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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

Tanvi stalked through the hidden passage to the dream runners’ quarters and then her own door. A jerk of the knob, and she rushed into the room. She wouldn’t be able to sleep until she’d reassured herself that it was still there, exactly as she’d left it.

With the same fluttering in her belly she always got, Tanvi went straight to the closet.

The wooden shelves sat empty except for a lone gold-lidded enamel box. Her panic ebbing, she undid the lid. The lush pink velvet setting greeted her, ready for the bracelet she would soon earn with her boon.

Tanvi drew in a relieved breath. An image of her bracelet appeared in her thoughts, its golden links and charms untarnished and glossy like naga scales. She would never wear it, of course, never risk losing or scratching her treasure. It would be enough to spend endless hours here in this closet, gazing at the bracelet’s perfect beauty.

The ghost of Tanvi’s extinguished heart twinged with contentment. She didn’t get why humans wanted anything else. The promise of her bracelet was all she needed.

For the chance to win it, she would gladly harvest dreams. Even if that meant going into the humans’ world and dealing with their messy, irrational behavior.

Like that girl. Anger flared in Tanvi again, galling but remote. She would never endanger her bracelet like that again. Not ever.

Next time, Tanvi promised her bracelet as much as herself. Next time I’ll get it right.

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2

Alone in Nayan’s appraisal vault, Venkat prodded the lackluster dream fragment again, as if that would somehow make the panel in the wall across from him slide to the right to reveal Jai. But the runner who’d sold him the fragment a week ago was nowhere to be seen.

A mix of irritation and concern spread through him. This was the third time Jai had been late in a fortnight. Venkat’s stable of runners all knew how important keeping these dawn appointments was. Every third morning, in the privacy of the vault, they brought him the dreams they’d harvested, the best of which were packed with drama and emotion, and Venkat paid them accordingly. He’d often thought it would be easier if his runners could walk around in public, but then their identities would be known, and anyone could try to poach them.

Still no Jai. Venkat’s concern grew. Could he be—?