15. THE STAR STONE

CHAPTER 15 THE STAR STONE Worm brought Drake, Aruna, Darpan, and Chaya outside Vanad's house. It was nighttime in Sindhu, too. Stars glittered in the night sky. The sleeping residents had no idea yet that the sky-shadow was gone for good.

There was a moon carved into Vanad's front door, which was partly open. Lantern light shone through the windows. And they could all hear a voice muttering inside: "Let's see. Shadows... There must be something useful in one of these scrolls." Worm and Chaya waited outside while Drake, Aruna, and Darpan rushed in. "Vanad?" Aruna asked loudly. "Aruna?" A shadowy figure floated toward them.

"Aruna! My dear girl, you are your old self!" the wizard cried. "And Darpan, good to see you, my boy. And other boy, I know you somehow... "I'm Drake," Drake said. "We met in the Shadow World. I'm so glad we found you!" Vanad nodded. "Yes, yes, that's right. Strange thing about that Shadow World. One moment I was in it, and the next, I wasn't. But I am still a shadow. So I'm hoping to find answers in my books." Aruna quickly told him everything that had happened and held out the Star Stone. "Stella said this would help anyone who was harmed by Chaya's shadow powers, but— As she spoke, the Star Stone began to glow in her hand. A light shone on Vanad.

When it hit him, he transformed from a shadow back into a solid human. "Oh my!" he said, touching his arms and legs to make sure it was true. "How wonderful! I'm back! I'm back!" Suddenly, they heard voices outside. "The sky-shadow is gone!" "I see stars!" Everyone hurried outside. People were now streaming out of their homes and looking up at the sky. First, they stared. Then they cheered. Some began to dance.

"Well, I'm glad everything is back to normal," Drake said. "Now Worm and I should return the Star Flute to— "Nonsense, my boy! That can wait," Vanad said. "Now we must celebrate!"