BooksBarbecue
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

He knew he couldn’t stay much longer, maybe another minute or two. “I just want to know if the garudas hurt you,” he said. “If you need anything.”

Tanvi picked at her wrist again. He winced and had to stop himself from laying his hand over hers.

You don’t need it, he wanted to tell her. It’s just another dream.

Instead, he let the seconds tick past, hoping.

Tanvi cocked her head at him, and the awareness in her brown eyes, a gloss the other runners lacked, confirmed what he’d already suspected. He’d never heard of this happening, but he couldn’t deny it. Pain kindled in her face, pain and confusion. Things that no dream runner ever felt outside a dream, let alone showed.

There was no question now. She might be straining to hold herself together, but it wasn’t because she was burning out.

Tanvi grabbed the cup of water he’d poured. After gulping down every drop, she said, “They didn’t hurt me.”

Venkat couldn’t have been more relieved. “I’m glad. But are you okay?”

She nodded, then shook her head. “I don’t know?”

“Want some more water?”

She shook her head again, this time with certainty.

“I have to go. To a council meeting,” Venkat said, not sure why he was explaining. But the way she watched him, vulnerable and so present, made him want to tell her.

“I’ll have some food sent to you,” he added. He wanted to offer her something so she knew she wasn’t alone.

“I’m a dream runner,” Tanvi said, and she touched her wrist again. “But Madhu took my pendant.”

“You’re a great dream runner.” Venkat smiled extra hard, since he couldn’t do anything about the pendant part. “Your wares are always top tier.”

Tanvi pressed her lips together, then smiled as well, a shy, uncertain thing. It twitched and crumbled almost instantly.

But she’d smiled. At him.

Venkat hardly dared to breathe, let alone move. He held her gaze, which was anything but detached.

“I’ll be back soon,” he promised. Then, with hope swelling in his heart, he headed out to the council meeting.

image

18

Tanvi stared at the door Venkat had closed behind him. His voice echoed in her head, caring. Attentive.

She’d done her best not to let him see anything, to act like she was the dream runner she’d always been, but she was so tired.

Her eyes were so dry and scratchy they kept sticking to her eyelids, and every time she blinked, it felt like ripping away strips of skin. Her hold on the bracelet, already so slippery, gave way once and for all to Nitya’s face—first irate, then cold. Tanvi’s own face, but wrong.