The Serpent's Secret (Kiranmala and the Kingdom Beyond #1)(71)

Gods and demons both will rail

Elladin, belladin, Milk White Sea

Who seeks immortality?

“What is all that supposed to mean? What’s that elladin belladin stuff anyway?”

“Oh, this pancreatic pain! This gaseous gallbladder!” The queen groaned. “Try to listen between the lines, khichuri-brain!”

“I’m trying!” It was hard to win an argument with a figment of my imagination. “If I figure out your riddle, will you leave me alone?”

“Oh, the intestinal agony of your stupidity!” The rakkhoshi grew so big in her frustration, her crown grazed my old-fashioned popcorn ceiling. She blew green smoke out of her ears and nose, and burped like she was lactose intolerant and had just eaten a cheesy burrito chased by a dozen milkshakes.

“You can’t understand, can you Loonie-Moonie?”

“Of course I can’t understand! Because you’re. Not. Real!” I shouted so loud I actually woke myself up.

Coming back from the bathroom, though, I couldn’t help but stare at the dents in the popcorn ceiling, the flakes of plaster on the foot of my bedspread, the half-melted solar system on my dresser, and the charred spot on my carpet. Plus, my bedroom smelled all gaseous like it was at the receiving end of an exhaust vent straight from a garbage dump.

But that was all just my middle-of-the-night imagination. Or maybe some cookie-induced sleepwalking. The nightlight was obviously so old and decrepit it had just spontaneously combusted. And the smell was probably a lingering combination of melted plastic and some nasty gym clothes that I’d forgotten to wash. Or so I tried to convince myself.

But the thing about subconscious dreams that aren’t actually subconscious dreams? Eventually, they come back to bite you in the chocolate chip.