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Back The Dream Runners Save as PDF
Chapters (53)
  1. Cover
  2. Title Page
  3. Dedication
  4. Epigraph
  5. Part One
  6. 1
  7. 2
  8. 3
  9. 4
  10. 5
  11. 6
  12. 7
  13. 8
  14. 9
  15. 10
  16. 11
  17. 12
  18. 13
  19. 14
  20. 15
  21. Part Two
  22. 16
  23. 17
  24. 18
  25. 19
  26. 20
  27. 21
  28. 22
  29. 23
  30. 24
  31. 25
  32. 26
  33. 27
  34. 28
  35. 29
  36. 30
  37. 31
  38. 32
  39. 33
  40. 34
  41. Part Three
  42. 35
  43. 36
  44. 37
  45. 38
  46. 39
  47. 40
  48. 41
  49. Acknowledgments
  50. About the Author
  51. Books by Shveta Thakrar
  52. Back Ad
  53. About the Publisher

“No, I—” Venkat sighed. Where was a white flag when he needed one? “I think once you remember your past, you might want to stay with her. Not just until she’s safe from the garudas.”

Gods, how he despised saying that. It was all he could do not to seize her hand again and pull her close. But Tanvi had every right to return home to her loving family, the one he and Asha had stolen her from. What was left for her in Bhogavati, anyway—a junky bracelet? Burnout? War?

Tanvi glared at him like she’d gladly tear him apart if she could. “Are you trying to get rid of me? Is that what this is all about?”

Get rid of her? He laughed without meaning to. “No! It’s just— If I could see my family again, that’s what I would do. That’s all.”

“What does that have to do with me?” she asked, blunt as a board.

Venkat held up his hands before he could do any more damage. “Fine. What do you want?”

She glanced to the side, the flame in her abruptly cooling. “Let’s worry about tonight,” she shot back, before stalking toward the entrance.

Wow, that was pitiful. He was pitiful. He could soothe a roomful of naga nobles, yet one human girl had him tripping over his tongue.

But she was right. They did have to get through the night—and the Night Market—first.

As Venkat hurried to catch up with Tanvi, the peacock opened its beak once more.

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So this is the Night Market, Tanvi thought. A filmy blue-black scarf of a sky studded with silver stars draped over gem-toned tents and lanterns. Magical.

But she couldn’t stop dwelling on Venkat and their conversation. How he’d looked like she’d crushed him with her news about Madhu.

The bitterness in his voice ate a hole in Tanvi’s chest, exposing the stupid, vulnerable fleshiness of her stupid heart. All the feelings she’d been damming up spewed out, violent fumes from an erupting volcano, raw and toxic enough to devour her. She wanted to find her sister and their mom, though she still didn’t know what to say to Mom, and hide them in a closet until Madhu forgot about all three of them. She wanted to shake Venkat and ask why he wanted her to leave even after he’d smiled at her like she was more valuable than any dream she’d ever brought him.

And the other runners. Always the other runners.

She wanted to scream. How did people feel things all the time and just go on with their lives?

Asha moved to block her view. “Stay with me. We must find Grishmabai.”

“Who’s Grishmabai?” Tanvi asked. Dizzy from all the feelings, she’d almost forgotten where they were.