Page 35 of Between Ghosts and Gods

Though Kasu had claimed the play was just baseless lies, Arun wondered if there were tiny nuggets of truth among all the cruel jokes and slander.

Something in the air shifted. In a flashing swirl of smoke, Ruo appeared beside their table.

“The wolf got away.”

Arun had not thought the news would affect him so strongly – after all, he had been perfectly fine relinquishing the ball when he had first met Kasu and Ruo – yet somehow having it stolen felt different. Far more permanent. More personal. Like he had lost a piece of his mother too.

They had also lost one of the few methods they had of tracking her down. If Arun had known, he would have filled a bag full of his mother’s things – her jewellery, her perfume, those yellow silk slippers she adored so much. Now their only option was to do as the Pale Lady wished and hope that the demon wouldn’t lie to them.

“You did your best, Ruo.”

Arun wished he could be as forgiving as Kasu. The more he thought about it, the angrier he felt. He should have found a way to follow the curse himself. If you wanted something done right, you had to do it yourself, his father always said. He should’ve known, should’ve ignored the others, should’ve never—

“Oi, you!” One of the waiters stared at Ruo with wide eyes and an empty tray clutched to his chest. “Scram before you upset our guests! Go on, shoo!” He waved his tray at the cat.

Ruo jumped back with a hiss.

“Let’s go.” Arun wasn’t interested in watching the cat do battle with some poor waiter.

“Arun!” Kasu called after him, but he was already on his feet, making his way to the wooden elevator. As the play entered its final act, the audience’s booming laughter echoed around him, travelling on the still night air and carrying on into the darkness.

Chapter Eighteen Kasu

Arun was already taking the elevator back down to the streets when Kasu scrambled after him. By the time the demons lifted the wooden box to the top of the scaffolding again, he had gone.

The ride down was just as agonizing as the ride up. She would have snapped at the pair of demons operating the pulley to go faster, but she feared they would just release the ropes and let her plunge to her death if she did.

The elevator landed with a thud. Kasu all but tumbled out just as Ruo teleported from the top of the theatre to her side.

“Ruo!”

“What did I miss?” The cat stared down at where Kasu lay sprawled across the street.

“Arun!”

“Oh, are we eating the human now? No, wait, did you eat him without me?”

“No!” she cried. Pushing herself to her feet, she started running in the direction she had seen Arun leave. “Arun! He ran off! I need to go after him!”

Ruo snorted. “That human is always running away! Might I suggest we chop off his legs?”

“We’re not doing that.” Kasu hurried through the streets, squeezing past demons and ghosts alike, ignoring the calls of vendors to look at their goblets (carved from the real skulls of one-horned children) and the sweet laughter of spider ladies bidding her to step into their parlour.

She knew something was wrong with Arun. He was upset. About the ball of star silk, maybe. About the Pale Lady and her assertion that Sunan was a thief who had stolen a reincarnation wheel. Kasu didn’t know how to comfort him, but she knew she couldn’t leave him alone, either. Ghost City was dangerous whether you were having a bad day or not.

She found Arun by the edge of the river watching the sluggish flow of the water and the glow of the lanterns reflecting off the surface. Kasu slowed to a breathless stagger.

Threads of music floated along the bank. The sound of string instruments wove its way between the distant hum of the theatre district and the faraway song of fishermen warbling familiar tunes. Discordant voices faded in and out of earshot, but Arun remained standing at the water’s edge, his shoulders tense.

“I’m sorry about the star silk.” Kasu approached him as one might a scared animal.

Ruo scoffed. “Is that what the boy’s sulking about? I’ll get that wolf next time.”

“It’s not about the ball. It’s—” Arun stopped short, frowning. Kasu wondered if he even knew exactly why he was so upset.

“We still have a lead,” she said. “The Pale Lady said she would tell us more about Sunan in exchange for a few drops of Lady Camellia’s elixir.”

“The Pale Lady thinks my mother is a thief.”