Aru Shah and the End of Time (Pandava Quartet #1)(69)
Mini wrinkled her nose. “Why would anyone want a butterfly permanently on their skin? Butterflies are creepy. Their tongues are weird. And did you know that if tattoo needles are contaminated and not properly sterilized you can get hepatitis?”
“And let me guess….You die?”
“Well, you can get treated,” said Mini. “But you could die.”
Aru rolled her eyes. “C’mon. We must be getting close.”
Chitrigupta had said that the celestial weapons were past the bridge, but there was nothing in sight except a giant cave.
The cave was so tall, it seemed less like a cave and more like a ravine through a mountain range. Pale stalactites dripped down from the ceiling, jagged and sharp, and crowded so tightly that they reminded her of teeth.
And then there was the smell.
Aru almost gagged.
It was worse than that time she had forgotten the groceries in the backseat of her mom’s Honda. The whole car had smelled so bad, her mom had been forced to leave the windows open all weekend. This place smelled like…rotting.
She stepped on something that crunched. Aru looked down to see a slender fish spine stuck to her shoe. She peeled it off and flung it into the cave. It landed with an echoing splat.
“This floor is weird,” said Mini.
It was firm, but springy. Like a mattress. And it wasn’t gray or brown, like the floor of most caves, but a cherry red so deep it glinted black.
“It smells awful in here,” said Aru.
She held her shirt over her nose and mouth as they walked. Almost everything she had seen that had anything to do with the gods and goddesses was lavish and beautiful. But this place looked like a prison. The walls were a wet shade of pink. Every now and again, a gust of hot wind brought the stench of rotting fish.
“Maybe the weapons are rotting?”
“They can’t rot! They’re celestial.”
“How do you know?” demanded Mini. “Are you an expert in all things celestial?”
Aru was going to answer, but she tripped and stumbled. A slender, shining silver thread stretched across the ravine, and the moment she touched it, it triggered something deep in the large cave. Neon words now dangled from the stalactite:
THE CHAMBER OF THE ASTRAS
Astra meant weapon.
Specifically ones that had supernatural abilities.
Aru’s pulse raced. She knew she wasn’t supposed to be excited about needing a highly magical and highly powerful weapon (because that just meant your enemy was also highly magical and highly powerful), but she still wanted to see it. She would’ve wanted to take a selfie with it if her mom hadn’t refused to buy her a phone….
“Why wouldn’t the gods keep their weapons with them?” Mini asked. “What if they got stolen or something?”
Aru looked around this dark place. Above them, the stalactites cast a light so stingy that Aru couldn’t see much of what lay ahead. “Maybe they figured they were safe here?”
“But there’s no protection!” Mini said archly. “It’s just a smelly cave. That makes no sense.”
“Maybe the smell is what’s protecting it?”
“Hmm…maybe you’re right. Definitely smells like demon repellent.”
Aru frowned. For a room that was supposed to be full of celestial weapons…it was decidedly empty of weapons.
“Hey, there’s something on the floor,” said Mini. She crouched, pressing her palm to the ground. “Ugh. It’s wet. More of that weird smelly water stuff.” And then Mini was quiet for a minute. “Aru?”
Aru heard Mini, but didn’t turn. The ball turned warm in her pocket, but she didn’t take it out. She was distracted by the dangling words. Before, they had spelled out:
THE CHAMBER OF THE ASTRAS
But now the words had elongated and changed. She stepped closer to read it.
ANSWERS HIDE IN PLAIN SIGHT.
THINGS AREN’T AS THEY SEEM.
THERE’S POWER TO FIND HERE
AND KNOWLEDGE TO GLEAN.
BUT TIME WAITS FOR NO MAN,
AND TIME HAS NO EARS.
IF YOU DON’T MOVE QUICKLY,
YOU’LL MEET ALL YOUR FEARS.
“Did you see this sign?” demanded Aru. “It talks about men, but what about women? Rude.”
Mini ignored her. “Aru, this moisture isn’t some weird humidity.”
“So?”
“So I think that it’s—”
Another hot gust of air blew at them. Deep within the cave, she heard a bellowing sound. Like a gigantic pipe organ breaking apart.
Or…lungs drawing in air.
The ground trembled. Above them, the stalactites began to grow larger. Aru squinted. Not larger. Closer.
“Those aren’t stalactites,” said Mini.
Aru had a sneaking suspicion she already knew what Mini was going to say.
They were teeth.
And whatever beast they had stumbled into was beginning to close its mouth.
#1 on Mini’s Top Ten Ways I Don’t Want to Die List: Death by Halitosis
Aru had lost count of how many times she’d thought We’re going to die.
Granted, they’d always managed to wriggle their way out of dying before. But that didn’t make the thought any less terrifying. Thankfully, by now the two of them had had so much practice that they didn’t scream and cry like the last couple of times. This time they only screamed.