Mini not as she was, but as she would be. A young woman with chin-length cropped hair and a serene gaze. Someone totally comfortable with letting another person drive the car because she had picked the destination. It made Aru proud of her friend, even though she couldn’t say why.

“Thought you’d be a little nervous in there,” said Aru.

Mini twirled Dee Dee on her finger and shrugged.

“Nope, I’m good,” she said, grinning.

At Least There’s Not a Dragon

No one tells you what to expect when you walk into a month. Would there be ugly souvenir key chains? Commemorative plates? It took a moment for Aru’s eyes to adjust to the brightness of December when they went inside.

Lengths of shadow hung from the ceiling beams, with placards beneath each proclaiming things like:

SOURCED FROM THE FINEST CAVES AND TREES

FREE OF HUMAN LIGHT POLLUTION

IDEAL FOR EVENING GOWNS, OR DRAPES FOR A MONSTROUS LAIR

The carved walls radiated cold and shimmered like freshly fallen snow. Aru peered closer. It was snow. A small sign nestled in it declared: FORAGED FROM THE PEAKS OF THE HIMALAYAS! AN ORGANIC, BREATHABLE MATERIAL DESIGNED TO KEEP THE BODY COOL.

“There!” said Rudy, pointing to a low platform of carved ice in the middle of the room. “We need to take the elevator up to January. The Crypt of Eclipses should be located just inside January Twentieth.”

The group watched as a crystal elevator just big enough to fit all five of them descended to the platform. The doors slid open, and out stepped a beautiful kinnara couple. The man’s skin was the color of strong tea, and the woman’s skin reminded Aru of a shiny new penny. Delicate wings swept down from their shoulders and across the floor.

The woman smiled at Aiden. “Love your outfit.”

Aiden turned red. “Thanks.”

As the couple walked away, Aru wanted to riot. HELLO. What about us?

Rudy threw up his hands. “Seriously? My jacket is from the fall collection, which hasn’t even been released yet! And she compliments you? Where’s that sweatshirt even from?”

Aiden shrugged with just the hint of a smile. “The back of my closet?”

“Ugh. Let’s just go,” said Rudy.

They headed to the elevator.

“Are you strutting, Wifey?” asked Mini.

Aiden suddenly slowed. Brynne looked him over and snorted.

“Yup, he’s definitely strutting.”

“Am not,” said Aiden.

“Yeah you are!” said Aru, laughing.

“Am not.”

“R-2—”

“D-2,” said Aiden before giving up and shaking his head. “Why are you guys like this?”

“Boredom,” said Mini.

“Belligerence,” said Brynne.

“Brilliance,” said Aru.

The three of them grinned at each other.

The elevator featured twelve differently colored buttons, one for each month. January’s was a shiny gold that looked brand-new.

“Ready?” asked Rudy.

They nodded.

“It can be a bit bumpy—”

“We can handle it,” said Aru, rolling her eyes.

Rudy pressed the topmost button. The elevator jerked to life, shooting upward with such