Aru Shah and the End of Time (Pandava Quartet #1)(25)

The unenchanted view of the room hadn’t changed, but Aru’s eyes snagged on a detail: handprints here and there. Handprints of ash. Maybe that smoky smell was coming from Madame Bee herself? Something clicked inside Aru. Everything started to make sense. Even the name of the salon: Bee Asura. B. Asura.

Aru lowered her voice to a whisper: “I know who she is. She’s Brahmasura! The asura who could touch anyone and turn them to ash!”

“How is that comforting?” hissed Mini.

“Because we know how to defeat her.”

“We do?”

“We do,” said Aru, this time more firmly. “Keep the mirror in your hand. I think it doesn’t just show what’s an illusion; it can also make them.”

“Like it made the ball,” said Mini, catching on.

Just then, Brahmasura scuttled closer. “That was not very nice, children,” she crooned. “Don’t you know demons find it extraordinarily rude to be smacked in the face with heavenly light? It…reveals things.”

Right before their eyes, Brahmasura’s skin began to wrinkle and sag. Teeth fell out between her shrinking lips. Her nose lengthened to a snout and a tusk grew on either side.

Aru almost gagged.

The asura’s head whipped in their direction. She licked her lips. “There you are,” she said in her soft, lilting voice. She crawled forward. “So you see the truth about me, don’t you? Well, that’s all right. I’ve always thought that women can see through illusions best.”

Mini’s fingers closed tighter over the compact mirror. She was shaking. Aru grabbed her free hand.

“Poor little Pandavalings.” Brahmasura laughed. “And you thought you could be heroes!”

At this, Mini’s eyes narrowed. “It’s actually heroines,” she said. “We’re girls.”

Madame Bee laughed. She crawled faster now, like some horrible scuttling mutant spider.

“Wait!” Aru shouted. “I wouldn’t hurt us if I were you,” she went on breathlessly. “After all, you’ve lost something, don’t you want it back?”

She nodded to Mini. Sweat shone on Mini’s forehead. She reached into her jacket pocket and pulled out a twig with bright blue flowers. She leaned out as far as she could. The asura’s teeth showed. Mini didn’t flinch as she waved it in Brahmasura’s face.

Madame Bee saw it and let out a shriek. “Where did you get that?”

“We stole it,” said Aru. “You dropped it when you hit your head on the table.”

Mini stepped back slowly. On one of the salon tables there was a blow-dryer. Mini snatched it quietly, gesturing wildly with one hand. “Can’t hold on much longer,” she mouthed. Her fingertips were turning white from the effort of keeping up the illusion of the sprig of youth.

Just one more second, thought Aru.

Lightly, the asura felt around her own head, careful to avoid touching it with her deadly hand. When the backs of her fingers brushed the true sprig of youth, she sneered.

“You foolish little liars,” said Madame Bee. “The Sleeper has been torn from his shackles. The rest of us may feast without fear. Did you really think you could—”

“Now, Mini!” shouted Aru.

Mini turned on the blow-dryer. Brahmasura screamed as hot air gusted into her face. Her long, greasy hair whipped around, and the demon swatted at it, trying to brush it back without touching it. Mini squeezed her eyes shut, ran forward, and hammered the blow-dryer on top of the asura’s hand.

The demon’s palm landed with a loud thunk on her own scalp. A horrible shriek ripped through the air. Flames burst around Brahmasura’s hand.

Aru yanked Mini out of the way.

Immediately, the smell of something burning filled the place. Brightness flooded the room, and Aru covered her face. Her ears rang with the sound of Madame Bee’s screams.

When Aru could finally look, her eyes flew to Mini, who was on her hands and knees, searching the floor. Finally she sat up, beaming triumphantly.

“It blew off.” She proudly displayed something in her hand: the shining blue sprig of youth. The real one.

Next to her, still pluming with smoke, was a pile of the demon’s ashes.





Bring On the Next Demon! Wait, Maybe Not…


Mini held the sprig of youth at arm’s length.

“Mini, why are you holding it like that?”

“It’s clearly a biohazard! What if it’s contaminated?” asked Mini. “It’s been in a demon’s hair for who knows how long. How’d she even get it there if everything she touches turns to ash?”

Aru thought of the hair products and jars in the salon. “I think she could only burn living things with her touch.”

“You don’t think the sprig is a living thing?”

“It’s a key to the Kingdom of Death,” said Aru. “You can’t kill death.”

“Hmm.” Now Mini looked even more suspicious of the sprig. “What if holding it does something to me? Like make me young forever?”

“How’s that a bad thing?” Aru wouldn’t mind never getting wrinkles. As a forever-kid, she’d get to go to the front of the line all the time. And she could always get the kid discount at the ice cream place.