As she headed toward it, the fluorescent colors all around set her eyes on fire: decorations and lanterns in lurid scarlets, tangerines, hot pinks, neon greens. The barrage of fireworks bruised her brain: boom, boom, boom. A whiff of hot, syrupy jalebi choked her until she almost retched.

And the nagas liked this?

Every green and blue leaf on every tree and flowering bush stood out like it wanted to slice her open. The deluge of candle flame from the Navratri celebrations slammed over her like water from a fire hose.

No. The word pierced her sore-to-the-touch skull. Like nothing. She hadn’t harvested any dream about fire hoses recently, if ever.

Tanvi tapped her wrist where her bracelet would go, tracing the shapes of the charms on her skin, but not even that could banish the details—or the fear.

Giving up on the bridge, she retreated to a copse of champak trees near a fountain. It smelled really sweet, and flowers kept flying through the air, but at least it was quieter, with much less to see. All she needed was one person to come through and buy one of her dreams in exchange for a single boon.

Then she could put this whole awful night behind her and start making up for the harvest she’d missed.

A pair of perfumed naginis strolled through the grove, arms around each other. The constant “ssssssss” of their conversation made Tanvi want to claw out her eardrums.

Just get it over with.

She stretched her mouth into a smile and stepped forward. “H-hi! Want to buy a dream?”

The friends or sisters or whatever they were exchanged glances. Even Tanvi, who very much did not want to notice, could tell how sophisticated they were in their matching lilac-and-rose-petal saris.

“Certainly,” one of the sisters said, “but I was under the impression that dreams are only brokered through Lord Nayan’s office?”

“Oh,” said Tanvi. “Um, this is—” Then she had it. “This is a Navratri special.”

“A special. How lovely!” The second sister beamed, making Tanvi’s vision smear.

“Here.” She shoved ametrine and cat’s-eye vials at the sisters. The dreams within pulsated. “Two for the price of one boon. What a bargain.”

The sisters shared another look, this one despondent. “We have no boons,” the first one said. “But if you would permit us to compensate you in gold—”

Tanvi shook her head. How would that help? Not even her gold bracelet could fix her problem.

The sisters offered her regretful smiles and moved on. Tanvi made a face at their graceful backs. Their loss. Someone else with more sense would snap these treasures right up.