Aru Shah 3.5 (DISCONTINUED)

There's Aru!

MINI'S POV

It had taken minimal effort to get to the caves. The vimana had dropped them off a quarter mile off from Brynne's coordinates because the ground had become too rocky to land. They'd been walking through a system of tunnels for barely thirty minutes in nearly total darkness. A few weak torches lit the tunnels, the only sign that they were going the right way. Aside from a bunch of frozen puddles and bats, they'd encountered no resistance, which made Mini nervous. The cave was silent and tomblike. She would have even settled for some pre-jumpscare music.

Mini glanced at her friends. Aiden looked lost in thought, fiddling with Shadowfax. Brynne's eyebrows were furrowed in worry as she tapped her fingernails along Gogo's handle. She'd told the others about her most recent dream.

"Brynne, what's your input?" Mini asked quietly, staring at the system of tunnels in front of them.

Brynne startled. She held up a finger and a breeze rustled from her wind mace. "There's someone nearby. I can't tell exactly where--the magic boundaries are really powerful." She scowled.

"We'll just have to take a few wrong turns," said Aiden, shouldering one of his scimitars. His voice was determinedly cheerful.

They walked a few more steps until Brynne let out a yelp and dashed forward.

"Wait up, Bee!" Aiden shouted after her, hurrying with Mini to catch up.

"She's here," Brynne said, looking around wildly. "She has to be." But the room they stepped into was empty. A small torch nearly burned out hung on the wall, sputtering a dying light across the stone.

Mini turned Dee Dee into the compact mirror that could pierce through illusions. She swept it around the room--and let out a choked sob once she saw her sister.

In the reflection of the mirror, Aru slumped against a stone wall, her hands chained with steel. It was hard to tell if she was breathing or not.

"Aru," Brynne breathed. "We're here." She ran to the wall and waving her hand around in the area Aru should have been. It passed through empty space. Brynne let out a little cry of frustration. "There's nothing here!"

Aiden rushed to the spot, carefully glancing back at the mirror, but his hand also passed through the space where Aru would have been.

Mini squeezed her eyes shut and thought. To break through an illusion, you needed to know it was exactly that--an illusion. What had Hanuman said? See well.

"Step back," she said to Aiden and Brynne. "I want to try something."

The two obediently retreated. Mini pictured Aru there. But more than that, she poured her love into her efforts. She had faith in Aru. Her soul sister was strong. Resilient. Present.

Gradually shapes started to fill in. They darkened and became opaque, forming Aru as she lay there against the wall.

Mini didn't waste another second before running to her sister, Aiden and Brynne on her heels.

Aru's lips were faintly tinged with blue. Her head lolled like a rag doll's when Mini tried to prop her up. Her clothes looked thin and nowhere near enough to block out the chill of the cave.

Aiden drew a scimitar and carefully sawed through the metal cuffs. He inhaled sharply at the sight of the red chafe marks on her wrists.

Mini put a hand on her forehead. "She's so...cold," she said, fear creasing her eyebrows. "She needs warmth. Right now."

Brynne raised her mace. A gentle stream of fire curled out of it and hovered in front of Aru. Mini propped her sister up and hugged her. "Aiden, help me."

He knelt and wrapped his arms around Aru. She was not fragile at all, but looking down at her, Mini thought she seemed breakable.

Aru's eyelids fluttered and she stirred, a little exhale of pain escaping her mouth when she shifted.

"Stay still, Aru," Mini whispered. "You might go into shock."

Moments passed, in which the entire cavern seemed to be holding its breath. The blue faded from Aru's mouth and her eyes slowly opened. When she saw her sister there, her eyes lit up. But something shut down in her face just as quickly.

Mini barely noticed. "Aru! You're safe!"

Aru looked at them, but didn't answer right away. "Aiden, what was Rudy's secret in the chakoras' forest?" she suddenly demanded.

"He--practiced kissing on a gem," Aiden answered, thrown off. "But--"

Aru didn't seem to be listening anymore. She looked at Shadowfax around Aiden's neck, at Gogo, and then at Mini's backpack. "You have them," she said. Tears slipped down her cheeks. "It's really you." She hugged Mini and Aiden and gave Brynne an expression that said, Come here.

For a few minutes they stood there in a group hug. Then Aru pulled away and wiped her face. "I--if the Sleeper finds you here..." She suddenly listed sideways.

Aiden grabbed her shoulders. "You've probably already exerted yourself too much," he said sternly. "Stay here. Brynne, can you call the vimana?"

"On it." Brynne jogged out of the cave.

"Where do we take Aru?" Mini asked, kneeling next to Aru.

"The Otherworld Hospital."

"No one ever told me about that!" Mini protested.

"Well, you'll get a good look at it when we're out of here. Come on, help me with Aru."

Together, they helped Aru to her feet. Brynne was waiting for them just outside the room, her brows furrowed. "Someone's coming." She jerked her head the opposite direction they'd come.

Mini set her jaw. "What's the fastest way out of here?"

"Um...back the way we came."

"We don't have time for that," Aiden cut in, shifting Aru's arm around his neck.

"What if I call the celestial mounts?" Aru suggested.

"They can't get through here, can they?" Mini said. "It would take too long."

Her sister shrugged. "I mean, they are celestial."

"Okay, try it," Brynne said. "But we have to leave. Now."

Aru muttered something under her breath as they moved, her eyes shut tight.

Brynne started to run, but turned around and jogged back to Aiden and Mini. "I'll take Aru. I've carried her before."

"Hey!" Aru protested as she was slung over Brynne's shoulder.

"Lodge a complaint later," Brynne said drily. "Let's vamoose!"

With one hand, she whipped out Gogo and summoned a wall of wind to carry them. They shot down the passages.

"Keep it up, Bee!" Aiden yelled.

They swerved down a few more tunnels. Mini tried not to think of all the airborne diseases that could be hitting her face. Suddenly, a cave wall loomed in front of them. Brynne yelped and the four Pandavas dropped out of the air.

Mini tumbled on her side, rolling to absorb the impact. Beside her, Aiden looked similarly winded. (A/N Get it?) Brynne gritted her teeth and got up. "Just--a bit--further--"

"But not enough," a smooth voice said. Suyodhana stepped out of the shadows behind them, his mismatched eyes gleaming with curious malice.