traveled with them, trailing silvery threads that landed on the mysterious message and scanned it like lasers.
A woman’s voice echoed through the forest as the words appeared in English:
All growing things know where the tree can be found,
But it takes the right ear to hear the right sound.
All growing things know, but not all wish to talk.
The youngest of roots are the best to unlock.
When the voice faded, Aru saw that each of her friends wore a matching expression of confusion.
Sohail piped up from his branch. “I like trees,” he said. “And I’m excellent with growing things.”
“The right sound…” said Rudy, staring at the now blank message. “Maybe it’s talking about me.”
“I think it means Nikita,” said Mini. “Sorry.”
Sohail puffed out his chest. “Show me this Nikita, and I shall vanquish him for the heart of my true love!”
The group ignored the bird.
“All the more reason to get to her,” said Brynne, eyeing the elevator to the House of the Moon’s palace. “If only we knew how to operate the elevator.” She said this last part in a stage voice, glaring meaningfully at Sohail.
Sohail immediately flew over to the pillar of moonlight and landed next to its control button. “I do!”
On the horizon, they could see a faint seam of red. Dawn was coming, and the pillar began dissolving like sugar in tea. The other chakora birds squawked and cawed as their moonbeams began to fade.
“Come, Sohail!” they yelled. “Let us go to another moonlit grove!”
But Sohail only had eyes for Vajra. He hung his head. “I know you have to go. I just wish I could come too,” he said sorrowfully. “But I will still help you, my beloved. You and your companions may board, and I shall ensure you arrive safely. But hurry before the night disappears.”
They raced toward the elevator. At Sohail’s soft caw, the pillar of moonlight expanded and two silver doors slid open to reveal a moonlit lounge with plush chairs, chrome and glass tables, and glittering portraits lining the walls. Even though the sunrise was beginning to lighten the world outside, the tall and narrow windows in the elevator looked out onto eternal night.
“Never fear,” explained Sohail as the Potatoes stepped inside, “it is a long but pleasant ride.”
Aru was the last to board. Vajra leaped off her wrist, transforming itself into a bird with electric wings. It flapped its wings twice and a gentle shower of sparks cascaded onto Sohail. The chakora rolled over, basking in it, and then Vajra turned back into a bracelet at Aru’s wrist. A slight sensation of warmth infused Aru’s skin, as if her lightning bolt were letting out a sigh.
“Farewell, my love!” said Sohail mournfully.
Just before the elevator doors closed all the way, the bird called out, “Maybe we can try long distance?”
What’s a Publix?
Brynne immediately made a beeline to the elevator’s snack table. “DIBS ON THE SANDWICHES!” she hollered.
“Be careful, Brynne,” warned Mini, walking after her. “You devour food like you’re conquering it, and honestly, if you eat too fast, you could choke! Or perforate your stomach! And then you’d get peritonitis, become septic, and die.”
Aru laughed to herself, and then went back to examining the rest of the space. About ten feet up from the white marble floor hung several gilded portraits of someone who could only be Chandra, the god of the moon.
“Someone clearly likes himself,” Rudy said as he stepped up beside her.
Chandra was startlingly handsome….
And it looked like he knew it.
The god had pale, glowing skin, perfectly arched eyebrows over sparkling dark eyes, and a slim nose perched over perpetually smirking lips. His shiny black hair was streaked with silver. In the first portrait, he was wearing a tuxedo covered in stardust and holding a glass of something sparkling as he stood on a balcony overlooking the night sky.
In another painting, he was surrounded by beautiful women, whom Aru recognized as the twenty-seven nakshatras, or constellations. He’d married all of them.
“Valentine’s Day must be a nightmare for him,” she said.
“Nah,” said Rudy. “From what I hear, he’s got a favorite: Rohini. She gets most of his attention.”
Aiden, who’d been staring out a window, looked over at them, his expression darkening. “So then what? The other wives get a box of chocolates from Publix and a card he couldn’t bother signing?”
“That’s specific,” said Rudy.
“I’ve seen it before,” said Aiden tightly.
From the familiar way Aiden’s brows were pulled together and the grim line of his mouth, Aru knew he was talking about his dad.
“What’s