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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

Nayan had emerged from behind the desk and nodded at the group. He’d been so tall and stately, like a king in a movie. Mommy would probably call him brooding and handsome. Like Asha, he had pretty clothes.

Dream runners, he had said then, have a purpose. Nagas do not dream, so your purpose is to harvest human dreams for them. It is a grand and necessary service. Without you, there are no dreams.

The candidates, including Tanvi, had all nudged one another and puffed up like peacocks.

Nayan’s fierce glare had landed on her, as if what he had to say next was meant for her ears alone. We have brought you here because you each longed for something more. And something more you will have—on the condition that you are able to perform your duty.

The candidates had listened with their full attention, eager for the rewards he’d promised.

His mouth had hardened into a line before he spoke again. But only on that condition.

“No,” moaned Tanvi now. She didn’t want to remember. Had she done something to bring all this on? Had Jai?

She tried to push it back down, but the memory resisted. The other kids in it—Archana, Hemant, Kavya, and the rest—when had she last seen them?

It had been a long time. So long that maybe they were all gone.

Now that she was thinking about it, Tanvi couldn’t even say how long it had been since the initiation. Her mind iced over when she tried.

Good. She closed her eyes and imagined her bracelet.

But, whispered the doubt in her chest, if she and Jai were the only ones left from their cohort, did . . . did running dreams somehow break the runners?

Jai wasn’t here to tell her. And if she didn’t do something to help herself, it would be curtains for her, too.

Tanvi needed a boon, and she needed it now. It was the only way she could fix things before anyone realized she’d been dreaming.

And then she could finally buy her bracelet.

Wincing, she struggled to her feet and opened Jai’s cabinet.

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10

Venkat had wanted to skip Asha’s betrothal party, but now, standing in Jasmine Hall, he privately admitted that the palace staff had outdone themselves. And on such short notice, too. Even the ever-present sentries couldn’t spoil the sight.