Aru Shah and the Tree of Wishes (Pandava Quartet #3) - Roshani Chokshi Page 0,69

pretty good at recognizing when someone wasn’t telling the truth.

“Now, please tell me you’ve each brought a change of clothes and you’re not questing in your pajamas,” he said, before leveling a glare at Aru. “Again.”

“Again?” echoed Rudy and Aiden.

“HA,” said Aru a touch too loudly. “Let’s move.”

She had only just noticed everyone’s sleepwear choices. Aiden wore flannel pants and his dad’s old law-school sweatshirt. Rudy was wearing a shimmering snakeskin, patterned with music notes. Brynne looked a bit like an angry armadillo in her silver reflective-armor set. Mini was practically drowning in a long black T-shirt.

And Aru? Well, her old Spider-Man pajamas got incinerated after their first quest.

So she’d switched it up to Iron Man.

“We’ve got stuff to change into,” said Brynne.

“So do I,” said Rudy shyly. “If…you know. If I can go, too.” His cheeks turned red.

The others paused, looking at each other.

Aiden was the first to relent. “I guess we could use a playlist guy.”

Rudy beamed.

“BUT YOU HAVE TO LEARN HOW TO USE A SWORD!” said Brynne.

“I’m sorry. Who in the world are you?” demanded Boo.

“I’m Prince—”

“My cousin, Rudy,” explained Aiden. “He’s adjacent to me, a Pandava adjacent.”

“Pandava adjacent–adjacent,” said Boo, clearly unimpressed.

“Well, if we can’t call all of us Pandavas, then what do we say?” asked Aru. “We need a secret code name—something that sounds strong and capable.”

“How about the Masseters?” offered Mini. “It’s the strongest muscle group in the body based on its weight!”

They stared at her, and Mini clarified: “Your jaw muscles? Duh. It can put two hundred pounds of force on the molars.”

Aiden rubbed his temples, and Boo seemed to wither a little on the spot.

Aru folded her arms across her chest. “What about the Pandava Avengers?”

“I’m thinking…potatoes,” said Brynne.

“The vengeful potatoes?” asked Rudy.

“No,” said Aiden. “Avengers Potatoes.”

“No!” said Brynne. “Just. Potatoes.”

“That’s the most depressing group name ever,” said Aru. “What if we have to explain ourselves? We can’t just be like ‘Look, it’s us! The Potatoes! AKA the Pandavas!’”

“Potatoes are strong, hearty, starchy, and versatile,” said Brynne. “You can do all kinds of things with them: grate, bake, boil, broil, roast, dice, slice, scallop, steam—”

“Please stop,” said Aru.

“—grill, flambé—”

“That does it! You’re officially the Potatoes!” squawked Boo. “Now I must be going. The twins were en route to the House of the Moon when I left and—”

A radio-crackle sound emanated from a small gadget affixed to Boo’s ankle. A deep voice crackled out over the night air:

“Emergency alert! All guardians return to base! The clairvoyant has been abducted. Return immediately!”

But Soft, What Light Through Yonder Window Breaks?

Mini gasped, covering her mouth with her hands. “Sheela must be terrified!” she said. “We have to go right now—”

On Aru’s wrist, Vajra blew off sparks of angry electricity. “I bet it was the Sleeper.”

“No way we’re letting that fly,” said Brynne rolling up her sleeves.

Boo hovered before them. “I know you want to go after her, but you can’t stray from your mission,” he said sternly. “You have only two days left to find the tree. No doubt the Sleeper’s army took Sheela to locate it because of her ability with plants—”

“Oh gods,” said Aru. A cold pit opened in her stomach. “They took the wrong twin! They meant to take Nikita, but they took Sheela!”

At this, Boo paused. Something flashed in his eyes, like irritation, and Aru couldn’t understand that. Why wasn’t he angry? Or worried? Or flapping about and shedding feathers?

“Where was she last seen?” asked Aiden.

Rudy held up his messenger bag. “I think I’ve got a gemstone here that helps locate—”

“No,” said Boo again. “If they get to the Tree of Wishes before you, then everything is lost, including Sheela. The best way you can help her is to find Kalpavriksha before they do.”

Aru set her jaw. She hated how coldly he’d said it, but Boo was right. Maybe the moment they found the tree, they could wish Sheela back to their side. And Nikita, too. Aru couldn’t imagine how she must be feeling now, with no parents, no Pandavas, and no sister.

“I’m going to coordinate with the Maruts right now. We’ll start the search for her,” said Boo, rising in the air. “Stay safe! I don’t want to lose any more feathers!”

And with that, he took off.

Aru watched him go, unease coiling at the back of her brain, though she couldn’t pinpoint why.

“We need to talk to the twins,” said Mini.

“You’re right,” said Aru.

But the only way to do that was through their dreams.

“I don’t think I can fall asleep after