Aru will be the death of Aiden
“Stop, Shah! You don’t know what you’re doing!”
The problem was, she thought she did.
Worry for her mom bubbled in her veins and coursed through her lightning bolt, making Vajra glow with a strange new radiance and fury. The force of her uppercut shattered Aiden’s scimitar and threw him backward. A flash of violet light fell over Aru, and she looked up just as the last drop of the Krithika illusion faded from sight.
“Aru…what did you do?” asked Mini, breathing heavily while holding out her Death Danda.
Aru realized that the shield wasn’t to protect Aru from some unseen force…it was to protect the rest of them from Aru. Mini lowered the shield, and Aru looked to her right, horror rising inside her.
Aiden.
She’d thrown him against the pillar of Prophecies Unheard and Unwanted. He groaned, shaking his head and forcing himself upright while clutching the only scimitar he had left.
Aiden looked shocked…and then furious as he walked back to them.
“Didn’t the shadow lady say not to touch anything?” whispered Rudy.
Brynne swatted him upside the head. “Real helpful, Rudy.”
“Ow!”
Aru spun around and stopped short. A tiny seam was now visible in the pillar of Prophecies Unheard and Unwanted. Smoky wisps snaked out of it, forming words that were spoken by a disembodied voice:
Those whom it does not concern shall not hear…. Who will hear us hear us hear ussssss…?
A giant crack! ripped through the air, and the pillar split open like an egg, exhaling a few more prophecies like a grievous sigh. One of the smoky ribbons coiled toward Aiden, growing brighter as if it recognized him.
Aiden Acharya…it said.
The group dangled over the edge of the room, barely held in place by the goddess’s ropy shadows.
And then, at once, all the prophecies spilled out. A wave of them crashed into a nearby pillar, unleashing strange birdsongs. Another wave crashed into the pillar of politicians’ truths, and the voices of men and women clamored in the air.
...
“Wouldn’t want to be rude,” said Chhaya. “Looks like someone wants a word with you, boy.”
Aru craned her neck to see one prophetic ribbon of smoke wind its way to Aiden. It grew thicker and more solid, forming the barest suggestion of a woman’s face. Aiden’s eyes flew wide open.
“Beware, Aiden Acharya…. The girl you love will be the death of you.”
“Ooh…ominous,” said Chhaya.
-------------------------------------------------------
Aiden grasped uselessly at the inky clouds. He didn’t look at Aru. In the back of her head, Aru could still hear the rasping prophetic voice: Aiden Acharya…. The girl you love will be the death of you.
What did that mean?
And who was the girl?
-------------------------------------------------------
Aru noticed that he was holding his wrist a little strangely. Had he hurt it?
“You okay?” asked Aru, moving toward him.
Aiden stepped back quickly, not looking at her. “I’m fine, Shah.”
Stung, Aru let her arms drop to her sides just as Brynne went to him and shook him lightly.
“Hey,” she said. “Stop that.”
Aiden scowled. “I’m not—”
“Prophecies are weird, and they’ll eat up your brain,” said Brynne. “I mean, for all you know, you could die by eating some weird flower called the Girl You Love.”
“Super reassuring, thanks.”
“If it helps, I am the daughter of the god of death,” said Mini. “We’re not going to let anything happen to you, Wifey.”
Aiden smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “I know.”
“What prophecy?” asked Kara.
“It’s nothing,” said Aiden.
“Yeah, it’s nothing,” said Brynne, clapping him on the back. “Just the end of all his romantic aspirations.”
“I didn’t know you had any,” said Aru.
Aiden glanced at her, then looked away. “I don’t. Let’s go.”
