melted back into the floor, emerging partway to lead them the rest of the way to the chamber marked A7.
When they arrived, Rudy asked, “May we have a moment of privacy, please?”
“We always bear witness…” said the first yali. “’Tis our curse to guard.”
“To see,” added the second.
“To know,” said the third.
“Until the instruments of gods free us from our bondage,” said the three of them at the same time.
“You have always turned your backs when my parents unlocked the doors of this vault,” said Rudy, “and I demand the same treatment. You may look after the door is open.”
Aru saw one of the yalis’ heads rear back, its skin rippling angrily before it sank back into the floor as if it were water.
“Very well, princeling.”
“But remember that we—”
“Are always watching.”
With that, the yalis vanished, leaving the five of them alone before a smooth metal panel. Aru brought the velvet pouch out of her backpack, her nerves on fire. No one could see it but her.
Mr. V’s warning about the key rang out in Aru’s head: It might demand something in return for its services.
The last thing Aru wanted to do was touch the key. It was too alive. And she hadn’t liked the feeling of it rummaging around in her soul. But they had to do this. The fate of the Otherworld hung in the balance. If the Sleeper won, everything would be lost. Aru blinked and saw the twins clinging to each other in a nightmare; Boo staring at his huge shadow; Opal taunting her about failure.
Aru grabbed the key, pressed it to the metal, and gasped. It was as if a safe she’d tried to keep locked inside her was suddenly flung open. She was flooded with a bone-deep aching, an overwhelming sense of loss. She saw every time she had made a card on Father’s Day only to end up throwing it in the trash. She saw every moment her mother’s face had shuttered with grief, every nightmare in which Aru had pressed her hand to her heart and known without a shadow of a doubt that she was missing something.
She pulled back the key, and the panel shivered before them. A slit appeared down its center and the two halves slowly retracted into the wall. Bright golden light began to spill out of the opening. It was too bright to see the interior of the vault clearly, but its magic felt powerful, like a hurricane crammed into a closet.
The key in Aru’s hand turned warm and purred like a cat that had eaten its fill. She quickly dropped it back into the velvet pouch, which she closed and stuffed into her backpack. Then she sighed with relief.
“Shah…are you okay?” asked Aiden.
She was still invisible, but somehow Aiden was looking straight at her. Aru caught her breath, trying to bury the empty feeling the key had left behind.
“Duh,” she managed to whisper.
“Quick! Get inside!” hissed Rudy. “Aiden, the entrance!”
Once Aiden knew—from their pats on his shoulder—that all three Pandavas had stepped across the threshold, he lifted his camera and snapped a photo of Rudy entering. A moment later, Aiden touched the view screen and then literally peeled off the image. He walked into the vault, turned, and flung the small rectangle at the opening, where it expanded into a semi-transparent banner that filled the space. Mini projected a force field with Dee Dee, solidifying the illusion.
Now if the yalis peeked inside, all they’d see was Rudy.
Okay, then, said Aru, speaking to her sisters through their Pandava mind link. Let’s go steal a wishing tree.
The Bird of Mass Destruction. Maybe.
Brynne groaned.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” she said flatly.
Aru turned in a circle, expecting to see a magical tree or, honestly, just magic. But the room was empty. There was nothing! Not even a leaf. Or a note that said At least you were on the right path!
The invisibility glamour had melted off all three Pandava sisters, revealing an angry-looking Brynne and a confused Aru. As for Mini, she seemed…proud.
“Nice work, Mini,” said Brynne, impressed.
Aru gave her a thumbs-up before looking around the room. “You sure it’s okay for us to ditch the invisibility?”
“Yeah, but maybe not talk so loud?” whispered Mini, holding a finger to her lips.
“Oops.” Brynne spun Gogo over her head, creating a wind cyclone that would allow them to speak without being overheard.
Aru was on the verge of walking farther into the room when Rudy lunged forward and grabbed her arm.
“The floor!” said