Summary: Kelsey is whisked away from a summer job to the continent of India, where she encounters mythological creatures, supernatural beings, booby-trapped caves, and ancient ruins, and falls in love with a handsome prince cursed to take the form of a white tiger.

The characters, places, and events portrayed in this book are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. This work is not endorsed, sanctioned, sponsored, reviewed, or approved by any of the companies that may be referenced. Any similarity to real persons, either living or dead, is coincidental

and not intended by the author.

For more information on theTiger series or the author, see the author’s website atcolleenhouck.com.

Copyright © 2009 Colleen Houck

All rights reserved.

ISBN: 1-4392-5043-X

ISBN-13: 9781439250433

Kindle ISBN: 978-1-61550-412-1

Library of Congress Control Number: 2009908700

Visitwww.booksurge.com to order additional copies.

DEDICATION

For the Lindas in my life

One gave me the motivation to write

And the other gave me the time

Both I call sister

Title Page

Copyright Page

Prologue The Curse

Chapter 1 Kelsey

Chapter 2 The Circus

Chapter 3 The Tiger

Chapter 4 The Stranger

Chapter 5 The Plane

Chapter 6 Mumbai

Chapter 7 The Jungle

Chapter 8 An Explanation

Chapter 9 A Friend

Chapter 10 A Safe Haven

Chapter 11 The Cave of kanheri

Chapter 12 Durga’s Prophecy

Chapter 13 Waterfall

Chapter 14 Tiger-Tiger

Chapter 15 The Hunt

Chapter 16 Kelsey’s Dream

Chapter 17 A Beginning

Chapter 18 Durga’s Temple

Chapter 19 Hampi

Chapter 20 Trials

Chapter 21 Kishkindha

Chapter 22 Escape

Chapter 23 Six Hours

Chapter 24 Endings

Epilogue Shadow

THE TIGER

by William Blake

Tiger! Tiger! burning bright

In the forests of the night,

What immortal hand or eye

Could frame thy fearful symmetry?

In what distant deeps or skies

Burnt the fire of thine eyes?

On what wings dare he aspire?

What the hand dare seize the fire?

And what shoulder and what art,

Could twist the sinews of thy heart?

And when thy heart began to beat,

What dread hand and what dread feet?

What the hammer? what the chain?

In what furnace was thy brain?

What the anvil? what dread grasp

Dare its deadly terrors clasp?

When the stars threw down their spears,

And watered heaven with their tears,

Did he smile his work to see?

Did he who made the Lamb make thee?

Tiger! Tiger! burning bright

In the forests of the night,

What immortal hand or eye

Dare frame thy fearful symmetry?

PROLOGUE

The prisoner stood with his hands tied in front of him, tired, beaten, and filthy, but with a proud back befitting his royal heritage. The man seated before him on a lavishly carved, gilded throne was Lokesh, his future father-in-law. Lokesh wore a golden diadem on his head and had a gaudy jeweled ring adorning each of his broad, stubby fingers. Though his hair was still black, his beard showed signs of graying and fine wrinkles showed when he narrowed his eyes.

The magnificent throne was draped with a rich purple brocade, and thick, comfortable pillows were scattered nearby should there be a need to soften the hard planes of its golden surface. The throne sat on a dais that was nestled adjacent to the room’s only wall.

Tall white pillars surrounded the room and stood like mighty sentinels, providing support for the ornately

carved ceiling painted gold and textured with symmetrical scrolls and whorls. Sheer cream-colored draperies were the only barriers separating this part of the palace from the jungle, and even they were pulled back, in hopes that an errant breeze would slip through to cool the air on this sweltering day.

Lokesh’s palace was built on the outskirts of a tropical jungle full of evergreens and deciduous trees. It was rampant with wildlife. The calls of birds could be heard clearly as they flew nearby.

The prisoner, Alagan Dhiren, was the prince of a mighty Indian kingdom called Mujulaain. Technically, his current title wasPrince and High Protector of the Mujulaain Empire , but he still thought of himself as

just Ren. His father had plans to step down soon and leave him, the eldest son, the responsibilities of the kingdom and of its people.

The fact that Lokesh, the raja of the small neighboring kingdom of Bhreenam, was his captor was not as shocking as seeing who was sitting next to him. Occupying a smaller but still ornate chair was Kishan, Ren’s younger brother, and in another chair sat Yesubai, Ren’s fiancée. Ren looked calmly at all three of them. Only Lokesh returned his gaze. He raised one eyebrow, curious to know what was going to happen next.

Lokesh turned to his soldiers and abruptly barked, “Remove yourselves!”

His piercing words echoed around the great hall, a startling contrast to the silence a moment ago. The soldiers instantly obeyed and quickly filed out, leaving the four of them alone. Their dirty boots left a filthy

trail on the sparkling white tile. Ren looked at the trail and thought dryly,Mother would never have allowed our soldiers to behave with such blatant disregard for her home.

Lokesh grunted then shifted slightly in his seat to face the man meant to marry his daughter.

Ren spoke first, saying softly, “My soon-to-be father, why have you treated me with such…inhospitality

?”

With a disdainful smile, Lokesh tilted his head to the side and replied, “My dear Dhiren, you have something that I desire.”

Allowing just a portion of his incredulity to show, Ren said, “Nothingyou could want can justify the murder of my guards! Are our kingdoms not to be joined? Everything I have has been at your disposal.

You needed only to ask.Why have you done this?”

“Plans…change. It seems that Kishan here has a…” his eyes glittered as he chuckled in delight, “desire to take my daughter forhis bride, and he has promised me certainremunerations if I help him achieve this goal.”

Ren glanced at Kishan, amazed that this could be true. Kishan’s eyes were fixed to the floor, indicating that what Lokesh was sayingwas true. He turned his attention to Yesubai, who, with cheeks aflame, assumed a demure, submissive pose with her head bowed.

Quickly surmising what must have happened, Ren determined that this had partly been his own fault.

His

arranged marriage to Yesubai was supposed to have ushered in an era of peace between the two kingdoms. He had, however, been away for the last four months overseeing military operations on the far

side of the empire and had left his brother to watch over the kingdom. His mouth turned up at the corner in sardonic humor.I guess Kishan was watching a little bit more than just the kingdom.

The next words Lokesh spoke pulled Ren out of his reflections as he said, “Of course, if you were to agree to surrender the Mujulaain fortsand if you were willing to turn overall of your treasure to me, including your piece of the Damon Amulet, I might be persuaded to allow you to live.”

Ren said simply, “My father’s armies would destroy you if you killed me.”

Lokesh laughed deviously. “He certainly would not destroy his other son or his son’sfamily . We will simply tell him that you were the victim of an unfortunate accident.”

Ren felt no fear, only a deep anger displayed by the tightening of his fists. Lokesh stroked his short, sparse, stippled beard, then clarified, “Of course, you understand, that even should I allow you live,I will be the raja ofboth kingdoms.Nothing will prevent that now.” He chuckled portentously to himself. “I suppose I could just kill you andtake the amulet, but, unfortunately, I don’t know where it is.” A nefarious smile spread across his face and his eyes tightened shrewdly. “You may speak. Itamuses me to watch people beg for their lives.”

Ren had no doubt that Lokesh intended to follow through with his plans. He thought to himself,How could my perceptions of the man’s character have been so flawed? Lokesh’s accomplished and compelling persona had fooled Ren and his family.

Kishan had been carefully studying Lokesh as well and had come to the same conclusion. He leaned toward Lokesh and protested, “Ithought we had an arrangement. I only brought him to you because you swore that you would not kill him!”

Lokesh shot out his hand as quickly as a snake and grabbed Kishan’s wrist. Kishan was a young, powerful man and though Lokesh appeared older and frail; Kishan could not break the man’s hold.

Grinning with a sinister, saccharine smile, Lokesh said, “I have nowamended our arrangement. Your brotherwill be killed if he does not comply with my wishes, andyou willnever marry my daughter unless you hand over your piece of the amulet to me.”

Kishan faced the old man, and with a dangerous edge to his voice, said, “Yesubaiwill be mine.”

Lokesh spat back, “Iwill tell you what is yours and what isn’t. This private arrangement of ours can easily be revoked, and I can have Yesubai married to a different man. A man ofmy choosing.”

Kishan narrowed his eyes and clenched his jaw.

Cackling, Lokesh continued, “Perhaps an old sultan would cool her hot blood. If you desire to remain close to Yesubai, you will remain silent.” Lokesh hissed and squeezed Kishan’s wrist until it cracked loudly. After twisting it almost to the point of breaking, he finally stretched out his fingers and opened his

hand, dropping Kishan’s arm. Flexing his fingers and slowly rolling his wrist, Kishan sat back in his chair.

He made eye contact with his brother, and an unspoken message passed between them.

Ren analyzed his situation. He and his brother would deal with each other later, but Lokesh’s actions meant war, and the needs of the kingdom were a priority for both brothers. Composing his face, Ren narrowed his eyes with determination and raised his head.

“I am surprised you learned of the amulet’s existence, but I promise you that our pieces of the Damon Amulet will never be yours! Under no condition would I ever beintimidated to give it to you, or to anyone

else.” He rebuked curtly, “No matterwhat the sacrifice.”

Staring at Dhiren with a hooded gaze and a menacing smile, Lokesh said, “Ah, well, you see, Kishan has

already agreed to hand his piece of the amulet over after he marries my daughter. I assure you that Iwill have yours as well, even if I have to kill you or both of them to get it. If you give it to me now, I promise that you will all go free.”

Ren shook his head and gestured to his brother. “Kishan…can promise whatever he wishes, butmy portion of the amulet will remain in my possession until my death.”

“Impudent boy! Yourdeath can easily be arranged!” Crimson fire swept over Lokesh’s mottled face, and his angry voice stabbed, “Youdare not to give me what I ask for?” Obsession pumped up Lokesh’s neck, throbbed at his temple, and settled behind his black, serpentine eyes. Those same eyes dissected Dhiren’s face, probing, assessing for weakness.

Staring fearlessly back into Lokesh’s livid face, Ren said, “You have fooled us all. You are like a coiled cobra that has been hiding in his basket and waiting for the moment to strike.” He widened his glance to include his brother and his fiancée. “Don’t you see? Your actions have freed the viper, and we are bitten.

His poison now runs through our blood, destroying everything.”

Ren looked at Yesubai and softly accused, “Bai, did you ever care for either one of us, or did you conspire with your father to tear our kingdom apart?” A tear slowly fell down Yesubai’s face as she opened her mouth to answer, but then shook her head in denial and closed her eyes, causing more tears to drop onto her smooth, pink cheeks.

He then turned toward his brother. He knew his brother’s heart.At least in regards to duty . Despite this situation, he knew that Kishan would never betray the kingdom, but the game must be played to its conclusion. He gestured dramatically and said, “Kishan, this deed sickens my heart. Will you not return to clasp my hand in brotherhood?” Kishan acted his part well; he scowled back at Ren, then turned his head and stared stonily out at the jungle.

Ren sighed deeply in affected resignation, tightened his jaw, and flatly said to Lokesh, “Do with me what

you will. There is nothing you can do to me that will force me to hand over the amulet to a malignant despot such as you. I willnot tell you where it is.”

Lokesh sprung from his seat, approached Ren quickly, and struck him hard across his face with the back of his hand. The rings on his stumpy fingers gouged into Ren’s cheekbone, leaving a jagged trail of deep, bloody scratches.

“Insolence!” The sound echoed from the great hall out into the jungle where it disturbed a flock of myna

birds.

Lokesh’s hot, spicy breath fanned out across Dhiren’s face as he leaned in close to whisper, “Perhaps you are unaware that I have some power of my own, even without the amulet! Youdare to manifest this obstinate belligerence tome ? I offer you a choice one last time. Relinquish your piece to me!”

Ren said nothing. He faced his brother, who was staring thoughtfully at Yesubai. Then, he adjusted his stance, raised himself up to his full height before Lokesh, and challenged him by saying…nothing. He stood there calm, noble, and defiant.

Lokesh screamed, “So be it!”

He pulled a shiny knife with a jeweled hilt from his robe and roughly yanked up the sleeve of Ren’s, once beautiful but now filthy, white Jodhpuri coat. The ropes twisted on Ren’s wrists, and he grunted in pain, then sucked in his breath as Lokesh drew the knife across Ren’s arm. The cut was deep enough that blood welled up, spilled over the edge, and dripped onto the tiled floor. Lokesh tore a circular wooden talisman with a curious engraving from around his neck and allowed Ren’s blood to drip from the knife onto the charm. The wood absorbed the blood, and the engraved symbol glowed an intense red.

Ren assessed his situation. He wasn’t in mortal danger yet, and he needed time to think. He would have tried to escape already, but his hands were still painfully bound, and he was weak from the beatings of the soldiers and the many days without food or drink. The soldiers were close and could be called back in an instant. He was fairly sure that he and Kishan could escape, but Yesubai…complicated things.

Lokesh began to twirl the talisman’s chain between his fingers and softly chant to himself. His eyes sparkled with malicious glee as the charm began spinning on its own, slowly at first, and then faster and faster. It started to pulse, and an unnatural white light bubbled up from it and grew, expanding and filling

the space between the two men.

Ren screamed as his body suddenly became inflamed with a prickly heat. The white light shot toward him with groping fingers that pierced his chest with sharp, tearing pain and clawed its way through his body.

He heard a shout, “Lokesh! Stop!”

Ren cracked open his eyes and glimpsed Kishan struggling to wrest the knife from Lokesh. Lokesh shoved him roughly to the floor, but Kishan had successfully seized the knife. Quickly turning to Ren, he began sawing at the ropes that bound his brother’s hands. As the ropes fell to the floor, they heard Yesubai scream and looked up in time to see her fall to the ground hard.

She had tried to pull her father away, but he shoved her back viciously. When she fell, her head hit the dais with a horrible crack. Lokesh turned his attention back to the talisman. Taking up the chant once again, he walked toward Dhiren.

Forgotten for a moment, Kishan quickly moved over to Yesubai. He gently picked up her hand, caressed it, and then stroked his fingertips from her forehead down her cheek. Grief and crippling despair

welled up inside him as he realized that her neck had broken. Stroking her hair with a trembling, tentative

hand, he whispered softly, “Dayita, my love.” He picked up her limp body, clutched her in his arms, and rocked back and forth. He stayed with her for another brief moment, long enough to observe the change in her eyes. Her lively and bright violet orbs had lost the spark of life and were now dead and glassy.

She

was gone.

Kishan felt like he was under water, drowning and incapable of speech. His movements were slow, and the sounds of struggle felt murky and distant. He knew he needed to help his brother, but he couldn’t bear to move away from her. Then he heard the hum. It began reverberating through the air, growing louder each moment. Kishan covered his ears, unsteadily got to his feet, and turned back to confront Lokesh.

Tears blurred his vision as he leapt toward the man and howled out in suffering and fury. Lokesh had anticipated this action, however, and twisted to turn the spell’s power on Kishan as well. He was delighted to see that the spell had worked on both brothers at the same time. He hadn’t been completely sure it would, but the blood ties were strong enough that it encompassed them both.

Kishan froze in mid-attack and was enveloped in a great thrust of air. He screamed as his emotional anguish curled itself around intense physical pain. He smelled an odor of burning flesh and realized it was

his own. His amulet, which he had kept hidden from Lokesh under his shirt, was burning the skin where it

rested.

Ren’s pain also began to expand. It swirled under his skin, burning him from the inside out. Enveloped in

agony, he collapsed to his knees. He reached out with his hands to brace himself, but he managed only to

scratch feebly on the cold, white tile of the floor. He was aware that his brother was near him, suffering in

a similar manner, and then he was aware of nothing except the pain.

White light shrouded his body and obscured his vision. Slowly, the fiery, stabbing needles and the white,

pulsating glow began to recede and move off into the distance, leaving a shadowy void behind. Viscous darkness crept over him, tightened around his body, and squeezed the air out of his lungs. He thrashed around on the floor, struggling to breathe. He felt as if his body was diminishing, falling down a long, dark

shaft. He focused on the white light, which moved away from him slowly, becoming smaller and smaller until there was only…blackness.

CHAPTER 1

Iwas standing on a precipice. Technically, I was just standing in line, but it felt like a precipice.

Childhood, high school, and the illusion that I was not responsible for myself were behind me. Ahead of me loomed the future. I was fairly certain it included more education, a variety of summer jobs to help pay tuition, and the probability of a lonely adulthood.

The line moved. I’d been waiting for what seemed like hours to be interviewed to become a temp for hire. When it was finally my turn, I approached the desk of a bored, tired woman who was on the phone.

She gestured me closer and indicated that I should sit down. After she hung up, she mechanically began the intake process.

“Name, please.”

“Kelsey. Kelsey Hayes.”

“Age?”

“Seventeen, but for all intents and purposes, eighteen. My birthday’s coming soon.”

She stamped a few forms. “Are you a high school graduate?”

“Yes. I graduated just a couple of weeks ago.”

“Address?”

“458 Pine Street, Dallas, Oregon 97338.”

Dallas is a small town near Salem. Not the Salem with the witches—that one is on the other side of the country—and obviously not the Dallas in Texas, either. Lots of people get those confused. You’d be surprised.

“Parents’ names?”

“Madison and Joshua Hayes, but my guardians are Sarah and Michael Neilson.”

“Guardians?”

“Yes. My parents are…deceased. They died in a car accident when I was a freshman.”

She bent over some paperwork and scribbled for a long time. I grimaced, wondering what she could be writing that was taking so long. I listened to her pen scratch, and my thoughts drifted to my parents.

I grew up the only child of some great parents, the kind of parents who attended PTA meetings and encouraged you tobe something when you grew up. My mother was a smart, plump, and pretty housewife who sold Mary-Kay for kicks. She worked as a nurse in a geriatric facility for several years, but she chose to be a stay-at-home mom when I was born. My dad was an average-looking guy, a typical backyard grilling kind of dad. He was a math teacher and, because of his love for everything numerical, I ended up liking math too.

“Any college training?”

“Not yet, but I plan on attending Chemeketa this fall.”

“Interests?”

“Math and literature.”

“Do you like animals?”

“Sure…umm, I know how to feed them.”Is anyone lamer than me? Way to talk myself out of getting hired. I cleared my throat. “I mean, sure, I love animals.”

The lady didn’t really seem to care what my response was anyway, and she handed me a referral for a job that would last two weeks.

It was for the circus, not a big one like the Ringling Brothers, but a small family-run circus. I’d heard that

there was one in town performing out at the fairgrounds. I remembered getting a coupon for it at the grocery store. I’d even considered offering to take my foster parents’ kids, Rebecca and Samuel, so that their parents could have some time to themselves, but then I lost the coupon and forgot all about it.

I picked up the job announcement and read the description. It said: NEEDED:

A TEMPORARY WORKER FOR TWO WEEKS JOB INCLUDES—TICKET SALES, FEEDING

THE ANIMALS, AND CLEANING UP AFTER PERFORMANCES

Note: Because performances happen twice on Saturdays and Sundays and because animals need to be cared for 24/7, room and board will be provided for the two weeks only.

“Hmm,” I muttered to myself, “I wonder what kind of animals they have there. I’d hate to take care of the elephant droppings.” I giggled quietly at my own joke, but the lady wasn’t paying attention. I told her

that I would do it, and she gave me a card with an address. She said she’d call them and tell them that I would be there tomorrow morning by 6:00 a.m.

I grimaced. “They need me there at 6:00 in the morning?” The worker just gave me a look and indicated that I should step to the side so she could help the next person. When I walked out of the building, I saw a sign advertising the Salem mall. Feeling proud of myself for landing a job so quickly and deciding I needed a reward, I treated myself to window-shopping at the mall. As I wandered the shops, I thought about the next stage of my life.

Adulthood. Many of the graduating seniors I knew got to enjoy their summer, prolonging the precious time that came between being responsible for nothing and being responsible for everything. Some of them

were even going on extended vacations that had been graduation gifts. Me? I got to work. I didn’t mind really. “Hard work keeps you grounded,” Dad always used to say. I walked into a bookstore, pulled out a few of my old favorites, and thumbed through the pages.

My dad, mom, and I all loved reading. Dad mostly read military intrigue books, but he also liked historical ones, especially the biographies of early American patriots like George Washington and John Adams. Mom loved romances. In the evenings, we would all sit down in our library and read companionably—Mom always with a blanket and a pillow on her lap to prop up the book, a habit I picked up from her.

My parents had made themselves a small, cozy library in their house long before I was born. It had a nice fireplace, two huge recliners, and a colorful, braided rug on the floor. Shelves covered every wall, except the one with the fireplace, and the room was stacked from floor to ceiling with books.

When I was little, my mom and dad read to me while I sat on their laps. The Dr. Seuss books were my favorite as a child; I loved the creative whimsy of them. When I started to enjoy reading on my own, they

bought another small recliner just for me. The first books I ever read on my own included theBlack Stallion books, theBig Red series, and theLittle House on the Prairie collection. Reading was very important to my family, even if sitting in a library reading with your parents sounded like something old people liked to do; I really loved it.

I left the store and wandered to the food court, standing off to the side while I considered my options. In middle school and as a freshman, I was kind of chubby because Mom believed that showing your love meant homemade cookies. My favorites were chocolate-chocolate chip with peanut butter filling and pumpkin chocolate chip, but after Mom died, cookies weren’t the same; plus, my foster parents were health nuts.Who makes and eats tofu turkeys for Thanksgiving? Really.

Because of that, I lost all my chubby qualities. I caught my reflection in the front glass of a store.My figure is actually on the skinny side now. Instead of cookies, comfort for me now meant wearing Tshirts,

jeans, and tennis shoes. I decided not to get anything to eat because I wanted to see a movie later, and I knew I’d get some popcorn.

I passed a large family eating together. The little brother was secretly dumping salt all over his sister’s French fries. I really missed not having a sibling. It would have been fun to have a little brother or sister.

One of the lessons my parents taught me was that we should be grateful for the things that we get. When they found out that they were pregnant with me, they were thrilled. I came along so late in their lives that

they’d already accepted the idea that they might not ever have children.

Going through that experience changed their view of life. So, as I was growing up, they taught me that bad things could happen to good people and that the key to happiness was to try to make the best of, and be thankful for, the hand we’re dealt. They decided that they could still be content and happy without

children. And they were happy together. They had totally given up on kids, stopped the fertility treatments, and were enjoying their life together whenPOW , there I was, a fantastic surprise for some totally awesome people.

Their example taught me that, “When life gives you lemons make some lemon meringue pie!” Mom always said that, and the phrase had stuck with me through the years. Yes, they were corny, but I loved that about them. Maybe that was the reason I loved lemon meringue pie.My favorite at Thanksgiving .

They said each time they tried to get pregnant and failed, they cried, dried their eyes, and then got up again the next month to go back to the doctor.

That kind of experience modified a person’s perceptions. It was life changing. Their example must have influenced me a great deal because, when they died, I cried, dried my eyes, did all the hard things that had to be done for a couple of weeks, and then I got up and went back to school. Moving on was really hard at first. I wasn’t sure what was going to happen to me. I was scared and really angry with my parents for leaving me like that. Eventually, I figured out that I had two fabulous parents who really loved

me. Lots of people in this world never got that. I told myself I was lucky.

Counselors at school said that I didn’t mourn or grieve enough. They worried that I was so attached to my parents that I wasn’t forming bonds with other people. Maybe they were right. I cared for other people, and I thought I was an affectionate person, but I shied away from deeper relationships. I never had a high school boyfriend, for example.

I walked into one of the big department stores. They had the makeup displayed in front. A woman rushed over as I looked into one of their big mirrors and I politely deflected the attention of the exuberant

employee, while adjusting my ponytail.

I was average in many ways. I didn’t do anything to stand out in school, and you had to if you sought high school popularity. I didn’t join any clubs or get placed in Honors. I didn’t really concern myself with

current makeup, hairstyles, or clothes. I studied my face in the mirror.

My hair is light golden-brown and I have a pale complexion. I used to be blonde when I was younger.

Incidentally, I think blondes do have more fun. But, since I live in the Northwest, my hair never sees the sun, and blonde highlights almost never happen anymore, at least not naturally. My hair also has a natural

wave that I have to work on to keep straight, and since it’s down past my shoulders and thick, most of the time I don’t bother. I just tie it back in a braid or a ponytail. In fact, the only obvious “girly” thing in my bathroom is a basket full of different colored hair ribbons.

When I was younger, Mom liked to brush out my hair and braid ribbons through it while we talked about a variety of interesting things. Now, whenever I wear my hair in a braid or a ponytail, I always tie on a ribbon in memory of her. When I got dressed up, I straightened my hair and did my makeup. When I did, I thought I looked nice. My senior pictures, for example, were cute, probably thanks to touch-ups, but I much preferred to wear some lip gloss and have my hair tied back and out of the way.

My eyes are a boring brown, so brown that they’re almost black, and you can’t really tell the pupil from the iris. I do have long eyelashes, and my foster mom has a thing where arched brows “ define your face,” so since I have been living with her, my eyebrows have always been nicely shaped.

The only other redeeming quality on my face is my smile. My parents had paid dearly for it, and so did I,

with three years of metal braces.People now say that I have a wide smile. I don’t really know what that means. It probably means that my mouth is too big for my face.

Hair fixed, I wandered through the clothing area and looked through a couple of racks. A group of teenage girls was standing by the dressing rooms admiring each other as they tried on clothes.

I didn’t really go in for the high school glam stuff. I never understood why girls subjected themselves to high heels and tight, uncomfortable clothes in high school. I mean, who were they trying to impress anyway? The boys were short and immature, and the stairs were hard to navigate with flirty shoes, so why bother?

Once, I tried to tell one of the girls I often partnered with in science lab that she was crazy to wear heels to school. I even asked if she was scared that she might fall down and break an ankle or something. The inevitable giggle whisper fest occurred between her and her friends. After that incident, it just didn’t seem

worth it or important enough to me to try to befriend anyone in high school. It was hard to relate to other people my age anyway. Their heads were always full of such trivial things, and it was really hard work to

find something in common to talk about.

I left the department store, walked down to the movie theater, and considered my film choices. I felt a little bit guilty staying out all day, but, I rationalized, thiswas probably my last carefree summer day as a teenager, at least it felt that way. The pressures of adulthood loomed on the near horizon.

I returned to my foster parents’ house late, having gone to see a double feature. When I got home, I silently crept through the house—my foster family usually went to bed very early—and checked the microwave to see what they had left me for dinner. It was Brussels sprouts casserole, nasty! I ate a few bites out of politeness and then scraped the rest of my plate in the trash. Shuffling over to the kitchen sink, I rinsed my plate and then placed it in the dishwasher. I also wrote a note to my foster mom thanking her for letting me borrow her car all day and stuck it to the fridge with a magnet.

Living in a foster home was okay for the most part, at least in my case. My foster parents, Sarah and Michael, were a nice couple who watched out for me, and they liked me. I helped babysit their kids and never got into trouble. I had only a few weeks until I turned eighteen, and then, according to the state, I was on my own. Not that they would have kicked me out. On the contrary, I thought they would have liked me to stay, but I didn’t want them to feel like they had to keep me around. I mean, they had their own family to care for, and I didn’t want to be a nuisance.

Normally, in my type of situation, the ideal thing to do was to place a minor with their relatives, but, because my parents had me late in life and because they were the youngest in their families, my aunts and

uncles were too old to care for a teenager on a permanent basis. They visited me as often as possible, but they all lived in other states and had their own lives to worry about. That, plus the fact that I wanted to stay in Oregon, brought about my introduction into the foster care system.

Quietly, I climbed the stairs to my bedroom. My room was small and cozy, with just a simple bed, a mirrored dresser, a desk for my computer and homework, a closet, and a laundry basket. Most of my personal things were in storage. All the furniture in the room belonged to my foster parents.

The only items in my room that truly belonged to me were my clothes, my books, and my blanket. My grandmother made that blanket, my precious quilt, for me when I was little. I wrapped myself up in it when I got extra cold at night and when I sat up against the headboard to read. Iloved my quilt. Pink scraps in different shades were arranged in blocks to look like flowers. Intricate, hand-stitched butterflies

and flowers were sewn all around the outer edge in pastel colors. It was a bit worn-out, old, and ragged at the corners now.

When I was very small, my mother would take me over to Grandma’s house so that she could help Grandma work on a quilt. Grandma would invite all her friends over to help, and the quilt would be set up on four wooden supports. The material was tacked onto 2 x 4 boards, which were held together with C clamps. As the ladies chatted and sewed, I would lie under the quilt, finger a stolen thimble, and daydream as I listened to the women’s chatter. I used to lay there for hours, watching the needles as they weaved in and out of the fabric. Grandma was wonderful! Every time I slept over at her house, her pet parakeets would cheerfully sing me awake. She also loved flower gardens, and she let me pick a handful of my favorite flowers on every visit.

When I slept over, she’d make me my favorite breakfast: biscuits and gravy. My skills in sewing, embroidering, cooking, and coloring in a coloring book thefancy way all came from her patient teaching.

She was very creative and artistic. I really missed her. She had a stroke and passed away a couple of years before my parents did. Singing birds and flowers remind me of her. Every time a bird sang, I imagined Grandma saying hello to me. So, I kept Grandma’s quilt folded up on my bed. It was always nearby.

My clothes were hung neatly in a small closet, arranged according to color, and my shoes were lined up on the floor. I thought I had a little bit of OCD because my drawers were also meticulously tidy. My socks were all rolled in balls, arranged from the front of the drawer to the back. I usually grabbed the front ones and worked my way to the back. White socks were lined up on the right, black ones in the middle, and colored ones on the left. I didn’t really know why they went that way. They just did.

After they died, most of my mom and dad’s possessions were sold, and the money was put into an account for me. There were a couple of keepsakes stored away for me, but I didn’t want to crowd my foster parents’ home, so I just left them in boxes. I did, however, keep a couple of pictures of my family, my grandma’s quilt, a couple of paperback books, and my journal around.

I chose to keep only two pictures with me. One picture was of the three of us,me, mom, and dad , at a New Year’s celebration. I had just turned twelve. Mom wore a sparkling blue dress and dad a black suit with a blue tie to match it. I had on a pink dress that mom helped me pick out, especially for my first New Year’s Eve dance. They had been chaperones for it, which might have bothered most kids, but it didn’t bother me. I even danced with my dad.

The other picture I always kept near was a candid shot of my parents at their wedding. There was a beautiful water fountain in the background, and they looked so young and happy, smiling into each other’s eyes as they stood facing one another. I wanted that for myself someday. I wanted someone to look at me like that.

I changed into my pajamas, brushed my teeth, and washed my face. Then, crawling under my warm covers, I set my alarm for, ugh, 4:30 a.m. Placing my hands behind my head, I stared at the ceiling. My stomach growled. Flopping over on my stomach and stuffing my pillow under my cheek, I drifted off thinking about mom’s cookies.

CHAPTER 2

My alarm startled me out of a deep sleep at 4:30 in the morning. It would be warm outside today, but nottoo hot. Oregon almost never got too hot. An Oregon governor must have passed a law a long, long time ago that said Oregon, at least in the I-5 region, had to always have moderate temperatures. We had a lovely cloud cover almost every day, and today looked like it would be yet another overcast one.

It was dawn, but the sun still hadn’t climbed over the mountains. The sky was already brightening, changing the clouds to pink cotton candy in the eastern horizon. It must have drizzled rain last night because I could smell an appealing fragrance in the air: the scent of wet grass and pine mingled together.

The sun would be up for most of the day, as it always was, from about 5:00 a.m. to about 10:00 p.m., in the summer. In the winter, it was exactly the opposite, showing itself for only about seven or eight hours per day. Winter blues and overcast days affected many people here, but I actually liked being indoors with a book more than being outside in the sun anyway. So, I’d personally never suffered from seasonal affective disorder, but I knew several who did.It rains a lot in the Northwest, but Oregonians do have the benefit of extraordinarily gorgeous evergreen trees everywhere you look.

I hopped out of bed, turned on the shower, waited till the bathroom got good and steamy, and then jumped in.There’s nothing like hot water pounding your back to wake up sleepy muscles. Toweling my hair dry quickly, I brushed it out and weaved it into a French braid. When that was done, I twisted a rubber band around the tail and tied it with a blue ribbon. Next, I applied some lip gloss, and…voila, my primping was complete.

I grabbed a short-sleeved T-shirt and a good pair of work jeans and finished dressing. Slipping my feet into my tennis shoes, I bent over and yanked them up and over my heels. The last thing I grabbed was a long-sleeved T-shirt I could wear if I got cold or needed the sleeve protection.

I figured I wouldn’t need to bring much, just a couple of things to make me comfortable while I was staying there. Pulling out my trusty school backpack, which was now hollowed out and empty due to my quirky obsessive cleaning habits, I stuffed in some toiletries, three changes of clothes—I could always come back to do laundry—a book, my journal, some pens and pencils, my wallet, and the pictures of my family. Then I rolled up my quilt, stuffed it in the top, jiggled the zipper until it shut, and presto, all my things were securely contained.

I slung my backpack over my shoulder and headed downstairs. My foster parents were already awake and at the breakfast table. They woke up insanely early every day to gorunning. That was just too crazy for me. I mumbled, “Hey, good morning, guys.”

Michael, my foster dad, said, “Hey, good morning back. So, I heard you’re starting a new job today.”

“Yeah…it’s for that circus, the one that’s out at the fair-grounds. I get to sell tickets and pick up trash for two weeks. Great, huh?”

He chuckled. “Yep, sounds pretty great. Want a lift? I drive right past it on my way into town anyway.”

I hesitated. “Are you sure you want to head in to work that early? It’s only a mile and a half down the road. I was planning to walk.”

He dismissed my statement with a wave of his hand. “Nah, early in and early out means I can avoid the traffic. It’s no trouble at all to drop you off.” He winked at me.

He always joked about the Salem traffic. My foster parents used to live in Portland, and their commutes were terrible, sometimes up to two hours each way. Ever since he took a government job in Salem, he bragged to everyone about how short his commute was.

I smiled at him. “Sure…thanks, Mike. I’d love a ride,” I replied. He folded up his paper and started getting ready to go.

Sarah cleaned up his breakfast dishes and asked, “Will you need one of us to pick you up?”

“I’m not sure yet. I’ll call you later this afternoon and let you know. I think they’ll want me sleeping over

because I’ll be staying up late and getting up early.”

“Okay, just call if you need us to come get you.”

“I will.”

Michael started getting his briefcase items together, so I grabbed a granola bar and quickly forced myself to gulp down half a glass of their soy milk—I really have to contain my gag reflex with that stuff

—then grabbed my bag and headed out the door with Michael.

He dropped me off at the entrance to the fairgrounds, waved good-bye, and drove off toward the city. I turned around to look at the unpaved side road he’d dropped me at that led to the fair-grounds. A big, blue sign posted on the street advertised upcoming events. A large slick banner read: POLK COUNTY FAIRGROUNDS

Welcomes the

Circus Maurizio

featuring the Maurizio Acrobats

and the famous Dhiren!

I started walking down the gravel path toward the main building. The central complex looked like a large

airplane or military bunker. It had giant blue individually cut-out letters on it spellingPOLK FAIR . It was

painted white, except for the front doors, which were the same blue color as the sign. The paint was cracked and peeling in places, and the windows needed to be washed. A large American flag hung on a tall post near the front doors. It snapped and rolled in the breeze as the chain it was attached to clinked softly against the metal flagpole.

The fairground was an odd cluster of old buildings, a small parking lot, and a dirt path that wound between all the buildings and around the border of the grounds. It was also, of course, surrounded by the lush Oregon forest. The parking lot was used infrequently, so it had weeds growing up through the cracks

here and there, and the parking lines were faded. Off to the side was a concessions building. A couple of other buildings were available for rent to local clubs or community organizations.

Circus posters hung everywhere; there was at least one large poster on every building. Some featured acrobats—some had pictures of jugglers. I didn’t see any elephants and breathed a sigh of relief.If there had been elephants here, I would have smelled them already anyway. Then I spied an advertisement with

a picture of a white tiger.Cool! I thought.I wonder if they have just one white tiger or a couple of them.

I saw a pair of flatbed semitrucks parked alongside the building and several large white canvas tents set up behind those. Opening the door to the main building, I walked inside. The central hub had been converted into a one-ring circus. Tiers of faded red stadium chairs, the kind that could be pushed under one another, were stacked against the walls and would seat maybe two hundred spectators at most.

Covering the floor inside the ring was a black spongy material, the type they put in at children’s playgrounds now to prevent kids from hurting themselves. The ring consisted of cement blocks, like the kind they have in parking lots, except these were painted red.

On the right were two stands, one for selling hot dogs, nachos, and other snacks, and another for popcorn and cotton candy. On the left was a table set up for making balloons and another booth that contained circus memorabilia. There were only two ways into the building: the audience way, which let you walk in and find your seat, or the back entrance, which was draped with a sheet of canvas that parted in the middle like a movie curtain. I bounced my way across the springy floor and went through the curtain.

Slipping through the panel, I saw a couple of people standing around chatting in a corner. A tall man, who looked like he was in charge, was standing to the side, writing on a clipboard, and inspecting boxes.

I made a beeline for the inventory guy, assuming he was the one I should talk to. Walking up to him, I said, “Hi, my name’s Kelsey, and I’m a temp who is supposed to report in at 6:00 a.m., but I’m not exactly sure who to report to.”

He looked me up and down while chewing on something, then spat on the floor. “Go around back, out those doors, and turn to your left. Go up to the black and silver motor home and knock on the door.”

“Thanks!” The tobacco spit disgusted me, but I managed to smile at him anyway. I made my way out the back door, found the motor home, and knocked on the door.

“Jus’ a minute,” a man’s voice yelled. The door opened unexpectedly fast, and I jumped back in surprise. A man towered over me and laughed heartily at my reaction. He was big and had a rotund potbelly. He had a head of black, curly hair that covered his scalp, the hairline ending just a little bit past where it should be. He reached up to shift his hairpiece and smiled. A thin black mustache stuck out straight from either side of his upper lip; both sides were waxed to thin points. He also had a tiny square goatee patch on his chin.

Crow’s feet surrounded his twinkling blue eyes. His skin was tan, which showed off his toothy, white smile. He looked happy, the kind of guy who always seems to be laughing at a private joke. In a booming theatrical voice, with a strong Italian accent, he said, “Hello! And who might you be?”

I smiled nervously. “Hi…umm, my name’s Kelsey, and I was hired to work here for a couple of weeks.”

He leaned over to grasp my hand. His large hand completely enfolded mine, and he shook it up and down enthusiastically enough to make my teeth rattle. “Ah…Fantastico! How propitious! Welcome to the Circus Maurizio! We are a little, how you say…short-handed, and need some assistenza while we are in your magnifico città, eh? Splendido to have you! Let us get started immediatamente.” He glanced over at a cute young blonde girl about fourteen years old who was walking by. “Cathleen, take this giovane donna…ah…Kelsey?” I nodded. “…to Matt and informare him…desideri irrealizzabili-that I wish him to work with her together. He’s incaricato…to teach her today.” He turned again to me. “Nice to meet you, Kelsey. I hope you piacere…ah, enjoy working here at our piccolo tenda di circo!”

I said, “Thanks, it was nice to meet you too.” He winked at me, then turned around, went back inside his motor home, and closed the door.

Cathleen smiled at me and said, “Come on, follow me.” I followed her around the back side of the building where all the white tents were. She asked, “Are you going to be sleeping here too?”

“Yes, I think so.”

“You can sleep in my tent if you want. There are a couple of extra cots in there. My mom, my aunt, and I all share a tent. My older brother sleeps in the boys’ tent. Our tent’s nice, if you can ignore all the costumes. All the girls make their costume changes in there. We can go ahead and put your stuff in there now before I take you to Matt, if you like.”

She led me into her tent and to a vacant cot. The tent was spacious. I stowed my backpack under the empty cot and looked around for a minute. She was right about the costumes. They were hanging everywhere, racks and racks of them. Lace, sparkles, feathers, and spandex covered every corner of the tent. There was also a lit mirrored table with makeup, hairbrushes, pins, and curlers strewn haphazardly over every square inch of the surface.

I asked, “So, where do you guys shower?”

“Usually, we shower after performances, the girls do anyway. We have to go in shifts, so the girls get it first, and the boys get to shower later. There’s a bathroom behind the main building with three showers divided by curtains. It’s not fancy, but it serves its purpose.”

We then found Matt, who was trying to set up a ticket stand by himself. Cathleen said, “Hi, Matt, can we help you?”

We both bent over to help him with the booth. It worked like a folding table—the bottom popped out and locked in place. The top was lifted on and set in the two holes on the front. It was heavy on the bottom so that it wouldn’t topple over.

Finishing the job, I dusted my hands on my jeans and looked at Matt. He had brown hair, an average short haircut, brown eyes, and a happy-go-lucky grin. He looked like he was about fourteen or fifteen.

“Hey, Matt,” I heard Cathleen say. I looked over at her. She was blushing.How cute .

“Um…this is Kelsey. She’s here while we’re in town, and you’re supposed to show her the ropes today.”

“No problem,” he replied. “See ya around, Cath.”

“See ya.” She smiled and flounced away.

“So, Kelsey, I guess you get to be my sidekick today, huh? Well, you’ll love it,” he said, teasing me.

“The first thing we have to do is get everything ready for our first show. We have a couple of buses of summer campers coming in today, ranging in ages from five to eight, which means a big cleanup afterward.”

“Okay, I’m ready to work.”

“Let’s get going, then,” he said.

I followed him to the back of the building that had all the boxes. “First thing we need to do is take all these boxes and distribute them to the concession areas. Just look on the outside to figure out where they go. If you can’t, then just ask me.”

I picked up the first one. The label read “Hot Dog Buns.” I hauled it over to the hot dog stand, then went back to get another box. It said “Neon Necklaces.” I took that one to the memorabilia stand. I went back and forth until we were done, which took about an hour. Matt brought over bottled water, and we sat down to rest for a minute.

He said, “Okay, we got an hour until the first show. You’re going to sell tickets while I sell balloons.

The

ticket prices are on the sign. Campers get half price today. Other people, if they bring in the coupon, get one kid ticket free per adult purchase. I’ll give you a lockbox to keep the cash in. We don’t take checks or credit cards, strictly cash only, but there’s an ATM machine in the other building across the way.

After

the show has been running for about twenty minutes, lock up the box and bring it in to me. Then, we can sit and watch the show until intermission when you can come and help me sell balloons. Any questions?”

“Nope. I can’t think of any.”

“Good, oh, and don’t forget to go change into your costume.”

“Costume?” I gulped.

“Yep, Cath will show you where they are. Don’t worry! You don’t have to be a clown or anything. It’s just a costume to show that you are a circus employee. No biggie.”

He sucked down the rest of his water and took off, leaving me sitting on a box by myself. I finished my water, put the bottle in the recycle bin, and headed to my tent.

Cathleen was with her mom and her aunt, who sat at the mirrored table applying makeup. “Hey, Cathleen,” I said. “I need to change into a costume of some kind. Do you know where it is?” She got up and walked over to a tall costume rack, which was really just a portable metal rod, and pulled out three different costumes.

“I don’t know which size will fit you, but you can try any of these.”

The “costumes” she put on my cot were all just jumpsuits with glittering bias tape stitched onto the outside seams. The sparkles ran down the length of the legs, arms, and around the cuffs, at the ankles and wrists. I picked up the blue one with the red glitter and stepped behind a changing screen to try it on.

It was a little too tight in the bust area, not that I had a great bust or anything.

“Hey, Cathleen, can you throw me the red one?”

She picked up the red one, pulled it off the hangar, and tossed it over the screen. This one had yellow, glittery bias tape and was a little baggy in the seat, but it was much more comfortable.

I walked out to the ticket booth and saw that Matt had put up the price board. He was waiting for me with the lock box and a ring of tickets. He had also brought me lunch: a turkey sandwich, a bag of chips, an apple, and a soda.

“Chow down quick because the kids are on their way.”

I had eaten half of my sandwich and chips when the first bus pulled in. I stowed the rest on the little shelf

under the booth counter, covering my sandwich with a napkin.

The vehicle circled around in the parking lot. Finally, the driver stomped on the squeaky brakes, and the bus settled itself noisily. The door hissed open and spewed out a horde of excited, screaming, noisy campers. Looking haggard, two adult females emerged as well, adjusted their hairdos, and shouted loudly at the children, trying to keep the herd in one general location.

The last one off was a tan guy in shorts who looked like he was a college student. He made absolutely no effort to help control the kids, but made a very big effort to flirt with me. He wasn’t bad looking, but he swaggered over and wiggled his eyebrows at me,like that was attractive . Meanwhile, several children were tugging on his clothes and asking him to help them count out their money. He just disregarded them.

I had zero tolerance for guys like that, so I pointedly ignored him and focused all my attention on the kids, trying to make their circus experience a happy one.

The children descended on me in a raucous, violent flurry of little bodies. I felt like I was being stampeded by tiny buffalo. My customer service-like smile probably looked more like a frightened grimace. There was nowhere for me to run. They were all around me, each one clamoring for my attention. The adults approached, and I asked them hopefully, “Are you all paying together or separately?”

One of the teachers responded, “Oh no. We decided to let each child handle their own money. We didn’t want to take ownership ofthat .”

“That’s great,” I muttered with a fake smile.

So, I began selling the tickets, and Cathleen soon joined me. It felt like hours, but sooner than I expected, I heard the music of the performance begin. I sat there for about twenty more minutes, but nobody else came in, so I locked the money box and took the remainder of my lunch in with me to watch

the performance. Matt gestured for me to come over and sit next to him near the balloon stand. I handed him the money box, sat down with my lunch propped tidily on my lap, and bit into my crunchy apple.

The man I’d met earlier that morning was the ring leader.

“What’s his name?” I whispered to Matt.

“Agostino Maurizio,” he replied. “He’s the owner of the circus, and the acrobats are all members of his family.”

I picked up my slightly stale sandwich. “How’d you get involved?”

“My dad takes care of and trains the animals.”

“Cool.” I sipped my soda and watched the performances. The clowns had just come out. Most of them were on foot, one was on a tricycle, and another was on a tall bicycle with a giant wheel in the back and a short, tiny wheel in the front with very tall axels. The pedals were about two feet in the air, which put the seat of the bike at about five feet high. The kids laughed and screamed, delighted with the clowns.

Next up were the acrobats who brought out a couple of minitrampolines. They did vaulting, foot juggling,

a low-wire act—Matt said that the building wasn’t tall enough for a high wire, but that they were very proficient at it—and ended with a pretty cool hula hoop act. He pointed out Cathleen, who was part of the acrobat troupe. I didn’t even recognize her.

The jugglers came next and started with small colorful balls, then moved on to bowling pins and even knives.

Matt leaned over and said, “Even though the knives look real, they can’t actually cut you.”

“Why not?”

“They’re not sharp. But they can leave a hell of a bruise though. I know from personal experience.”

I grinned and nodded. Not bad acts. I was really enjoying myself. Matt elbowed me and motioned to the balloons. Intermission was going to start soon.

I threw out the remainder of my lunch and helped Matt blow up the balloons. The kids were in a frenzy!

They ran to every booth and counted out their coins so they could spend every penny.

Red seemed to be the most popular balloon color. Matt took the money while I did the balloons. I’d never done it before, and I popped a few, which startled the kids, but I tried to make it into a joke by shouting, “Whoopsie!” every time it happened. Pretty soon, they were yelling, “Whoopsie!” along with me.

I whispered, “Matt, why didn’t we inflate more balloons ahead of time?”

He leaned over and said, “It saves money to wait; plus, the balloons last longer.”

I laughed. “That wasbefore you tested my balloon blowing ability. Now you see that I’m costing you more money than you’re saving.”

He grinned good-naturedly. “You’re right. Next time, you take the money and I’ll do the balloons.”

The music began again, and the kids quickly filed back to their seats, clutching their assorted purchases.

Several of the kids had bought glow-in-the-dark swords and were waving them around, threatening each other gleefully.

The guy that came up with selling fake swords to kids ought to be punished. Someone should force him to sit surrounded by kids with these weapons at exciting events for the rest of his life. Twitchy kids brandishing those glowing weapons at various community events had poked me several times, and it was

not a pleasant experience.

As we sat down again, Matt’s dad came into the ring to do his dog show. The dogs were an assortment of mutts that he had rescued from the pound. They were so cute! They ran in circles in descending order of size then played an elaborate game of stealing objects. They nipped their trainer in the butt while he acted as if he couldn’t find the culprit. Several of them did cool flips too.

One of the dogs balanced on a big rubber ball and walked it around the inside of the ring. A tiny dog jumped up onto the back of a bigger dog with a small saddle, took the reins in its mouth, and rode around the ring. It was a very cute show. I told Matt that I was impressed, and he beamed at me, obviously very proud of his dad.

After his dad left the arena, the clowns came out again and played various tricks on audience members.

One threw a bucket of confetti over the kids.Great! I probably get to sweep all that up. Then they did the old seltzer water tricks on each other and wrapped up the whole thing by getting everyone to stand up and follow them in a clown dance.

They exited the stage amid great cheering from the crowd. Then, Mr. Maurizio came back out.

Dramatic

safari hunting music began, and the lights extinguished quickly, as if they had been mysteriously blown out. A spotlight found the announcer in the center of the ring. “And now…the highlight of our programma! He was taken from the harsh, wild giungla of India and brought here to America. He is a fierce hunter, a cacciatore bianco, who stalks his prey in the wild, waiting, watching for the right time, and

then, he…SPRINGSinto action! Movimento!”

While he was talking, men brought out a large, round cage. It was shaped like a giant upside-down colander or bowl, and it had a chain-link tunnel attached to one side. They set it in the middle of the ring and clamped locks onto metal rings embedded in the cement blocks.I hadn’t noticed those before.

Mr. Maurizio continued. He roared into the microphone, and the kids all jumped in their seats. I laughed at Mr. Maurizio’s theatrics. He was a good storyteller. He proclaimed, “This tigre is one of the most pericoloso—dangerouspredators in the entire world! Watch our trainer carefully as he risks his life to bring you…DHIREN!” He jerked his head toward the right, and then he ran out of the ring as the spotlight moved over to the canvas flaps at the end of the building. Two men had pulled out an old-fashioned animal wagon.

It looked like the kind of animal wagon on a box of animal crackers. It had a white curvy gilt-edged top, black wheels painted white around the edges, and ornamental carved axles that were painted gold. Black metal bars on both sides of the wagon curved in an arch at the top.

A ramp from the wagon door was attached to the chain-link tunnel, and Matt’s dad entered the cage.

He set up three short stools on one side of the cage and stood on the other side. He had changed into an impressive golden costume and brandished a short whip.

“RELEASE THE TIGER!” he commanded.

The doors opened, and a man standing by the cage prodded the animal. I held my breath as an enormous white tiger emerged from the cage and trotted down the ramp and into the chain-link tunnel. A moment later, it was in the big cage with Matt’s father. The whip cracked, and the tiger jumped up onto the stool. Another crack and the tiger stood on its hind legs and pawed the air with its claws. The crowd erupted in applause.

The tiger leapt from stool to stool while Matt’s father kept pulling the stools farther and farther away.

On

the last leap, I held my breath. I wasn’t sure if the tiger would make it to the other stool, but Matt’s father

encouraged it. Gathering itself, it crouched low, assessed the distance carefully, and then leapt across the breach.

Its entire body was airborne for several seconds, with its legs stretched out ahead and behind. It was a magnificent animal. It touched the stool with its front paws and shifted its weight, then landed its back feet

gracefully. It turned on the small stool, rotated its large body with ease, and sat, facing its master. I clapped for a long time, totally in awe of the great beast.

Matt’s father shouted another command. The tiger jumped down from the stool and ran around the cage in a circle. The trainer circled as well, keeping his eyes centered on the animal. He kept the whip just behind the tiger’s tail, encouraging it to keep moving. Matt’s dad shouted and a young man passed a large ring though the cage—a hoop. The tiger leapt through the hoop, then quickly turned around and jumped back through again and again.

The last thing the trainer did was put his head inside the tiger’s mouth. A hush fell on the crowd, and I felt Matt stiffen. The tiger opened its mouth impossibly wide. I saw its sharp teeth and leaned forward feeling concerned. His father slowly moved his head closer to the tiger. The tiger blinked a few times, but

it held still, and its powerful jaws gaped even wider.

Matt’s dad lowered his head all the way inside the animal’s mouth, fully within the chomping area of the

tiger’s maw. Finally, he slowly brought his head out. When his head was completely free and he had moved away, the crowd erupted in cheers, and he bowed several times. Other handlers appeared to help take down the cage.

My eyes were drawn to the tiger, which was still sitting on the stool. I saw it moving its tongue around.

It

was scrunching up its face as if it smelled something funny. It almost looked like it was gagging, like a cat

does when it has a hairball. Then it shook itself and sat there calmly.

I wasn’t sure if tigers could show emotion, but for some reason I felt like I could sense its mood. It seemed melancholy. I had a sudden urge to stroke its head and comfort it. Matt’s dad brought his hands up, and the crowd cheered loudly. The whip cracked again, and the tiger quickly ran back down the tunnel, up the ramp, and into its cage. The tiger cage was quickly disassembled, and Matt’s dad ran out of the ring and stepped behind the canvas curtain.

Mr. Maurizio dramatically roared, “THE GREAT DHIREN! Molte grazie! Thank you so much for coming to see the Circus Maurizio!” The lights came up, and the kids started stampeding out of the arena. The show was over.

CHAPTER 3

The lights came back on as the kids rushed out of the building in a screaming mob.Which was, incidentally, the same way they had rushed in. I heard the bus start up outside. As it noisily shook itself awake rumbling, hissing, and puffing air out of its exhaust pipe, Matt stood up and stretched. “Ready for the real work now?”

I groaned, “Sure, bring it on.”

He started cleaning the debris off the chairs. Then we pushed them against the wall. When that was done, he handed me a broom.

“We’ve gotta get the whole area swept up, pack up everything in the boxes, and then store them all away again. You get started, and I’ll turn in the money boxes to Mr. Maurizio.”

“No problem.”

I started moving slowly across the floor, my push broom in front of me. I wound forward and back, like a swimmer doing laps, as I swept up the rubbish. Letting my mind wander as I did the menial work, I thought about the acts I had seen. I loved the dog act the best, but there was something…compelling about the tiger. My mind kept drifting back to the big cat.I should tell Matt that I thought his dad clearly had a lot of talent . I knew he’d be happy to hear that.

I’d almost finished sweeping when Matt came back. He bent to help me scoop up the giant mound of trash, and then we spent a good hour packing up boxes and hauling them back to storage. This time, moving the boxes was faster because it looked like we had sold about half of the items.

When this was done, Matt told me that I could go change my clothes and have an hour or two off, then, later, I could join the troupe for dinner in the main building. I was eager to have a little time to myself, so I

hurried back to the tent.

I changed my clothes, sat down on my cot, and pulled out my journal to write about the day. As I wrote, I reflected on the interesting people I had met here. It was obvious that the circus folk considered each other family. Several times, I noticed people stepping in to help, even if it wasn’t their job. I also wrote a bit about the tiger. The tiger really interested me.Maybe I should work with animals and study that in college , I reflected. Then I thought once again about my extreme dislike of biology and knew I’d never make it in that field.

Finishing with my journal, I pulled out a novel and read a couple of chapters. As I got to the end of a chapter, I flipped my book over to keep it open, a bad habit of mine.I know I should use a bookmark, but old habits die hard. I stretched and decided to wander around a little.

Finding the dog kennel, I stayed there for about a half hour playing with the canine performers. They were quivering with excitement and energy as they barked and wagged their tails, trying to gain my attention. My favorite was a little poodle that kept jumping up for me to pet her head. It was almost time for dinner, and I could smell a delectable aroma coming from the big building.

I found the shower area and went in to wash my hands. There weren’t any towels.I’ll have to ask Cathleen to loan me a towel. For now, jeans will have to do. Wiping my hands on my jeans until they were at least semidry, I wandered into the big building. Matt was setting up chairs around seven or eight long folding tables. One of the tables was set up with takeout food from an Italian restaurant. It smelled fantastic. I started to help Matt set up chairs, but he brushed me aside.

“You worked hard today, Kelsey. Relax, I got this,” he said.

Cathleen came over and said, “Come sit by me. We can’t start eating until Mr. Maurizio comes in to make the evening announcements anyway.”

Sure enough, the moment we sat down, Mr. Maurizio strolled dramatically into the building.Huh…he’s histrionic all the time and not just for the show. It’s just his personality, I guess.

“Favoloso performance, everyone! And a most eccellente job to all of our salespeople, eh? They sold more than half of our inventario! So, tonight is a celebration! Mangiare…fill your plates mia famiglia!”

I turned to Cathleen. “I guess that means we did a good job, right?”

She answered, “Yep…let’s eat!”

I waited in line with Cathleen, then picked up my paper plate and filled it with Italian green salad, a big scoop of spinach-and-cheese-stuffed shells covered in tomato sauce, parmesan chicken, and, not having enough room on my plate, popped a warm breadstick in my mouth, grabbed a bottle of water, and sat down. I spied a large chocolate cheesecake for dessert, but I wasn’t even able to finish the dinner I had on my plate.

After dinner, the older people started to wander off. As Matt and Cathleen started to clean up, I offered to give them a hand. Cathleen asked, “Are you going to stay over tonight or are you taking off?”

“Umm…I think I’ll stay tonightif you loan me a pillow and a towel.”

“Great!” She smiled as we finished stacking the tables and chairs. Cathleen strolled back to her tent, and Matt and I swept the floor. I hummed as I worked, happy to have made new friends so quickly.

After the floor was clean and the tables and chairs stacked away, I moved to a quiet corner of the building and called my foster parents to tell them that I’d be staying the night. When I hung up, I approached Matt, who was putting all the leftovers in the fridge, and asked him about his dad.

“I didn’t see your dad at dinner. Doesn’t he get hungry too?”

“I took him a plate. He was busy with Dhiren.”

“Yeah, I’m curious about that. How long has your dad been working with the tiger?”

“Hmm…for about the past five years or so.”

“Did Mr. Maurizio really take him from the jungles of India? I thought most white tigers were bred in captivity.”

“Well, Dad doesn’t really know much about this tiger’s history. Mr. Maurizio purchased it from another circus, and they had bought it from another circus before that. The tiger’s history wasn’t well documented, unlike most of our other circus animals. Dad says the tiger will perform only the standard tricks and refuses to learn anything new, but the good news is that it’s never given him a problem. It’s a very quiet, almost docile beast, as far as tigers go anyway.”

“Do you think your dad would let me watch him work sometime? I’m curious to see an animal trainer at work.”

“Sure, I’ll ask him. Maybe you can work with Dad a little bit tomorrow.”

“That would be fun. Thanks, Matt!”

There was maybe an hour or two left of light outside, but I had to get up early again. Because I was tired

from the day’s work, I wanted to shower early. Cathleen had put a pillow, blanket, and towel on my cot for me. I grabbed my backpack and the towel and then headed for the shower.

After showering, brushing my teeth, and changing into my warm flannel pj’s and slippers, I hurried back

to my tent. I got cozy under my grandma’s quilt, read one more chapter in my book, and then quickly fell

into a deep sleep.

The next morning after breakfast, Matt found me and said that I had permission to work with his dad, and that I should meet his father over at the dog kennel. I hurried to the kennel and found Matt’s dad playing with the dogs. He looked a lot like an adult version of Matt, with the same brown hair and brown

eyes.

He must have heard me coming because he turned to me and said, “Hello…it’s Kelsey, right? I understand you’ll be my assistant today.”

“Yes, sir…umm, Matt didn’t tell me your name. So, what should I call you?”

He shook my hand warmly. “You can call me Andrew…or Mr. Davis, if you prefer something more formal.” He smiled. “The first thing we need to do is take these feisty little critters for a walk around the grounds.”

“Great! Sounds like fun.”

He gave me five leashes, and I started hooking them up to the dogs’ collars. They bounced around everywhere and got the leashes all twisted around each other. Mr. Davis laughed; he already had his five dogs ready to go. He leaned over to help me untwist the animals, and then we started off.

It was a beautiful morning. The woods were fragrant, and the dogs were very happy, jumping about and pulling me in every direction but the one I wanted to go. They kicked up rustling pine needles and leaves,

exposing bare brown soil as they sniffed every square inch of the terrain. Pine needles were often used as

mulch because there was some kind of chemical they produced as they decomposed that seeped into the ground and prevented grass and weeds from growing, but the dogs still managed to find things that captured their interest anyway and dug enthusiastically in the bare dirt.

I grinned at them. Feeling their excitement made me feel energetic too. We started walking around the big buildings and then set out on the long dirt path that circled the fairground. I asked Mr. Davis, “Do you

mind if I ask you some questions about your tiger?”

“Not at all. Ask away.”

“Well, Matt said that you guys didn’t know much about the history of the tiger. I’m curious, how did you

acquire the animal?”

He rubbed a hand over the stubble on his chin and said, “Well, our resident tiger came to us when Mr.

Maurizio purchased it from another small circus. He wanted to liven up the acts. He figured that I worked

well with other animals, so why not tigers. We were very naïve. It usually requires extensive training to work with the big cats. Mr. Maurizio was insistent that I try. Fortunately for me, our tiger isvery tractable.”

“How is it, working with tigers?”

“Well, I wasextremely unprepared to take on an animal of that size. I stayed and traveled with the other circus for a while. Their trainer taught me how to handle a tiger, and I learned how to care for it. Lucky for me, the big cat was even tempered and seemed to like working with me. We hit it off.”

“Is it ever aggressive?”

“It’s never tried to harm me, but that doesn’t mean that we should ever let our guard down. Vigilance is the key with the big cats, but, to tell you the truth, our tiger seems bored with me most of the time.”

“Hmm…what do tigers eat?”

“Normally?’

I nodded.

“A tiger in the wild would hunt deer, buffalo, wild pigs, antelope, and monkeys, and if it gets a chance, it

would even try to take down a young rhino or elephant. You might even catch a tiger eating frogs, crabs, fish, lizards, or pythons.”

“Do they eat a lot?”

“A fully grown cat can eat up to seventy pounds of meat in one sitting, but fifteen to twenty pounds a day

is about the average, which translates into roughly five percent of their body weight. Tigers in the wild spend most of their energy hunting. They are only successful maybe one time out of every fifteen attempts. However, in captivity, they don’t have to hunt, so they get less food because they aren’t as active.

“Most captive lions and tigers are overweight, but not ours. Actually, Dhiren doesn’t seem to be that interested in food and is very lean, even though the grub is good here. Mr. Maurizio insists on high-quality

meat; plus, we supplement it with the vitamins and minerals necessary to maintain good health.” I pondered this information as we silently walked down the trail for a while.

I untangled the dogs from a tree and asked, “Do white tigers come from India? I thought they came from

Siberia.”

He smiled. “Yes, many people think they’re all from the Russian area because the white coat blends in with the snow, but the Siberian tigers have the typical orange coloring. Siberians are also slightly larger.

They weigh about seven hundred pounds. Our cat is a Bengal or Indian tiger, which are smaller and weigh around five hundred. Dhiren is on the light side of that at about four-forty.”

He looked at me thoughtfully for a moment and asked, “Would you like to help me work the tiger today?”

I smiled at him as one of the dogs ran around my legs, trapping me for a moment. “I would really enjoy that, thanks!”

After finishing our walk, we put the dogs back in the kennel area. Mr. Davis got a hose and filled a trough full of water. He looked over his shoulder and said, “You know, it’s sad that tigers could be completely wiped out in the next ten years. Researchers estimate that there are only about two thousand left in the world. India has already passed several laws against killing them.”

“Do tigers kill people? Are they man-eaters?”

“Tigersare responsible for between two hundred and four hundred deaths per year in India, but the government still fiercely protects them. They’ve even been known to relocate entire villages if a tiger moves into the territory. If that number of deaths occurred in America, the tiger would have been extinct a long time ago. As far as man-eaters go, only a tiny percent are considered man-eaters, and those are usually shot when found. Though tigers do kill many humans in India, they don’t typically eat them.

There

are only a few reasons a tiger would ever kill a human for food. One, he is hungry and can’t find anything

else. Two, a female may need to feed her young, and humans are easy prey. Three, the tiger may be wounded and unable to hunt prey that’s difficult to catch—like I said humans are easy. Or four, tigers might learn to hunt humans if they have fed off human corpses somewhere before.”

I shuddered.

He looked over at me, “But, again, it’s very rare. Most tigers avoid humans.”

We finished removing the last of the leashes, and the dogs all rushed over to greedily lap up the water. I watched their pink tongues darting up and down for several minutes while thinking about what Mr.

Davis

had told me. He got out a small bucket and began scooping dog food into a couple of dishes. I picked one up and carried it into the kennel. Of course, the dogs jumped all over me until I put the dish down.

Mr. Davis gestured that I should follow him. We walked around the corner of the big building and entered a tall building that was painted white on the outside with blue trim like the others. He opened the wide doors and we went inside. The floor was made of aged, weathered wooden boards and was covered with hay.

Wide beams rose high overhead and arched across the top. I glanced up at the tall ceiling and saw some old skylights. The sun filtered in and warmed the area, spotlighting the dust particles that flew around as Mr. Davis and I walked past. Gently, the dust settled back down to the wooden floor, and the beams of light shone clear once again. The building was about two stories high. A loft ran the length of both sides of the building. One side of

the loft was empty, but the other side had hay bales stacked to the ceiling. There were little stalls around the inside walls, each with a clean trough inside. Wooden ladders near the stalls were placed every so often to allow people to climb up to the lofts. I guessed that this was probably used to house animals during the fair and 4-H events, but it looked like a barn.

Matt’s father flicked on a light switch, and I was surprised at how much light shone in the building despite there being no windows. I followed him, and we approached the beautiful animal wagon that had been a part of the performance. He picked up a large jug of liquid vitamins and said, “Come here, I want to show you something.”

We approached the cage, and the tiger, who had been dozing, lifted its head and watched me curiously with bright blue eyes. Mr. Davis moved to the side of the cage and pulled a lever. A panel slid down separating the cage door from the tiger, leaving about a foot of empty space inside. He opened the cage door, filled up the tiger’s water bucket, added about a quarter cup of vitamin liquid, and then pulled the door back down again and locked it.

“Now I’m going to do some paperwork. I want you to get the tiger’s breakfast. Head back to the main building and go back behind the boxes. There’s a large refrigerator there. Take this red wagon with you and load the meat from the fridge into the wagon, then take another package out of the freezer and put it in the fridge to thaw.”

I grabbed the wagon handle; it was the same kind I’d had as a kid. “No problem,” I said over my shoulder as I headed back to the door. I found the meat quickly and was back in a few minutes.

“Now, go ahead and open the door the way I taught you, then use these tongs to place the meat into this clean dish and take out his old one to clean. When you’re done, don’t forget to lock the door again.

After the door is secured, you can pull the lever, which will retract the safety panel, and breakfast will be served.”

I dished up the raw meat and slid it carefully into the cage. I kept a wary eye on the tiger, but it just sat there watching me.

“Mr. Davis…is that a female or a male tiger?”

A noise came from the cage, a deep rumble from the tiger’s chest. I turned to look at the tiger. “What are you growling atme for?”

Matt’s dad laughed. “Ah…you’ve offended him. He’s very sensitive, you know. In answer to your question,he is a male.”

“Hmm.”

After I’d cleaned the bowl for Mr. Davis, he asked, “Would you like to watch me work with him a bit? I always try to go through a short workout before we go in to a performance. He’s often cramped up in his cage, and I like to let him out every day and give him a chance to stretch out a bit.”

“Definitely! That would be great!”

“Come back in an hour.”

I helped Matt for an hour or so and then hurried back to the barn. After I entered the building, Mr.

Davis asked me to close the door and slide the wooden beam down to lock them in place just to make sure the tiger couldn’t escape.

“Okay, climb up to the loft and watch us rehearse.”

I climbed the loft and sat on the heavy, sweet smelling straw with my legs tucked under me. This was very exciting!My own private show!

He approached the cage, opened the door, and called the tiger out. The cat looked at him and then put his head back on his paws, still sleepy. Mr. Davis called again. “Come!” The tiger’s mouth opened in a giant yawn, and his jaws gaped wide. I shuddered looking at the huge teeth. It stood up and stretched its front legs way out and then its back legs one at a time. I chuckled to myself for mentally comparing this large predator with a sleepy housecat. The tiger turned around and trotted down the ramp and out of the cage.

Mr. Davis set up the stool and cracked the whip, instructing the tiger to jump up onto the stool. He got the hoop and had him practice jumping in and out of the hoop for several minutes. He jumped back and forth, running through the various activities with ease. His movements were effortless. I could see the sinewy muscles moving under his white and black striped fur as he went through the paces.

Mr. Davis was a good trainer, but there were a couple of times that I noticed the tiger could have taken advantage of him, but didn’t. One time, Mr. Davis’ face was very close to the tiger’s extended claws, and it would have been very easy for him to take a swipe, but, instead, the tiger moved his paw out of the

way. Another time, I could have sworn Mr. Davis had stepped on his tail, but again, he just growled softly and moved his tail aside. It was very strange, and I found myself even more fascinated by the beautiful animal and again felt the strong pull to touch him.

Mr. Davis was sweating in the stuffy barn. He encouraged the tiger to return to the stool. He then placed three other stools nearby in a circle and had him practice jumping from one to the other.

Finishing up, he led the cat back to its cage, gave it a special treat, and motioned for me to come down.

“Kelsey, you’d better head on over to the main building and help Matt get ready for the show. We have a bunch of senior citizens coming in today from a local center.”

I hopped off the ladder.

“Would it be okay if I bring my journal in here to write sometimes? I want to draw the tiger’s picture in it.”

He said that would be fine and just cautioned me to make sure that I didn’t get too close.

I hurried out the building waving at him, and shouted, “Thanks for letting me watch you. It was really exciting!”

I rushed back to help Matt, and, sure enough, his dad had been right about the seniors. It was completely the opposite from the day before. First, the lady in charge bought all the tickets at once, which made my job much easier, and then all the patrons shuffled slowly into the ring, found their seats, and promptly fell asleep.

How could they sleep through all the noise? When intermission came, there wasn’t much to do. Half of the attendees were still asleep, and the other half were in line for the restroom. Nobody was really buying

anything. After the show, Matt and I cleaned up quickly, and I found myself on my own for a couple of hours. I ran back to my cot, pulled out my journal, a pen and pencil, and my quilt and walked over to the barn. I pulled open the door and turned on the lights.

Strolling down toward the tiger’s cage, I found him resting comfortably with his head on his paws.

Finding a nice hay bale to sit on and another to use for a backrest, I sat down, made myself comfortable, spread my quilt out over my lap, and started to write. After I wrote a couple of paragraphs, I began to sketch.

I had taken a couple of art classes in high school, and I thought I was decent at drawing when I had a model to look at. I got my pencil out and looked at my subject. He was looking right at me. Not like he wanted to eat me, it was more like…he was trying to tell me something.

“Hey, Mister. What are you looking at?” I grinned.

I started my drawing. The tiger’s round eyes were wide-set and a brilliant blue. He had long, black eyelashes and a pink nose. His fur was a soft, creamy white with black stripes radiating away from his forehead and cheeks all the way down to the tail. The short, furry ears were tilted toward me, and his head was resting lazily on his paws. As he watched me, his tail flicked back and forth sluggishly.

I spent a lot of time getting the pattern of stripes right because Mr. Davis had told me that no two tigers had the same stripes. He said their stripes were as distinctive as human fingerprints, so I wanted to get this tiger’s stripes just right. I looked down at his paws and didn’t see any claws.Hmm…they must be able to retract their claws like a cat.

I spoke to him while drawing: “Well, how’s your day been? Did you enjoy your breakfast? You know, you have a very handsome face…for something that could eat me.”

I sketched some more. “Do you like being a circus tiger? I can’t imagine it’s a very exciting life for you,

being stuck in that cage all the time. I knowI wouldn’t like it very much.”

I fell quiet for a while; the only sound in the building was the scratching of my pencil. I shaded in the stripes of the face.

“Do you like poetry? I’ll bring in my book of poems and read to you sometime. I think I have one about cats you might like.”

I looked up from my drawing and was startled to see that the tiger had moved. He was sitting up, his head bent down toward me, and he was staring at me steadily. I started to feel a little bit nervous.A large cat staring at you like that with such great intensity can’t be a good thing.

Right then, Matt’s dad strolled into the building. The tiger slumped down onto its side, but kept his face turned toward me, watching me with those deep blue eyes.

“Hey, kid, how’re you doing?

“Umm…I’m fine. Hey, I have a question. Doesn’t he getlonely by himself? Haven’t you tried to, you know, find him a girl tiger?”

He laughed. “Not forhim . This one likes to be alone. The other circus said they tried to produce offspring by breeding him with a white female in heat at the zoo, but he wouldn’t have it. He stopped eating, so they pulled him out of there. I guess he prefers bachelorhood.”

“Hmm…Well, I’d better get back to Matt and help him out with the dinner preparations.” I closed my journal and gathered my things.

As I strolled back to the main building, my thoughts were drawn to the tiger.Poor thing. All alone with no

girl tiger and no tiger cubs. No deer to hunt, stuck in captivity. I felt sorry for him. After dinner, I helped Matt’s dad walk the dogs again and got settled for the night. I put my hands under my head and stared at the tent ceiling. I thought some more about the tiger. I tossed and turned for about twenty minutes and decided to go visit the barn again. I kept all the lights off in the building except the one near the cage.

I went back to my hay bale with my blanket. Because I was feeling sentimental, I decided to forgo my novel and, instead, brought a paperback copy ofRomeo and Juliet . “Would you like me to read to you for a while? Umm…what was your name again? Oh yeah…Dhiren…well, I’ll just call you Ren. Now Romeo and Juliet don’t have any tigers in their story, but Romeo does climb a balcony, so you just picture yourself climbing a tree, okay?”

His tail thumped the wooden base of the wagon. I turned on my side, made a pillow of sorts from the hay, and started reading to him. I could just make out his profile and see his eyes shining in the shadowy light. I started getting tired right after the balcony scene when Romeo says, “Sleep dwell upon thine eyes,

peace in thy breast!—Would I were sleep and peace, so sweet to rest!”

I sighed. “Ah…they don’t make men like Romeo anymore. Maybe there never has been such a man.

Present company excluded, of course. I’m sure you’re a very romantic tiger.”

Hmm…I thought groggily that Shakespeare sure wrote dreamy men. I closed my eyes to rest them a little and didn’t wake up until the next morning.

From that moment on, I spent all my free time in the barn with Ren, the tiger. He seemed to like me being there and always perked his ears up when I started reading to him. I bugged Matt’s dad with question after question about tigers until I was sure he felt like avoiding me. He appreciated the work I did though.

Every day, I got up early to take care of the tiger and the dogs, always in that order, and every afternoon I wandered in to sit near Ren’s cage and wrote in my journal. In the evenings, I would bring my

blanket and novel to read. Sometimes, I’d pick out a poem from the little poem book I’d brought with me and read it out loud. Other times, I just talked to him.

One afternoon, I sat, sharpened my drawing pencils, and talked to the tiger. “Well, Dhiren, you might be

wondering why I like Shakespeare and poetry so much. My favorite teacher in high school was Ms.

Mitchell, who taught Shakespeare. She let the students vote to pick which plays we would study, and, because we only did one play per quarter, we got to study them really, really well. We followed along with the text as we listened to the plays on audiotape, which made them easier to understand.”

I doodled on a piece of paper as I went on. “I remember watching Ms. Mitchell as we listened. She would laugh at different lines, and, for the life of me, I couldn’t figure out why. I wanted to be in on the joke, so I studied pretty hard and finally figured out many, if not all, of the jokes and ended up with A’s all four quarters. I’ve loved Shakespeare ever since.

“You know what I hate, though? Biology. It’s the worst science ever! In middle school, I made careful plans so I wouldn’t be in biology class during the frog dissection. I made a deal with the librarian, who I helped during my free period. I told her that there was no reason thatshe needed to put all those books on the shelves, not when I could make myself available to her. I told her we weren’t doing anything important that day in science, and, if she signed my waiver, I could present it to my teacher and assist her

during biology class. It worked like a charm.

“Then, in high school, we had to sign up for three science classes. I picked chemistry, Earth science, and

physical science. I’ve avoided animal dissection my entire scholastic career. I’m sure you aren’t a fan of animal dissection either. I’m sure you’d think it was pretty clever of me. I can see you’re nodding off. I don’t blame you. Science is very boring for me too.”

I kept drawing quietly and let the tiger sleep.

About a week after I had started working there, I was watching one of the shows. When it was time for Dhiren to come out to perform, he seemed to act differently. After trotting down the tunnel and entering the cage, he ran around in circles and paced back and forth several times. He kept looking out at the audience as if searching for something. Finally, he sat and looked right at the place where Matt and I were sitting. He froze as still as a statue and was looking right at…me. His tiger eyes locked with mine, and I couldn’t turn my head away.

I heard the whip crack several times, but the tiger stayed focused on me. Matt elbowed me, and I broke the eye contact.

“That’s really strange,” Matt said.

I asked him, “What’s wrong? What’s going on? Why is he looking at us?”

He shrugged. “It’s never happened before. I don’t know.”

Ren finally turned away from us and began his normal routine. After the show was over and I had finished cleaning up, I went to visit Dhiren, who was pacing in his cage. When he saw me, he sat down, settled himself, and placed his head on his paws. I walked up to the cage. “Hey, Ren. What’s goin’ on with you today, Mister? I’m worried about you. I hope you aren’t getting sick or something.”

He rested quietly, but kept his eyes on me and followed my movements. I approached the cage slowly. I felt drawn to the animal and couldn’t seem to block out a very strong, dangerous compulsion; it was almost a tangible pull. Maybe it was because I felt we were both lonely or maybe it was because he was such a beautiful creature. I don’t know the reason, but I wanted, Ineeded , to touch him.

I knew it was risky, but I wasn’t scared. Somehow, Iknew that he wouldn’t hurt me, so I ignored the red-alert bells dinging in my head. My heart began beating very fast. I took another step closer to the cage and stood there for a moment, shaking. Ren wasn’t moving at all. He just continued to look at me calmly with his vivid blue eyes.

I slowly reached my hand out toward the cage, stretching just my fingertips to his paw. I made contact and touched his soft, white fur with the tips of my fingers. He exhaled a deep sigh, but other than that he didn’t move. I got a little bit braver and placed my whole hand on top of his paw, petted it, and traced one of his stripes with my finger. The next thing I knew, his head moved toward my hand. Before I could

pull my hand out of the cage, he licked it. It tickled.

I withdrew my hand quickly. “Ren! You scared me! I thought you were going to bite off my fingers!” I tentatively held out my hand near the cage again, and his pink tongue darted out between the bars to lick my hand. I let him lick a few more times, then headed over to the sink and washed the tiger saliva off.

Returning to my favorite spot by the hay bale, I said, “Thanks for not eating me.”

He huffed quietly in response.

“Okay…what would you like to read today? How about that cat poem I promised you?” I sat down, opened my poetry book, and found the right page. “Okay, here goes…

I am the cat

by Leila Usher

In Egypt, they worshiped me

I am the Cat.

Because I bend not to the will of man

They call me a mystery.

When I catch and play with a mouse,

They call me cruel,

Yet they take animals to keep

In parks and zoos, that they may gape at them.

They think all animals are made for their pleasure,

To be their slaves.

And, while I kill only for my needs,

They kill for pleasure, power and gold,

And then pretend to a superiority!

Why should I love them?

I, the Cat, whose ancestors

Proudly trod the jungle,

Not one ever tamed by man.

Ah, do they know

That the same immortal hand

That gave them breath, gave breath to me?

But I alone am free

I am the cat

I closed my book and gazed reflectively at the tiger. I imagined him proud and noble, racing through the jungle on a hunt. I suddenly felt very, very sorry about his situation.It can’t be a good life, performing in a

circus, even if you have a good trainer. A tiger isn’t a dog or a cat to be somebody’s pet. He should be free in the wild.

I stood up and walked back over to the tiger’s cage. Hesitantly, I reached my hand into his cage to pat his paw again. Immediately, his tongue flew out to lick my hand. I laughed at first and then sobered.

Slowly, I moved my hand up to his cheek and stroked the soft fur. Then, feeling brave, I scratched him behind his ear. A deep vibration rumbled in his throat, and I realized he was purring. I grinned and scratched his ear some more. “Like that, do you?”

I pulled my hand out of the cage, slowly again, and watched him for a minute, deliberating on what had happened. He had an almost human expression of melancholy on his face. Iftigers have souls, and I believe they do, I imagine his to be a lonely and sad one. I looked into those big blue eyes and whispered, “I wish you were free.”

CHAPTER 4

Two days later when I opened the door and walked into the barn, I saw a tall, distinguished man standing next to Ren’s cage. He didn’t hear me come in. He was talking softly, but I didn’t see Mr.

Davis

anywhere.

I said, “Hello, can I help you find someone?”

The man whipped around quickly, smiled at me, and said, “Hello, you must be Miss Kelsey. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Anik Kadam. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

He pressed his hands together and bowed.And I thought chivalry was dead.

The first thing I noticed about him was his clothing. He was dressed in an expensive black suit, something a man usually did not wear in the summer unless he was attending church or a funeral. His polished black shoes definitely did not belong in a barn. The thick, white hair on his head was cut short, and he had a closely trimmed beard and mustache. His eyes were dark brown, almost black, and he had a long, aquiline nose.

The olive complexion and refined accent made me wonder where he came from. He could be from Britain, Greece, Iraq, or even Croatia. I suppose my best guess would be Euro-Asian, which meant I gave up trying to figure it out.

“Yes, I’m Kelsey. Is there something I can do for you?”

“Perhaps thereis something you can do for me, eh?” He smiled warmly at me. “I would like to speak to the owner of your circus about this magnificent animal,” he said, gesturing toward Ren.

Confused, I replied, “Sure, Mr. Maurizio is in the back of the main building in the black motor home.

Do

you want me to take you there?”

“No need to trouble yourself, my dear. But, thank you kindly for the offer. I will go and see him immediately.”

He left the barn and quietly shut the door behind him.

After checking Ren to make sure he was okay, I said, “Well, boy…that was sure strange. I wonder what he wanted. Maybe he has a thing for tigers.” I hesitated for a moment, and then reached my hand through the cage bars again. Amazed at my own boldness, I stroked his paw briefly and then began to get his breakfast ready. Speaking over my shoulder, I said, “It’s not every day a person sees a tiger as handsome as you are, you know. He probably just wants to compliment you on your performance.” Ren huffed in response.

After I fed Ren, I decided to grab a bite to eat myself and headed toward the main building. There was a flurry of activity that wasn’t normal for the troupe at this time of day. People were gathering in the main building, and I overheard several animated conversations as they gossiped in small, scattered groups. I snatched a chocolate chip muffin and a bottle of cold milk, took a big bite, and cornered Matt.

“What’s going on?” I mumbled with my mouth full.

“I’m not exactly sure. My dad, Mr. Maurizio, and another man are in a serious meeting, and we were told to put a hold on our daily activities. We were instructed to wait here. We’reall wondering what’s going on.”

“Hmm.” I sat and ate my muffin, listening to the wild theories and speculations of the troupe.

We didn’t have to wait long. A few minutes later, Mr. Maurizio, Mr. Davis, and the stranger I’d met earlier walked into the building.

Mr. Maurizio, with a beaming smile on his face, said, “Sedersi, my friends. Sit. Sit!”

Everyone quickly shuffled to a chair and sat down.

“Thisman, Mr. Kadam, has made me the most happy of men today. He has made an offer to purchase our belov’d tigre, Dhiren.”

There was an audible gasp in the room as several people jostled in their seats and softly whispered to one another.

He continued, “Now, now…fare silenzio. Shh mio amici. Let me finish! He wishes to take our tigre back

to India to the Ranthambore National Park, the great tigre reserve. Mr. Kadam’s denaro will provide for our troupe for due annos!”

He held up two fingers to emphasize the meaning of due annos for those of us who didn’t speak Italian.

“Mr. Davis is in d’accordo with me and also feels that Dhiren will be assuredly happier there.” I glanced

at Mr. Davis who solemnly nodded his agreement.

“We have agree that we will finish the shows for this week, and then the tigre will go with Mr. Kadam con l’aereo, by airplane, to India, while we will move on to our next city. Dhiren will stay with us this last

week until we make the grandioso finale next Saturday!”

He thumped Mr. Kadam on the back, and the two men turned and disappeared out of the building. All at once, the hushed crowd started moving around quickly and began greeting each other happily. They darted back and forth among the different groups like a flock of chickens at feeding time, scuttling in and

out of the crowd and pecking for tidbits of information and gossip. They spoke in excited tones and patted each other’s backs, murmuring excited congratulations.

Everybody was happy except me. I sat there holding the remainder of my muffin in my limp hand. My mouth was still hanging open, and I felt frozen to my chair. After I finally closed my mouth, I got Matt’s attention.

“What does this mean for your dad?”

He shrugged. “Dad still has the dogs…and he’s always had an interest in working with miniature horses.

Now that the circus has more money, maybe Dad can get Mr. Maurizio to purchase a couple that he could start training.”

He walked off while I pondered the question,What does this mean for me? I felt…distressed. I knew that this circus gig would end soon, but I’d put it out of my mind. I’d really miss Ren. I didn’t realize how

much until this very moment. Still…I was happy for him. I sighed and chided myself for getting too emotionally involved.

Despite feeling happy for my tiger—I say “my” because I already felt possessive of him—I went through

my day feeling depressed. I really enjoyed sitting and talking to him every day. I kept busy to keep my mind off it. Matt and I worked all afternoon, and I didn’t have time to seemy tiger again until after dinner.

I hurried to my tent, grabbed my blanket, journal, and a book, and ran over to the barn. I walked in, found my favorite spot, and sat down with my legs stretched out in front of me.

“Hey, Ren. Pretty big news for you, huh? You’re going back to India! I really hope you’ll be happy there. Maybe you can find yourself a pretty female tiger.”

I heard a “harrumph” sound come from the cage.

I thought for a minute. “Hey…I hope you still know how to hunt and stuff. Well, I guess being on a reserve they’d keep an eye on you so you don’t waste away.”

I heard a noise coming from the back of the building and turned to see that Mr. Kadam had entered. I sat up a little straighter and felt a little self-conscious for being caught talking to a tiger.

Mr. Kadam said, “I am sorry to distract you. Please enjoy your free time.”

He glanced from the tiger to me, studied me carefully, then stated, “You seem to have…affection for this

tiger. Am I right?”

I answered unguardedly, “Yes. I enjoy my time with him.”

He nodded. I asked, “Do you go around rescuing tigers? That has to be an interesting job.”

Smiling, he replied, “Oh, it’s not my main job. My true job is managing a large estate. The tiger is an item

of interest for my employer. He’s the one who has made the offer to Mr. Maurizio.”

He found a stool, placed it down across from me, and sat down, balancing his tall body on the short stool with a natural ease I would not have expected from an older man.

I asked him, “Are youfrom India?”

“Yes,” he replied. “I was born and raised there many years ago. The main holdings of the estate that I manage are there also.”

“Why is this owner so interested in Dhiren?”

His eyes twinkled, and he glanced at the tiger briefly and then asked me, “Do you know the story of the great Prince Dhiren?”

I shook my head and said, “No.”

“Your tiger’s name, Dhiren…in my language means ‘strong one.’”

He tilted his head and gazed at me thoughtfully. “This rather famous prince carried the same name, and he had quite an interesting history.”

I grinned. “You are evading my question and rather successfully too. I love a good story. Can you remember it?”

His eyes fixed on something far off in the distance and he smiled. “I think I can.”

His voice changed. Losing its sophisticated European elegance, his accent became more pronounced and he began, “Long ago, there was a powerful raja of India who had two sons. The elder was named Dhiren and the younger was called Kishan. The two brothers received the best education and military training. Their mother taught them to love the land and all the people who lived there. She often took the boys to play with underprivileged children because she wished for them to learn what their people needed. It also taught them to feel humility and be grateful for the advantages they had.”

He smiled. “Their father, the king, taught them how to rule the kingdom. Dhiren, in particular, grew up to

be a brave and fearless military leader as well as a sensible administrator. Kishan was also very brave, strong, and clever.

“Kishan loved his brother, but, at times, he felt the piercing stab of jealousy, for despite being successful

in all of his training, Kishan knew that Dhiren was destined to be the raja. This made him feel…slightly less important in his parents’ eyes. Not that his parentsreally felt that way. Kishan just competed with his

brother, a natural occurrence between siblings.

“Dhiren had a knack for impressing people easily with his acumen, intelligence, and personality. That rare combination of charm and modesty embodied in the prince made him an outstanding politician. A person of…contradictions, he was a great warrior as well as a renowned poet. The people loved the royal family and looked forward to many peaceful and happy years under Dhiren’s reign.”

I nodded, fascinated by the story, and said, “What happened to the brothers? Did they battle one another for the throne?”

Shifting on the stool slightly, he continued, “Dhiren’s father, King Rajaram, arranged a marriage between

Dhiren and the daughter of a ruler from a neighboring kingdom. Dhiren was pleased not only because the

girl, whose name was Yesubai, was very beautiful, but also because he was wise enough to know that the union would bring peace to his land. They were formally engaged while Dhiren was away inspecting the troops in another part of the kingdom. During that absence, Kishan began to spend time with Yesubai, and soon they fell in love with one another.”

The tiger snorted loudly and thumped his tail against the wooden floor of his cage a few times. I glanced

over at him, concerned, but he seemed fine.

“Shh, Ren. Let him tell the story.”

He put his head on his paws and watched us.

“Kishan betrayed his brother so he could have the woman he loved. He bartered with a prodigious and evil man who captured Dhiren on his journey home. As a political prisoner, he was dragged along behind

a camel and paraded through the enemy’s town where the people threw stones, sticks, muck, and camel dung at him. He was tortured, his eyes were plucked out of their sockets, the hair was shaved off his head, and eventually his body was torn apart into pieces and thrown into the river.”

I gasped. “How horrible!”

Mesmerized by the story, I was bursting with questions, but I held back and let him continue. Mr.

Kadam focused his gaze on my face and continued gravely, “When his people learned of his death, a great sorrow spread across the land. Some say that Dhiren’s people went down to the river and pulled out the torn pieces of his body to give him a proper burial. Others say that his body was never found.

“Hearing of their beloved son’s death, the raja and his wife, heavy with misery, lapsed into a deep despair. Soon, both of them departed from this life. Kishan ran away in shame. Yesubai took her own life. The Mujulaain Empire was thrown into dark shadows of morass and disarray. With the authoritative voice of the royal family gone, the military took over the kingdom. Eventually, the evil man who had killed

Dhiren captured the throne, but only after fifty years of terrible war and bloodshed.”

As he finished his story, there was a tangible silence, and both of us were quiet for a few moments.

Ren’s tail rustled in his cage, which snapped me out of my reverie.

“Wow,” I responded. “So…did helove her?”

“Of whom are you speaking?”

“Did Dhiren love Yesubai?”

He blinked. “I…don’t…know. Many marriages were arranged in those days, and love often wasn’t a consideration then.”

“That’s a very sad sequence of events. I feel sorry for everyone in that story…except for the bad guy. A great story, though a bit bloody…an Indian tragedy. It reminds me of Shakespeare. He would have written a great play based on that story. So, Ren is named after that Indian prince?”

Mr. Kadam raised his eyebrow and smiled. “It would appear so.”

I looked over at the tiger. “See, Ren, you’re a hero! You’re one of the good guys!”

Ren pricked his ears forward and blinked his eyes, watching me.

“Thanks for sharing that story with me. I will definitely be writing about that in my journal.” I tried to pull

him back to my original question, “But, it still doesn’t explain why your employer is interested in tigers.”

He cleared his throat while looking at me obliquely, stalling for a moment. For someone so eloquent, he fumbled awkwardly through his next words. He said, “He has a special…connection with this tiger. You see, he feels he is to blame for the tiger’s imprisonment. No, that is too harsh a word, for his…capture.

My employer allowed himself to be…ensnared in a situation that led to the tiger being caged and sold.

He has followed the tiger’s whereabouts for the last few years, and now he’s finally in a position to make

amends.”

“Huh. That’s very interesting. So it washis fault that Dhiren was captured in the first place? It’s very kind

of him to continue to be concerned about an animal’s welfare like that. Please thank him for me, for what

he’s doing for Ren.”

He bowed his head toward me in acknowledgement, then, hesitating, fixed a somber gaze on me and said, “Miss Kelsey, I hope it’s not too forward of me to ask, but I need someone to accompany the tiger on his journey to India. I will not be able to tend to his daily needs or even travel with him for the entire journey. I have already asked Mr. Davis if he could accompany Dhiren, but he must stay here with the circus.”

He leaned forward on the stool and gestured slightly with his hands. “I would like to offeryou that job.

Would you be interested?”

I stared at his hands for a moment, thinking that a man such as he should have long, tapered, manicured fingers, but his fingers were thick and calloused, like a man accustomed to hard labor.

He said, “The tiger is already used to you, and I can pay you a good wage. Mr. Davis suggested your name as a likely candidate and mentioned that your temporary employment here is almost at an end anyway. If you choose to accept the job, I can assure you that my employer would appreciate having someone who can…care for him better that I can. The entire trip should take about a week, but I have been instructed to compensate you for your entire summer. I know that doing this for me will take you away from your home and delay your search for a new position elsewhere, so you will be duly compensated.”

“What exactly would I have to do? Wouldn’t I need a passport and other paperwork done?” I asked.

He inclined his head toward me. “I can, of course, arrange all the preliminaries for the trip. You would accompany Dhiren and me on a flight to Mumbai, what you might still call Bombay. Upon arrival, I must

stay in town on business, and you would then continue to accompany Dhiren on the drive to the reserve.

I will hire drivers and loaders to assist you on the journey. Your primary responsibility will be to care for

Dhiren by feeding him and seeing to his comfort.”

“I see.”

“The journey over land is about ten to twelve hours one way. After you arrive at the reserve, you would stay there for a few days to ensure he is acclimatizing well to his new environment and comparative freedoms. I would purchase a return plane ticket from Jaipur, so that you will be able to ride the Jaipur tour bus that goes from the reserve to the airport, and then fly to Mumbai, and home from there, making your return trip a little bit shorter.”

“So it would be about a week altogether?” I asked.

He replied, “You can choose to either fly back home immediately or, if you like, you may stay on vacation in India for a few days and enjoy touring before you go home. Rest assured, I would provide for

all of your travel as well as any other necessary accommodations along the way.”

I blinked and sputtered, “That’s a very generous offer. Yes, my position here at the circus is almost at an

end, and I would have to start looking for a new job very soon anyway.”

I got up and started pacing, mumbling indecisively to myself as much as to him. “India’s very far away.

I’ve never been out of the country before, so the idea of it is both exciting and scary at the same time.

Can I think about it and let you know? When do you need for me to give you an answer?”

“The sooner you say yes, the sooner I can make the necessary arrangements.”

“Alright. Let me call my foster parents and talk with Mr. Davis to see what they think about all this, and then I’ll let you know for sure.”

He nodded and mentioned that Mr. Maurizio knew how to contact him when I was ready to inform him of my decision. He also said that he would be around the circus for the rest of the afternoon finalizing paperwork.

With jumbled thoughts, I grabbed my things, turned, and walked back to the main building. I was seriously contemplating Mr. Kadam’s offer. It was very tempting to spend a little more time with Ren, plus I’d always wanted to visit a foreign country. I could have a little vacation and get paid too. I considered Mr. Kadam. He didn’t strike me as one of those creepy kinds of men with bad intentions. In fact, he seemed trustworthy and grandfatherly to me. I decided to ask Mr. Davis’ opinion.

I found him teaching the dogs a new trick and asked him what he thought. He confirmed that Mr.

Kadam had offered him the same job and that he’d been tempted to do it. “I think it would be a great experience for you. You’re great with animals, especially with Dhiren. If that’s something you think you’d

like to focus on in a future career, then you should consider it. The job would look great on a resume.”

Thanking him, I decided to call my foster parents. They basically said that I was now old enough to make my own decision. They suggested that, since it was my birthday, they’d like to have an impromptu birthday party for me. They figured they could celebrate with me and meet Mr. Kadam, killing two birds with one stone. They also said that if I chose to go, they would support my decision as long as I touched base with them often.

After taking some time to think about the pros and cons, I felt my excitement for the trip melt away my nerves.I really would like to go to India and see Ren off to the tiger reserve. It would be an opportunity to do something that I’d never get the chance to do again. I walked back to the livestock building where they kept Ren and found Mr. Kadam there. He appeared to be in quiet conversation with Ren again.I guess he likes talking to tigers as much as I do.

I paused just inside the door. “Mr. Kadam? My foster parents would like to meet you and wanted me to invite you to a birthday celebration for me tonight. They asked Mr. Maurizio if they could have it here, and he agreed, so they’re bringing some cake and ice cream after the evening performance. Can you come?”

His face lit up with a radiant, delighted smile. “Wonderful! I would love to come to your party!”

“Don’t get too excited. They’re likely to bring soy ice cream and gluten-free sugar-free cupcakes.” I laughed.

After speaking to him, I called my family to finalize the plans. They came early to watch the show and were thoroughly impressed with Ren’s performance.

My foster family loved meeting everyone. Mr. Kadam was polite and charming and told them that it would be impossible to accomplish his task without my help.

“I assure you that we will be in constant communication and she can call you at any time,” he said.

Mr. Davis later added his two cents. “Kelsey is more than capable of doing the job as Mr. Kadam defines it. It’s essentially the same thing she’s been doing at the circus for the past two weeks. Plus it will

be a great experience to add to her college applications.”

My foster family had a great time, and it was fun having the party there. They even brought normal cupcakes and ice cream. Most teenagers planned exciting things for their eighteenth birthday, but I was content to just be with my foster family, my new friends at the circus, and my half gallon of Tillamook Mudslide.

Sarah and Mike pulled me aside and Sarah said, “Well, Kelsey, if our opinion means anything, we really

like Mr. Kadam and think it would be a fun trip for you.”

I hugged them excitedly and went to tell Mr. Kadam.

He beamed a happy smile and said, “Now, Miss Kelsey, it will take me approximately one week to arrange the transportation. I will also need to arrange traveling papers for both Dhiren and yourself. My plan is to leave tomorrow morning and return as soon as I have the necessary documents.”

Later, as he prepared to leave, he walked over to shake my hand and held it for a minute, saying,

“Thank you for being willing to help. You have assuaged my fears and given hope to a disillusioned old man that has anticipated only calamity and disappointment.” He squeezed my hand, patted it, and stepped quickly out the door.

Later, when the party was over and I went back to visit Ren, I said, “Here…I snuck in a cupcake.

Probably not on your tiger diet, but you might as well celebrate too, huh?”

He gently took the cupcake from my outstretched hand, swallowed it in one gulp, and then started licking frosting off my fingers. I giggled and went to wash my hand.

“I wonder what Mr. Kadam was talking about? Calamity? Assuaged fears? He’s a bit dramatic, eh, Ren?” I yawned and scratched him behind the ear, grinning as he leaned his head into the scratch. “Well, Ren, I’m sleepy. I’m going to bed. We’ll have a fun trip together, won’t we?” Stifling another yawn, I said, “See you in the morning.”

I made sure he had enough water, then turned off the lights, shut the door, and headed to bed.

The next morning, I got up early to check on Ren. I opened the doors and headed down to his cage, but found the door was open. He wasn’t there!

“Ren? Where are you?” I heard a noise behind me and turned around to find him lying on a pile of hay…

outsidehis cage.

“Ren! How on earth did you get out? Mr. Davis is going to kill me! I’m sure I locked your cage door last night!”

The tiger got up and shook himself, getting most of the hay off his fur. He walked lazily over to me. I was

scared out of my mind, but it was too late to walk back out of the barn. Mr. Davis taught me never to look away from big cats, so I stuck out my chin, put my hands on my hips, and sternly ordered him back to his cage. The odd thing was…he seemed to understand what I wanted him to do. He walked past me, rubbed his side against my leg, and…obeyed! He padded slowly over to the ramp, flicked his tail back and forth while watching me, and was up and through the door in two great leaps.

I hurried over to close the door, and when it finally shut, I let out a long breath. After getting his water and food for the day, I set off in search of Mr. Davis to break the news.

Mr. Davis took it pretty well considering that a tiger was loose. He was surprised that I was more concerned for Ren’s safety than my own. He assured me that I’d done the right thing and was even impressed by how I’d handled it calmly. I assured him that I would be more careful and make sure that the cage was always latched properly. Still, I was certain that I hadn’t inadvertently left the cage unlocked.

The next week sped by in a blur. Mr. Kadam didn’t reappear until the evening of Dhiren’s last performance. He approached me and asked if he could meet with me after dinner. I said, “Sure, I’ll meet you at one of the tables over dessert.”

The mood was one of celebration after the final performance. I saw Mr. Kadam enter the building, so I gathered up my paper, pencil, and two dishes of ice cream and then sat down across from him.

He began by spreading out various forms and documents for me to sign. “We will be driving Dhiren in a

truck from here to the Portland airport.

We will board a cargo plane, which will fly us to New York City. From there, we will pass over the Atlantic Ocean and continue on to Mumbai. When we arrive in Mumbai, I will be leaving Dhiren in your

capable hands for a few days while I tend to some business in the city.

“I have arranged for a truck to meet us at the Mumbai airport. You and I will supervise the workers who will be loading Dhiren from the airplane into the truck. I’ve hired a driver to take you and Dhiren all the way to the reserve. Preparations have also been made for you to stay at the reserve for a few days.

Then, you may return to Mumbai at your convenience in preparation for your trip home. I will provide you traveling money, more than enough for any emergency.”

I took notes in a frenzy, trying to copy down all of his instructions.

“Mr. Davis will help prepare Dhiren here and will also load him onto the truck tomorrow morning. I suggest that you pack a bag for yourself that includes any personal items that you might wish to bring along. You may borrow my rental car tonight to go home and gather your things, but you do need to return here by early morning. Do you have any immediate questions?”

“Well, I have about a billion of them, but most of them can wait until tomorrow. I guess I’d better go home and get packed.”

He smiled at me and placed his car keys in my hand. “Thank you once again, Miss Kelsey. I look forward to our journey together. I will see you in the morning.”

I smiled at him and said good night. After taking his keys, I went back to my tent to gather my things. I visited briefly with Matt, Cathleen, Mr. Davis, and Mr. Maurizio. After wishing them luck and saying goodbye, I stopped by Dhiren’s cage to say good night. He was sleeping already, so I left him alone and walked out to the parking lot. There was only one car parked, and it was a beautiful silver convertible. I looked at the key fob and readBentley GTC Convertible . “Holy cow! You have got to be kidding me!

This car must be worth a fortune! He trustsme to drivethis ?”

I approached the car timidly and clicked the unlock button on the key chain. The car’s headlights blinked at me. Until that moment, I didn’t believe that this was the car he expected me to drive.

I opened the door, slid into the soft, buttery leather seats, and ran my hand over the elegant pronounced stitching. The dashboard looked ultramodern, with handsome instrument controls and displays in a silvery

metallic color. The car screamed luxury.

I started the engine and jumped as it roared to life. Even I, someone with no real knowledge of cars, could tell that this car was fast. I sighed in pleasure as I realized that it also included heated massage seats. Cars had never been a subject that held any appeal for me, but being behind the wheel ofthis charming car was changing that tune…. I arrived home in just a few short minutes and groaned in disappointment that I lived so nearby.

Mike insisted that a “Bentley” needed to be parked in the garage. He eagerly moved his old Camry out to the street and parked it next to the garbage cans. The poor old reliable Camry was thrust out the door like an old house cat while the brand new kitten got a soft pillow on the bed. Keeping up the cat analogy, Mike ended up spending several hours in the garage that night cooing over and petting the convertible. I,

on the other hand, spent my evening gathering all my belongings and boxing them up to store in the garage. I did my laundry, packed a large bag with the things I wanted to bring, and spent some time visiting with my foster family. The two kids, Rebecca and Sammy, wanted to hear all about my two weeks at the circus. We also talked about the exciting things I might get to see and do in India.

They were good people, a good family, and they cared about me, so I felt emotional saying goodbye. I was transitioning. This was the end of my youth. Leaving for India somehow meant that I was now an adult. I hugged and kissed the two kids, and Mike soberly shook my hand for a long minute. Then I turned to Sarah, who pulled me into a tight hug and held me close for a moment. We were both teary eyed afterward, but she assured me that they would always be around for me whenever I needed them.

You’d think that I’d be so stressed about the trip and emotional about saying goodbye that I wouldn’t be able to sleep, but it was quite the opposite. I quickly slipped into a deep sleep and dreamed of a handsome Indian prince who happened to have a pet tiger.

CHAPTER 5

The next morning, I awoke with great energy and felt positive and enthusiastic about the trip. After showering and a quick breakfast, I grabbed my bag, hugged Sarah again since she was the only one awake, and ran out to the garage. I slid back into the Bentley and found it as delicious as I remembered.

I pulled into the parking lot and stopped next to a mediumsized cargo truck. The vehicle had a larger than average wind-shield, very big wheels, and smallish doors that required you to climb a step or two up

to reach them. It looked like a monster truck past its prime, but, instead of being put out to pasture, it had been recruited into the cargo business. Behind the cab was a flatbed with a boxy steel frame draped with gray canvas.

The ramp was down in the back, and I saw that Mr. Davis was already loading Ren into the cage. Ren wore a thick collar around his neck, which was firmly attached to a long chain that Mr. Davis and Matt were both gripping tightly. The tiger seemed very calm and unruffled despite the chaos going on around him. In fact, he watched me for a moment while waiting patiently for the men to prepare the truck.

Finally, they were ready, and with a command from Mr. Davis, Ren quickly catapulted up into the crate.

Mr. Kadam approached me, smiled, took my bag, and slung the strap over his shoulder. He asked,

“Miss Kelsey, would you like to accompany me in the convertible or would you like to ride in the truck with the driver?”

I looked at the monster cargo truck and quickly made my decision, “With you. I’d never pick a monster flatbed over a sleek convertible.”

He laughed in agreement and placed my bag in the trunk of the Bentley. Knowing it was time to go, I waved goodbye to Mr. Davis and Matt, climbed back into the convertible, and buckled my seatbelt.

Before I knew it, we were cruising along I-5 behind the truck.

Talking was difficult because of the wind whipping over us in the car, so I just leaned my head back against the soft, warm leather and watched the scenery go by. We were actually driving at a leisurely pace—about ten miles per hour under the speed limit. Curious onlookers slowed their cars to stare at our little convoy. The traffic got heavier near Wilsonville, and we quickly caught up to the morning commuters

who’d passed us earlier.

I warned Mr. Kadam, “We’ll be stuck in traffic for a while until we turn off onto the I-205. Most of these cars you see now will be continuing down I-5, headed for downtown Portland. The 205 will be clear, though, and we can speed up again.” He nodded, and I fell silent again. Sure enough, as soon as we got onto the 205 ramp, we began to pick up speed.

The airport was about twenty miles down the 205, which was a small highway that sat like a teacup handle on I-5. It started in Washington State, then curved through Oregon until it circled back and touched I-5 again. The highway was about thirty miles long—my theory is that it was built to help people

avoid downtown Portland. The Portland International Airport sat on the Columbia River, which was the official Oregon/Washington border, on the Oregon side, right off I-205.

The truck in front of us turned onto Airport Drive, then pulled off on a side street and stopped behind some large hangars. Several cargo planes were lined up and being loaded. Mr. Kadam wove between people and equipment and came to a stop near another plane. The name on the side readFlying Tiger Airlines , and it sported the image of a running tiger.

I turned to Mr. Kadam who had brought the car to a stop, nodded my head toward the plane, and said,

“Flying Tiger, huh?” He grinned. “It’s a long story, Miss Kelsey, and I will tell you all about it on the plane.”

He pulled my bag out of the trunk and handed the keys to a man standing by who promptly got into the gorgeous car and drove it off the tarmac. He handed my bag to another attendant, who stowed it in the plane. We both watched Dhiren’s cage get picked up with a pallet jack and moved toward the back of the aircraft. They lifted the cage up to the open cargo door and positioned it to fit flush to the cage built into the jet. When they were in place, they locked the cages together and opened both doors.

Ren seemed to know what to do and quickly deserted the small traveling cage for the big one. I asked Mr. Kadam, “Why is there another cage built into the plane? I thought Dhiren would be traveling in the smaller one.”

He smiled. “I wanted the tiger to travel in comfort. It’s a sad fact that many animals in transit are often confined to small compartments, and it’s very uncomfortable for them. My employer wishes for Dhiren to

feel…unperturbedon his journey to his homeland. That’s why we’ve had this large cage specially installed.”

The workers moved the pallet jack out and closed up the rear of the plane. Mr. Kadam turned to me.

“Come, Miss Kelsey, it is time to board. We’ll be leaving soon.”

“Don’t we have to go through some kind of security?”

He walked with me to the stairs. “Not on a private jet. It’s different for the wealthy. The policies for private jets are different. Any private jet pilots coming from overseas must give certain information to customs agents within the United States before landing or taking off, unless they are only landing to refuel

and continue on to another country. Our pilot takes care of contacting the CBP, the Customs and Border Protection, at least an hour prior to departure or arrival. They send an official out to check the plane, which in our case, has already been done. It’s usually much easier to get out of the United States than to get in.”

“What about our traveling papers?”

“There’s an inspector who is examining Dhiren’s papers as well as our passports now, even as we speak. He will turn them all over to our staff when he’s finished. We must also provide him a report of the commander’s name, the country of origin, type of aircraft, registration number, foreign point of departure, airport designator code, airport of arrival, number of passengers who are US citizens and number who aren’t, and estimated time of arrival. Of course, an unethical pilot can lie about his passengers, falsify documents, etc. The agent goes through the lists and then gives approval to land or take off. Some airports charge fees for landing, some don’t. Most airportswant the business a private jet brings in.”

“Business…what do you mean?”

“Not only is it nice to have wealthy people set up businesses in your city but there are fees to be paid, plus the purchase of fuel for the plane, as well as the cost of renting hangar space.”

“Doesn’t it seem like it’s a little bit too easy for unethical people to get in and out of the United States?

It

almost sounds like rich people don’t have to follow the same rules as everybody else. No offense.”

We stood outside the plane for another moment, waiting for the all clear to enter.

He chuckled. “I am not offended, Miss Kelsey. Wealthy people often do have the resources to attain almost anything they desire. As far as it being easy to enter the United States…I’ve found it quite the contrary. Homeland Security has beefed up their policies in the last few years. In the not too distant past, there weren’t many rules at all to govern private airplanes. But, remember, not everyone owns a private jet, and customs agents typically get to know the air traffic for different regions and they are careful to watch out for odd or unusual flights.”

I followed him up the portable stairs that were connected to the door of the plane, and stepped inside. I was surprised at the luxury of the interior and that Dhiren’s cage took up the entire back half of the plane.

The inside was decorated in black, white, and chrome, which made it look sleek and modern.

The black leather seats were exceptionally cozy looking, a far cry from the cabin seats on commercial jets…and they fully reclined! An attractive Indian flight attendant with long, dark hair gestured to a chair

and said with a small smile, “Please, go ahead and take your seat, Miss Kelsey.” She had an accent similar to Mr. Kadam’s.

I asked, “Are you from India too?”

She nodded and smiled at me as she fluffed a pillow under my head. Next, she brought me a blanket and

placed a variety of magazines on the table next to me.

Mr. Kadam sat in the roomy chair across from me facing Dhiren. He waved away the attendant and strapped himself in, foregoing the offered pillow and blanket.

I had flown in a plane only a couple of times before on vacations with my family. During the actual flight,

I was normally relaxed, but the takeoffs and landings left me feeling anxious and tense. The sound of the engines probably bothered me the most—the ominous roar as they came to life, crept down the runway, and sprang into the air like an attacking…tiger, made me nervous. The pushed-back-in-your-chair feeling

as the plane left the earth always made me queasy. The landings weren’t fun either, but I was usually so excited to get off and move around that I just wanted to be done with it.

This plane was definitely different. It was luxurious, wide open and had plenty of legroom and comfy leather reclining chairs. Even with Dhiren taking up the back half all to himself, there was still plenty of room. It was so much nicer than flying coach. Comparing this to a regular plane was like comparing a soggy, stale French fry you find under your car seat with a giant baked potato with salt rubbed into the skin, topped with sour cream, crumbled bacon, butter, shredded cheese, and sprinkled with fresh-cracked black pepper. Yep, this plane wasloaded .

All this luxury, coupled with the beautiful convertible car, made me wonder about Mr. Kadam’s employer. He must be someonevery rich and powerful in India. I tried to think of famous millionaires or actors that might live there, but I couldn’t even fathom a guess as to who it might be.

Maybe he’s one of those Bollywood actors. I wonder how much money they make. No, that can’t be it.

Mr. Kadam has been working for him a long time, so he’s probably a very old man now.

Like many American teenagers, I learned most of my facts about other countries from television, which was mostly inaccurate and grossly perpetuated stereotypes. I read a lot, but I read literature and novels rather than nonfiction books or newspapers. Sadly, I just didn’t know much about other countries, especially India.

We’d built up speed and taken off while I was pondering this. I hadn’t even noticed! Maybe it was because my chair was so soft that I just sank back into it when the plane ascended, or maybe it was because the pilot did an exceptional job. Perhaps it was a little of both. I looked out the window and watched the Columbia River get smaller and smaller until we passed through the cloud cover and I couldn’t see land anymore.

After about an hour and a half, I’d readPeople magazine cover to cover and finished the Sudoku as well as the crossword. I set down my magazine and looked at Mr. Kadam. I didn’t want to pester him, but I had a lot of questions. I cleared my throat, and he looked at me over hisTime magazine and smiled. Of course, the first thing that came out of my mouth was the question I cared the least about. “So…Mr.

Kadam. Tell me all about Flying Tiger Airlines.”

He folded his magazine and set it down on the table. “Of course…where to begin? My employer used to own, and I used to run, the cargo airline company calledFlying Tiger Airlines Freight and Cargo or Flying Tiger Airlines for short. It was the largest major trans-Atlantic charter company in the 1940s and 1950s. When the company was first established, we used smaller aircraft such as Douglas DC-4s and 6s, but in the ‘70s we purchased our first Boeing 747. Several years later, we surpassed even Pan Am, which was the world’s largest carrier, and we provided service to almost every continent in the world.”

“Where did the nameFlying Tiger come from? And why did we take off from the cargo terminal instead of from the regular airport?”

He shifted slightly in his seat. “You already know that my employer has a fondness for tigers, so it was that, coupled with the fact that a few of the original pilots had flown ‘tiger’ planes during WW II. You might remember that they were painted like tiger sharks to look fierce in battle. The nameFlying Tiger Airlines Freight and Cargo was suggested and then agreed upon in a company meeting.

“In the late ‘80s, my employer made the decision to sell the company and to invest in other business interests. The company was sold toWorldwide Air Cargo Services , who merged all of our operations into their courier business. One stipulation of the sale, however, was that my employer could have unlimited use of their airport runways around the world for the next fifty years. He also kept one plane, this one, for personal use.”

“You sayyour employer often. Can you tell me what his, or her, name is?”

He hedged and his expression tightened, closing off slightly, “He would like to introducehimself when you land in India.”

“You mean I get to meet him?”

His eyes twinkled. “Most assuredly. I amcertain he would like to converse with you.” He shifted his gaze

to the back of the plane for a moment and then back to me.

He smiled at me with an encouraging expression. “Are there any other questions you have for me?”

“So would you say that you’re his vice president?”

He laughed. “Suffice it to say, he is a very wealthy man who trusts me completely to handle all of his business dealings.”

“Ah, so you’re the Mr. Smithers to his Mr. Burns.”

He quirked an eyebrow at me. “I’m afraid I don’t understand your reference.”

I blushed and waved a hand. “Never mind. They’re characters onThe Simpsons . You’ve probably never seen the show.”

“I’m afraid I haven’t. Sorry, Miss Kelsey.”

He seemed slightly uncomfortable or nervous when talking about his boss, but he enjoyed talking about planes, so I encouraged him to continue. I sat back in my seat and shifted. Kicking off my shoes, I sat cross-legged in the chair and asked, “What kind of cargo did you transport?”

He visibly relaxed. “Over the years, the company has transported quite a collection of interesting cargo.

For example, we won the contract to convey SeaWorld’s famous killer whale, as well as the torch from the Statue of Liberty; most of the time, though, the cargo was quite mundane. We transported things like canned goods, textiles, packages, quite a variety of things, really.”

“How on earth do you fit a whale into an airplane?”

“One flipper at a time, Miss Kelsey. One flipper at a time.”

His face was so serious. I laughed…hard.

Wiping a tear of laughter from the corner of my eye, I continued, “So you ran the company?”

“Yes, in a way. I oversee all of my employer’s investments. But, the airline company was one that I felt a

particular fondness for. I spent a lot of my time developingFlying Tiger Airlines . I very much enjoy aviation.”

He gestured to the aircraft. “What we’re riding in here is called an MD-11, a McDonnell Douglas. It’s a long-range craft, which is something we need when traveling across the ocean. The body is spacious and comfortable, as you might have noticed. It has two engines mounted under the wings, and a third engine is located in the back at the base of the vertical stabilizer. Of course, the interior is built for comfort and relaxation, and we employ the pilot, ground crew, as well as other staff to ensure security.”

“Hmm, sounds…sturdy.”

He leaned forward a bit in his seat and spoke enthusiastically, “Though this plane is an older model, it still provides for a very swift journey.” He began numbering its features on his fingers, “It includes a stretched fuselage, a large wingspan, refined airfoil on the wing and tail plane, and brand new engines.

“The flight deck features the most modern airline conveniences, like electronic instrument panels, dual flight management, GPS, central fault display, and it also has automatic landing capability for bad-weather

conditions. Of course, we also kept our original company name and logo on the side, which you identified when we boarded.”

He had become eagerly spirited during his technical ruminative. I’m sure it all meantsomething , but what

it meant…I had no idea. The only thing I got out of it was that it was a pretty darn good plane and sounded like it had three engines.

He must have figured out that I had no idea what he was talking about because he looked at my perplexed face and chuckled.

“Perhaps we should discuss something else, eh? How about something that might interest you.

Ah…what if I share with you some tiger myths from my homeland.”

I nodded enthusiastically, urging him to continue. I drew my legs to the side and tucked them into my chair.Yes…the chairs were that big . Then I pulled my blanket up to my chin and leaned back into my pillow.

He began speaking, and I heard his intonation change again as he went into storytelling mode. His proper English articulation dropped off, and his accent became more pronounced, the words more melodic. I enjoyed listening to the rhythmic cadence of his voice.

“The tiger is considered the great protector of the jungle. There are several Indian myths that say the tiger has great powers. He can perform complicated tasks such as combating great dragons or small tasks like helping farmers. One such task is to tow rain clouds with his tail, ending drought for humble villagers.”

“I’m very interested in mythology. Do the people of India still believe in these tiger myths?”

“Yes, especially in the rural areas. But, you will find believers in all parts of the country, even among those who consider themselves a part of today’s modern world. Some say that if a tiger purrs it will stop nightmares.”

“Mr. Davis said that tigers can’t purr. He told me that the big cats that growl and roar can’t purr.”

“Ah, you are correct. Modern science says that a tiger cannot produce the sound identified as a purr.

Several of the larger cats make a pulsating noise, but it isn’t quite the same as the purr of a housecat.

Still,

there are some Indian myths that speak of a tiger purring. It’s also said that a tiger’s body has unique healing properties. This is one of the reasons why they are regularly hunted and killed and their bodies mutilated or ground up and sold for parts.”

He leaned back in his chair, relaxing. “Those of the Islamic faith believe that Allah will send the tiger to defend and protect those who follow him faithfully, but he will also send a tiger to punish those he considers traitors.”

“Hmm…I think if I were Islamic I would run away from it, just to be on the safe side. I wouldn’t know if

it’s coming to punish or to protect.”

He laughed. “Yes, very wise of you. I confess, I have adopted somewhat of the same fascination that my

employer has for tigers, and I have studied numerous texts regarding the mythology of Indian tigers.”

He trailed off for a moment, lost in thought, and his eyes glazed over. His index finger rubbed at a spot on his chest, and I noticed he was wearing a chain that was tucked inside his shirt.

As his focus turned back to me, he quickly dropped his hand to his lap and continued, “Tigers are also a symbol of power and immortality. They are said to vanquish evil through various means. They are called life givers, sentinels, guardians, and defenders.”

I straightened my legs and angled my head back into the pillow. “Are there any damsel-in-distress type tiger myths?”

He considered, “Hmm…yes, in fact, one of my favorite stories is about a white tiger that sprouts wings and saves the princess who loves him from a cruel fate. Carrying her on his back, they relinquish their corporeal forms and become a single white streak as they journey into the heavens, eventually joining the

stars of the Milky Way. Together they spend eternity watching over and protecting the people of Earth.”

I yawned sleepily. “That’s really beautiful. I think that one’s my favorite too.”

His soft, melodic voice had relaxed me. Despite my best efforts to stay awake and listen, I was falling asleep.

He continued steadily, “In Nagaland, they believe that tigers and men are related, that they are brothers.

There is one myth that begins…‘Mother Earth was the mother of the tiger and also of man. Once the two brothers were happy, loved one another, and lived in harmony, but a feud began over a woman and Brother Tiger and Brother Man fought so wildly that Mother Earth could no longer tolerate their quarrel and had to send them both away.

“‘So Brother Tiger and Brother Man left the home of Mother Earth and emerged from a very deep, dark passage in the earth said to be a pangolin’s den. Living together on the earth, the two brothers still fought every day, until eventually they decided it would be better to live separately. Brother Tiger went south to hunt in the jungle, and Brother Man went north to farm in the valley. If they stayed away from each other, then both were content. But, if one encroached upon the other’s territory, fighting began anew. Many lifetimes later, the legend still holds true. If the descendants of Brother Man leave the jungles

in peace, Brother Tiger will also leave us in peace. Still, the tiger is our kin, and it is said that if you stare

into a tiger’s eyes long enough, you will be able to recognize a kindred spirit.”’

My eyelids were drooping against my wishes. I wanted to ask what a pangolin’s den was, but my mouth wouldn’t move and my eyelids felt so heavy. I made one last effort to stay awake by shifting up in my seat a little bit, forcing my eyes open.

He was looking at me thoughtfully. “Awhite tiger is a very special kind of tiger. It is immitigably drawn to

a person, agirl , who has a powerful sense of self-conviction. This woman will possess great inner strength, will have the insight to discern good from evil, and will have the power to overcome many obstacles. If she has the fortitude, the faith, and an open heart, then she who is called to walk with tigers…”

I fell asleep.

When I awoke, the chair across from me was empty. I sat up and looked around, but I didn’t see Mr.

Kadam anywhere. Unbuckling my seatbelt, I headed off to find the restroom. Opening a sliding door, I walked into a surprisingly large bathroom. This was not at all like the small boxy bathrooms in a regular plane. The lights were recessed in the walls and they softly illuminated the special features of the room.

The bathroom was decorated in copper, cream, and rust colors, which were more to my liking than the modern austere look of the plane’s cabin.

The first thing I noticed was the shower! I opened the glass door to peer inside. It had beautiful rust-and cream-colored tiles set in a lovely pattern. There were mounted pumps full of shampoo, conditioner, and soap. The copper showerhead was detachable, and a simple squeeze turned it on and off, similar to a kitchen sink sprayer. I figured this design would help to use less water, which wouldn’t be in abundance on a plane. A thick cream-colored rug covered the beautiful tiled floor.

Off to the side two vertical cubbies, set into the wall, were filled with soft, alabaster towels held in place

with a copper bar. Another wide compartment sported a silky soft, ivory, fully lined robe that felt like cashmere. It hung from a copper bar. Just under that, another smaller alcove held a pair of cashmere slippers.

A deep sink, shaped like a skinny rectangle, had a pump on each side of the copper faucet. One was full of creamy soap and the other with a sweet-smelling lavender lotion.

I finished up in the bathroom, almost hating to leave it, and headed back to my seat. Mr. Kadam was back, and the flight attendant brought us a delightful-smelling lunch. She had arranged a table between us

and had it set for two. What made our table unique were the slight depressions designed to hold all of our

dinnerware. Our plates sat in short, round grooves specially made to fit them. There was a little thumbnail

on one side so that the attendant could lift them in and out easily. Our glasses rested in slightly deeper grooves, and there was even a small vase full of short-stemmed yellow roses set in its own hollowed out space.

She pulled the warmer cover off our plates, and I inhaled the delicious aroma of fish. She said,

“Today’s lunch is crusted hazel-nut halibut with buttered asparagus, garlic mashed potatoes, and a lemon tart for

dessert. What would you like to drink?”

“Water with some lemon,” I responded.

“I’ll have the same,” said Mr. Kadam.

We enjoyed our lunch together. Mr. Kadam asked me lots of questions about Oregon. He seemed to have an unquenchable thirst for learning new facts and asked me about everything from sports,which I know almost nothing about , to politics,which I know absolutely nothing about , to the flora and fauna of the state,which I know a lot about .

We talked about the salmon runs, the Christmas tree farms, the farmer’s markets, and the blackberry bushes that were so common in Oregon, people actually considered them weeds. He was easy to talk with, a great listener, and I felt comfortable with him. The thought crossed my mind that he would make a

wonderful grandpa. I never got a chance to know either of mine. They died before I was born, as did my other grandma.

Finishing our lunch, the attendant returned to clear our plates, and I watched how she removed the table.

As she pushed a little button, a small, quiet motor sounded. The rectangular table rose up until it was flush

to the wall and then slid itself into the paneling. As the table settled, she let go of the button and instructed

us to buckle up because we’d be arriving in New York soon.

The descent was as smooth as the takeoff, so I made it a point after we landed to meet the pilot and tell him that he was exceptionally gifted. Mr. Kadam had to translate for me because the pilot didn’t speak English other than the basic flight words needed by a pilot. As we refueled for the journey to Mumbai, I visited with Dhiren.

I sat down on the floor next to his cage after making sure he had enough to eat and drink. He sauntered over and collapsed down on the floor right next to me. His back was stretched out down the length of the cage with his striped fur sticking out through the bars tickling my legs and his face next to my hand.

I laughed at him, leaned over to stroke the fur on his back, and recounted some of the tiger myths that Mr. Kadam had shared with me. His tail kept flicking back and forth, in and out of the cage bars. Time flew by quickly, and the plane was soon ready to take off again. Mr. Kadam was already strapping in. I quickly patted Ren’s back and returned to my chair as well.

We took off, and Mr. Kadam warned me that this would be a long flight, about sixteen hours, and also that we would lose a day on the calendar. After we reached the proper cruising altitude, he suggested that I might like to watch a movie. The flight attendant handed me a list of all the movies they had available, and I picked the longest one on the list:Gone with the Wind .

She moved to the bar area, pushed a button on the wall, and a large white screen quietly slid out from the side of the bar. Mr. Kadam was reading a foreign newspaper, so the attendant brought me a headset.

My chair turned around easily to face the screen and it even reclined with a footrest, so I made myself comfortable and passed the time with Scarlett and Rhett.

When I finally got to, “After all…tomorrow…is…another day,” I stood up and stretched. The flight attendant bustled over and returned the movie screen to its resting place, and then she began setting up the table again for dinner. I looked out the window and it was black outside. It only felt like 5:00 p.m., but I guessed it was probably 9:00 p.m. in our current time zone.

The flight attendant brought out our dinner. “Thank you so much for these delicious meals. Can I ask what your name is?”

“Nilima.”

“Thank you, Nilima, for the wonderful service.”

“Yes, thank you, Nilima.” Mr. Kadam winked at her, and she inclined her head slightly and left.

I shared an amiable dinner once again with Mr. Kadam. This time we talked abouthis country. He told me all kinds of interesting things and described fascinating places in India. I wondered if I would have time to see or do any of those things. He spoke of ancient Indian warlords, mighty fortresses, Asian invaders, and horrible battles. When he talked, I felt like I was there seeing and experiencing it myself.

For dinner, Nilima served us stuffed chicken Marsala with grilled zucchini and a salad. I felt a little better

eating more vegetables, but then she brought out mini chocolate lava cakes for dessert. I sighed. “Why does everything so bad for you always taste so dreamy?”

Mr. Kadam laughed. “Would you feel better if we shared one?”

I grinned. “Sure.”

I cut my lava cake in half and spooned his portion onto a clean plate Nilima had brought out.

I licked the hot fudge sauce off my spoon and asked, “Mr. Kadam, why did the city of Bombay change its name to Mumbai?”

“Ah, Mumbai was always the name of the island.”

“Island?”

“Yes. In fact, Mumbai is comprised of seven islands that were given as part of a dowry to Catherine Braganza when she married King Charles II. They came into British possession in 1665. The Portuguese called the islands ‘Bom Baim,’ which means beautiful bay. The British called the settlement Bombay and

many westerners still do. In 1997, the Indian parliament passed an act that officially changed the name to

Mumbai, which is the name they had called it all along anyway.”

For the next couple of hours we talked about our favorite books. He liked classic novels like I did, and we had a great time revisiting memorable characters like Hamlet, Captain Ahab, Dr. Frankenstein, Robinson Crusoe, Jean Valjean, Iago, Hester Prynne, and Mr. Darcy. He also introduced me to a couple of Indian characters that I might be interested in reading about like Arjuna, Shakuntala, or perhaps Gengi from Japanese literature. Stifling a yawn, I went back to check on Ren again. I reached through the bars to pet his head and scratched him behind the ear.

Mr. Kadam watched me and said, “Miss Kelsey…are you not afraid of this tiger? You don’t think that he can hurt you?”

“I think hecan hurt me, but I know hewon’t hurt me. It’s hard to explain, but I feel safe with him, almost like he’s more of a friend than a wild animal.” Mr. Kadam didn’t seem alarmed, only curious.

He spoke softly to the attendant for a moment. She approached me, inquiring, “Are you ready to sleep for a while, Miss?” I nodded, and she showed me where my bag had been stowed. I picked it up and set off for the bathroom. I wasn’t gone for very long, but she’d been very busy.

There was now a curtain dividing the area, and she’d set up a pullout couch that became a snug bed with

satin sheets and thick, soft pillows. A recessed light with a button was set in the wall right next to the bed.

The plane was darkened, and she told me that Mr. Kadam would be on the other side of the curtain if I needed anything.

I climbed under the covers with my book and looked over at the cage where Ren was resting with his head on his paws. He watched me drowsily through slit eyes.

“Good night, Ren. See you in India tomorrow.”

Too tired to read, I turned off the light and let the plane rock me to sleep.

The smell of bacon woke me up. I peeked around the corner and saw Mr. Kadam seated while reading the paper with a glass of apple juice on the table in front of him. He looked at me over the paper. I saw that his hair was slightly wet and that he was already dressed for the day. “Best attend your morning ablutions, Miss Kelsey. We will be arriving soon.”

I grabbed my bag and headed for the luxurious bathroom. I took a quick shower, soaping through my hair with the fragrant rose-scented shampoo. When finished, I wrapped my hair with a thick towel and pulled on the cashmere robe. I sighed deeply and let myself bask in the soft fabric for a moment while I decided what to wear. I chose a red blouse with jeans and brushed my hair back into a ponytail, tying it with a red ribbon. Last, I pulled on my sneakers. Hurrying back to Mr. Kadam, I sunk down in the leather chair while Nilima brought me a hot plate of bacon, eggs, and toast.

I ate the eggs, nibbled on the toast, and drank some orange juice. I decided to save my bacon for Ren.

As Nilima stowed the bed and the table from breakfast, I wandered over to the cage with my bacon.

Trying to tempt Ren, I held out a piece through the cage. He came over, very gently bit the edge, pulled it

out of my hand, and then swallowed it down in one gulp.

I laughed. “Gee, Ren, you’ve gotta chew it. Wait, do tigers chew? Well, at least eat it slower. You probably never get a treat like this.” I held out the other three pieces one by one. He gulped them all down and then shot his tongue through the bars to lick my fingers.

I laughed quietly and went to the bar to wash my hands. I cleaned up all my belongings and stowed my bag in the overhead compartment. I’d just finished when Mr. Kadam pointed out the window and said,

“Miss Kelsey, we’re here.”

CHAPTER 6

Igazed out the window as we flew in over the ocean and into the city. I was amazed by how many tall buildings there were. I guess I hadn’t really expected a modern city, but spread out before me were hundreds of tall, white, uniform buildings. We circled the large, half-moon-shaped airport, and I heard the

wheels drop in preparation for our landing.

The plane bounced twice and settled down to hug the runway. I whirled in my chair to see how Ren was doing. He was standing up expectantly but, other than that, he seemed fine.

I felt a rush of exuberant energy as we taxied across the runway and came to a stop on the outskirts of the airstrip.

“Miss Kelsey, are you ready to disembark?”

“Yes. Just let me grab my bag.”

I slung my bag over my shoulder, stepped out of the plane, and skipped quickly down the steps to the ground. Deeply inhaling the heavy, wet, sultry air, I was surprised to see a gray sky.

“Mr. Kadam, isn’t it usually hot and sunny in India?”

“This is the monsoon season. It’s almost never cold here, but we do get rain in July and August and, on occasion, a cyclone.”

It was warm and humid but tolerable. “It’s not too bad. I figured it would be about one hundred twenty degrees, but this feels more like eighty.”

“Southwestern India does reach high temperatures, but usually the warmest it gets to be in Mumbai is the

low nineties. The monsoons cool us off a bit. I’ll take your bag and you keep an eye on Dhiren as he’s loaded onto the truck.”

I handed him my bag and strolled over to watch some workers attempt to load Ren. This was a much different operation than it had been in the United States. They had attached a long chain to his collar and two of the men held it while another man affixed a ramp onto the back of a truck. They got Dhiren out of

the plane okay, but then the man closest to Ren pulled on the chain too tightly. The tiger reacted fast. He roared angrily and half-heartedly swiped his paw at the man.

I knew it was dangerous for me to approach, but something pulled me. Thinking only of Ren’s comfort, I

walked over to the frightened man, took the chain from him, and motioned for him to back away. He seemed grateful to be relieved of the responsibility. I spoke soothing words to the tiger, patted his back, and encouraged him to walk with me to the truck.

He responded immediately and trotted beside me as docile as a lamb, dragging the heavy chains behind him on the ground. At the ramp, he stopped and rubbed his body against my leg, and when he jumped up the ramp and into the truck, he quickly turned around to face me and licked my arm.

I stroked his shoulder affectionately and murmured to him softly, calming him while my hand moved gently over his collar and detached the heavy chains. Ren looked over at the men who were still standing frozen in the same place wearing stunned expressions. Ren snuffed out his displeasure at them by growling softly, and then he leaned out to rub his head along my arm while keeping his eyes trained on the

workers. The men began talking very fast to one another in their native language.

I closed the cage and locked it while Mr. Kadam walked over to the men and spoke quietly. He did not seem surprised by what had happened. Whatever he said had reassured the men because they began moving around the area again, obviously giving Ren a wide berth. They swiftly rounded up equipment and

moved the plane into a hangar.

After Ren was secured in the truck, Mr. Kadam introduced me to the driver,he seemed nice but very young, even younger than I was , and showed me where my bag was stowed. He also pointed out another bag he had purchased for me. It was a large black back-pack with several compartments. He unzipped a few to show me some of the items he had placed inside. The back zipper pocket contained a sizeable amount of Indian currency. Another pocket held travel documents for Ren and me. Snooping, I opened another zipper and found a compass and a lighter. The main part of the bag was stocked with energy bars, maps, and bottles of water.

“Um…Mr. Kadam, I’m curious. Why did you choose to include a compass and a lighter in the bag, not to mention some of these other items?”

He smiled and shrugged. “You never know what things might come in handy along the journey. I want to

make sure you’re fully prepared.”

He zipped up the compartments and placed the bag on the front seat. “I have given the driver instructions, but he doesn’t speak much English, so inside your bag you will find a Hindi/English dictionary should you have need of it.

“I must take my leave of you now, Miss Kelsey.” He smiled and squeezed my shoulder. I suddenly felt vulnerable. Continuing the journey without Mr. Kadam left me feeling anxious. It felt like the first day of

high school all over again.If high school was one of the biggest countries in the world and everyone spoke

a different language. I’m on my own, time to act like a grown-up. I tried to reassure myself, but fear of the unknown was chomping away inside me and chewing a hole through my stomach.

I asked pleadingly, “Are you sure you can’t change your plans and travel with us?”

“Alas, I cannot attend you on your journey.” He smiled reassuringly. “Don’t fret, Miss Kelsey. You are more than able to care for Dhiren, and I have meticulously arranged every detail of your trip. Nothing will

go wrong.”

I gave him a weak smile, and he took my hand and enfolded it in both of his for a moment, and said,

“Trust me, Miss Kelsey. All will be well with you.” With a twinkle in his eye and a wink, he left.

I looked at Dhiren. “Well, kid, I guess it’s just you and me.”

The driver was looking at me through the cab of the truck and said, “We…go?”

“Yes, we go,” I responded with a sigh.

When I climbed in, the driver stepped on the gas and never,ever took his foot off the pedal. He raced out of the airport and in less than two minutes was winding quickly through traffic at frightening speeds.

I

clutched my door and the dash in front of me. He wasn’t the only insane driver though. Everybody on the

road seemed to think 130 kph, or, according to my travel guide, 80 mph in a crowded city, with hundreds of pedestrians, was not quite fast enough. Hoards of people dressed in bright, vibrant colors moved in every direction past my window. Vehicles of every description filled the streets—buses, compact cars, and some kind of tiny, boxy car with no doors and three wheels sped by. The boxy ones must have been the local taxis because there were hundreds of them. There were also countless motorcycles, bicycles, and pedestrians. I even saw animals pulling carts full of people and produce.

I guessed that we were supposed to be driving on the left side of the road, but there seemed to be no distinct pattern or even white stripes to mark the lanes. There were very few lights, signs, or signals.

Cars

just turned left or right whenever there was an opening…and sometimes even when there wasn’t. Once, a car drove right at us on a collision course and then turned away at the last possible second. The driver kept laughing at me every time I gasped in fear.

I gradually became desensitized enough to start to take in the sights that were speeding by, and, with interest, I saw countless multicolored markets and vendors selling an eclectic variety of wares.

Merchants

sold string-puppets, jewelry, rugs, souvenirs, spices, nuts, and all manner of fruits and vegetables out of small buildings or street carts.

Everyone seemed to be selling something. Billboards showed advertisements for tarot cards, palm reading, exotic tattooing, piercing, and henna body-painting shops. The entire city was a hurried, wild, vibrant, and touristy panorama with people of all descriptions and classes. It looked like there was not one square inch of the city that was unoccupied.

After a harrowing drive through the city, we finally made it to the highway. At last, I was able to relax my

grip a little bit, not because the driver was moving slower, in fact, he had sped up, but because the traffic had dropped off considerably. I tried to follow where we were going on a map that was included in my backpack, but the lack of road signs made it difficult. I did notice that the driver missed an important turn

onto another freeway that would lead us up to the tiger reserve though.

“That way, go left!” I pointed.

He shrugged and waved his hand at me dismissing my suggestions. I grabbed my dictionary and tried frantically to look up the wordleft orwrong way . I finally found the wordkumarga , which meantwrong road orincorrect path . He gestured to the road ahead with his index finger and said, “Fast drive…road.”

I gave up and let him do what he wanted after that. It washis country after all. I figured he knew more about the roads than I did.

After driving for about three hours, we stopped at a tiny town called Ramkola. I guess calling it atown would be overemphasizing the size of the place because it boasted only a market, a gas station, and five houses. It bordered a jungle, which was where I finally found my first sign. It said…

Yawal Wildlife Sanctuary

pakSizaalaa Yawal

4 km

The driver got out of the truck and started to fill the tank with gas. He pointed to the market across the street and said, “Eat. Good food.”

I grabbed the backpack that had the money in it and went to the back to check on Ren. He was sprawled out on the floor of the cage. He opened his eyes and yawned when I approached but stayed in his inert position. I walked to the market and opened the white peeling squeaky door. A little bell rang announcing my presence.

An Indian woman dressed in a traditional sari emerged from a back room and smiled at me. “Namaste.

You like food? Eat something?”

“Oh! You speak English? Yes, I would love some lunch.”

“You sit there. I make.”

Even though it was lunch for me, it was probably dinner for them because the sun was low in the sky.

She motioned me over to a little table with two chairs that was set next to the window, and then she disappeared. The store was a small, rectangular room that housed various grocery products, souvenirs depicting the wildlife sanctuary nearby, and practical things like matches and tools.

Indian music played softly in the background. I recognized the sounds of a sitar and heard bells but couldn’t identify the other instruments. I glanced through the door where the woman had disappeared and heard the clatter of pans in her kitchen. It looked like the store was the front of a larger building and the family lived in a house attached to the back.

In surprisingly fast time, the woman returned, balancing several bowls of food. A young girl followed in

behind her bringing even more bowls of food. It smelled exotic and spicy. She said, “Please to eat and enjoy.”

The woman disappeared in the back, while the young girl started to straighten shelves in the store as I ate. They hadn’t brought me any silverware, so I spooned up some of each dish with my fingers, remembering to use my right hand following Indian tradition.Lucky Mr. Kadam had mentioned that on the plane . I recognized the basmati rice, naan bread, and tandoori chicken, but the other three dishes I’d never seen before. I looked over at the girl, inclined my head, and asked, “Do you speak English too?”

She nodded and approached me, motioning with her fingers, and said, “Little bit English.”

I pointed to the three dishes. “What is the name?”

“This…samosa.”

It was a triangular pastry filled with spicy vegetables. “What about this one and this?”

She indicated one and then the other, “Rasmalai and baigan bhartha.” She smiled shyly and bustled off to

work on the shelves again. As far as I could tell, the rasmalai were balls of goat cheese dipped in a sweet cream sauce, and the baigan bhartha was an eggplant dish with peas, onions, and tomatoes. It was all very good, but a bit too much. When I was finished, the woman brought me a milkshake made with mangoes, yogurt, and goat’s milk.

I thanked her, sipped my milkshake, and let my eyes drift to the scene out the dusty window.Not much of a view. Just the gas station and two men standing by the truck talking. One was a very handsome young man dressed in white. He faced the store and spoke with another man who had his back toward me.

The second man was older and looked like Mr. Kadam.Huh, that’s weird. They seemed to be having an argument. The longer I watched them, the stronger my conviction became that itwas Mr. Kadam, but he was arguing hotly with the younger man, and I couldn’t picture Mr. Kadam ever getting mad like that.

I was not usually an eavesdropper, but there wasn’t much else to do. Besides, it wasn’t like they were speaking English or anything, so I tried to catch a few words. The older man saidnahi mahodaya often, and the younger man kept sayingavashyak or something like that. I thumbed through my Hindi dictionary

and foundnahi mahodaya easily. It meantno way orno, sir . Theavashyak was harder because I had to figure out its spelling, but I eventually found it. That word meantnecessary oressential , something that must be orhas to happen .

I walked to the window to get a better look. Just then, the young man in white looked up and saw me staring at them from the window. He immediately ceased his conversation and stepped out of my line of vision, disappearing around the side of the truck. Embarrassed to be caught, but irresistibly curious, I made my way through the maze of shelves to the door. I needed to know if it really was Mr. Kadam or not.

Grabbing the loose door handle, I twisted it and pushed it open. It squeaked on rusty hinges.No one was there . I walked across the dirt road and over to the truck, but still, I couldn’t see anyone. Circling the truck, I stopped at the back and saw that Dhiren was alert and watching me from his cage, but I couldn’t see the two men or even locate the driver. I peeked in the cab…no one.

Confused, but remembering I hadn’t paid my bill, I crossed the street and went back into the store. The young girl had already cleared away my dishes. I pulled some bills from the backpack and asked, “How much money?”

“One hundred rupees.”

Mr. Kadam had told me to figure out money by dividing the total by forty. I quickly calculated she was asking for two dollars and fifty cents. I smiled to myself and thought about my dad and his quick division

drills when I was little. I gave her two hundred rupees instead, and she beamed happily.

Thanking her, I told her the food was delicious and then asked for a restroom. She pointed to a small door at the end of the shelves. I finished up in the restroom, picked up my backpack, opened the squeaky door, and stepped outside.

The truck was gone.

CHAPTER 7

How could the truck be gone?I ran out to the gas pump to look down the dirt road. There was nothing.

No dust cloud. No people. Nothing. I spun in the other direction. There should have beensome evidence of the truck being moved.Maybe he forgot me. Maybe he needed to get something. Maybe the truck was stolen and the driver was still around here somewhere.

I walked around to the other side of the gas pump and found my black bag lying in the dust. I rushed over to it, picked it up, and checked inside. All of my things seemed to be in there. I heard a noise behind

me and whirled around to see Ren sitting by the side of the road. His tail twitched back and forth while he watched me. He looked like a giant abandoned puppy wagging his tail hoping someone would claim him and take him home. I muttered, “Oh, no! This is great! Nothing will go wrong, Mr. Kadam said. Ha!

The driver must have stolen the truck and let you out. What am I going to do now?”

Always the practical one, I decided to be scared later and thought about the positives. First, I still had all

my clothes. Second, I had the bag of money and traveling papers with me. That was the good news.

The bad news, of course, was that my ride was gone and my tiger was loose. I went back into the store to get some help. I decided the first order of business was to secure Ren. I searched through the store and found some jerky snacks and a long length of rope.

With my newly acquired fluorescent-yellow synthetic rope, I walked outside and tried to get my tiger to cooperate. He’d moved off several paces and was now heading for the jungle. I ran after him.

The sensible thing to do was go back to the store, borrow a phone, and call Mr. Kadam. He could send some people down, professional type people to catch him. But I was afraid for him. I had absolutely no fear of him myself, but I was afraid others would panic over him and bring weapons. I also worried that, even if he escaped the hunters, he couldn’t survive in the jungle. He wasn’t used to hunting on his own.

Despite the foolishness of it, I chose to follow my tiger.

I begged, “Ren, come back! We need to get some help! This isn’t your reserve. Come on, I’ll give you a nice treat!” I waved the jerky snack in the air, but he kept moving. I was weighed down with Mr.

Kadam’s backpack and my clothes bag. I was able to keep up with him, but not overtake him. He wasn’t moving very quickly, but he always seemed to be several paces ahead of me. He loped off and entered the jungle with me chasing after him at a fast pace, my backpacks bobbing heavily up and down as I ran. After about fifteen minutes of pursuing Ren, sweat was trickling down my face, my clothes

were stuck to my body, and my feet were dragging like heavy stones.

As my pace slowed, I entreated again, “Ren…pleasecome back. We need to go back to the town. It’s going to be dark soon.” He ignored me and began winding through the trees. He’d stop to turn and look at me every so often.

Just when I thought I’d finally catch him, he’d accelerate and leap ahead a few feet, causing me to chase after him through the jungle again. I felt like he was playing a game with me. He was always just out of reach. After following him for another fifteen minutes and still not catching him, I decided to break off my

pursuit. I was feeling acutely anxious because I knew I’d traveled far from the town and the light was dimming.

Ren must have realized that I wasn’t following him anymore because he finally slowed down, turned around, and ambled guiltily back over to me. I glared at him. “Figures. The minute I stop, you come back. I hope you’re happy with yourself.” Tying the rope to his collar, I turned around in a circle and carefully studied each direction to try to get my bearings.

We’d now traveled deep into the jungle. Ren had looped in and out of trees, twisted and turned numerous times, and now I realized, with great despair, that I’d lost all sense of direction. It was twilight,

and the dark canopy of trees overhead was blocking out the little sun we had left. A choking fear settled inside me, and I felt a wave of icy, nibbling cold slither slowly down my spine. It shot wintry streams down my arms and legs and poked out my skin in spiky goose bumps.Where am I?

I grumbled at Ren, “Thanks a lot, Mister!”

I started twisting the rope around my hands nervously and talking to myself: “What am Idoing ?

I’mwho

knows where inIndia , in thejungle , atnight , with atiger on a rope!” Ren sat down quietly beside me.

My fear overwhelmed me for a minute, and I sensed the jungle closing in. All the distinctive sounds rushed in to clatter and wrestle with my frightened mind, attacking my common sense. I started to imagine

stalking creatures hunting me, their glassy, hostile eyes watching me and waiting to pounce. I looked up and saw angry monsoon clouds surging, quickly swallowing up the early evening sky. A stiff, numbing wind whipped through the trees and swirled around my rigid body.

After a couple of moments, Ren got up and moved ahead, gently pulling my tense body along with him.

I

reluctantly followed. I laughed nervously and madly for a moment because I was letting a tiger lead me through the jungle, but I figured there was no point inme trying to lead the way. I had no idea where I was. He walked on some unseen path, dragging me along behind him. I lost track of time, but my best guess was that we walked through the jungle for an hour, maybe two. It was very dark now, and I was scared and thirsty.

Remembering that Mr. Kadam had packed water in the bag, I unzipped the pocket and felt around for a bottle. My hand brushed against something cold and metallic. “A flashlight!” I turned it on and felt a bit of

relief at having a beam of light to shine on the dark jungle.

In the shadows the jungle appeared menacing, not that it wasn’t equally as terrifying during the day, but my measly light didn’t penetrate very far, which made it even worse. When the thin moon appeared and dispersed its light through the thick tree cover overhead, Ren’s coat gleamed where the moonlight touched it. I peered ahead, catching shiny glimpses of his body as he moved through the undulating, flickering patches of light. When the moon hid behind the clouds, Ren disappeared completely on the trail

ahead. I turned my flashlight to him and saw prickly undergrowth scratching at his silvery white fur. He responded to the thorns by roughly shoving the plants aside with his body, almost as if he were making a path for me.

After walking for a long time, he finally pulled me near a copse of bamboo that was growing near a large

teak tree. He stuck his nose up in the air smelling for who-knows-what and then wandered over to a grassy area and lay down. “Well, I guess that means this is where we sleep for the night.” I shrugged out of my backpacks while grousing, “Great…it’s a lovely choice. I’d give it four stars if it included a mint.”

First, I untied the rope from Dhiren’s collar, figuring that my keeping him from running away was moot at

this point, then crouched down and unzipped my bag. Pulling out a long-sleeved shirt, I tied it around my

waist and got out two water bottles and three energy bars. I unwrapped two of the energy bars and held them out to Ren.

He carefully took one out of my hand and gulped it down. “Should a tiger eat energy bars? You probably need something with more protein, and the only thing around here with protein is me, so don’t even think about it. I tasteterrible .”

He quirked his head at me as if seriously considering it, then quickly swallowed the second energy bar.

I

opened the third and slowly nibbled on it. Unzipping another pocket, I found the lighter and decided to make a fire. Searching by flashlight, I was surprised to find a good amount of wood close by.

Remembering my Girl Scout days, I repeated to myself the “recipe” for a fire, which was cookie, kiddy cone, carton, and waffle cone. I cleared an area, surrounded it with rocks,cookie , then placed dry leaves and small twigs in the middle, and built a teepee out of small kindling,kiddy cone . I made the bigger brushwood into a box,carton , to surround the wooden cone and covered the top of the box with more medium-sized branches. Next, I took a small stem with dried leaves, lit it, and poked it through the holes. The wind blew it out the first two times, but the third time it took, making a nice little crackling fire.

After it had burned for a few minutes and the medium-sized sticks were glowing, I added some larger ones, teepee-style, which was thewaffle cone .

Satisfied with my work and setting aside larger logs to add later, I moved over to the backpacks and hauled them closer to the fire. Finding a plastic bag in the pack, I picked up a large curved piece of bark, shoved small chunks of wood on the ends, and lined the inside with the bag. I poured a bottle of water into it and carried my makeshift bowl over to Ren. He lapped it all up and kept licking the bag, so I poured in another bottle for him, which he also drank greedily.

I walked back to the fire and was startled when I heard an ominous howl nearby. Ren jumped up at once and rushed off in a whirl, disappearing into the darkness. I heard a deep growling and then an incensed and vicious snarl. I stared gravely into the darkness between the trees where Ren had disappeared, but he soon returned unharmed and began rubbing his side on the teak tree. Satisfied with that tree, he moved on to another one, and another one, until he’d rubbed up against every tree that surrounded us.

“Gee, Ren…that must be some itch.” Leaving him to his scratching, I plumped the softer bag with my clothes in it to use for a pillow and slipped my sweatshirt over my head. I pulled out my quilt, hating to get it dirty but desperately needing the warmth and comfort it offered, and spread it out over my legs.

Then I eased onto my side, tucked my hand under my cheek, stared at the fire, and felt fat tears slide down my face.

I started listening to the sounds around me. I heard clicks, whistles, pops, and cracks everywhere. I started to imagine creepy crawly things burrowing in my hair and down into my socks. I shivered and sat

up to tuck the blanket around me snugly, so that it covered every part of my body, and settled to the ground again wrapped up mummy-style.

That was much better, but then I started to imagine animals creeping up behind me while my body was turned to the fire. Just as I was deciding to lie on my back instead of my side, Ren came over and lay down right next to me, snuggled his back against mine, and began to purr.

Grateful, I wiped the tears off my cheeks and was able to tune out the night sounds by listening to Ren’s purr, which later changed into deep, rhythmic breathing. I inched a little closer to his back and was surprised to find that I could sleep in the jungle after all.

A bright ray of sun hit my closed eyelids, and I slowly cracked them open. Not remembering where I was for a minute, I stretched my arms up over my head and then cringed in pain as my back reminded me that I was on the hard ground. There was a heavy weight on my leg, and I looked down to see Ren, eyes squeezed tightly shut in sleep, with his head and one paw draped over my leg.

I whispered, “Ren…wake up…my leg is asleep.” He wasn’t budging. I sat up and shoved his body lightly. “Come on, Ren… move!” He growled softly but stayed right there. “Ren! I mean it!Mooove !” I shook my leg and shoved him harder. He finally blinked open his eyes and yawned a giant, toothy tiger yawn, then rolled off my leg and onto his side.

Standing up, I shook out my blanket, folded it, and tucked it into the bag. I also stamped out the ashes from the fire to make sure nothing was still burning and then warned Ren to stay while I used the ladies’

room. I complained loudly while I noisily shoved bushes aside.

“Just so you know…I hate camping! I’m not so much appreciating the fact that there’s no bathroom out here. ‘Nature calls’ while walking in nature is on my list of least favorite things. You tigers, and men in general, have it so much easier than us girls.”

I hurried, nervous that Ren would try to take off without me, but when I returned he was in the same spot. I gathered up the empty bottles and wrappers and put them in the pack. The last thing I picked up was the yellow rope. Ren just sat there observing me. I decided to give up the pretense that I was the one leading him and stowed the rope away in the pack.

“Okay, Ren. I’m ready. Where are we heading off to today?” Turning, he stalked off into the jungle again. He weaved his way around trees and undergrowth, over rocks and across small streams. He didn’t seem to be in a hurry, and he even stopped to break every once in a while, as if knowing I needed one. Now that the sun was out, it was becoming steamy, so I took off my sweatshirt and tied it around my waist.

The jungle was very green and had a peppery kind of fragrance, much different than the forests of Oregon. The large trees were more sparse, they were deciduous, and had graceful, willowy branches.

The leaves were an olive green color rather than the deep evergreen I was used to. The bark was dark gray and rough to the touch; it had cracks that peeled away and sloughed off in thin flaky layers.

Flying squirrels leapt from tree to tree, and we often startled grazing deer. Smelling a tiger, they quickly bounced away on springy legs. I watched Ren to see his reaction, but he ignored them. Another common tree that was moderate in size had a papery bark, but there was a sticky, gummy resin dripping from the splits in the bark that gave off a strong fragrance. I leaned against one to pick a rock out of my shoe and spent the next hour trying to peel the goo off my fingers.

I’d just gotten it off when we weaved through a particularly dense undergrowth of tall grasses and bamboo and sent a flock of colorful birds into flight. I was so startled that I backed into another sap tree and got it all over my upper arm.

Ren stopped at a small stream for water. I pulled out a bottle of water and drank it all down. It was nice to have less weight in the backpack, but I was concerned about where I would get water after I ran out.

I supposed I could drink at the same stream as Ren, but I would put that off for as long as possible, knowing that my body wouldn’t handle it as well as his.

I sat down on a rock and pulled out another energy bar. I ate half of one and gave Ren the other half, plus another one. I knew I could survive on that many calories, but I was pretty sure Ren couldn’t. He’d have to hunt soon.

Opening a pocket of Mr. Kadam’s backpack, I found the compass that I’d forgotten. I pushed it into the pocket of my jeans. There was still money, the traveling papers, more water bottles, a first aid kit, bug spray, a candle, and a pocketknife, but no cell phone, and my personal cell phone was missing.

Strange. The idea that Mr. Kadam would pack things needed in an emergency was implausible.Could he

have knownthat I would be led into the jungle? I thought about the man who looked like Mr. Kadam standing by the truck right before it was stolen and wondered aloud, “Did hewant me to get lost in the jungle?”

Ren wandered over to me and sat down. “No. That doesn’t make any sense either. What reason could he possibly have for flying me all the way to India just to get lost in the jungle? He couldn’t have known you would lead me in here or that I’d follow you. He’s not the type to deceive anyway.”

Ren looked at the ground as I stroked his head as ifhe felt guilty. “I guess Mr. Kadam is just a really well-prepared Boy Scout.”

After a brief rest, Ren got up again, walked off a few paces, and turned to wait for me. I dragged myself off the rock, complaining, and followed along behind him. Pulling out the bug spray, I gave my limbs a good spritz and squirted some on Dhiren for good measure. I laughed when he wrinkled his nose and a big tiger sneeze shook his body.

“So, Ren, where are we going? You act like you have a destination in mind. Personally, I’d like to get back to civilization. So if you could find us a town, I’d be most appreciative.” He continued to lead me on a trail that only he could see for the rest of the morning and into the early afternoon.

I checked my compass often and figured out that we were traveling westward. I was trying to calculate how many miles we’d walked when Ren burrowed between some bushes. I followed him, and we came out into a small clearing.

With great relief, I saw a small hut that sat right in the middle of the glade. Its curved roof was covered with rows of canes tied close together that draped over the top of the structure like a blanket. Stringy fibers, tied in intricate knots, lashed large bamboo poles together to make walls, and the cracks were thatched with dried grasses and clay.

The hut was surrounded by a barrier of loose stones piled on top of each other to create a short wall about two feet high. The stones were covered in thick, verdant moss. In front of the hut, thin panels of stone were affixed to the wall and were painted with an indecipherable assortment of symbols and shapes. The shelter’s doorway was so tiny that an average-sized person would have to bend over to enter. There was a line of clothing flapping in the wind, and a small flourishing garden was planted on the

side of the home.

We approached the rock wall, and just as I was stepping over, Ren leapt over the barrier next to me.

“Ren! You scared the stuffing out of me! Make a noise first or something, would you?”It’s funny how you pick up things from your parents. My mom always said ‘scared the stuffing out of me’ and now I say

it. Thinking of her made me smile.

We approached the small hut, and I steeled myself to knock on the tiny door, but then I hesitated, looking at Ren. “We need to do something about you first.” I took the yellow rope out of my backpack and walked over to a tree on the side of the yard. He followed me haltingly. I beckoned him closer.

When he was finally close enough, I slipped the rope through his collar and tied the other end to a tree.

He was not happy.

“I’m sorry, Ren, but we can’t have you loose. It would scare the family. I promise I’ll be back as soon as I can.” I turned and began walking over to the small house, but then froze in my tracks when I heard a quiet male voice behind me say, “Is thisreally necessary?”

CHAPTER 8

Islowly turned around and saw a handsome young man standing behind me. In fact, he was thesame handsome young man I’d seen by the truck before it disappeared. He approached me slowly with his hands splayed out in front of him. It was odd, but the first thing I noticed about him was that he wasn’t wearing shoes.

“Kelsey…it’s me…Ren.”

He didn’t appear fearsome, but my body tightened in apprehension nonetheless. Confused, I held my hand out in front of me in a futile attempt to halt his progress. “What? What did you say?”

He came closer, put his hand on his chest, and spoke slowly. “Kelsey, don’t run. It’s me…Ren…the tiger.”

He turned over his hand to show me Ren’s collar and the yellow rope coiled about his fingers. I looked behind him and, sure enough, Ren was missing. I took a few steps back from the man. He saw my movement and immediately froze. The back of my knees hit the stone barrier. I stopped and blinked my eyes several times, not understanding what he was telling me.

“Where’s Ren? I don’t understand. Did youdo something to him?”

“No, Kelsey.”

He carefully began to approach me again, slowly, while I shook my head.

“No. Youcan’t be.”

I tried to take another step back and almost fell backward over the wall. He reached me in the blink of an eye and caught my waist. He took my hand and steadied me.

“Are you alright?”

“No!”

He was still holding my hand. I stared at it, imagining the tiger’s paws.

“Kelsey?”

I looked up into his startling blue eyes.

“Iam Dhiren.”

I whispered, “No. No! It’s not possible. How couldyou be my tiger?”

His quiet voice was soothing as he said, “Please, come inside the house. The owner is not at home right now. You can sit down and relax, and I will attempt to explain what is happening.”

I was too stunned to argue, so I allowed him to guide me toward the hut. As he led me toward the house, he clutched my fingers in his as if afraid that I would run back into the jungle. I didn’t usually follow strange men around, but something about him made me feel…safe. I knew with certainty that he wouldn’t harm me. It was the same strong feeling I experienced with the tiger.

He bowed his head to get through the door and walked into the small shelter, pulling me along behind him. I ducked my head and entered the hut. It was a one-room shelter with a small bed in one corner, a tiny window on the side wall, and a table with two chairs in another corner. A curtain was pulled back to reveal a small bathtub. The kitchen was just a sink with a water pump, a short counter, and some shelves with various canned food products and spices. Above our heads, the ceiling was strung with a hanging assortment of dried herbs and plants that filled the room with a sweet fragrance. He gestured that I should sit on the bed as he moved over near the window.

He leaned against a wall and waited quietly for me to settle myself. Recovering from my initial shock, I snapped out of my daze and began to assess my situation.He …was Ren. He wasRen . He was Ren,the tiger . We stared at each other for a moment, and Iknew he was telling the truth. The eyes were the same. I felt the fear in my body drain away while a new emotion rushed forward to fill the void…anger.

Despite all the time I’d spent with him, he’d chosen not to share this secret with me. He’d led me through

the jungle, apparently on purpose, and allowed me to believe that I was lost, in a foreign country, in the wilderness, alone.

But, I knew he’d never hurt me. Ren was a…friend, and I trusted him. But why hadn’t he trustedme ?

There’d been plenty of opportunities for him to share this peculiar reality. But he hadn’t.

Looking at him with suspicion, I irritably asked, “So…whatare you? Are you a man who became a tiger or atiger that turned into a man? Or are you like a werewolf? If you bite me, do I turn into a tiger too?”

He tilted his head with a puzzled expression on his face, but he didn’t answer me right away. He watched me with the same intense blue eyes as the tiger. It was…disconcerting. “Uh…Ren? I think I’d feel more comfortable if you moved a little farther away from me while we discuss this.”

He sighed, padded calmly over to the corner, sat on a chair, then leaned back against the wall, balancing himself on the two back legs of the chair. “Kelsey, I will answerall of your questions. Just be patient with

me and give me time to explain.”

“Alright. Explain.”

As he gathered his thoughts, I scrutinized his appearance. I couldn’t believe that this was Dhiren. That the tiger I cared about was this…man. He didn’t look very tiger-like, other than the eyes. He seemed young. I’d guess he was in his early twenties. He was taller than me by a head, with a strong, well-developed body, trim, but with obvious muscle. He was clothed in loose white cotton garments. His long-sleeved shirt was untucked and carelessly buttoned, revealing a smooth, well-built golden bronze chest. His lightweight pants were rolled at the ankles, emphasizing his bare feet. Glossy black hair swept away from his face and curled slightly at the nape of his neck. He had full lips, a square jaw, and an aristocratic nose. He didn’t look Indian like the other men I’d seen in this country, at least not fully. His skin was lighter in color and his features different.He seemed different. I couldn’t place it, but there was something else…something,cultured about him. He exuded confidence, strength, even nobility.

Even barefoot with nondescript clothing, I felt like I was looking at someone…regal, powerful. Even if he weren’t good looking—and hewas …extremelygood looking—I still would have been drawn to him.

Maybe that was the tiger part of him. Tigers always seemed regal to me. They captured my attention.

His

eyes, though, were what riveted me the most. They were my tiger’s eyes—the same deep cobalt blue.

To be blunt, he was gorgeous. He was as beautiful a man as he was a tiger.

I trusted my tiger, but could I trust the man? I warily eyed him from the edge of the rickety bed, my doubts obvious on my face. He was patient, allowing me to boldly study him, and even seemed amused, as if he could read my thoughts.

I finally broke the silence, “Well…Ren.I’m listening.”

He pinched the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger then slid his hand up through his silky black hair, mussing it in a distractingly attractive way. Dropping his hand to his lap, he looked at me

thoughtfully from under thick eyelashes.

“Ah, Kelsey. Where do I begin? There’s so much I need to tell you, but I don’t even know where to start.”

His voice was quiet, refined, and genial, and I found myself mesmerized by it. He spoke English very well with just a slight accent, a honeyed voice—the kind that sends a girl off into wistful daydreams. I shook off my reaction and caught him scrutinizingme with his cobalt blue eyes. There was a tangible connection between us. I didn’t know if it was simple attraction or something else. His presence was…unsettling. I tried looking away from him to calm myself, but I ended up twisting my hands and staring at my feet, which were tapping the bamboo floor with jittery energy.

When I looked back at his face, the side of his mouth was turned up in a smirk and one of his eyebrows was raised.

I cleared my throat weakly. “I’m sorry. What did you say?”

“Is it that hard to sit still and listen?”

“No. You just make me nervous, that’s all.”

“You weren’t nervous around me before.”

“Well, you don’t look the same as you did before. You can’t expect me to behave the same way around you now.”

“Kelsey, try to relax. I would never harm you.”

“Okay…I’ll sit on my hands. Is that better?”

He laughed.

Whoa…even his laugh is magnetic.

“Keeping still is something I had to learn while being a tiger. A tiger must lie motionless for long periods

of time. It requires patience…and for this explanation you will need some.”

He stretched his powerful shoulders and then reached up to pull on the string of an apron hanging from a

hook. He twisted it around his finger unconsciously and said, “I have to explain things to you rather quickly. I only have a few minutes of each day when I can take human form, to be exact—only twenty-four minutes of each twenty-four-hour day. So, because I’ll change into a tiger again soon, I want

to make the most of my time with you. Will you let me have these few minutes, Kelsey?”

I took a deep breath. “Yes. I want to hear your explanation. Please go on.”

“Do you remember the story of Prince Dhiren that Mr. Kadam told you at the circus?”

“Yes, I remember. Wait…are you saying—”

“That story was mostly accurate. I’m the same Dhiren that he spoke of. I was the emperor of the Mujulaain Empire. It’s true that I was betrayed by my brother and fiancée, but the end of the story is a fabrication. I wasnot killed, as many people have been led to believe. My brother and I were cursed and changed into tigers. Mr. Kadam has kept our secret all of these years. Please don’t blame him for bringing you here. It was my fault. You see…Ineed you, Kelsey.”

My mouth was dry, and I found myself leaning forward, barely sitting on the edge of the bed. I almost fell off. I quickly cleared my throat and readjusted my position on the bed, hoping he hadn’t noticed.

“Uh…what do you mean youneed me?”

“Mr. Kadam and I believe you are the one who’s able to break the curse. Somehow, you’ve already freed me from captivity.”

“But, I didn’t free you. Mr. Kadam’s the one who purchased your freedom.”

“No. Mr. Kadam was unable to purchase my freedom until you came along. When I was captured, I was no longer able to change into my human form or gain my freedom until something, or should I say someone , special came along. That someone special was you.”

He’d curled the apron string around his finger, and I watched as he unwound it and began again. My eyes drifted back up to his face. It was turned toward the window. He appeared calm and serene, but I recognized underpinnings of sadness hidden from view. The sun shone through the window, and the curtain blew slightly in the breeze, causing sunlight and shadow to dance across his face.

I stammered, “Okay, what do you needme for? What do I have to do?”

He turned back to me and continued, “We came to this hut for a reason. The man who lives here is a shaman, a monk, and he’s the one who can explain your role in all this. He wouldn’t share anything further until we found you and brought you here. Even I don’t know why you are the one who is chosen.

This man also insists that he must speak with you and me alone. That’s why Mr. Kadam was left behind.”

He leaned forward. “Kelsey, will you stay here with me until he returns and at least hear what he has to say? If you decide afterward that you wish to leave and return home, Mr. Kadam will arrange it for you.”

I stared at the door. “Dhiren—”

“Please call me Ren.”

I blushed. “Okay…Ren. Your explanation is…overwhelming. I don’t know what to say.” I watched emotions flit across his handsome face. “Alright…I’ll wait and meet your monk, but I’m hot, sweaty, hungry, tired, in need of a good bath, and frankly, I’m not sure I even trust you. I don’t think I could take

another night sleeping in the jungle.”

He sighed in relief as he smiled at me. It was like the sun bursting through a raincloud. His smile filled me

with golden bright happy rays. I wanted to close my eyes and bask in the warm glow.

“Thank you, Kelsey. I’m sorry that this part of the journey was uncomfortable for you. Mr. Kadam and I had adisagreement about luring you into the jungle. He thought we should just tell you the truth, but I wasn’t sure if you would come. I thought that if you spent a little more time with me, you would come to

trust me, and I could reveal who I was in my own way. That was what we were arguing about when you saw us by the truck.”

“So thatwas you! Youshould have told me the truth. Mr. Kadam was right. We could have avoided the entire jungle hike and driven here.”

He sighed. “No. We would’ve had to cross through the jungle anyway. There’s no way to drive into the sanctuary this deeply by car. The man who lives here prefers it that way.”

I crossed my arms and muttered, “Well, youstill should have told me.”

He grinned. “You know sleeping outdoors isn’tall bad. You get to stare up at the stars and cool breezes ruffle your fur after a hot day. The grass smells sweet and…” He made eye contact with me, “so does your hair.”

I blushed and grumbled, “Well, I’m gladsomeone enjoyed it.”

He smiled smugly and said, “Idid .”

I had a quick flash of him as a man snuggled up to next to me in the forest and imagined him resting his head on my lap while I stroked his hair and decided to focus on the matter at hand.

“Well, listen,Ren , you’re changing the subject. I don’t appreciate the way you manipulated me into being here. Mr. Kadam should’ve told me at the circus.”

He shook his head. “We didn’t think you’d believe his story. He made up the trip to the tiger reserve to get you to India. We figured once you were here, I could change into a man and clarify everything.”

I admitted, “You’re probably right. If you had changed to a man there…I don’t think I would have come.”

“Whydid you come?”

“I wanted to spend more time with…you…you know, the tiger. I would have missed him…I mean you.”

I blushed.

He grinned lopsidedly. “I would have missed you too.”

I wrung the hem of my shirt between my hands.

Misreading my thoughts, he said, “Kelsey…I’mtruly sorry for the deception. If there’d been any other way…”

I looked up. He hung his head in a way that reminded me of the tiger. The frustration and awkwardness I felt about him dissipated. My instincts told me that I should believe himand help him. The strong, emotional connection that drew me to the tiger tugged at my heart even more powerfully with the man. I felt pity for him and his situation.

I softly asked, “When will you change back into a tiger?”

“Soon.”

“Does it hurt?”

“Not as much as it used to.”

“Do you understand me when you are a tiger? Can I still speak to you?”

“Yes, I’ll still be able to hear and understand you.”

I took a deep breath. “Okay. I’ll stay here with you until the man comes back. I still have a lot of questions for you though.”

“I know. I’ll try to answer them as best I can, but you’ll have to save them for tomorrow when I’ll be able to speak with you again. We can stay here for the night. The man should be back around dusk.”

“Ren?”

“Yes?”

“The jungle frightens me, and thissituation frightens me.”

He let go of the apron string and looked into my eyes. “I know.”

“Ren?”

“Yes?”

“Don’t…leave me, okay?”

His face softened into a tender expression, and his mouth turned up in a sincere smile, “Asambhava…I won’t.”

I felt myself responding to his smile with one of my own when a shadow fell across his face. He clenched

his fists and tightened his jaw. I saw a tremor pass through his body, and the chair fell forward as he collapsed to the ground on his hands and knees. I stood to reach out to him and was amazed to see his body morph back into the tiger form I knew so well. Ren the tiger shook himself, then approached my outstretched hand and rubbed his head against it.

CHAPTER 9

I sat on the edge of the bed thinking about what Ren had shared with me. Looking at the tiger now, I thought, or perhaps hoped, that I might’ve actually imagined everything.

“Maybe the jungle is causing me to hallucinate. Is all this real? Is there really a person in there?”

He’d stretched out on the floor and was resting his head on his paws. Raising his head, he looked at me with his gorgeous blue eyes for a long moment, and I knew that I had to accept that this was real.

Ren had said that the man who lived here wouldn’t be back until dusk, which was still several hours away. The bed looked inviting. A nap would be nice, but I was filthy. I decided that a bath was the first order of business. Seeing no obvious faucet near the tub, I examined it closer and discovered a plug. A flexible tube connected to the drainage hole and disappeared under the house through a hole in the floor.

I found a large bucket that I could fill using the water pump in the kitchen.

There was no toilet in the house, so I wandered around outside and found an outhouse. On my way back, I saw the tubing from the bathtub. It came out under the house and ended down in the garden.

“Hmm…that’s very efficient. I’d better not use too much soap then.”

Looking through my backpacks, I couldn’t find any soap, so I searched the man’s kitchen and found a homemade bar. The sweet-smelling herbal soap with a lemony sage fragrance even had green, leafy fragments imbedded in the bar.

Happy with my find, I began the arduous task of pumping water into the bucket. It looked easier on television than it was in real life. I thought my arms were going to fall off after only three buckets, but I pushed through the ache knowing how good a bath would feel. My tired arms convinced me that a half bath was more than adequate. I kicked off my tennis shoes and started to unbutton my shirt. I got about halfway down when I suddenly realized that I had an audience. I held my shirt together and turned around to find Ren watching me.

“Some gentleman you are. You were as being quiet as a mouse on purpose, weren’t you? Well, I don’t think so, Mister. You better sit outside until I’m done with my bath. Go…keep watch or something.”

I opened the door for him, and he lazily dragged his body outside. Quickly undressing, I stepped into the

tepid water and began scrubbing away at my dirty skin. After soaping through my hair as best I could and rinsing myself off with the extra bucket of water I’d set to the side, I wrapped a towel around myself and stood there for a moment, thinking,What have I gotten myself into? Why didn’t Mr. Kadam tell me any of this? What are they expecting me to do? How long am I going to be stuck in the jungle in India?

Questions were whirling around in my mind, displacing any coherent thoughts, and tossing them into the

spinning cyclone of confusion. Giving up trying to make sense of it all, I climbed out, dried off, got dressed, and opened the door for Ren. He’d been lying against the door with his back pressed up against it.

“Okay, you can come back in now. I’m decent.”

He wandered back in while I sat on the bed cross-legged, and began combing the tangles out of my hair.

“Well, Ren, I’ll sure be giving Mr. Kadam a piece of my mind after we get out of here. You’re not off the hook yet either, by the way. I have so many questions for you that need to be answered that your head is going to spin, so you’d better prepare yourself.”

Putting my comb back in the backpack, I braided my hair and tied a green ribbon around the tail to hold the braid in place. Tucking my arms behind my head, I lay down on the pillow and stared up at the bamboo ceiling. Ren put his head on the mattress near mine and looked at me with an apologetic tiger expression.

I laughed and patted his head, awkwardly at first, but he leaned in so I could scratch his ear. I overcame my shyness quickly.

“It’s fine, Ren. I’m not mad, really. I just wish you two had trusted me more.”

He licked my hand and lay down on the floor to rest. I turned on my side to watch him. I must have drifted off to sleep because when I opened my eyes it was dark in the hut except for a lantern glowing softly in the kitchen. Seated at the table was an old man.

I sat up and rubbed the sleep out of my eyes, shocked that I’d slept so long. The man was busy picking the leaves off several plants spread out on the table. I stood up, and he beckoned me closer.

“Hallo…little lady. You sleep long time…very tired, very, very tired.”

I walked to the table, and Ren got up too and followed me. He yawned, arched his back, and stretched himself one leg at a time. He padded after me to sit at my feet.

“Here. You hungry? Eat. Good food for you, hmmm?” He smacked his lips, “Very tast-ey.”

The little man stood up and scooped some aromatic, herby vegetable stew out of a bubbling pot that he’d left resting on the wood stove. He added a piece of warm flatbread, placing it in the bowl so that it rested along the edge, and came back to the table.

Pushing the bowl toward me, he nodded satisfactorily and then sat down and continued stripping the leaves from the plants.

The stew smelled heavenly, especially after eating energy bars for a day and a half. There wasn’t any silverware, so I used my bread as a scoop.

“What your name…little lady?”

“Kelsey,” I mumbled, as I chewed.

“Kahl-see. You have good name…strong.”

“Thank you for the food. It’s delicious!”

He grunted in response and waved his hand dismissively.

I asked him, “What’s your name?”

“My name…uh…too immense. You call me Phet.”

Phet was a small, brown, wrinkly man with a crown of gray wiry hair circling the back of his head. His shiny baldpate reflected the light of the lamp. He was dressed in a roughly woven, grayish-green wrap and sandals. The material was wound around his scrawny arms, and his bare legs stuck out from his knobby knees down. The sarong was thrown over his shoulder haphazardly, and I was surprised the flimsy garment even stayed on his thin frame.

“Phet, I’m sorry to barge into your home. Ren led me here. You see—”

“Ah, Ren, your tiger. Yes, Phet be acquainted with why you here. Anik say you and Ren coming, so, I go Suki Lake today for…” he scrunched up his face searching for the right word then found it, “

preparation.”

I swallowed another mouthful of stew as he brought me a cup of water, then asked, “Who is Anik?

Oh…Mr. Kadam. He told you we were coming?”

“Yes, yes. Kadam tell Phet.”

He pushed aside his plants, making room on the corner of the table, and then picked up a little cage that had an exquisite tiny red bird inside and set it there.

“Birds at Suki Lake are many, but this bird largely extraordinary.”

He leaned over, clicked his tongue at the bird, and waggled his finger next to the cage. He started humming and spoke to it gaily in his native language.

Turning his attention back to me, he said, “Phet linger all day capture. Bird sing be-u-ti-full song.”

“Will he sing for us?”

“Who is knowing? Sometime birdnever sing, whole lifetime. Only sing if special parson. Kahl-see is special parson?”

He laughed uproariously like he’d made a fantastic joke.

“Phet, what is the bird called?”

“He is Durga’s hatchling.”

I finished my stew and set the bowl to the side.

“Who is Durga?”

He grinned. “Ah…Durga be-u-ti-full goddess, and Phet,” he gestured to himself, “is willing low servant.

Bird sing for Durga…and one special wooman.”

He picked up his leaves again and continued working.

“So you are a priest of Durga?”

“Priest edify other citizens. Phet exist alone. Serve alone.”

“Do you like to be alone?”

“Alone is reasoned mind, hear things, see things. Added people is too many voice.”

He had a good point. I don’t mind being alone either. The only problem is, if you’re always alone, you get lonely.“Hmm…your bird is very beautiful.”

He nodded and worked quietly.

“May I help you with the leaves?”

He grinned widely, revealing a broken smile with several missing teeth. His eyes almost disappeared amid the deep brown wrinkles.

“You want assist me? Yes, Kahl-see. Watch Phet…follow. You try.”

He held the stem of a plant and pulled downward with his fingers until he had stripped off all of the leaves. He handed me a branch with tiny leaves, which looked like a type of rosemary. I plucked off the fragrant green leaves and piled them up on the table.

We worked companionably together for a while. Apparently, he harvested the herbs for a living. He showed me the different plants that he’d collected and told me their names and what they were used for.

He also had the dry collection, which was hanging from the ceiling, and he spent some time describing each one of those. Some of the names I was familiar with, but others I’d never heard of before.

The more interesting ones were arjuna, the ground bark of a tree used medicinally to aid circulation and digestion; turmeric, good for circulation as well, but also provided aid to the respiratory system; and neem leaves, which did something to aid digestion. I didn’t ask any detailed questions about that one.

Others were gotu kola, which smelled bitter and sweet. Phet said it gave long life and lots of energy.

Brahmi leaves apparently helped you think better, and shatavari was a root good for women problems, apparently India’s answer for Midol.

He stood on a little step stool, took down some of the dry plants, and replaced them with fresh ones, and then he got out a mortar and pestle. After teaching me how to crumble the herbs and grind them, he turned it over to me, and I ground several different types while he poured the ground herbs into jars and bottles, carefully labeling each one.

He opened one jar that had thick, hard, golden drops of resin inside. I smelled it and exclaimed, “I remember that smell from the jungle. It’s that gummy stuff that drips from the tree, right?”

“Very good Kahl-see. It name olibanum. Come from Boswellia tree, but maybe you call frankincense.”

“Frankincense? I always wondered what that was.”

He took out a small chip and handed it to me. “Here, Kahl-see, taste.”

“You want me toeat that? I thought it was a perfume.”

“Take, Kahl-see, you try.” He put a piece on his own tongue, and I followed suit.

It smelled spicy, and its flavor was sweet and warm. Its texture was like sticky gum. Phet chewed with his few teeth and grinned at me.

“Good taste, Kahl-see? Now breathe long.”

“Breathe long?”

He demonstrated by sucking in a deep breath, so I did too. He thumped me on the back, which would have caused me to spit out the gum if it wasn’t permanently stuck to my teeth. “You see? Good you stumack, good breathe, no worries.” He handed me the small jar of frankincense. “You keep, good value meant for you.”

I thanked him. After placing the jar in my backpack, I returned to the mortar and pestle.

He asked, “Kahl-see, you travel lengthy way, yes?”

“Oh, yes, a very long way.” I told him about meeting Ren in Oregon and then journeying to India with Mr. Kadam. I also described the loss of the truck, our trek through the jungle, and ended with finding his home.

He nodded his head and listened very intently. “And your tiger is not as always seeming tiger. Am I correct in this saying?”

I looked at Ren. “Yes, you are correct.”

“You wish to help the tiger?”

“Yes, I wish to help him. I’m angry that he tricked me, but I understand why he did.” I ducked my head and shrugged my shoulders. “I just want him to be free.”

At that moment, the little red bird burst into a lovely song and continued to sing for the next few minutes.

Phet closed his eyes, listened with an expression of pure rapture, and hummed quietly along. When the bird stopped singing, he opened his eyes and looked at me with a delighted smile.

“Kahl-see! You very special! Joyful is my feeling! Phet to perceive song of Durga!” He got up gleefully and began bustling away all the plants and jars. “At the present, you must respite. Important sunrise is tomorrow. Phet must pray in the dark hours, and you necessity sleep. Embark on tomorrow your traverse. It’s hard as difficult. In first light, Phet assist you in the company of tiger. Durga’s secret to unveil. Now go drowse.”

“I just had a long nap, and I’m not sleepy yet. Can’t I stay with you and ask more questions?”

“No. Phet go pray. Necessary express thanks Durga in favor of unforeseen blessing. You essential slumber. Phet assemble brew expand Kahl-see sleep.”

He placed several leaves in a cup and poured steaming water over them. After a minute, he handed the cup to me and indicated that I should drink it. It smelled almost like a peppermint tea with a hint of spice similar to cloves. I sipped it and enjoyed the flavor. He shooed me over to the bed and sent Ren along with me. After dimming the lamp, he pulled a satchel over his shoulder, smiled at me, and left, closing the

door quietly behind him.

I lay down on the bed thinking that sleep would be impossible, but my warm insides helped me drift off into a slumber that was comfortable, gray, and dreamless.

Early the next morning, Phet awakened me by coming in the door. He clapped his hands together loudly and said, “Hallo, Kahl-see and fateful Ren. Phet is pray even as you sleeping. As a consequence, Durga undertakes miracle. You must awaken! Compose yourself and we converse.”

“Okay, Phet, I’ll hurry.”

I pulled the curtain around me, got dressed, and set out for the outhouse. When I came back in, Phet and Ren had moved over to the table. Phet was cooking eggs and had already set a large plate of them on the floor for Ren. I washed my hands with the herbal soap and sat down at the table, pulled out my braid, and finger combed through my wavy hair.

Ren stopped eating, gulped his mouthful of eggs, and watched me intently as I worked with my hair.

“Ren, stop staring at me! Eat your eggs. You’re probably starving.”

I tied my hair up in a ponytail, and he finally turned back to his food. Phet brought me a plate also. It had

a small salad with a strange variety of mixed greens from his garden and a nice omelet. Then he sat down

to talk to us.

“Kahl-see, I am favorable man at present. Durga exclaim to me, shewill relief to you.”

Phet looked at Ren, then back at me, “Kahl-see, numerous year in the past, Anik Kadam pursue remedy to comfort Ren. I advise him Durga be partial to tiger, but no can alleviate him. He ask me what can he do? That nighttime, Phet dream two tigers, one pale like moon, one black, night resembling.

Durga speak softly my ear. She say only special girl can revive tiger. Phet know girl is Durga’s favored one. She struggle for tiger. I tell Anik, watch for goddess’ special girl. I give indication sign—girl alone, no family, girl is brown hair, dark eyes. She be devoted to tiger, and her utterance are powerful like goddess melody. Support tiger free will again. I tell Anik, discover Durga’s favored one, and fetch to me.”

He placed his brown, crooked hands on the table and leaned closer to me. “Kahl-see, Phet perceiveyou are exceptional favored one of Durga.”

“Phet, what do you mean that I’m a favored one of Durga?”

“Signify Durga love you. You strong, beautiful warrior to be resembling Durga.”

“Me? A strong, beautiful warrior? I think you have the wrong girl.”

Ren growled low in his throat. Phet clicked his tongue. “No. Durga’s hatchling sing foryou . You are accurate girl! Do not thrust away destiny, toss away like weed! Is precious, costly flower. Must patience, wait time, bloom open.”

“Okay, Phet, I’ll try my best. What do I have to do?”

“Durga help you. You requisite pursue Durga’s words at Kanheri Cave. You be acquainted with this cave, Tiger?”

Ren softly harrumphed. Phet continued to look at Ren.

“Procure key to open unspecified chamber.”

“What is the key?” I asked.

“Key is distinguished Mujulaain Empire Seal. Tiger be aware of this. Find undisclosed underground place in cave. Seal opens. Is key. Durga’s word go in front of you.”

I started to shiver uncontrollably. This was too much to take in at once. Secret cave messages, being the favored one of an Indian goddess, and going off on an Indiana Jones adventure with a tiger…it was too much for me to accept. I felt overwhelmed. My mind kept screaming—Not possible! Not possible! How did I get trapped in this bizarre situation?Oh, yeah. I volunteered .

Phet was watching me curiously. He put his hand on top of mine. It was warm and papery. It calmed me instantly.

“Kahl-see, you duty faith self. You strong woman. Tiger help shield you.”

I looked down at Ren, who was sitting on the bamboo floor watching me with a concerned expression.

“Yes, I know he’ll watch out for me…I guess I’m committed to watch out for him too. I do want to help him get out of this. It’s just a little…daunting.”

Phet squeezed my hand, and Ren lifted a paw to my knee. I swallowed my fear and pushed it to the back of my mind.

“So, Phet, where do we go next? The cave?”

“Tiger awareness where go. Go follow after tiger. Find seal. Must hasten depart in next to no time.

Goddess assistance is fleeting time. Before you go, Kahl-see, Phet bestow you prayer and goddess mark.”

He picked up a small arrangement of leaves we had picked through the night before. He waved them in the air around my head and down each of my arms while chanting softly, then he pulled out a small leaf and touched it to my eyes, nose, mouth, and forehead. He turned to Ren and went through the same process.

Then he stood and brought over a small jar filled with brown liquid. He took a small twig that had been stripped of its leaves and lightly dipped it in the jar. Taking my right hand in his, he began to draw geometrical designs. The liquid had a pungent smell, and the pictures he drew reminded me of an advertisement I’d seen when I passed through Mumbai. I wondered if henna hand drawings were done in

the same way Phet did it. When he was done, I turned my hand back and forth, admiring the skill it took to create the elaborate artwork. The patterns he drew covered my right hand, the back of it as well as the palm and fingertips.

“What is this for?” I asked.

“Durga help you now. Don’t be anxious. This mark hang about lots of days.”

When he was finished, he gathered up all the leaves and twigs, threw them into the wooden stove, and stood over it for a moment to inhale the smoke.

He turned back to me again. “Kahl-see, is now point in time you commencement departure.”

He bowed to me and bowed to Ren. Ren turned and headed out the door. I bowed back to him and then hugged him briefly. “Thank you for everything you’ve done. I really appreciate your hospitality and

your kindness.”

He smiled at me warmly and squeezed my hand. I walked over to the bed, grabbed my two backpacks, and positioned one on my back and the other over my shoulder. Ducking under the doorframe, I followed Ren outside. Grinning, Phet came to the little door and waved at us until we could no longer see

him.

CHAPTER 10

“Well, Ren, I guess that it’s back to the jungle for us, eh?” He didn’t turn around to acknowledge my comment but kept treading slowly on ahead. I trudged along behind, thinking about all the questions I would ask him when he changed back into a man again.

After walking for a couple of hours, we came upon a small lake. I guessed that this was the Suki Lake Phet had been talking about. There were, indeed, many birds here. Ducks, geese, king-fishers, cranes, and sandpipers dotted the water and the sandbanks looking for food. I even spied larger birds, maybe eagles or hawks of some type, circling overhead.

Our arrival disturbed a flock of herons, which took off in a brief frenzied flight and then settled themselves again in the water on the far side of the lake. Little birds darted around everywhere in colors of green, yellow, gray, blue, and black ones with red chests, but I didn’t see any of Phet’s special red birds, Durga’s hatchlings, he’d called them.

Where the trees shaded the water, clusters of lily pads made good places for water frogs to perch and rest. They watched us with beady yellow eyes and jumped in the water with a plop as we passed by. I saw more frogs swimming and darting among the other flowering water plants near the lake’s shoreline.

I spoke as much to myself as to Ren, “Do you think there are any alligators or crocodiles in the lake? I know one of those is indigenous to America, but I can never remember which one is which.”

He started walking alongside me, and I wasn’t sure if that meant there were dangerous reptiles to watch out for or if he just wanted to keep me company. I let him walk alongside the lake just to be on the safe side.

The air was hot, and the jungle drooped, sagging under the heat. The sky was bright, with not one monsoon cloud to provide shade. I was sweating hard. Ren led us through the shade of the trees as much as possible to keep us cool and help make the trip a bit more bearable, but it was still miserable. While skirting the edge of the lake, he kept up a slow and steady pace that I could follow easily. Even so, I could feel blisters forming on my heels. I pulled sunscreen out of the backpack and dabbed it on my face and arms. My compass indicated that we were traveling north this time.

Later, when I opened my bag to pull out a bottle of water, I found that Phet had added a lunch for me.

A large green leaf was wrapped around sticky white rice pressed into a ball and stuffed with a spicy meat

and vegetable mixture on the inside. Ren stopped to drink at a small stream, so I sat on a fallen log and ate my lunch. It was bit too spicy for my taste, but the plain rice helped staunch the heat. Finding two more leaf wraps in the backpack, I tossed them to Ren, who showed off by leaping up and catching them in the air. He, of course, gulped them down whole.

Hiking for about four more hours, we finally broke out of the jungle and onto a small paved road. I was happy to walk on the smooth road at first, at least until the road started burning my soles. The hot black tar cooked my feet, and I could have sworn that the rubber on the bottom of my shoe was melting. Ren stuck his nose in the air, turned right, and marched along-side the road for a half mile or so until we came

upon a brand new glossy SUV, a metallic green Jeep Rubicon. The windows were tinted black. Instead of a canvas cover, there was a black hard top.

Ren stopped next to the Jeep, sat down, and waited for me to do something. I panted and took a long swig of water and then wiped my mouth with the back of my hand. “What? What is it? What do you want me to do?”

He just stared at me.

“Is it the car? You want me to getin the car? Okay, I just hope the owner doesn’t get mad.”

Pulling on the door handle, I found it unlocked. On the driver’s seat was a note from Mr. Kadam.

Kelsey,

Please forgive me. I wanted to tell you but…it doesn’t matter anymore.

Here is a map with directions to Ren’s home.

I will meet you there.

The key is in the glove box. Don’t forget to drive on the left side of the road.

His home is about an hour and a half away. I hope you are safe.

Your friend,

Anik Kadam

I picked up the map Mr. Kadam had left me and placed it on the passenger seat. Opening up the back door, I threw in the two backpacks and pulled out another water bottle for the drive. Ren hopped up into the back seat, so I moved the backpacks to the floor, allowing him to stretch out.

Swinging myself up in the driver’s seat, I adjusted it to my liking, then popped open the glove compartment and found a small ring of keys. The big one readJeep . I started the engine and smiled gratefully as a rush of cold air blew in from the air conditioner.

Studying the map, I saw that we would be driving north for almost an hour and then turn east. When I pulled out onto the small, vacant road, a little voice on a GPS device chirruped at me: “Drive fifty kilometers, turn left.”

Staying on the left side of the road and gripping the wheel, I looked down at my hand. Despite sweating and wiping at my face constantly, the ink was still there, looking as permanent as a tattoo.

I turned on the radio, found a station that played interesting music, and let it keep me company on the drive while Ren napped in the back.

Mr. Kadam’s directions, in addition to the GPS unit, were easy to follow. There was almost no traffic along the route he had chosen, which was good, because every time a car passed me, I clutched the wheel nervously. After an hour, the directions said to turn off onto a dirt road. There was no name on the path, but the GPS beeped that we were at the right place, so I turned.

We seemed to be in the middle of nowhere. The area was covered in deep jungle, but the road was maintained and easy to traverse in the Jeep. We drove about five more miles down this road. The sun was setting, and the sky was starting to get dark when the road opened up into a cobbled brightly lit drive that circled around a tall sparkling fountain. Flowers surrounded the fountain, and sitting behind it was the most gorgeous home I’d ever seen. I pulled up, stopped the car, then got out and opened the door for Ren.

I exclaimed, “Ren, your home is amazing! I can’t believe youown this!”

Grabbing my bags, I walked slowly up the paved stone walkway and admired the home. It looked like a multimillion dollar mansion that you might find in the tropics or perhaps sitting on the shores of Greece.

I

imagined the perfect place for it would be on the peak of an island overlooking the Mediterranean Sea.

A separate building appeared to be a four-car garage. I wondered what other types of vehicles were housed there. The house was three floors. The second floor had a covered, wraparound veranda with wrought iron balustrades, supported by cream-colored pillars. The upper floor featured tall, arched balconies while sparkling panoramic windows were the feature of the main floor. Beautiful tropical plants

surrounded the home, turning the grounds into a lush paradise. I recognized ornamental bamboo, tall royal palms, thick ferns, and leafy banana trees, but there were many others as well. A curved pool and hot tub were lit up on the side of the house, and a glittering fountain sprayed water from the pool into the air while rotating its patterns and colors.

The outside of the house was painted white and cream, but it was offset by a bright variety of plumeria flowers in red, orange, and yellow set in front of a border of vivid orange bird-of-paradise plants.

When Ren and I approached the marble and teakwood entryway, I twisted the knob and found it unlocked. The outside was warm and vibrant, reflecting the intense, bold colors of India. The inside was opulent and lovely, decorated in cooler and more relaxing shades of color. We stepped into the wide, dramatic foyer. The entryway highlighted vaulted ceilings, exquisite marble flooring, and a curved sweeping staircase with ornate ironwork balustrades capped by a dazzling chandelier. Huge windows showcased the panoramic view of the surrounding jungle from inside each room of the main floor.

I slipped out of my dirty sneakers, left them and my bags at the door, and then Ren and I padded across the foyer and into a beautiful room. I found myself in a soaring double-height handsome gentleman’s library. Dark brown leather chairs, ottomans, and cozy couches sat on a beautiful rug, and dark wood side tables with lamps were set next to those. A large globe stood in the corner, and the walls were full of

books. There was even one of those sliding ladders that you could climb to reach the top shelves. A large

heavy desk sat to one side with a leather chair. It was meticulously neat and organized, immediately reminding me of Mr. Kadam.

I picked up a pen and grinned when I saw it was an old-fashioned ink pen, the kind used for calligraphy, rather than the typical ballpoint. A carved stone fireplace took up one wall. The fireplace was cold and dark now. I couldn’t imagine when a fireplace would ever be used in India, but it was a beautiful show-piece nonetheless. A tall golden vase full of peacock feathers had obviously inspired the accents and design of the room. Throw pillows and rugs stood out in teal, green, and purple. I thought it was the most beautiful library in the world.

As we made our way into the house, I heard Mr. Kadam’s voice. “Miss Kelsey? Is that you?”

I had been determined to be upset with him and Ren, but I couldn’t help but be relieved to hear his voice. “Yes. We’re here, Mr. Kadam.”

I followed his voice to a large, stainless steel gourmet kitchen with a black marble tiled floor, granite countertops, and double ovens, where he’d been busy preparing a meal.

“Miss Kelsey.” He rushed forward to take my hand. “I’m so glad you are safe. I hope you aren’t terribly angry with me.”

“Well, I’m not too happy about how everything happened, but…” I grinned at him and looked down at the tiger, “…I blame this guy more than you. He admitted that you wanted to tell me the truth.”

He grimaced apologetically and nodded. “Please forgive both of us. We never intended to cause you discomfort. Come. I have prepared a meal for you.” He bustled back to the kitchen, pulled open the door to a deep walk-in pantry, and disappeared inside for several minutes. When he stepped out, he deposited his selections on the kitchen island and opened another small door. I peeked inside and saw shelves full of fancy dishes and goblets including an impressive collection of silver. He pulled out two delicate china plates and two goblets and then set them on the table.

“What’s that room called?”

“It’s a butler’s pantry. Used for a variety of things today, but in the olden days butlers actually used to sleep in there to protect the family silver.”

“Hmm…” I pointed to a small beveled glass door. “And this?”

He smiled. “I call that my spice room.”

I slid open the door and saw shelves full of spices. My nose was overwhelmed with fragrance. The strongest smells were cloves and cinnamon. Some of the spices were ground, but most were still in seed or pod form.

“I like to grind my own spices. They taste better that way.”

I closed the door. “Mr. Kadam, something’s been bothering me.”

He teased, “Onlyone thing?”

I laughed. “For now. I’ve been wondering…did you everreally ask Mr. Davis to come with you to take care of Ren? I mean, what would you have done if he’d saidyes and I’d saidno ?”

“I did ask him first, just to keep up appearances, but I also subtly suggested to Mr. Maurizio that it might

be in his best interest to persuade Mr. Davisnot to go. In fact, I offered himmore money if he would insist

Mr. Davis stay with the circus. As far as what to do if you had turned us down…I suppose we would have had to make you a better offer and keep trying until we found one you couldn’t refuse.”

“What if I still said no? Would you have kidnapped me?”

He laughed. “No. If our offer had still been turned down, my next step would have been to tell you the truth and hope you believed me.”

“Whew, that’s a relief.”

“ThenI would have kidnapped you.” He started chuckling at his joke and turned his attention back to our dinner.

“That’s not very funny, Mr. Kadam.”

“I couldn’t resist. Sorry, Miss Kelsey.”

He led me out of the kitchen to a small breakfast nook. I sat at a round table next to a bay window that overlooked the illuminated swimming pool. Placing a plate in front of me, he went back and fussed in the

kitchen for another moment, brought out a plate of his own, and sat down across from me. Ren settled himself at my feet. Mr. Kadam wanted to know everything that had happened to me since I’d last seen him. I told him about the truck, and found out that he paid the driver to leave me stranded, and then we talked about the jungle and Phet.

He asked me many questions about what Phet had shared with me and was particularly interested in my henna hand design. He turned my hand over and closely examined the symbols on each side.

He leaned back in his chair and smiled. “So youare the favored one of Durga.”

“How did you know I was the right person? I mean, how did you know it wasme who would be able to break the curse?”

“We were not really sure that youwere the right person until you met Phet and he confirmed it. When Dhiren was in captivity, he could not alter his form. Somehow, you spoke words that set him free. It allowed him to change to a man again and contact me. Also, you fit the description that Phet gave me, so wehoped that you were the right person, the one that we’d been searching for, Durga’s favored one.”

“Mr. Kadam, what does that mean exactly? Whois Durga?”

He excused himself and went into the other room. When he returned, he was holding a small golden statuette. He placed it delicately on the table facing me. It was a beautifully carved Indian goddess with eight arms. She was shooting a bow and arrow, and, what was even more interesting, she was riding a…

tiger .

Touching a delicate carved arm, I said, “Please tell me about her.”

“Of course, Miss Kelsey. In the language of the Hindus, Durga meansinvincible one . She is a great warrior and considered the mother goddess of many of the other gods and goddesses of India. She has at her command many weapons and rides a magnificent tiger named Damon into war. A very beautiful goddess, she’s been described as having long curly hair and a bright complexion that glows even brighter

when she is engaged in battle. She’s often dressed in cerulean robes, the color of the sea, and jeweled ornaments of carved gold, precious gemstone, and shiny black pearl.”

I turned the statue. “What are the weapons she’s holding in her hands?”

“There are several images of her, and each one has a slightly different array of weapons. Some pictures show her with ten arms, some with eight, and some with six. This statue has eight. Let’s see which weapons this one shows. Ah—there is a trident, a bow and arrow, the sword, and a gada, which is what you would call a mace or a club. On the other side, we see a kamandal, or conch shell, a discus, a snake, and armor with a shield. Some of the other pictures have a length of rope, a bell, or a lotus flower, and then she is also depicted showing various hand shapes. She’s able to manipulate lightning and thunder as well.”

I picked up the statue and looked at it from different angles. The eight arms were fearsome. If she came in battle against me, I’d be sure to run the other direction.

Mr. Kadam continued, “She fought a demon, Mahishasur, who was half human and half buffalo. He terrorized the earth and the heavens, and noman could kill him. So, Durga took the form of a warrior goddess to defeat him. Thus, the goddess Durga was born out of the river to help humanity in their time of need. She is also calledThe Fair Lady because of her great beauty.”

Placing the statue back on the table, I said, “Mr. Kadam, I don’t mean to be disrespectful and I hope I don’t offend you, but I don’t really believe in this kind of stuff. I think it’s fascinating, but it seems…too weird to be real. I feel like I’m stuck in some kind of Indian myth inThe Twilight Zone .”

He smiled. “Ah, Miss Kelsey, don’t worry. You do not offend me. During my travels and my studies while trying to help Dhiren, I have had to open myself to new ideas and beliefs that I too had never considered before. What is real and what is not is for your heart to decide and for your heart to know.

“Now, you must be tired from your journey. I will show you to your room where you can rest.”

He led me upstairs to a large bedroom decorated in plum and white with gold trim. A round vase of white roses and gardenias lightly perfumed the room. A four-poster bed with mounds of plum-colored pillows adorning it was set against the wall. Thick piled white carpet covered the floor. Tall glass doors opened to the large veranda I’d seen before and overlooked the pool and fountain.

“It’s lovely! Thank you, Mr. Kadam.”

He nodded and left me, closing the door softly behind him. He’d brought up my bags for me and set them beside the bed. I yanked off my socks, wanting to walk barefoot on the plush carpet. Zipping open my backpack and pulling out some clothes, I walked to the dresser with gold burnished knobs and opened the drawer. There were other clothes already in the drawer, so I took my backpack with me and opened a side door that led into a spacious white bathroom.

Textured glass doors opened into a stunning bath. It was bigger than any bathroom I’d ever been in.

There was a white marble deep-plunge spa tub and a huge shower that could also be a steam room. Soft plum-colored towels hung on a heated rack and glass bottles held soaps and bubble bath in lavender and creamy peach fragrances.

Next to the bathroom was a walk-in closet with white padded changing benches, hutches, and drawers.

One side was empty and the other side held a rack of brand new clothes still wrapped in cellophane. A whole wall was built just to hold shoes, but it was mostly empty. One new shoebox sat there waiting to be opened.

After a thoroughly relaxing shower in the opulent bathroom, I unpacked my few clothes and arranged them in the closet and the dresser. I set my makeup, compacts, hairbrush, and ribbons on a mirrored tray lying on the marble sink and rolled up the cord of my flat iron and stowed it in a drawer. I’d considered not bringing makeup since I thought I was going to a tiger reserve and then right back home to Oregon, but I was glad I’d brought it.

Leaving the bathroom, I scooted to the back of my bed in my flannel pajamas and had just pulled my poetry book out of my travel bag to read for a while when I heard a tapping on the window. I looked out at the veranda and my heart started pounding in my chest because a man was standing out there. I caught a flash of blue eyes, remembered it was Ren, and got up to open the door. The funny thing was, even after I knew it was Ren, my heart kept on beating in a fast rhythm.

It’s not that I felt…scared. I don’t know what to call it, really. I guess I just wasn’t used to him in this form. He’d walked off a few paces and was looking out over the veranda into the jungle. I stepped out and walked toward him. He turned to look at me, gestured to the pool, and said, “Want to go for a swim?”

“Umm…maybe later.”

His hair was wet, and he smelled wonderful, something like… waterfalls and the woods mixed together.

He was so good looking that I felt a bit mousy standing there beside him in my flannel pajamas.

He looked me up and down and frowned at me. “Why aren’t you wearing the clothes I bought you?”

Confused, I said, “What clothes? These are my pajamas.”

“The clothes that were put in your closet and dresser. I even included some pajamas.”

“Oh. You mean…those clothes are forme ?”

“Yes.”

“I didn’t…But…Why would you…How…Well, anyway, thank you. And thank you for the use of the beautiful room.”

He smiled at me widely and almost knocked me off my feet with his attractiveness. He captured a wisp of my hair that had flown out in the breeze, tucked it behind my ear, and said, “Did you like your flowers?”

I just stared at him, then blinked and managed to squeak out a tiny yes.

He nodded, satisfied, and gestured to the patio chairs.

I bobbed my head faintly and sucked in a breath as he took my elbow and guided me to a chair. After making sure I was comfortable, he moved to the chair opposite from me and sat down. I guess because I was just staring at him and not managing to come up with a coherent thought of my own, he began speaking.

“Kelsey, I know you have many questions for me. What would you like to know first?”

I was mesmerized by his bright blue eyes, which somehow sparkled even in the dark. Finally, I snapped out of it…whateverit was. I mumbled the first dumb thought that came to my mind: “You don’t look like

the other men around here. Your skin is gol…umm, lighter. And your eyes are…not like the other…

guys’zez.” I stammered lamely.

He didn’t seem to notice my total lack of sophistication.Why can’t I get it together? He took my comment seriously.

“Why don’t I look like the other men of India? Well, my father was of pure Indian descent, but my mother was Asian. She was a princess from another country who was given to my father to become his bride. Plus, I’m over three hundred years old, which might make a difference too, I suppose.”

“Over three hundred years old! That means you were born in…”

“I was born in 1657.”

“Right.” I fidgeted.Apparently, I find older men extremely attractive. “Then why do you look so young?”

“I don’t know. I was twenty-one when I was cursed, I don’t think I’ve aged since then.”

“When did you meet Mr. Kadam? How old is he? And how does Mr. Kadam’s boss fit into this? Does he know about you?”

He laughed. “Kelsey…I’mMr. Kadam’s boss.”

“You?You are his wealthy employer?”

“We don’t really define our relationship that way, but his explanation was more or less accurate. Mr.

Kadam’sage is more… complicated. He’s actually a bit older than me. He was once my man-at-arms and my father’s trusted military advisor. When the curse was placed upon me, I ran to him and was able to change to a man long enough to tell him what had happened. He quickly organized things, hid my parents and our wealth, and has been my protector ever since.”

“But…how can he still bealive ? He should have died a long time ago.”

He hesitated. “Yes. But he’s kept alive by the Damon Amulet.”

I shifted forward in my seat. “Damon? Isn’t that the name of Durga’s tiger?”

“Yes, the name of Durga’s tiger and the amulet are the same. I don’t know much about the amulet’s origins, but the man who cursed me was seeking toreunite the amulet by taking the pieces that belonged to my brother and me. Mr. Kadam wears my piece now. We believe that the amulet’s power has somehow protected him and has kept Anik, Mr. Kadam, alive all this time. Though he’s aged, it has been, thankfully, very slow.”

I sat back in my chair intrigued and shocked at the same time.

He went on, “So, having my piece has enabled him to continue to manage my affairs. It was our only option really, but I’m glad because he’s a trusted friend. He’s given up much to help my family through the years. I can never repay my debt to him. I don’t know how I would have survived all this time without him.”

He looked out across the pool and whispered, “He cared for my parents until their deaths, watching over them when I couldn’t.”

I leaned over to place my hand on top of his. I could sense his sadness as he thought about his parents.

His lonely ache filled me somehow and meshed with my own. He turned his hand over and began absentmindedly stroking my fingers with his thumb as he stared out at the landscape, wrapped in his own

thoughts.

I would have expected to feel awkward or embarrassed to be holding hands with a man I’d just met, but, instead, I felt… comforted. His loss echoed my own, and his touch gave me a sense of peace. As I looked at his handsome face, I wondered if he felt the same way. I understood the sting of loneliness and felt great pity for him in that moment. Three hundred years without human contact, without communication, without anyone looking in your eyes and knowing who you are. Even if I had been uncomfortable, I couldn’t have denied him that moment of human contact.

He turned back to me and smiled in a warm, lazy way and then kissed my fingers and said, “Come, Kelsey. You need to sleep, and my time is almost gone.”

He pulled me up so that I stood very close to him, which caused me to stop breathing. As he held my hand, I felt a slight tremor pass through it. He pulled me along to my door, said a quick good night, bowed his head, and then he was gone.

The next morning when I got up, the first thing I did was check the clothes in the dresser and the closet to see what Ren had purchased for me. I was surprised to see that they were mostly modern, practical clothes that American girls would wear, like jeans and blouses, but they were in the bright, vivid colors of

India.

I zipped open one cellophane bag in the closet and was amazed to find a silky violet-blue Indian-style dress. It was detailed with tiny silver teardrop pearls all over the skirt and bodice. I felt a strong desire to try on the beautiful costume and rushed to the bathroom with it.

Pulling the skirt over my head, it slid down my arms smoothly and settled at my waist, fitting snugly at the

top of my hips. From there, it fell to the floor in swirling, heavy folds, heavy because of the hundreds of pearls clustered at the bottom hem. The bodice was cap sleeved and copiously beaded with pearls. It fit tightly and ended just above my belly button, which gave me two inches of waistline exposure all around.

Normally, I would never wear midriff-exposing clothing; I thought it showed poor taste, but this dress was stunning. I twirled around in front of the mirror feeling like a princess.

Because of the dress and its influence on my mood, I decided I would make the effort to apply makeup today and work on my hair. I retrieved my seldom-used compact and brushed on blush, some darker than usual eye shadow, and blue liner. I finished it off with some mascara and a pink tinted lip gloss.

Then, I pulled out my braids from the night before and finger combed through the locks of hair, arranging

them in soft curls down my back.

A sheer violet-blue scarf came with it, and I draped it around my shoulders, not really knowing how to arrange it. I hadn’t planned to wear the dress during the day, but once I had it on I wanted to keep wearing it.

Because none of my shoes would have matched, I just went barefoot and sashayed down the stairs heading to breakfast. Mr. Kadam was humming while reading an Indian newspaper, and just like a man, he didn’t even bother to look up.

“Good morning, Miss Kelsey. There’s breakfast for you on the kitchen island.”

I flounced over, trying to get his attention, picked up my plate and a glass of, I think, papaya juice, then conspicuously arranged my dress and sighed dramatically as I sat down across from him.

“Good morning, Mr. Kadam.”

He peeked at me from around the side of the newspaper, smiled, and then set the paper down.

“Miss Kelsey! You look charming!”

“Thank you.” I blushed. “Did you pick it out? It’s lovely!”

He smiled at me with twinkling eyes. “Yes, Dhiren wanted you to have some more clothing, and I purchased it while in Mumbai. He asked me to acquire somethingspecial as well. His only instructions were beautiful and blue. I wish I could take all the credit for the selection, but I had a bit of help. Nilima helped me.”

“Nilima? The flight attendant? Is she your…I mean, are you…?” I stuttered, embarrassed.

He laughed at me. “Nilima and I do have a close relationship as you have guessed, but not the kind you’re thinking of. Nilima is my great-great-great-great-granddaughter.”

My jaw hit the floor in shock. “Your what?”

“She’s my granddaughter with several greats added.”

“Ren told me that you were a bit older than he was, but he didn’t mention that you had a family.”

He folded his newspaper and sipped some juice. “I was married once, a long time ago, and we had a few children. Then they had children and so on. Of all my descendants, only Nilima now knows the secret. For most of them, I am a distant, wealthy uncle who is always away on business.”

“What about your wife?”

He lost his smile and became thoughtful. “It was very difficult for us. I loved her with all my heart. She began to get older, and I did not. The amulet affected me profoundly in ways I didn’t expect. She knew about my past and claimed it didn’t bother her.” He rubbed something under his shirt, which I assumed was the amulet. Seeing my interest, he pulled it out and looked at it for a moment. It was attached to a thin silver chain and was made of some kind of green stone. He seemed to have the curved top piece portion, and he showed me the outline where you could just make out a tiger’s head. There was writing or glyphs along the outside circle, but he said that he could only read part of one word.

With melancholy, he rubbed the amulet between his fingers. “My dear wife became old and very sick.

She was dying. I took this amulet from around my neck and begged her to wear it. She refused, wrapped my fingers around it, and made me swear to never remove it again until my duty was fulfilled.”

A small tear slipped out of the corner of my eye.

“Couldn’t you have forced her to wear it and maybe take turns?”

He shook his head sadly. “No. She wanted to follow the natural course of life. Our children were married and happy, and she felt it was time for her to move on to the next life. She was comforted knowing I would be around to care for our family.”

He smiled sorrowfully. “I stayed with her until she died…and with many of my children and grandchildren after that. But, as the years passed, it became harder for me to bear seeing them suffer and die. Also, the more people who knew Dhiren’s secret, the more danger he would be in, so I left them. I return to visit from time to time to check up on my descendants, but it’s…difficultfor me.”

“Did you ever marry again?”

“No. I seek out one of my great-grandchildren to work for me every once in a while, and they’re wonderful to me. Also, Dhiren was a good companion for me until his capture, but I have not sought out someone to love since then. I don’t think my heart could take saying goodbye again.”

“Oh, Mr. Kadam, I’m so sorry. Ren was right that you have sacrificed many things for him.”

He smiled at me. “Don’t feel sad for me, Miss Kelsey. It’s a time for celebration.You have come into our lives. And you being here makes me very happy.” He captured one of my hands in his, patted it, and winked at me.

I didn’t really know what to say in response, so I just smiled back at him. He let go of my hand, stood up, and began to wash the plates. I got up to help as Ren padded lazily into the room yawning widely as only a tiger could. I turned around and patted his furry head, only a little awkwardly.

“Good morning, Ren!” I said brightly, and then spun around to show off my outfit.

“Thank you so much for the dress! It’s quite beautiful, isn’t it? Nilima did a great job picking it out.”

Ren, abruptly sat down on the floor, watched me twirl in my dress for a moment, then got up and left.

“What’s up with Ren today?”

Mr. Kadam turned while drying his hands on a towel. “Hmm?”

“Ren just took off.”

“Who knows with tigers? Perhaps he is hungry. Excuse me for a moment, Miss Kelsey.” He smiled at me and left.

Later, we both settled down in the lovely peacock room, which housed Mr. Kadam’s amazing book collection. The books were stacked carefully on polished mahogany shelves all around the room. I picked out a book on India that was full of old maps.

“Mr. Kadam, can you show me where the Kanheri Caves are?”

He opened the book and pointed to a map of Mumbai. “In the northern part of the city is the Borivali National Park, which now is called the Gandhi National Park. Inside this large park, ancient basaltic rock

caves have been discovered with ancient writing chiseled on the walls. I have been to the Cave of Kanheri to visit, but have never found an underground passage. Archeologists have been studying the caves for years, but still no one has yet found anything such as a prophecy written by Durga.”

“What about the seal that Phet spoke of?”

“The seal has been in my care all of these years. I keep it safe with many of Dhiren’s other heirlooms in a

bank vault. In fact, I must leave now to retrieve it. I will bring it to you tonight. It might be a good idea for

you to call your foster parents today and let them know you’re alright. You can tell them you are staying on in India through the summer as my apprentice in the business, if you like.”

I nodded. I really did need to call them.

“I must also gather a few things from town that you will need to take with you on your journey to the cave. Please make yourself at home and rest. There is a luncheon and a dinner already prepared for you in the refrigerator. If you go for a swim, please wear sunscreen. It’s kept in a cabinet near the pool, next to the towels.”

He got up, and soon after, I heard a car start in the garage. I went to the window to watch him drive off.

I found my cell phone left on the dresser in my room.Nice of him to give it back after the jungle incident. I

sat down in a velvety golden easy chair, called my foster parents, and had nice long chat about the traffic,

the food, and the people of India. When they asked about the tiger reserve, I evaded the question by saying that Ren waswell taken care of . Mr. Kadam was right…the easiest way to explain my staying in India was that I was offered a position working as an intern for Mr. Kadam through the end of summer.

After I hung up with them, I located the laundry area and washed my clothes and my precious blanket.

Then, having nothing else to do, I explored every part of the house. The entire basement was a fully appointed gym, but not with modern exercise equipment. The floor was covered with a black cushioned mat. It was a daylight basement, so half of the room was built underground in the hillside and the rest was

open to the sunlight with large floor-to-ceiling windows. A sliding glass door opened to a large deck that led out to the jungle. The back wall was paneled and smooth.

There was a button pad by the door. Out of curiosity, I pushed the top button. A section of paneling flipped out to reveal an assortment of ancient weapons such as axes, spears, and knives of various lengths hanging in specially made compartments. I pushed the button again and it flipped shut. I pushed the second button, and it flipped another section of wall that contained swords. I moved closer to inspect them. There were many different styles ranging from thin rapiers to heavy broadswords and one that was specially encased in glass. It looked like a samurai sword that I’d seen once in a movie.

Wandering back up to the first floor, I found a high-tech home theater with a state-of-the-art media system and reclining leather seats. Right behind the kitchen was a formal banquet-style dining room with

marble floors, crown molding, and a glittering chandelier. Off to the side of the peacock library, I discovered a music room with a shiny black grand piano and a large sound system with hundreds of compact discs. Most of them looked Indian, but I also found several American singers, including Elvis Presley. A very old, odd-shaped guitar was hung on the wall, and there was a curved black leather couch set in the middle of the room.

Mr. Kadam’s bedroom was also on the main floor, and his room looked a lot like the peacock room, full of polished wooden furniture and books. He also had a couple of nice paintings and a sunny reading area. At the top of the stairs on the third floor, I found an inviting loft. It had a small set of bookshelves, two comfy reading chairs, and overlooked the sweeping stairway.

I also found another large bedroom, a bath, and a room for storage. On my floor, I found three more bedrooms, not including mine. One was decorated in rose colors for a girl, which I thought might be for Nilima when she came to visit. The second appeared to be a guest room, but the colors were more masculine. Most of the rooms had private baths.

Stepping into the last room, I saw glass doors that led out to my same veranda. The decoration of this room was plain in comparison to the others. The furniture was dark polished mahogany, but there were no details or knickknacks. The walls were plain and the drawers empty. The thought crossed my mind that this might be where Ren slept. Spotting a desk set in the corner, I approached it and saw thick, cream-colored paper and an ink well with an old-fashioned pen. The top sheet had a note in written in beautiful calligraphy:

Kelsey Durgaa vallabh

Bhumi-ke-niche gupha

Rajakiya Mujulaain Mohar

Sandesha Durgaa

A green hair ribbon lay next to the ink bottle.Huh…I wonder if that’s one of mine. I peeked in the closet

and found nothing—no clothes, no boxes, no possessions. If thiswas Ren’s room, Mr. Kadam must care for everything of value. I went back downstairs and spent the rest of the afternoon studying Indian culture, religion, and mythology. I waited until my stomach growled to eat dinner because I was lonely with Mr. Kadam being gone all day and I hoped for some company. There’d been no sign of Ren either, not that he talked back to me, but at least I wouldn’t feel alone.

After eating, I decided it was time to change into my sensible clothes or maybe go for a swim before bed. I went upstairs and opened my door to see Ren standing on the veranda again, looking at the sunset. I approached him shyly and stood behind him.

“Hello, Ren.”

He turned and openly studied my appearance. His gaze drifted ever so slowly down my body. The longer he looked, the wider his smile got. Eventually, his eyes worked their way back up to my bright red

face.

He sighed and bowed deeply. “Sundari.I was standing here thinking nothing could be more beautiful than

this sunset tonight, but I was mistaken. You standing here in the setting sun with your hair and skin aglow

is almost more than a man can… fully appreciate.”

I tried to change the subject. “What does sundari mean?”

“It means…most beautiful.”

I blushed again, which made him laugh. He took my hand, tucked it under his arm, and led me to the patio chairs. Just then, the sun dipped below the trees leaving its tangerine glow in the sky for just a few more moments.

We sat again, but this time he sat next to me on the swinging patio seat and kept my hand in his.

I ventured shyly, “I hope you don’t mind, but I explored your house today, including your room.”

“I don’t mind. I’m sure you found my room the least interesting.”

“Actually, I was curious about the note I found. Did you write it?”

“A note? Ah, yes. I just scribbled a few notes to help me remember what Phet had said. It just says seek Durga’s prophesy, the Cave of Kanheri, Kelsey is Durga’s favored one…that sort of thing.”

“Oh. I…also noticed a ribbon. Is it mine?”

“Yes. If you’d like it back, you can take it.”

“Why would you want it?”

He shrugged, looking embarrassed. “I wanted a memento, a token from the girl who saved my life.”

“A token? Like a fair maiden giving her handkerchief to a knight in shining armor?”

He grinned. “Exactly.”

I jested wryly, “Too bad you didn’t wait for Cathleen to get a little older. She’s going to be very pretty.”

He frowned. “Cathleen from the circus?” He shook his head, “You were the chosen one, Kelsey. And if I had the option of choosing the girl to save me, I still would have picked you.”

“Why?”

“A number of reasons. I liked you. You were interesting. I enjoyed listening to your voice. I felt like you

saw me…saw through the tiger skin to the person underneath. When you spoke, it felt like you were saying exactly the things Ineeded to hear. You’re smart. You like poetry,and you’realready very pretty.”

I laughed. “Okay, Prince Charming, you can keep your memento.”

“Thank you. Now, Kelsey, tomorrow we’ll be going to the cave. During the day there are many tourists, which means we’ll have to wait until evening to walk in. We’ll be sneaking into the park through the jungle and traveling on foot for a while, so wear your new hiking boots that we bought for you.”

“Are they the ones in the box in my closet?”

“Yes.”

“Great…nothing like breaking in new hiking boots on a trek through the hot Indian jungle, I always say.”

“It shouldn’t be that bad, and even new hiking boots should be better on your feet than your sneakers.”

“I happen to like my sneakers, and I’m bringing them along just in case your boots blister my feet.”

He stretched out his long legs and crossed his bare feet in front of him. “Mr. Kadam will pack a bag with

things we might need to bring with us. I’ll make sure he leaves room for your sneakers too. You’ll have to drive us to Mumbai, to the park. I know you don’t like the traffic here. I’m sorry that you’re burdened with this.”

I muttered, “Not liking the traffic is an understatement. People don’t know how to drive here…they’re crazy.”

“We can take back roads with the least traffic on the way, and we’ll be driving only to the outskirts of Mumbai, not through the city as before. It shouldn’t be too bad. You’re a good driver.”

“Huh, easy for you to say. You just sleep in the back the whole way.”

He touched my cheek with his fingers and gently turned my face to his. “Kelsey, I want to say thank you,

Rajkumari . Thank you for staying and helping me. You don’t know what this means to me.”

I mumbled, “You’re welcome. And Rajkumari means…?”

He flashed me a brilliant white smile and deftly changed the subject. “Would you like to hear about the seal?”

I knew what he was doing, but acquiesced, “Okay, what is it?”

“It’s a carved rectangular stone, about three fingers thick. The king always wore it in public. It was a symbol of the duties of the royal family. The Seal of the Empire has four words carved upon it, one on each side:Viveka ,Jagarana ,Vira , andAnukampa which translated loosely means—Wisdom, Vigilance, Bravery, and Compassion. You’ll need to bring the seal with you when we go to the caves. Phet said it was the key that would open the passageway. Mr. Kadam will put it on your dresser before we leave.”

I stood up, walked to the railing, and stared up at the budding stars. “I can’t imagine the life that you came from. It’s so different from what I know.”

“You’re right, Kelsey.”

“Call me Kells.”

He smiled and approached me. “You’re right,Kells . Itis very different. I have much to learn from you.

But, perhapsI can teachyou a few things as well. For example, may I?”

I nodded as he took the shawl draped around my shoulders and held it out.

“There are many different ways to wear a dupatta scarf. One way is to arrange it across your shoulders as you did just now, or you can drape one end over your shoulder and the other across your arm as is the current style. Like this.”

Wrapping it around his body, he turned around to show me the style, and I couldn’t help but laugh.

“And how do you know the current style?”

“I know lots of things. You’d be surprised.”

He pulled it off again, twisting the scarf another way. “You can also fold it across your hair, which is appropriate when meeting with your elders, as it shows respect.”

I bowed low to him, giggled, and said, “Thank you for showing me the proper respect, Madam. I grant you audience with my mighty presence.”

He showed me a few more ways to wear it, each one funnier than the last. He laughed quietly, and I found myself drawn to him. He was so…I couldn’t really describe it. He was attractive, charming, magnetic, compelling…I guessed the best word to describe him was captivating. He was pretty to look at, no question about that, but even if he weren’t, I could have easily seen myself sitting happily beside him talking for hours. I saw a tremor run through his arm. He quieted his demeanor and took a step closer to me.

“My favorite style, though, is the way you were wearing it earlier when you had it draped across both of your arms loosely. That way, I get the full effect of your exquisite hair tumbling down your back.”

Wrapping the filmy fabric around my shoulders, he pulled the shawl and gently tugged me closer. He reached out, captured a curl, and wrapped the hair around his finger.

“This life is so different from what I know. So many things have changed…”

He let go of the shawl, but he kept hold of the curl. “…but some things are much,much better.”

He let go of the curl, trailed a finger down my cheek, and gave me a little nudge back toward my room.

“Good night, Kelsey. We have a busy day tomorrow.”

CHAPTER 11

The next morning, I woke to find Ren’s seal on the dresser. It was made of some kind of beautiful, creamy stone with golden orange striations throughout. I picked it up to examine it closer and immediately noticed the carved words. The detailing in the design demonstrated highly sophisticated workmanship. It was lovely.

I traced a carved lotus flower on the bottom of the seal and a hollowed place at the top, which was big enough to thread a chain through. But, instead of a chain, there was a soft, sturdy, braided ribbon. Mr.

Kadam must have thought the ribbon would be more comfortable for me. The stone was heavy, and I could imagine it usually required a thick, heavy chain. I traced the carved words. Ren had said they meant wisdom, vigilance, bravery, and compassion. His father must have been a good king.

For a minute, I let myself imagine an older version of Ren as the king. I could easily imagine him leading

others. There was something about him that made you want to follow him, trust him.Women would follow him over a cliff.

Mr. Kadam had obviously served his prince for over three hundred years. That proved Ren was someone amazing right there. That Ren could inspire someone to dedicate their entire life, their eternal devotion to him, was incredible. I set aside my speculations and looked at the seal again. It had obviously

been cared for over the years. It still looked brand new.

I opened the bag Mr. Kadam had left and found it contained cameras, both digital and disposable, matches, a few handheld digging tools, like the type you might find at an archeological site, flashlights, a

pocketknife, glow sticks, paper with rubbing charcoal, food, water, maps, and a few other items. Several of the items were placed in waterproof Ziploc bags. I tested out the weight, and it wasn’t too bad, better than the two bags I’d hauled through the jungle anyway.

I opened the closet, fingered my pretty dress again, and sighed. I slipped on some jeans and a T-shirt and laced up my new hiking boots. I walked back and forth in the giant closet testing the size and fit.

They were comfortable, but I still grabbed my sneakers. Downstairs, I found Mr. Kadam slicing mango for breakfast.

“Good morning, Miss Kelsey.” He gestured to my neck. “I see you found the seal.”

“I did. It’s very pretty, but a little bit heavy.” I scooped some mango slices onto my plate and poured some homemade hot cocoa into a mug. “You’ve taken care of it all these years?”

“Yes. It’s very precious to me. You know, I did some research on that seal. It was actually made in China, not India. It was a gift given to Ren’s grandfather. Seals that old are quite rare. It’s made of Shoushan stone.”

“Is Shoushan stone normally that orange color? Is it like a type of orange jade?”

“No, it’s not jade. Shoushan stones actually come in many different colors. They are exceptionally easy to carve because they have a soft, fine texture and are quite beautiful when shaped and polished. They are extremely rare. The Chinese believed that Shoushans were brightly colored Phoenix eggs, found high in mountain nests. Men who risked their lives to locate and capture them received honor, glory, and wealth.

“Only the very richest of men had items carved from this type of stone. To receive one as a gift was a great honor for Ren’s grandfather. It’s now a priceless heirloom for Dhiren. The good news for you, though, is that it’s also considered good luck to own or wear something made from this type of stone.

Perhaps it will help you on your journey in more ways than one.”

“It sounds like Ren’s family was very special.”

“Indeed they were, Miss Kelsey.”

We’d just sat down to a breakfast of yogurt and mango when Ren stalked into the room and put his head down on my lap.

I scratched his ears. “Nice of you to join us. I guess you’re anxious to get moving today, huh? You must be excited to be this close to breaking the curse.”

He kept watching me intently as if impatient to leave, but I didn’t want to rush. I pacified him by feeding

him pieces of mango. Content for the moment, he sat down and enjoyed his treat, licking the juice from my fingers.

I laughed. “Stop it! That tickles!”

He ignored me, moved up my arm, and licked me almost all the way up to my sleeve.

“Ew, gross, Ren! Alright. Alright. Let’s go.”

I washed my arm off, took one last look at the view, and made my way out to the garage. Mr. Kadam was already outside loading Ren. He took my bag from me, put it on the passenger seat, and then held open my door. I hopped into the Jeep.

“Be careful, Miss Kelsey. Ren will watch out for you, but there are many dangers ahead. Some we’ve planned for, but I’m sure you’ll face many that I am unaware of. Be careful.”

“I will. Hopefully, we’ll be back very soon.”

I rolled up the window and backed out of the garage. My GPS began beeping at me again, telling me where to go. Once again, I felt a deep appreciation for Mr. Kadam. Ren and I would be truly lost without him.

The drive was uneventful. The traffic was very light for the first hour. It gradually began to pick up the closer we got to Mumbai, so I was able to get used to it as I drove along. We drove for about four hours before I pulled to a stop at the end of a dirt road that bordered the park.

“This is where we’re supposed to go in. According to the map, we’re about a two-and-a-half-hour-walk from the cave, and Mr. Kadam’s instructions say we should head in about two hours before they close, which gives us…” I checked my watch “…about two hours to kill.”

I considered what to do for a moment, “We’ll be more comfortable outside than sitting in a hot car.

Let’s so find a shady tree. What do you say?”

Ren leapt out of the car and followed me into the park. We found a nice shady spot, sat down, and made ourselves comfortable for the next couple of hours. Ren lay down on the grass, and I sat down next to him. At first, I used his body as a backrest and then gradually relaxed against him until I ended up

using his back as a pillow.

Staring up into the trees, I started talking to him. I told him about growing up with my parents, visits with

my grandma, and the vacations we used to go on as a family. I told him about how my parents would select a hotel or preferably a bed and breakfast, where I’d get a room all to myself. We toured the whole state and saw apple farms and old mines, Bavarian-themed towns that served German pancakes for breakfast, the ocean, the mountains…I told him he’d easily fall in love with Oregon. Then I talked about going to elementary, middle, and high school. Described what it was like, and talked about some of the subjects I liked to study there. I said I really wanted to go to a university, but I couldn’t afford more than a community college.

I told him about how my parents died in a car accident, how alone I felt when it happened, and what it was like living with a foster family. His tail kept flicking back and forth, so I knew he was awake and listening, which surprised me because I figured he’d just go to sleep, bored with my chatter. Eventually, I

trailed off, getting sleepy myself, and drowsed in the heat until I felt Ren stir and sit up.

I stretched. “Time to go already, huh? Okay, lead the way.”

We trekked through the park for a couple of hours. It had a much more open feel than the Yawal Wildlife Preserve. The trees were spaced farther apart and were a different type. Beautiful purple flowers

covered the hills. But, when we got closer, I noticed that they were diminishing in the heat. I guessed that

they sprung up briefly during the monsoon rains and would soon be gone. We passed teak trees and bamboo, but there were other types I couldn’t identify. Several animals darted across our path. I saw rabbits, deer, and porcupine. Looking up in the trees, I spied hundreds of birds in a variety of colors.

As we walked under a dense group of trees, I heard strange, alarmed grunts and spotted rhesus monkeys swinging as high up in the trees as they could climb. I enjoyed seeing those animals; they were harmless and familiar, but moving deeper, I saw other, more fearsome creatures. I skirted a giant python that hung from a tree and watched us with black, unblinking eyes. Huge monitor lizards with forked tongues and long bodies scurried quickly across our path, hissing. Big, fat, thick bugs buzzed around lazily in the air, bounced drunkenly off objects in their path, then continued on their journey.

It was pretty but also creepy, and I was glad that I had a tiger nearby. Every once in a while, Ren would veer off the path and circle around in a way that made me think he was avoiding certain places or perhaps, I shuddered,things .

After about two hours of walking, we arrived at the edge of the jungle where the caves were located.

The forest had thinned out, and I could see a hill, bare of trees, where I presumed the caves would be.

Cut stone steps led up the hill to the entrance, but we were still too far away for me to see more than just a small glimpse of it. I started out of the trees and toward the steps, but Ren jumped in front of me and nudged me back toward the tree line.

“You want to wait a bit longer? Okay, we’ll wait.”

We sat down under the cover of some bushes and waited there for an hour. I quickly figured out why he wanted to wait. Tourists emerged from the cave at the top of the hill, made their way down the steps, and

walked over to a parking lot that I couldn’t see, but I could hear them as they left in their cars.

I remarked enviously, “Too bad we couldn’t have driven in here. It sure would’ve saved us a lot of hassle. But, I guess people wouldn’t understand why a tiger was following me around. Plus, I guess the park ranger would be keeping tabs on us too, if we’d driven in.”

Finally, the sun was setting and the people were gone. Ren stepped forward carefully out of the trees and sniffed at the air. Satisfied, he began moving toward the stone steps that were cut into the rocky hill.

It was a long climb up, and I was out of breath by the time we reached the top.

At the hilltop, I could easily see the cave opening up ahead of us. We first came upon an open stone bunker with hollowed-out rooms that reminded me of beehive cells. Each one was identical to the other.

A stone block the size of a small bed was positioned on the left side of every room, and hollowed out places in the walls, resembling shelves, were located on the back walls. A sign noted that this place used to be where the Buddhist monks lived and that the caves were actually part of a Buddhist settlement that had been built in the third century A.D.

I mumbled to myself, “Isn’t it strange that we’re looking for a prophecy of Durga in a Buddhist settlement?”

Walking farther up the hill, I noted long stone trenches connected by arches that ran from a central stone

well over the hill and up even higher into the mountains. A sign read that the trenches were once used as an aqueduct to move water to the area. Reaching the main room, I marveled at, and ran my hands over, the deep grooves of the elaborately carved wall. Ancient Indian writing and hieroglyphics had been etched into the walls with carving tools.

The remnants of a ceiling, still held up in some places by rock pillars, cast deep shadows over the area.

Raised statues were carved out of the stone columns; as we walked through, I kept my eye on them just to make sure they continued to do their jobs and hold up the remainder of the roof.

Ren continued walking all the way to the back of the main room toward the black gaping maw of the cave that led deeper into the hill. I followed him and stepped through the opening and onto a sandy floor in a large, circular room. I let my eyes adjust for a minute. The round room had many doorways. The light coming in was just enough to silhouette the doorway, but it could not penetrate into any of the other

corridors beyond and was quickly fading as the sun went down.

I pulled out a flashlight and asked Ren, “What do we do now?”

He stepped over to the first shadowy doorway and disappeared into the darkness. Following him flashlight first, I ducked into the small room. It was filled with stone shelves. I wondered if it might have been used as a library once. I wandered through and made my way to the back, looking for…I wasn’t sure what, when I felt a hand touch my shoulder. I jumped.

“Don’t do that! Can’t you give me some kind of warning first?”

“Sorry, Kells. We need to check each room for a symbol that looks like the seal. You look high and I’ll look low.”

He squeezed my shoulder briefly and morphed back into his tiger form. I shuddered.I don’t think I’ll ever get used to that. We didn’t see any carvings in this room, so we moved on to the next one and the next one. At the fourth doorway, we searched more carefully because the room was full of glyphs. We spent at least an hour in there. No luck in the fifth either.

The fifth chamber was empty, not even a stone shelf graced the walls, but the sixth door was where we found a match. The opening led to a much smaller room than the others. It was long and narrow and had a couple of stone shelves similar to the other rooms. Ren actually found the engravingunder one of the shelves. I probably would have overlooked it if I’d been searching alone.

He growled softly at me and stuck his nose up under the shelf.

“What is it?” I bent down to see what he was looking at. Sure enough, under the shelf on the wall in the back of the room was an engraving that matched his seal exactly.

“Well, I guess this is it. Keep your fingers…er…claws crossed.”

I removed the seal from around my neck and pressed in into the carving, wiggling it until I felt it sink into

the proper place. I waited, but nothing happened. I twisted it. This time, I felt something click and heard a mechanical whirring behind the wall. After a full turn, I felt resistance and heard a quiet pneumatic hiss.

Dust blew out from the edges of the wall revealing that it wasn’t a wall at all, but a door.

A deep, muffled rumble shook the wall, and it slowly rolled back. I popped the seal out, put it back around my neck, and aimed my feeble light through the door. I only saw more walls. Ren nudged me aside and entered first. I stayed as close to him as I possibly could and came close to stomping on his paws a couple of times. Shining my light on the wall, I found a torch hanging in a metal sconce.

Mr. Kadam had put waterproof matches in the bag. I pulled them out, figuring I’d try to light it. I was surprised that it lit almost immediately and brightened the corridor much more than my meager flashlight

had. I swung my backpack over my shoulders again and picked up the torch.

We were at the top of a winding stairway that was cut into the stone wall. I peered cautiously over the edge and saw only a dark abyss. Since the only way to go was down, I started down the stairs. A clicking noise sounded behind us, and with a slight whoosh, the door closed, sealing us in.

I muttered, “Great. I guess we’ll worry about how to get out later, then.”

Ren just looked up at me and rubbed his head on my leg. I massaged the scruff of his neck, and we continued down the steps. He placed his body on the outside of the steps, which allowed me to hug the wall as we descended. I wasn’t normally afraid of heights, but narrow stairs plus dark abyss and no handrail equals freaking me out, so I was grateful that he took the more dangerous side.

We crept along slowly, and my arm began to ache from holding the torch. I shifted it to my other hand, careful not to dribble any hot oil onto Ren, and kept going. We’d descended the spiral staircase for what felt like five floors and finally reached the dusty bottom. A dark passageway gaped open before us.

We entered and shortly came upon a fork leading in two different directions.

I groaned. “Fantastic. A maze. Which way do we go now?”

He stepped into one corridor and smelled the air, and then he moved to the other one and raised his head to sniff again. Moving back to the first one, he continued. I sniffed the air too, just to see if I could smell what he did, but the only thing I detected was an acrid, noxious odor that smelled of sulfur. The bitter miasma seemed to be permeating the cavern, and with each turn we made, the smell intensified.

We continued onward through the dark passageway, twisting through the underground labyrinth. My torch cast a flickering light on the walls, creating frightening shadows that danced around me in sinister circles. As we made our way through the tomblike catacomb, we frequently came upon open areas that branched off. Ren had to stop and smell each opening before choosing the one that he felt was leading us in the right direction.

Shortly after passing through one of the open areas, a terrifying sound shook the passage. A metallic hammering grated loudly, blasted its noise through the maze, and a sharp-spiked iron gate slammed to the

ground right behind me. I spun around quickly and cried out in fright. I suddenly realized that not only were we in an ancient dark maze, it was an ancient dark maze full of booby traps.

Ren moved up beside me and walked very close, close enough for me to keep my hand on his neck. I dug my fingers into his fur and held on tight for reassurance. Three turns later, I heard a quiet hum emanating from the passageway ahead. The hum increased in volume the farther we went. Turning a corner, Ren stopped and looked directly ahead. His fur stood straight up and crackled against my fingers. I raised my torch to see why he had stopped and gripped his fur as I started shaking.

The corridor ahead was moving. Giant black beetles, as big as baseballs, were lazily crawling over one another, obstructing the entire passageway ahead. The strange aberrations seemed to limit their movements to the corridor directly ahead of us.

“Uh…Ren, are you sure we need to go down that direction? This other passageway looks a little better.”

He took a step closer to the edge of the passage. I reluctantly took a step closer too. They were huge with shiny black exoskeletons, six long and hairy legs, quivering antennae, and two pointed mandibles on

the front that clacked back and forth like sharp scissors. Some of the bugs even cracked open thick black wings and hummed heavily as they flew to the opposite wall. Their prickly legs even allowed them

to stick to the ceiling.

I looked at Ren and gulped as he started forward and took another step, determined to go through the passage. He looked back at me.

“Okay, Ren, I’ll do it. But this will really,really freak me out. I’mrunning the entire way, so don’t expect

me to wait for you.”

I took a few steps back, tightened my ponytail to make sure none of them would get in my hair, and began to sprint. Squishing my eyes to slits, I ran, screaming in the back of my throat the entire way with my lips tightly closed. I darted through the passage as quickly as possible and almost lost my balance a few times when my boots rolled across several bugs at once, crunching them. I had a horrible image flash

through my mind of me landing in the hoard face down and resolved to be more careful with my footing.

It felt like I was running on a giant roll of bubble wrap, and every step popped several giant, juicy bubbles. The beetles burst like ketchup packets and splattered green slime in every direction. This action,

of course, disturbed their brother bugs. Several of them took to flight and started swarming around my body, landing on my jeans, shirt, and hair. I was at least able to bat them away from my face with my free

hand, which got poked by their pinchers several times.

Finally making it to the other side, I began shaking my body in great convulsions to rid myself of any hitchhikers. I had to reach up and grab a couple that wouldn’t detach, including one that was climbing up

my ponytail. Then I began scraping my shoes against the wall and looked around for Ren.

He was running toward me fast through the now buzzing passageway, and with a great leap, he landed next to me and shook himself fiercely. Several bugs still clung to his fur, and I pushed them off with the butt of my torch. One of them had pinched his ear hard and it was bleeding. Luckily for me, I’d made it through without any of them pinching me to the point of bleeding.

“I guess it helps to wear clothes, Ren. They end up pinching your clothes instead of your skin. Poor tiger. You have squished bugs all over your paws. Yuck! At least I have the benefit of wearing shoes.”

He shook each paw in turn, and I helped him pry bug bodies from between his toe pads. Shuddering one last time, I doubled my pace to put as much distance between us and the bugs as I could.

About ten turns later, I stepped on a stone that sank into the ground. Freezing in place, I waited for the next booby trap to spring. The walls started to shake, and small metal panels slid back. Sharp, spiky, metal barbs emerged from the wall all along the passageway…and that wasn’t all! Not only werespikes sticking out of the walls, but the trap was compounded by slick, black oil that poured out of stone pipes to cover the floor.

Ren changed to a man.

“There’s poison on the tips of the spikes, Kelsey. I can smell it. Stay in the middle. There’s enough room

for us to pass through, but don’t allow yourself to be evenscratched by those barbs.”

I took another look at the long pointy spikes and shivered, “But what if I slip?”

“Hold on tightly to my fur. I’ll use my claws to anchor us as we go, and we’ll goslowly . Don’t rush through this one.”

He changed back into a tiger. I adjusted my backpack and tightly gripped the scruff of Ren’s neck. He stepped gingerly into the pool of oil, testing it with one paw first. His paw slipped a little, and I watched as his claws emerged and sank through the oil and into the dirt floor. He forced them deep into oily ground. After locking his leg, he then took another step and sank those claws in. Once that paw was firmly in place, he had to yank hard to get his other foot back up.

It was a painstakingly tedious process. Each deadly spike was placed at random intervals so I couldn’t even get comfortable with a rhythm. I had to focus all my attention on them. There was one by my calf, then my neck, my head, my stomach. I started counting and stopped after fifty. My entire frame shook from clenching my muscles and moving stiffly for so long. All it would take was one second of slipped concentration, one wrong step and I’d be dead.

I was glad Ren was taking his time because, as we walked through, there was barely enough room for both of us to walk side by side. We only had about an inch on either side of us. I planted my feet carefully. Sweat dripped down my face. About halfway through, I screamed. I must have stepped into a particularly oily place because my boot slipped out from under me. My knee buckled and I staggered and grabbed Ren’s fur. This spike was aimed at my chest but luckily I twisted at the last second and my backpack took the spike and not my arm. Ren froze in place and waited patiently for me to right myself.

I panted and righted myself limb by trembling limb. I don’t know how I didn’t end up impaled. I got lucky, very lucky. We continued on going even slower and finally emerged on the other end shaky but safe. I collapsed on the dirt floor and groaned, rubbing my stiff neck. “After the spikes, the bugs don’t seem so bad anymore. I think I’d rather do the bugs again than that one.” Ren licked my arm and I petted his head.

After a brief rest, we went on. We walked through several more turns without event. I was just beginning to let my guard down when a noise set off again and a doorway sunk down behind us.

Another

doorway started descending ahead of us, and we ran for it but didn’t make it. Well, Rencould have made it, but he wouldn’t go through it without me.

A rushing sound started banging against pipes overhead, and a panel opened in the ceiling. A moment later, we were knocked to the floor by a mountain of water that fell on top of us. It quickly began filling the chamber. The water was already up to my knees by the time I was able to stand up.

“What do we do? Can you swim? It’ll go over your head first!”

He changed to a man. “Tigers can swim. I can hold my breath longer as a tiger than as a man.”

The water was now up to our waists, and he quickly pulled me past the surging pipe and over to the back door. By the time we got there I was floating. Ren dove under looking for a way out the door.

When his head popped back up, he shouted, “There’s a seal indentation on the door! See if you can insert it and twist it like you did before!”

I nodded and took a deep breath. Diving under the water, I felt along the door for the mark. I finally found it, but I was running out of air. Struggling for the surface, I kicked hard, weighed down by the heavy backpack and the seal around my neck. Ren reached down under the water, grabbed my bag, and yanked me to the surface.

His head was hitting the ceiling now. We would drown any minute. I took a few deep breaths.

“You can do this, Kells. Try again.”

I took another breath and pulled the seal from around my neck. He let go of my bag, and I dove again, pulling myself down to the spot that I’d found before. I pressed the seal into the groove and twisted it one way and the other, but it wouldn’t budge. Ren had changed back into a tiger and was now swimming

down to me. His paws tore at the water, and the motion swept the fur back from his face, making him look scary, like a white striped sea monster. The grimace he wore showing his pointed teeth didn’t help.

I

was losing air again. I knew the chamber had filled and there were no more options.

Frustrated and terrified, I beat against the seal and felt a slight movement. I panicked. This was where I would die. I would never be found. No one would hold a funeral for me. What would it feel like to drown? It would be fast. It only takes a minute or two. My dead corpse would be bloated and swollen, floating next to Ren’s tiger body forever. I wondered briefly if the bugs could get in and nibble on me.

That seemed worse than the dying, somehow. Ren could hold his breath longer. He’d watch me die.I wonder how he’d feel about that. Would he regret it? Would he feel guilty? Would he pound against the door himself?

I fought against the desperation to swim to the top. There was no more top. There was no more air up there. I beat on it again, harder, and I felt a whoosh. The door began to rise, and the seal fell out. I reached down desperately and was just able to grab the ribbon between two fingers as the water spilled out of the door, taking me along with it.

The water dumped us into the next corridor and then slid down through drain holes, leaving the floor sopping and muddy. I gasped and coughed, sucking in deep breaths. I looked at Ren and started laughing, then coughed again. Even gagging, I still laughed.

“Ren,”giggle-cough , “you look like a,”cough-cough-giggle , “drowned cat!”

He must not have seen the humor in it. He huffed, then walked right up next to me and shook himself like

a dog, spraying water and mud all over me.

I sputtered, “Hey! Thanks a lot! Well, I don’t care. It’s still funny.”

Now his fur stood up in wet spikes.

I tried to squeeze all the water out of my clothes, slipped the seal around my neck, and decided to check the cameras to make sure no water had gotten in the bags. I dumped the soggy contents of the bag onto the floor. The items fell in a muddy puddle that splashed my soaked clothes. Except for the soggy food, everything else looked well contained. Thanks to Mr. Kadam’s foresight, all the cameras looked intact.

“Well, we can’t eat, but other than that, we’re good.”

I grudgingly got up again. Uncomfortable and soaked, I grumbled for at least the next ten minutes. My boots made squishing noises, and my wet clothes chaffed.

“The bright side is that we washed off the bugs and the oil,” I said.

I pulled out a flashlight and shook it. It sloshed wetly inside, but it still worked. We took a few left turns and a right and came upon a long corridor, longer than any of the others had been. Ren and I started making our way through. About halfway down, Ren stopped, jumped in front of me, and started forcing me to move backward.

“Great, what is it now? Scorpions?”

At that moment, a great rumbling noise shook the tunnel. The sandy ground I had just been standing on…collapsed. I scrambled backward as more of the floor crumbled and plunged down into a deep chasm. The quaking stopped suddenly, and I crawled to the edge to look down. Holding my flashlight over the edge didn’t help much because I still couldn’t see how deep the drop-off was.

Frustrated, I shrieked out to the hole,“Wonderful! Who do you think I am? Indiana Jones? Well, I gotta tell ya, there ain’t no whip in this bag!” I groaned and turned to Ren.

Indicating the path across the chasm, I said, “And I supposethis direction is where we need to go,right

?”

Ren bent his head down and peered into the rift, then walked back and forth along the edge, examining the walls and peering at the path that continued on the other side. I moved to the side and sat with my back to the wall, pulled out a water bottle from the bag, took a long drink, and shut my eyes for a moment.

I felt a hand pick mine up.

“Are you okay?”

“If you mean am I injured, then the answer is no. If you mean am I ‘okay’ as in I-am-confident-I’m-sane, the answer is still no.”

He grimaced. “We have to find a way to get across the chasm.”

“You’re certainly welcome to give it a try.” I waved him off and went back to drinking my water.

He moved to the edge and peered across, looking speculatively at the distance. He changed back to a tiger, trotted a few paces back in the direction we had come from, turned, and ran at full speed toward the hole.

“Ren, no!” I screamed.

He leapt, clearing the hole easily, and landed lightly on his front paws. Then he trotted a short distance away and did the same thing coming back. He landed at my feet and changed back to human form.

“Kells, I have an idea.”

“Oh, this I’ve got to hear. I just hope you don’t plan on includingme in this scheme of yours. Ah…I know. Let me guess. You want to tie a rope to your tail, leap across, tie it off, and then have me pull my body across the rope, right?”

He cocked his head as if considering it then shook his head. “No, you don’t have the strength to do something like that. Plus, we have no rope and nothing to tie a rope to.”

“Right. So what’s the plan?”

He picked up my hands. “What I’m proposing will be much easier.If you can trust me.”

I was going to be sick. “Itrust you. It’s just…,” I looked into his concerned blue eyes and sighed.

“Okay, what do I have to do?”

“You saw that I was able to clear the gap pretty well as a tiger, right? So what I need you to do is to stand right at the edge and wait for me. I’ll run to the end of the tunnel, build up my speed, and leap as a tiger. At the same time, I want you to jump up and grab me around my neck. I’ll change to a man in midair so that I can hold onto you, and we’ll fall together to the other side.”

I barked out a loud laugh. “You’rekidding , right?”

He ignored my skepticism. “We’ll have to time it precisely, and you’ll have to jump too, in the same direction, because if you don’t, I’ll just hit you full power and drive us both over the edge.”

“You’reserious ? You seriously want me to do this?”

“Yes, I’m serious. Come on. Stand here while I make a few practice runs.”

“Can’t we just find another corridor or something?”

“There aren’t any. This is the right way.”

Reluctantly, I stood near the edge and grimaced as I watched him leap back and forth a few times.

Observing the rhythm of his running and jumping, I began to grasp the idea of what he wanted me to do, and then all too quickly he was back in front of me again.

“I can’t believe you’ve talked me into doing this. Are you sure?”

“Yes, I’m sure. Are you ready?”

“No! Give me a minute to mentally write a last will and testament.”

“Kells, it’ll be fine.”

“Sure it will. Alright, let me take in my surroundings. I want to make sure I can record every minute of this experience in my journal. Of course, that’s probably a moot point because I’m assuming that I’m going to die in the jump anyway.”

He put his hand on my cheek, looked in my eyes, and said fiercely, “Kelsey, trust me. I willnot let you fall.”

I nodded and tightened the shoulder straps of my bag, then moved nervously to the edge of the chasm.

He changed back to tiger form and ran all the way to the end of the tunnel. He crouched down and then surged forward in a rush of speed. This huge animal was charging, barreling toward me. All my instincts said to run—run as fast as I could in the other direction. The fear of the chasm behind me dwindled in comparison to being run down by an animal of his size.

I almost shut my eyes in fear, but I pulled myself together at the last possible second, ran two steps, and hurtled my body into the void. Ren took a mighty leap at exactly the same time. I reached out to wrap my

arms around his neck.

I desperately began clutching at his fur, sensing myself falling, and then felt arms grab me around my waist. He pulled me tightly to his chest, and we rolled in the air so that he was under me. We hit the dirt floor on the other side of the chasm with a heavy thump that knocked the wind out of me, and we bumped and skidded along for a bit on Ren’s back.

I picked myself up and sucked a huge breath of air into my collapsed lungs. Once I could breathe again, I examined Ren’s back. His white shirt was dirty and torn, and his skin was scratched and bleeding in several places. I took a wet shirt from the bag and cleaned his scratches, removing little pieces of gravel embedded in his skin.

When I was finished, I stood in front of him and grabbed him around the waist in a fierce hug. He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me close.

I whispered against his chest quietly but firmly, “Thank you. But don’t ever…ever…everdo that again!”

He laughed. “If I get results like this, I surelywill do it again.”

“You willnot !”

He reluctantly let me go, and I began mumbling to myself, complaining about tigers, men, and bugs. He seemed very pleased with himself, which seemed to be a typical guy reaction to surviving a near-death experience and also appeared to be an attitude shared by men ofevery century.I overcame. I conquered.

I’m a man, etc, etc.

“What was that, Kelsey?”

“Nothing. I’ll live.”

I checked to make sure I had everything I needed and then pulled out my flashlight again. Ren changed back into a tiger and moved in front of me.

We walked down a few more passageways and came upon a door etched with symbols. There was no knob or handle. On the right-hand side, about a third of the way down, was a handprint that had markings on it that looked familiar. I looked down at my hand with the henna drawing on it and turned it over. The symbols matched up like a mirror image.

“It matches the drawing from Phet!”

I put my hand on the cold, stone door, lined it up with the drawing, and felt a warm tingling. Pulling my hand off, I looked at my palm. Marveling at the symbols on my hand, I saw they were glowing bright red,

but strangely, it didn’t hurt. I put my hand back on the door and felt the warmth build up again. Electric sparks began popping out as I moved my hand closer. It almost looked like a miniature lightning storm was occurring between my hand and the stone, and then I felt the stone move.

The door pulled inward and allowed us to pass. We walked into a large grotto that was glowing dimly due to phosphorescent lichen growing on the stone walls. The center of the grotto housed a tall rectangular monolith with a small stone post set in front of it. I dusted off the stone post and saw another handprint. This one was a set of two, a right and a left hand. The right hand looked the same as the door, but the left one had the same markings that were on theback of my right hand.

I tried putting both hands on the stone block, but nothing happened. I put my right hand with the backside down on the left hand print. The symbols started glowing red again. Flipping my hand over, I placed it palm down on the right hand print and felt a more than a warm tingle this time. It crackled with energy, and heat poured out of my hand and into the stone.

I heard a deep rumbling at the top of the monolith and a wet sucking, slurping noise. A thick golden liquid spilled over the top of the edifice and poured down the four sides, pooling into a bowl-shaped basin at the bottom. The solution was reacting to something on the stone. The stone hissed and steamed as the liquid foamed, bubbled, and fizzed, eventually dribbling down into the basin.

After the hissing stopped and the steam cleared, I gasped in shock, seeing that engravings had appeared on the stone where none had been before.

“I think this is it, Ren. This is Durga’s prophecy.” I walked around the structure seeing glyphs materialize

on all four sides. “I really think this is what we have been looking for!”

I pulled out the digital camera and started taking pictures of all four sides, then took some more with the disposable camera for good measure. I grabbed the paper and rubbing charcoal and did a rubbing of the handprints on the stone and the door. However, I did not do a rubbing on the monolith because the liquid was still bubbling in some places, which made me believe it was an acid of some kind.

I wandered around the monolith trying to make out some of the symbols and then heard a yelp from Ren. I saw him pick up his paw carefully and set it down again gingerly. The golden acid was seeping out

of the basin in little rivulets and moving across the stone floor, filling in all the cracks. I looked down and my shoelace was steaming where it lay in a golden puddle.

We had both just leapt over to the sandy part of the floor when another great rumble shook the maze.

Rocks began falling from the high ceiling, dropping to the stone floor and shattering in tiny pieces. Ren nudged me back against the wall, and I ducked down, sheltering my head. The shaking got worse, and there was a deafening crack as the monolith split in two. It fell with a mighty boom to the floor and broke

into large chunks. The golden acid bubbled through the broken basin and started to spread across the floor, slowly destroying the stone and everything else it touched.

Acid crept closer to us, and there wasn’t any place for us to go. The doorway had been blocked, sealing us in, and there appeared to be no other way out. Ren got up, sniffed the air, and walked a short distance away. Standing up on his hind legs, he put his claws on the wall and started scratching furiously at something.

Approaching him, I saw that he had opened a hole and that there were stars on the other side! I helped him dig and pull out rocks until the hole was big enough for him to leap through. After he got out, I tossed

out my backpack, and then I shimmied my way through, fell out the other side, and rolled across the ground. At that moment, a huge boulder fell with a thunderous boom inside the cavern and covered the hole. The quaking slowed and then stopped. Silence descended in the dark jungle where we stood as a light, powdery dust filtered down from the air and fell gently upon us.

CHAPTER 12

Igot up slowly, dusted off my arms, and found my flashlight. I felt Ren’s hand grasp my shoulder as he spun me around and looked me over.

“Kelsey, are you alright? Did you get hurt?”

“No. I’m fine. So are we done here?”

“Yes. Let’s head back to the car. Stay very close to me. Animals that were sleeping when we came into the jungle are awake and hunting now. We must be careful.”

He squeezed my shoulder and shrunk down into tiger form again then headed into the trees.

It appeared to me that we were on the far side of the caves, maybe a half mile behind them at the bottom of a tall hill. Ren led me around the hill to the part of the jungle where we’d come in at the steps of the cave. I was actually happier walking through the jungle at night because I couldn’t see all of the scary creatures that I was sure were watching us.

After about an hour and a half of walking, I was at the point where I didn’t even care if animals were watching me. I was so tired I was barely keeping my eyes open and my feet moving. Yawning for about the hundredth time, I asked Ren again, “Are we there yet?” He rumbled softly in a response, which I took to mean no, and then he stopped, lowered his head, and peered into the darkness.

He altered his form into a man, and with eyes fixed on the jungle, he said, “Kelsey, we’re being hunted.

Go that way! And run!” He pointed to my left and dashed into the dark jungle as a tiger. I soon heard an impressive, menacing roar shake the trees. Rousing my tired body, I began running. I had no idea where I

was or where I was going, but I tried to keep myself aimed in the direction he’d pointed out. I moved quickly through the jungle for about fifteen minutes before I had to slow down. Breathing heavily, I stopped and listened to the sounds in the jungle.

I heard cats,big cats, fighting. They were maybe as much as a mile off, but they were loud. Other animals

were quiet. They must have been listening to the fight too. Heavy growls and roars echoed through the jungle. It sounded like more than just two animals, and I started worrying about Ren. I walked for another fifteen minutes and listened carefully, trying to pick out Ren’s sound from the other animals I heard. All of a sudden, it became deathly quiet.Did he drive them off? Is he safe? Maybe I should go back and try to help him.

Bats fluttered overhead in the moonlight, and my fear for Ren led me to start walking back in search of him. I’d gone about a quarter mile in what I hoped was the right direction when I heard a popping, rustling noise in the bushes and saw yellow eyes stare at me from the darkness.

“Uh…Ren? Is that you?”

A shape emerged from the bushes and crouched down, watching me.

It wasn’t Ren.

A black panther was staring at me boldly, assessing my ability to fight back. I hadn’t moved yet. I was sure that if I had, he would have sprung immediately. I stood up as tall as I could and tried to look too big to eat. We watched each other for another minute. Then, the panther sprung. One moment he was crouching, tail flicking back and forth, and the next he was quickly accelerating toward my face.

His sharp claws were extended and glistened in the moonlight. Transfixed, I stood there and watched the

snarling cat’s claws and gaping maw full of teeth draw closer to my face and neck. I screamed, drew my hands up to protect my head, and waited for claws and teeth to rip my throat out.

I heard a roar and felt a rush of air brush past my face and then…nothing happened. I cracked open my eyes and spun around looking for the panther.

Did he miss me?

A flash of white and black rolled through the trees. It was Ren! He’d attacked the panther in midflight and pushed him out of my path. The panther growled at Ren and circled him for a moment, but Ren roared back and batted the panther across the face. The panther growled again and galloped off quickly into the jungle. Ren’s white and black shadowy form moved through the trees and hobbled over to me.

There were bloody scratches all over his back, and his right paw was hurt, maybe broken, causing him to walk with a limp. I crouched down and hugged his neck.

“Thank you for saving me. I’m so glad you’re safe. Will you be able to walk on your paw?”

He snuffed and started walking.

“Okay. Then let’s hurry and get out of here.”

Another hour of walking and we were back to the Jeep. Too tired to do anything else, we drank about a gallon of water each, folded the back seat down, and climbed in. I fell into a deep sleep with my arm draped over Ren.

The sun rose too quickly and began to heat the car. I woke up drenched in sweat. My entire body was sore and filthy. Ren was exhausted too, and still drowsy, but his scratches didn’t look bad; in fact, they were almost healed.Maybe his injuries were not as severe as I thought they were. My tongue was thick and fuzzy, and I had a terrible headache.

I groaned as I sat up. “Ugh, I feel terrible, and I didn’t even have to fight panthers like you did. A shower and a soft bed are calling my name. Let’s go home.”

Reaching into the backpack, I checked each of the cameras and the rubbings I’d done and secured them before I started the Jeep and moved out into the morning traffic.

Upon arrival, Mr. Kadam rushed out the door and began peppering me with questions. I handed him the backpack, walked zombie-like toward the house, and mumbled, “Shower. Sleep.”

I made my way up the stairs, peeled off my dirty clothes, and stepped into the shower. I almost fell asleep standing there while tepid water pounded my back, massaged my aches and pains, and washed away all the dried sweat and mud. I rinsed my hair, got out, and toweled myself dry. I slipped on my pajamas, fell into bed, and slept without even combing the tangles out of my hair.

About twelve hours later, I woke up to a tray of food left for me.Thank you, Mr. Kadam! I’m starving! I pounced on my midnight snack. Mr. Kadam had outdone himself. A stack of fluffy crepes sat next to a plate of sliced bananas, strawberries, and blueberries. Strawberry syrup, a bowl of yogurt, and a mug of hot chocolate, which was sitting on a warmer plate, accompanied it.

I ate every delicious crepe and then took my cocoa out to the balcony with my freshly washed blanket. I made a mental note to thank Mr. Kadam. He was so wonderful!

It was the middle of the night and cool outside, so I snuggled into a cozy deck chair, wrapped my blanket around me, and sipped my hot chocolate. A breeze blew my hair into my face. I reached up to push it aside and realized with dismay that I had been so tired, I’d forgotten to comb it out after my shower. I got up and went back to the bathroom, grabbed my brush, and headed back to my comfy chair. Brushing through my hair was usually bad enough after a shower. Letting it dry in that condition was a terrible mistake.

It was full of painful tangles, and I hadn’t made much progress when the door at the end of the veranda opened and Ren walked out wearing different clothes. He was still barefoot, but had on khaki pants with a sky blue button down shirt that matched his eyes perfectly. The effect was magnetic, and here I was in my flannel pajamas with giant tumbleweed hair.

“Good evening, Kelsey. Did you sleep well?”

“Umm…yes. Did you?”

He smiled his dazzling white smile and nodded his head slightly. “Yes. Thank you for asking.”

He sat down across from me and watched my detangling progress with an amused expression.

“Are you having trouble?”

“Nope. I’ve got it all under control.” I wanted to divert his attention away from my hair, so I said,

“How’s your back and your…er…arm, I guess it would be?”

He smiled. “They’re completely fine. Thank you for asking.”

“Ren, why aren’t you wearing white? That’s all I’ve ever seen you wear. Is it because your white shirt was torn?”

He responded, “No, I just wanted to wear something different. Actually, when I change to a tiger and back, my white clothes reappear. If I changed to a tiger now and then switch back to a man again, my current clothes would be replaced with my old white ones.”

“Would they still be torn and bloody?”

“No. When I reappear, they’re clean and whole again.”

“Hah. Lucky for you. It would be pretty awkward if you ended up naked every time you changed.”

I bit my tongue as soon as the words came out and blushed a brilliant shade of red.Nice, Kells. Way to go. I covered up my verbal blunder by tugging my hair in front of my face and yanking through the tangles.

He grinned. “Yes…lucky for me.”

I tugged the brush through my hair and winced. “That brings up another question I wanted to ask you.”

He rose and took the brush out of my hand. Moving behind me, he picked up a section of my hair and started gently brushing through it. I was nervous at first, but not seeing him was actually easier, and his hands on my hair were so warm and soothing that I soon relaxed in the chair, closed my eyes, and leaned my head back.

After a minute of brushing, he pulled a lock away from my neck, leaned down by my ear, and whispered, “What was it you wanted to ask me?”

I jumped, and my inner voice gulped.Not easier! Not easier ! “Umm…what?” I mumbled disconcertingly.

“You wanted to ask me a question.”

“Oh, right. It was umm…that feels nice.”Crap! Did I say that out loud?

He laughed softly. “That’s not a question.”

I did.

“Was it something about me changing to a tiger?”

“Oh, yes. I remember now. You can change back a forth several times per day, right? Is there a limit?”

“No. There’s no limit as long as I don’t change for more than twenty-four minutes in a twenty-four hour day.” He moved on to another section of hair. “Anymore questions?”

“Yes…about the maze. You were following a scent, but all I could smell was a nasty sulfur smell. Was that what you were following?”

“No. I was actually following a lotus flower scent. It’s Durga’s favorite flower, the same flower that is on

the seal. I figured that was the right way to go.” He finished with my hair and set the comb down, then began lightly massaging my shoulders.

“A lotus scent? How could you smell that with all the other noxious odors in there?”

He touched my nose with the tip of his finger. “Tiger nose. I can smell lots of things.” He squeezed my shoulders one last time and said, “Come on, Kelsey. Get dressed. We have some work to do.”

He came around to the front of my chair and offered his hand. I put mine in his and felt tingly, electric sparks shoot down my arm. He grinned and kissed my fingers.

Shocked, I asked, “Did you feel that too?”

He winked at me. “Definitely.”

Something about the way he saiddefinitely made me wonder if we were talking about the same thing.

He changed into a tiger and accompanied me to my room. I pulled some clothes out of the closet, then shooed Ren out the door and closed it behind him.

I got dressed, went downstairs to the peacock room, and found Mr. Kadam hunched over a large table stacked with various tomes. Ren was perched beside him on an ottoman so he could read along.

I found another chair and dragged it over to the table, then shoved aside a large stack of books so I could see what they were working on. Mr. Kadam rubbed his tired, red eyes.

“Have you been awake working on this since we got home, Mr. Kadam?”

“Yes. This is fascinating! I’ve already translated the writing on the paper rubbing that you did, and I am now working on the pictures you took of the monolith.”

He found a paper and pushed it closer to me so I could read his notes.

“Wow, you’ve been very busy! What do you think four gifts and five sacrifices might mean?”

“I am not completely sure. But…I think it might mean that there may be more that you and Ren need to do before the spell can be broken. I have finished one side of the monolith, and it appears to give instructions telling where to go to obtain an offering for Durga. My guess is that there are four ‘gifts’

that

must be found because there’s a different gift mentioned on each wall.”

“Okay, so what have you done so far on the first wall?”

“Here. Read through it and see what you think.”

For protection, seek her temple

And take hold of Durga’s blessing

Travel west and search Kishkindha

Where simians rule the ground

Gada strike in Hanuman’s realm

And hunt the branch that’s bound

Thorny grasping dangers above

Lovely dazzling dangers below

Strangle, ensnare, the ones you love

And trap in brackish undertow

Lurid phantoms thwart your route

And guardians wait to bar your way

Beware once they begin pursuit

Embrace in moldering decay

But all of these you can refute

As serpents find forbidden fruit

And India’s hunger satisfy

Lest all her people surely die

“Mr. Kadam, what’s Hanuman’s realm?”

“I’ve been researching that. Hanuman is the monkey god. Hisrealm is said to be Kishkindha or the Monkey Kingdom. There is great debate as to where Kishkindha was located, but the current thought is that the ruins of Hampi are most likely to be on, or near, ancient Kishkindha.”

I pulled out a book from the stack on the table that had detailed maps of India. I found Hampi in the index and thumbed through the pages. It was located in the bottom half of India in the southwestern region. “Does that mean we have to go there and find a branch?”

Mr. Kadam said, “I believe what you will be seeking is actually the forbidden fruit.”

“As in Adam and Eve? Is that the forbidden fruit you’re talking about?”

Mr. Kadam considered, “I don’t think so. Fruit is a common enough mythological prize, symbolic of life.

People need to eat, and we depend upon the fruits of the ground for sustenance. Often, different cultures of the earth celebrate fruit and/or the harvest in a variety of ways. Plums and cherries are very important in Asian mythology. The pomegranate is important to the Persians, at Roman weddings, and for many of the cultures of India. Hercules had to obtain the golden apples of Hera for one of his tasks, and Persephone ate three pomegranate seeds and had to stay with Hades to be his bride.”

I responded, “Yes…Americans celebrate the harvest at Thanksgiving and display a cornucopia, there’s Adam and Eve, the Greeks have olives and grape leaves, which are used for the Olympics. Are there any stories in India regarding famous fruits?”

“I’m not sure, Miss Kelsey. I’ll have to look more into that, but offhand, there’s nothing I can think of.”

He smiled at me and put his nose back into his translations. I decided to leave him alone for the time being. Picking up a few books on Indian culture and history, I made my way over to a cozy chair and sat down to read. I reached over to grab a couple of lap pillows to prop up my book and pulled the switch on the lamp next to my chair. Ren hopped off the stool and curled up at my feet…actually on top of my feet, keeping them toasty and warm while Mr. Kadam continued to research at his desk. I felt like I was back in my parents’ library again. It felt good and…naturalto sit and relax with these two men, even though they were affected byunnatural elements. My foster family didn’t like to read much. The only thing

they loved to do together was exercise.

I reached down to scratch Ren behind his ear, and he purred contentedly but didn’t open his eyes. Then I shot a smile over at Mr. Kadam, even though he didn’t see it. I felt happy and complete like…like I belonged again.

Setting aside my musings, I found a chapter about Hanuman and began to read.

He is a Hindu god, who is the personification of devotion and great physical strength. He served his lord

Rama by going to Lanka to find Rama’s wife Sita.

Phew…too many names.

He found that she had been captured by the Lanka king named Ravana. There was a great battle between Rama and Ravana, and, during that time, Rama’s brother fell ill. Hanuman went to the Himalayan Mountains to seek an herb to help heal him, but he couldn’t identify the herb, so, instead, he brought back the entire mountain.

I wonder how he moved the mountain exactly. I hope we don’t have to do that.

He was made immortal and invincible. Hanuman is half human and half ape and is faster, quicker, and mightier than all other apes. The son of a wind god, Hanuman is still worshiped today by many Hindus who sing his hymns and celebrate his birth every year.

Strong ape-man, mountain moving, and singing. Got it.

It was still the middle of the night, and I was feeling warm and tired despite my long sleep earlier. I set my book down and, with Ren still curled at my toes, dozed for a while.

I left Mr. Kadam alone most of the next day, encouraging him to get some sleep. He’d stayed up all night, so I tried to move through the house quietly. Later that afternoon, Mr. Kadam visited me on the terrace. We sat down and he smiled at me.

“Miss Kelsey, how are you faring? These burdens you’re facing must weigh very heavily on you, especially now that we know we have more to do.”

“I’m okay, really. What’s a little bug juice between friends?”

He smiled, but then his expression became serious again. “If you ever feel pushedtoo far …I just…don’t

want to endanger you. You have become very important to me.”

“It’s alright, Mr. Kadam. Don’t worry. This is what I was born to do, right? Besides, Ren needs my help. If I don’t help him, he’ll be stuck as a tiger forever.”

He smiled and patted my hand. “You’re a very brave and courageous young lady…a finer lady I haven’t

met in a long, long time. I hope Ren sees how lucky he is.”

I blushed and looked out at the pool.

He continued, “From what I have gathered so far, we need to go to Hampi next. That distance is entirely too far for the two of you to go alone. I will accompany you on the journey. We’ll leave at first light tomorrow. I want you to rest as much as you can today. You still have a few hours of daylight left. You should relax, perhaps take a swim. Do something for yourself.”

After he left, I thought about what he’d said. A swimwould relax me. Changing into a swimsuit that had been left in my drawer, I grabbed a towel and walked down to the pool. Opening the cabinet alongside, I found several pool items including a towel warmer, goggles, swim caps, and sunscreen. I slathered sunscreen over me as best I could and dove into the cool water.

I swam several laps and then flipped over on my back and looked up at the palm trees. They towered over the pool, and I lazily floated in and out of their shade. The sun had dipped down to tree level, so it wasn’t shining directly on me anymore, but the air was still warm and pleasant. I heard a noise coming from the side of the pool and saw Ren lying at the edge watching me swim.

I ducked under the surface, swam up close to where he was, and then popped out of the water. “Hey, Ren.” I splashed him and laughed. He just harrumphed at me, blowing out some air.

“Come on. Don’t want to play, huh? Okay, suit yourself.” I swam several more laps and finally decided I’d better go in because my fingers looked pruney and wrinkled. I wrapped a towel around my body and hair and made my way up the steps. Ren followed along behind me into my room.

After showering, I emerged from the bathroom to see Ren lying on the floor near my bed. I jumped up on my bed and found a silvery blue rose on my pillow. Crushing it to my nose, I inhaled the sweet fragrance deeply and flipped over on my stomach to look at the tiger on side of my bed.

“Thank you, Ren. It’s beautiful!” I kissed him on the top of his furry head, scratched him behind the ears,

and laughed as he leaned into the scratch. “Would you like me to read you some moreRomeo and Juliet

?” He lifted a paw and placed it on my leg.

I laughed, “I guess that means yes. Okay, let’s see…where were we? Ah, Act II, Scene III, we’d just finished the balcony scene. Enter Friar Lawrence and then Romeo.”

Right after Romeo killed Tybalt and said, “‘O, I am fortune’s fool!’” Ren spoke. I hadn’t seen him change. He was still sitting on the floor, turned away from me, resting his back against the bed.

He said, “Romeowas a fool. He shouldn’t have killed Juliet’s kinsman.”

I countered, “But, remember, he’d tried to stop Tybalt from fighting and was attempting to make up with

him. Tybalt wouldn’t allow it and killed Mercutio.”

“It doesn’t matter. Even after Mercutio was killed, Romeo still had a choice. He could have walked away and still had Juliet.”

I grinned. “What makes you think hedoesn’t get Juliet?”

His face looked incredulous. “She wouldn’t accept himnow . Not after he killed her kinsman!”

“Hmm…we’ll see.”

“His big mistake is not announcing the marriage. He should have told both families. That would have stopped all these events from happening.”

“But what if their families tried to prevent the marriage?”

“Fine…then marry in secret, but immediately announce it.”

“Uh…I think, technically, they still could’ve broken up the marriage.”

“How?”

I sputtered awkwardly, “Umm…during that time…people made a big deal about the marriage being…you know…consummated.”

He turned to look at me, and my face burned bright red with embarrassment. He raised an eyebrow and said, “Hmm… interesting. Still not a problem though. Romeo should have been more responsible and taken care of anyobstacles that would have hindered the union.”

He turned his back toward me again, stared out the window, and said softly, “Keeping the marriage a secret will ruin Romeo. Secrets like that can be the downfall ofany man. Secrets are often more destructive than the sword.” Ren sat there quietly, wrapped in his own thoughts.

I asked, “Shall I continue?”

“Please.”

I repositioned myself to sit up against the headboard and pulled a pillow on my lap. He changed back into a tiger and leapt up onto the foot of the bed.It said a lot about the quality of the box spring when the bed did not make a peep of protest as Ren’s five hundred pound tiger body jumped on it. He stretched out at the bottom of the huge mattress and lay on his side. I started reading again. Every time I read something he didn’t like, he flicked his tail in annoyance.

“Quit twitching, Ren! You’re tickling my toes!”

That statement only inspired him to do it more. When I got to the end of the play where it read, “‘Never was a story of more woe, than this of Juliet and her Romeo,’” I closed the book and peeked at Ren to see if he was still awake. He was, and he’d changed back to a man again. He was still lying on his side at the foot of the bed. He sat up slightly and propped his head up with his arm.

I asked, “What did you think? Were you surprised at the ending?”

He considered his answer, “Yes and no. Romeo made bad decisions throughout the entire play. He was more worried about himself than his wife. He didn’t deserve her. She remained devoted to him despite his murdering her kinsman. He should’ve taken her with him when he was banished.”

I said, “I guess he figured that it was no place for a lady to live. Ladies were coddled a bit back then, and they didn’t have a lot of options. They were not given in marriage to men who couldn’t provide for them. If I were Juliet, I would’ve run away with him for sure, but, in her society, it just wasn’t done.”

“Perhaps. But, again, if he’d told people that they were married, the prince might have allowed him to stay, or would, at the very least, have accommodated his new wife. Even if he shared the secret with only

the prince, he likely could have avoided the calamity.”

“Does the ending bother you that much? Most people focus on the romance of it, which usually gives the

reader more of an emotional response and adds sharpness to the tragic conclusion. I’m sorry if you didn’t like it.”

His thoughtful faced brightened. “On the contrary, I quite enjoyed it. I haven’t had someone to talk with about plays or poetry in…well, since my parents. I used to write poetry myself, in fact.”

I replied softly, “Me too.”

We stared at each other for about a minute. His handsome face lit up in a warm smile, and I suddenly became preoccupied with a string on my sleeve.

He hopped off the bed, picked up my hand, and bowed deeply over it. “Perhaps I will read some of my poetry toyou next time.”

He flipped my hand over and pressed a soft, lingering kiss on my palm. His eyes twinkled with mischief.

“I leave you with a holy palmer’s kiss. Good night, Kelsey.”

He quietly closed the door behind him, and I tugged the covers up to my chin. My palm still tingled where he’d kissed it. I smelled my rose again, smiled, and tucked it into the arrangement on my dresser.

Wiggling under my covers, I fell asleep.

CHAPTER 13

The next morning I got up and found a backpack half full by my door with a note from Mr. Kadam. It said that I should pack about three or four days’ worth of clothes and include my swimsuit.

The swimsuit, hung overnight, was dry now. I tossed it in my bag, included a towel for good measure, piled the rest of my things on top of that, and made my way downstairs. Mr. Kadam and Ren were already in the Jeep waiting for me. I bustled quickly out the door and hopped in.

Mr. Kadam handed me a breakfast bar and a bottle of juice and sped off as soon as my seatbelt clicked.

“What’s the hurry?”

He answered, “Ren has added a detour to our trip and would like to stop off somewhere on the way.

The plan is…I will be dropping the two of you off for a few days and return to pick you up later. After that, we will proceed to Hampi.”

“What kind of a detour?”

“Ren would prefer to explain it to you himself.”

“Hmm.”

I looked at his face and knew that, no matter how I wheedled him, he would not be divulging any details.

I decided to set aside my curiosity about the future and focus on the past instead.

“Tell me more about yourself, Mr. Kadam.”

“What would you like to know, Miss Kelsey?”

“Well, how about you tell me what your life was like growing up and then go from there.”

“Alright…let me see. I was born twenty-two years before Ren in 1635 in June. I was an only child born in a military family of the Kshatriya caste. So, it was natural for me to be trained to enter the military.”

“What’s a Kshatriya caste?”

“The caste system of India is very similar to the feudalism of Europe in the Middle Ages. The plague, or

the Black Death, put a halt to the practice in Europe. But, unfortunately for India, the caste system, though officially outlawed for the last fifty years or so, is still practiced in certain areas of the country.”

“By feudalism, you mean lords, serfs, and peasants, right?”

“Yes. India has four castes or varnas. The Brahmins—who are teachers, priests, and scholars. The Kshatriyas—who are rulers and protectors. This was the class that Ren and I were born into, albeit on different levels. The Vaishyas—who are farmers and traders. And the Shudras—who are craft workers and servants.”

“So there are different levels in each caste?”

“That is correct. Ren was born in the royal family, which puts him at the top level of the Kshatriya caste,

while I was born into the bottom level of the same caste, to a soldier father. There is another group that was originally the lower part of the Shudras caste, which were split off and called the Untouchables.”

“Why were they called untouchable?”

“They were deemed untouchable because they did jobs that were considered unclean or participated in activities that were polluting. For example, people who had to end life, such as a fisherman or a rancher who killed animals for meat, were considered a part of that caste. People who did laundry or cleaned for others were thought to take the filth of other men into themselves. These people often had to labor at night, so they weren’t seen by other people. They weren’t allowed to enter temples or schools or even drink water from the same wells.”

“What if you fell in love with someone from another caste? Like if you, a soldier, wanted to marry an artist?”

“It wouldn’t have happened. People of different castes never mingled with one another during any part of their life. Their entire life was lived within their own group to prevent that from ever happening.”

“Was your wife from the same caste as you?”

“It was easier for me to continue my role as a retired soldier who was highly favored by the king, so the answer is yes. We were married in the eighteenth century, so the caste system was still in effect.”

“But was it an arranged marriage? I mean, you loved her, right?”

“Her parents arranged it, but we were happy together for the time allotted to us.”

I stared at the road ahead of us for a moment and then glanced at Ren, who was napping in the back.

I said, “Mr. Kadam, does it bother you that I ask so many questions? Don’t feel like you have to answer all of them, especially if they’re too personal or painful for you.”

“I don’t mind, Miss Kelsey. I enjoy talking with you.” He smiled at me then changed lanes.

“Okay, then. Tell me a little bit about your military career. You must have fought some really interesting

battles.”

He nodded. “I started training when I was very young. I think I must have started at age four. We never went to school. Our entire young lives were devoted to being good soldiers, and all of our studies were in

the art of warfare. There were dozens, perhaps even a hundred different kingdoms in India at the time, but I was fortunate to live in one of the most powerful ones under a good king.”

“What kinds of weapons did you use?”

“I was trained in all variety of weapons, but the first thing we were taught was hand-to-hand combat.

Have you ever seen martial arts movies?”

“If you mean like Jet Li and Jackie Chan, then yes.”

“We were trained in the martial arts first. Fighters who were skilled in hand-to-hand combat were highly

sought after. As a young man, I rose in rank quickly because of my skill in this area. No one was able to best me in sparring matches. Well, almost no one. Ren has beaten me on occasion.”

I looked at him with mock surprise, “Mr. Kadam! Are you telling me you are a master of karate?”

“Something like that.” He smiled. “I was never as good as the celebrated masters who came to train us, but I picked up enough. I enjoy sparring, but my great skill is with the sword.”

“I’ve always wanted to learn karate.”

“During that time, we didn’t call it karate. The martial arts that we were trained to use during warfare emphasized overcoming your opponent as quickly as possible. It often meant killing or striking a blow that would knock someone out long enough for you to escape. It wasn’t as structured as you see it today.”

“Gotcha, noKarate Kid I , skip ahead toKarate Kid II . Fights to the death it is. So, you and Ren are trained in martial arts?”

He nodded. “Yes, and he is very adept. As the future king, he was trained in all manner of warfare, including the martial arts. In India, scions of the royal families were trained in the sixty-four arts and were

great litterateurs, poets, philosophers, and scientists.”

“What do you mean the sixty-four arts?”

“The sixty-four arts are the areas of knowledge all royal descendents are expected to study. They include the sciences, metalworking, crafts, woodwork, textiles, painting, sculpture, the humanities, and many other branches of knowledge to comprise the study of sixty-four different subjects.”

“Kind of a crash course in How-To-Run-a-Kingdom 101?”

“I suppose that’s one way to define it. It was very important that the royal family had at least a rudimentary education in all of these subjects.”

“Huh…it wouldn’t hurt to have all of our modern world leaders take classes like that.”

“Indeed. But back to the subject of karate, as you call it. Ren’s mother was well versed in the martial arts as well. She had been taught in Asia and insisted that her children be able to protect themselves.

Experts were brought in, and our kingdom quickly became renowned for fighting in that medium.”

For a minute, I allowed myself to get lost in the visual image of Ren doing martial arts. Fighting without

his shirt on…bronze skin…taut muscles….I shook my head and berated myself.Snap out of it, girl!

I cleared my throat, “Umm…so what were you saying?”

“Chariots. Have you seen film of Egyptian chariots?”

“Sure, the pharaoh chasing Moses and the Israelites. They were pulled by horses.”

“Well, war in India meant chariots, but not quite like Egypt’s. Our chariots were much larger and made of wood and iron. They were decorated with gold, and the largest could hold seven men and had to be pulled by six horses. The Indian chariots would roll right into a battle and run over anyone that stood in their way. The archers would pick off the infantry and then leap down to finish them off with swords or in

hand-to-hand combat.”

“Ugh, sounds grizzly.”

“I rode a chariot like that and then later moved up to become the driver. From there, I was put in charge of all the chariots.”

“Did you have cavalry too?”

“We did have horses, but not as many as other countries. However, that doesn’t mean we didn’t train with animals. We had many warriors mounted on camelback, which gives you a tremendous height advantage. It’s also nice having an animal under you that can endure many harsh conditions. But, the most commonly used animal in warfare then was the elephant.”

“Battle elephants? I have a hard time picturing elephants in a war. They seem so slow and gentle.”

“Elephants were quite formidable in battle. In fact, elephants, and the territories where they lived, were prizes that were fought over often. The richest kings were those with the most elephants. Thousands of armored elephants were used in those days for battle.”

“How did you fight with an armored elephant? Did you use archers? It seems like an elephant is a big, moving target. Weren’t many of them killed?”

He switched lanes again, and I was impressed with his ease at driving in this traffic. It was crowded here, and the drivers were zipping past at frightening speeds.

“The elephants were heavily armored. They carried an enclosed structure on their backs where several warriors could sit and fire arrows out of slits; they were virtually impenetrable. We used all kinds of weapons: javelins, lances, and bows and arrows like you mentioned. Long daggers or swords could also be affixed to the elephant’s tusks. Occasionally, the swords were dipped in poison, which was very effective in a direct assault. I even met one man who claimed he had trained his elephants to swing a heavy mace with their trunks. I never saw that used in battle, but it’s a chilling idea. Just imagine facing an

army with twenty thousand armored elephants. I don’t believe we have that many elephants left in all of India now.”

I could almost visualize what he was talking about. The ground shaking underfoot as thousands of battle-ready elephants descended on an army. He was right. Itwas chilling.

Mr. Kadam continued, “Most of the soldiers were infantrymen, though, and that’s the area where I started out. I was trained in the use of the sword, the spear, the mace, as well as many other weapons before I moved on to chariots. By the age of twenty-five, I was in charge of the king’s army. By the age of thirty-five, I was teaching others, including Dhiren, and was called to be the king’s special military advisor.”

“How awful for you to have to be a part of all that bloodshed and destruction, and to think that was your whole life . War is a terrible thing.”

He shrugged. “War is often necessary. What would the world be like today if no one had opposed Adolf Hitler? Regardless, war was different then than it is today. We followed a warrior’s code, similar to Europe’s code of chivalry. We had four rules.” He held out his fingers for emphasis. “Rule One—You must fight with someone who has similar armor. We wouldn’t fight a man who did not have the same amount of protective gear. This is similar to the concept of not using a weapon against an unarmed man.”

He raised a second finger. “Rule Two—If your enemy can’t fight any longer, the battle is over. If you’ve disabled your opponent and rendered him helpless, you stop fighting. Youdon’t finish him off. Rule Three—Soldiers do not kill women, children, the aged, or the infirm. And we do not injure those who surrender. And Rule Four—We do not destroy gardens, temples, or other places of worship.”

“Those sound like pretty good rules.”

“Our king followed Kshatriadharma, or the Law of Kings, which means that we could only fight in battles that were considered just, or righteous, and that had the approval of the people.”

We both fell silent for a while. He seemed wrapped in thoughts about his past, and I was trying to understand the time he lived in.

Later, he turned to me and said, “I’ve made you quiet, Miss Kelsey. I apologize. I didn’t mean to frighten you.”

“Oh, you didn’t. I feel more sad than frightened. Sad that you had so much warfare in your life and that you missed out on so many other things.”

He looked at me and smiled. “Don’t feel sad for me. Remember that it was just one small part of my life.

I have been able to see and experience more things than would normally have been possible for any man.

I have seen the world change century after century. I have witnessed many terrible things, as well as many wonderful things. Also, remember that, even though I was a military man, that doesn’t mean we were constantly at war. Our kingdom was large and reputable. Though we trained for battle, we engaged in serious warfare only perhaps a handful of times.”

“Sometimes I forget how long you and Ren have been alive. Not that I’m saying you’re old or anything.”

He chuckled. “Indeed not.”

“How much longer until we arrive?”

“Oh, we should be there late this afternoon. We’ll stop and get some lunch at a small town soon.”

I nodded and picked up a book to study more about Hanuman. It was fascinating to read the stories surrounding the monkey god. I was so immersed in my study that I was surprised when Mr. Kadam pulled over. We grabbed a quick lunch, and Mr. Kadam encouraged me to try some different types of curry. I discovered that I was not much of a curry fan, and he chuckled as I made faces at the spicy ones. I loved the naan bread though.

As we hopped back into the car, I pulled out a copy of the prophecy and began reading.Snakes…that can’t be a good thing. I wonder what type of protection or blessing Durga would give us.

“Mr. Kadam, is there a temple of Durga near the ruins of Hampi?”

“Excellent question, Miss Kelsey. I had the same thought myself. Yes, there are actually temples to honor Durga in almost every city in India. She is a very popular goddess. I have found a temple near Hampi that we will go visit. Hopefully, we’ll find our next clue to the puzzle there.”

“Hmm.” I went back to my study of the prophecy.Mr. Kadam had said a gada was like a mace, or a club, so that means a weapon. Hanuman’s realm…that means the ruins of Hampi, or Kishkindha, and then hunt the branch that’s bound. Maybe it’s the branch that holds the fruit. Thorny, grasping dangers and lovely, dazzling dangers…the thorns could be rose bushes or thorny vines maybe.

“Mr. Kadam, any idea what lovely, dazzling dangers might be?”

“No. Sorry, Miss Kelsey, I can’t think of anything. I’ve also been pondering…Lurid phantoms thwart your route. I’ve found no information on this, which makes me think we might have to interpret it literally.

That there might be spirits of some kind that try to stop you.”

I gulped. “And what about the uh…serpents?”

“There are many dangerous serpents in India—the cobra, the boa, the python, water snakes, vipers, king cobras, and even some that fly.”

This wasn’t sounding good. “What do you mean fly?”

“Well, technically, they don’t really fly. They just glide to other trees, like the flying squirrel.”

I sank lower in my seat and grimaced. “What an exceptional variety of poisonous reptiles you have here.”

He laughed. “Yes, we do indeed. It’s something we’ve learned to live with, but, in this case, it sounds like the snake or snakes will be helpful.”

I read the line again.Serpents find forbidden fruit, and India’s hunger satisfy lest all her people surely die.

“Do you think that what we do could somehow affect all of India?”

“I’m not sure. I hope not. Despite my decades of study, I know very little about this curse or the amulet.

It has great power, but as to how it could affect India, I haven’t figured out yet.”

I had a slight headache, so I leaned my head back and closed my eyes. The next thing I knew, Mr.

Kadam was nudging me awake.

“We’re here, Miss Kelsey.”

I rubbed my sleepy eyes. “Where?”

“We’re at the place where Ren wanted to stop.”

“Mr. Kadam, we are in the middle of nowhere surrounded by jungle.”

“I know. Don’t be afraid. You’ll be safe. Ren will watch out for you.”

He grabbed my bag and walked around to my door to open it for me. I stepped out and looked up at him.

“Don’t tell me I have to sleep in the jungle again. Can’t I just go with you while he gets whatever it is he

needs?”

“I’m sorry, Miss Kelsey, but in this case he will need you. It’s something he probably can’t do without you and may not even be able to do with you.”

I groaned, “Right. And you, of course, can’t tell me what it is.”

“It’s not for me to tell. This is his story to share.”

I muttered, “Fine. And you’ll be back to pick us up when?”

“I will go into town and purchase a few items, then I’ll meet you back here in about three or four days. I may end up having to wait foryou . He might not be able to find what he is searching for on the first couple of nights.”

I sighed and glared at Ren. “Great…more jungle. Okay, let’s get on with it. Please lead the way.”

Mr. Kadam handed me a bottle of bug spray/sunscreen, then placed some items in a backpack and helped me fit it on my shoulders. I sighed deeply as I watched him pull away in the Jeep, then I turned to follow Ren off into the jungle.

“Hey, Ren…how come I always have to follow you into a jungle? How about next time you follow me to a nice spa or maybe to the beach? How about that?”

He snuffed and kept on moving.

“Fine, but you owe me after this.”

We walked the rest of the afternoon. I heard a rumbling noise ahead of us and couldn’t figure out what it

was. The farther we walked, the louder the noise was. We walked through a grove of trees and into a small clearing. Finally, I saw the source of the sounds I’d been hearing. It was a beautiful waterfall.

A series of gray stones were spread out like steps on a tall hill. The water foamed and flowed over each stone, plummeted down, and spread out like a fan falling to a wide turquoise pool below. Trees and small

bushes that grew petite red flowers surrounded the pool. It was lovely.

As I approached one of the bushes, I noticed they were covered with something. At my next step, hundreds of butterflies took to the air. There were two varieties. One type was brown with creamcolored stripes and the other was brownish-black with blue stripes and dots. I laughed and twirled around in a cloud of butterflies. When they settled again, several landed on my arms and my shirt.

I climbed a rock that looked out over the falls and studied a butterfly perched on my finger. When it flew

off, I stood quietly watching the water tumble down, I heard a voice behind me.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it? It’s my favorite place in the entire world.”

“It is. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Ren came up to me and nudged a butterfly from my arm to his finger. “These are called crow butterflies,

and the others are blue tigers. The blue tigers are brighter and easier to spot, so they live with the crows for camouflage.”

“Camouflage? Why do they need it?”

“The crows are inedible. In fact, they’re poisonous, so other butterflies try to mimic them. They fool predators to survive.” He took my hand and guided me a little way along a path by the falls. “We’ll make

camp here. Go ahead and sit down. I have something I need to tell you.”

I found a flat place and set down the backpack, and then I pulled out a bottle of water and settled myself with my back against a rock. “Okay, go ahead.”

He began pacing back and forth and started speaking. “The reason we’re here is because I need to find my brother.”

I choked on my mouthful of water. “Your brother? I assumed he was dead. You haven’t mentioned him at all, except that he was cursed with you. You mean he’s still alive and lives here?”

“To be honest with you, I don’t know if he’s still alive or not. I assume he is because I am. Mr. Kadam believes he still lives here in this jungle.” He turned and looked at the waterfall, then sat down next to me,

stretched out his long legs in front of him, and picked up my hand. He toyed with my fingers and said, “I believe he’s still alive. It’s just a feeling I have. My plan is to search the area in ever-widening circles.

Eventually, one of us will cross the other’s scent. If he doesn’t show up or if I can’t catch his scent in a few days, we’ll go back, find Mr. Kadam, and continue our journey.”

“What do you needme to do?”

“Wait here. I’m hoping that if he won’t listen to me, he might be convinced by meeting you. Also, I hope

that—”

“Hope what?”

He shook his head. “It’s not important now.”

He squeezed my hand distractedly and jumped up. “Here. Let me help you set up camp quickly before I begin my search.” He went off to look for firewood while I explored the backpack and pulled out a small easy-to-set-up two-person tent.Thank you, Mr. Kadam! I zipped open the tent bag and spread it out on a patch of even ground. After a few minutes, Ren came over to help me. He already had a fire going and had a nice stack of wood to keep it ablaze.

“That was fast,” I muttered jealously as I stretched the tent fabric over a hook.

He popped his head over the other side and grinned. “I was trained extensively on how to live outdoors.”

“I guess.”

He laughed. “Kells, there are many things that you know how to do that I don’t…like setting up this tent

apparently.”

I smiled. “Pull the fabric down over the hook on the stake.”

We finished up quickly, and he dusted off his hands.

“We didn’t have tents like these four hundred years ago. Theylook similar, but these are much more complicated. We just used wooden poles.”

He walked up to me, tugged on my braid, and impulsively kissed my forehead. “Keep the fire going. It scares wild animals away. I’m going to circle the area a few times, but I’ll be back before it gets dark.”

He bounded off into the jungle as a tiger again. I tugged on my braid, thought about him for a minute, and smiled. While I waited for him to come back, I decided to go through my backpack and see what Mr. Kadam had put in for dinner.Ah, he outdid himself again—freeze-dried chicken and rice with chocolate pudding for dessert.

I poured some water from my water bottle into a little pot and set it on a flat rock that I pushed into the coals. When the water bubbled, I used my blanket as a pot holder and transferred the hot water to my dinner pouch. I waited several minutes for it to reconstitute, then enjoyed my meal. It started to get dark, and I decided I’d feel safer in my tent. I climbed in and folded my blanket up to use as a pillow.

Ren returned shortly after that, and I heard him place more wood on the fire. He said, “No sign of him yet.” Then he changed back to a tiger and settled himself at the tent door.

I unzipped the tent and asked him if he would mind me using his back as a pillow again. He moved and stretched out as an answer. I scooted closer, laid my head on his soft fur, and wrapped my blanket around me. His chest rumbled rhythmically in a deep purr, which helped me to fall asleep.

He was gone when I woke up and returned around lunchtime as I was brushing out my hair.

“Here, Kells. I brought you something.” He held out three mangos.

“Thanks. Uh, dare I ask…where did you get them from?”

“Monkeys.”

I stopped in midbrush. “Monkeys? What do you mean monkeys?”

“Well…monkeys don’t like tigers around because tigers eat monkeys. So, when a tiger does come around, they jump up in the trees and pummel the tiger with fruit,or feces; lucky for me it was the fruit.”

I gulped. “Did you…eata monkey?”

He grinned at me. “Well, a tiger does have to eat.”

I dug a rubber band out of the backpack so I could braid my hair. “Ugh…that’s disgusting!”

He laughed. “No, I didn’t eat a monkey; I’m just teasing you. Monkeys are gross. They taste like…meaty tennis balls, and they smell like feet.” He paused, “Now a nice juicy deer…thatis delectable.”

He smacked his lips together in an exaggerated way.

“I don’t think I really need to hear about your hunting.”

“Really? I quite enjoy hunting.”

He froze in place, then, almost imperceptibly, he lowered his body slowly to a crouch and balanced on the balls of his feet. He placed a hand in the grass in front of him and began to creep closer to me. He was tracking me, hunting me. His eyes locked on mine and pinned me to the spot where I was standing.

He was preparing to spring. His lips were pulled back in a wide grin, which showed his brilliant white teeth. He looked…feral .

He spoke in a silky, mesmerizing voice, “When you’re stalking your prey, you must freeze in place and hide, remaining that way for a long time. If you fail, your preyeludes you.” He closed the distance between us in a heartbeat. Even though I’d been watching him closely, I was startled at how fast he could move. My pulse started thumping wildly at my throat, which was where his lips now hovered as if he

were going for my jugular.

He brushed my hair back and moved up to my ear, whispering, “And you will go…hungry.” His words were hushed. His warm breath tickled my ear and made goose bumps fan out all over my body.

I turned my head slightly to look at him. His eyes had changed. They were a brighter blue than normal and were studying my face. His hand was still in my hair, and his eyes drifted down to my mouth. I had the distinct impression that this was what it felt like to be a deer.

He was making me nervous. I blinked and swallowed dryly. His eyes darted back up to mine again. He must have sensed my apprehension because his expression changed. He removed his hand from my hair and relaxed his posture. “I’m sorry if I frightened you, Kelsey. It won’t happen again.”

He took a step back, and I started breathing again.

I said shakily, “Well, I don’t want to hear any more about hunting. It freaks me out. The least you could do is not tell me about it…especiallywhen I have had to spend time with you out-doors, okay?”

He laughed. “Kelsey, we all havesome animalistic tendencies. I loved hunting, even when I was young.”

I shuddered. “Fine. Just keep your animalistic tendencies to yourself.”

He leaned toward me again and pulled on a strand of my hair. “Now, Kells, there aresome of my animalistic tendencies that you seem to like.” He started making a rumbling sound in his chest, and I realized that he was…purring!

“Stop that!” I sputtered.

He laughed, walked over to the backpack, and picked up the fruit. “So, do you want any of this fruit or not? I’ll wash it for you.”

“Well, considering you carried it in your mouth all that way just for me…and taking into account the source of said fruit… not really. But I guess Icould eat some of the inside.”

He looked up at me. “It’s not freeze-dried.”

“Okay. I’ll take some.”

He washed the fruit, peeled off the outside with a knife, and sliced off segments for me. We sat next to each other and enjoyed the fruit. It was juicy and delicious, but I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of knowing I liked it.

“Ren?” I licked the juice from my fingers and took another piece.

“Yes?”

“Is it safe to swim by the waterfall?

“Sure. It should be safe enough. This place used to very special to me. I came here all the time to escape the pressures of palace life and to have time to be alone and think.” He looked at me. “In fact, you’re the first person I’ve ever shown it to, other than my family and Mr. Kadam, of course.”

I looked at the beautiful waterfall and began to speak quietly, “There are dozens of waterfalls in Oregon.

My family used to take picnics and see them. I think we saw most of the falls in Oregon. I remember standing close to one watching it with my dad while the spray hit our faces.”

“Did any of them look like this one?”

I smiled. “Nope. This one’s unique. My favorite time to visit was in the winter, actually.”

“I’ve never seen a waterfall in the winter.”

“It’s beautiful. The water freezes as it falls down the craggy mountains. The smooth rocks around the falls become slick with ice, and, as more water pours over them, icicles start to grow. The spiky ice slowly swells and lengthens as it creeps down the hill, stretching and crackling and breaking until the icy tips touch the water below in long, thick, twisted ropes. The water that’s still moving seeps…dribbling over the icicles slowly and glazing it in shiny layers. The surrounding hills are lush with evergreens, which

are sometimes tipped with snow.”

He responded, “It sounds amazing, but cold. The water here doesn’t freeze.” He squeezed my fingers.

“Kelsey…I’m sorry your parents are gone.”

“Me too. Thanks for sharing your waterfall with me.” We smiled at each other for a few seconds until I cleared my throat. “If you don’t mind, I’d like a bit of privacy so I can change into my swimsuit.”

He stood and bowed to me dramatically. “Never let it be said that Prince Alagan Dhiren denied the request of a beautiful lady.” He washed his sticky hands in the pool, then changed to a tiger and trotted off into the jungle.

I gave him some time to move off, then changed into my swimsuit, and dove into the water.

It was crystal clear, and it quickly cooled my hot, sweaty skin. It felt delicious. After swimming around in

the pool for a while and exploring the borders of it, I swam to the falls and found a rock to sit on just under the spray. I let the water pound over my body in icy cold blasts. Later, I scooted over to the sunny side of the rock and folded my legs up out of the water. Pulling my wet hair over my shoulder, I let the sun warm me.

I felt like a mermaid looking over her tranquil domain. It was so peaceful and pleasant here. With the blue water, the green trees, and the butterflies fluttering here and there, it was like a scene right out ofA Midsummer Night’s Dream . I could even picture the fairies flitting from flower to flower.

Just then, Ren galloped out of the jungle and took a flying leap. His white tiger body landed with a splat right in the middle of the pool, sending rippling waves over to lap against my rock.

“Hey,” I said when he surfaced, “I thought tigers hated the water.”

He paddled over to me and swam around in circles, showing me that tigersdid know how to swim.

Darting his big head under the falls, he swam behind them and over to my rock. Pulling himself up behind

me, he violently shook out his fur like a dog. Water sprayed in every direction, including all over me.

“Hey, I was drying off!”

I slid back in the water and swam out to the center of the pool. He jumped in again too, and paddled around me in circles while I splashed him, laughing. He dove under me and stayed underwater for a long time. Finally, he surfaced, leapt on top of a rock, and jumped into the air to belly flop into the water right

next to me. We played in the water until I started to get tired. I swam back over to the falls again and stood in the stream with my arms raised, letting it fall all around me.

I heard a pop and a thump above me. A few rocks fell down in the water right next to me with a plop and a splash. As I started to move out of the falls, a rock thumped me on the back of my head. My eyelids fluttered and closed as my body slumped into the cool water.

CHAPTER 14

“Kelsey!Kelsey! Open your eyes!”

Someone was shaking me…hard. All I wanted to do was fall back into the peaceful black sleep, but the voice was desperate, insistent.

“Kelsey, listen to me! Open your eyes,please !”

I tried to crack open my eyes, but it hurt. The sunlight was causing a painful pounding in my head.What an awful headache! My mind finally started to clear, and I recognized our campground and Ren, who was kneeling next to me. His wet hair was slicked back, and he had an expression of concern on his beautiful face.

“Kells, how do you feel? Are you okay?”

I intended to answer him with a really good sarcastic retort, but, instead, I choked and began coughing up water. I inhaled a deep breath, heard a crackly wetness in my lungs, and began coughing some more.

“Here. Turn on your side. It helps to get the water out. Let me help you.”

He pulled me toward him so that I was resting on my side. I coughed up some more water. He took off his wet shirt and folded it, gently lifted me, and placed it under my sore head. Unfortunately, my head hurt too much to appreciate his bare chest. His bronzed…sculpted…muscular…bare chest.Well, I guess I

was still able to appreciate it a little. Sheesh, I’d have to be dead not to appreciate something thatnice, especially as it was now directly in front of my face. I winced as his hand brushed against my head.

“You’ve got a major bump here.”

I reached up to feel the giant lump on the back of my skull. I gingerly touched it and recalled the source of my headache.I must have lost consciousness when the rock hit me. Ren saved my life…again. I looked up at him. He was kneeling next to me with a look of desperation on his face, and his body was shaking. I realized that he must have changed to a man, dragged me out of the pool, and then remained by my side until I woke up.Who knows how long I’ve been laying here unconscious.

“Ren, you’re in pain. You’ve been in this form too long today.”

He shook his head in denial, but I saw him grit his teeth.

I pressed my hand on his arm. “I’ll be okay. It’s just a bump on the head. Don’t worry about me. I’m sure Mr. Kadam has some aspirin tucked away in the backpack. I’ll just take that and lie down to rest for a while. It’ll be alright.”

He trailed his finger slowly from my temple to my cheek and smiled softly. When he pulled back, his whole arm shook and tremors rippled under the surface of his skin.

“Kells, I…” His face tightened. He threw his head to the side, snarled angrily, and morphed to a tiger again. He softly growled, then quieted, and drew close beside me. He lay down next to me and watched me carefully with his alert blue eyes. I stroked his back, partly to reassure him and partly because it soothed me too.

I stared up through the dappled trees and willed my headache to subside. I knew that I would have to move eventually, but I really didn’t want to. He purred softly, and the comforting sound actually helped my headache. Sighing deeply, I got up, knowing that I’d be more comfortable if I changed my clothes.

I sat up delicately, slowly, while breathing deeply, hoping that by moving cautiously the nausea would dissipate and the world would stop spinning. Ren lifted his head, alert to my efforts.

“Thank you for saving me,” I whispered as I stroked his back. I kissed the top of his furry head. “What would I do without you?”

Zipping open the backpack, I found a small box that contained a variety of medications, including aspirin. I popped a couple in my mouth and swallowed a mouthful of the bottled water. Pulling out my dry clothes, I turned to Ren. “Okay, here’s the deal. I’d like to change back into my regular clothes, so if you would head off into the jungle again for a few minutes, I would appreciate it.”

He growled at me, sounding a bit angry.

“I’m serious.”

He glowered at me.

I rested my palm against my forehead and held on to a nearby tree to steady my wobbly legs. “I need to change, and you arenot staying here to watch me.”

He growled at me again, a little more insistent this time, and stared me down. I stared right back and pointed to the jungle. He finally got up, but then he padded into the tent and lay down on my blanket.

His

head faced inward while his tail twitched back and forth outside the opening.

I sighed and winced after turning my head too quickly.I guess that’s the best I’m going to get out of him.

Stubborn tiger.

I decided that I could live with his compromise, but I kept an eye on his flicking tail as I pulled my clothes on.

I felt a little better after changing into dry clothes. The aspirin started working, and my head throbbed less, but it was still tender. I decided that I’d rather sleep than eat, so I skipped dinner but made hot cocoa. Carefully making my way around our campsite, I added a couple of logs in the fire pit and put the water on to boil. I crouched down, working the fire for a while with a long branch to get it crackling again

and got out a packet of hot chocolate mix. Ren watched every move I made.

I dismissed him. “I’m fine…really. Go off on one of your scouting trips or whatever.”

He just sat there and stared at me.

“I’m serious.” I spun my finger in a circle. “Go circle the grounds. Look for your brother. I’ll just gather some firewood and go to bed.”

He still wouldn’t move and made a noise that sounded slightly like a whining dog.

I laughed and petted his head. “You know, despite appearances, I’m usually pretty good at taking care of myself.”

He harrumphed and sat beside me. I leaned against his shoulder and mixed my hot chocolate.

Before the sun set, I gathered wood and drank a bottle of water. When I crawled into my tent, Ren followed me. He stretched out his paws, and I carefully positioned my head on them so it didn’t hurt. I heard a deep tiger sigh, and he settled his head next to mine. When I woke up the next morning, my head was still cushioned on Ren’s soft paws, but I’d turned and buried my face in his chest and had thrown my

arm around his neck, cuddling him close like he was a giant stuffed animal.

I pulled away a little awkwardly. As I got up to stretch, I cautiously felt my lump and was happy to find it greatly reduced. I felt much better. Famished, I broke out some granola bars and a package of oatmeal. I heated enough water over the fire again to pour into my oatmeal and make another cup of hot chocolate. After breakfast, I told Ren to head off on patrol and that I was going to wash my hair.

He waited for a while, watching my movements until he felt reassured, then took off, and left me to fend

for myself. I grabbed a small bottle of biodegradable shampoo that Mr. Kadam had included for me; the soap smelled like strawberries. He’d even included conditioner.

Changing into my swimsuit, shorts, and sneakers, I hiked down to my sunning rock. Staying on the edge

of the falls, well away from the place I’d been hit by falling rocks, I gently wet and soaped through my hair. Leaning slightly into the sparkling water, I let it softly rinse out the bubbles. The cool water felt good

on my sore head.

Moving over to the sunny side of the rock, I sat down to brush out my hair. When I was done, I set down my brush, closed my eyes, and turned my face toward the early morning sun, letting it warm me and dry my hair. This place was a paradise, no question about it. Even with a bump on the head and my dislike of camping, I could appreciate the beauty of my surroundings.

It was not that I didn’t appreciate nature. In fact, I liked spending time outdoors with my parents when I was growing up. It was just that I always enjoyed sleeping in my own bedafter appreciating nature.

Ren came back around midday and sat by me companionably while we ate our freeze-dried lunches. It was the only time I’d ever seen him eat as a man other than the mango fruit. Afterward, I rooted around in my bag for my book of poetry. I asked Ren if he’d like me to read to him. He’d changed back into a tiger, and I didn’t hear a growl or another type of tiger protest, so I grabbed my book of poetry and sat down with my back resting against the big rock. He padded over next to me and surprised me by changing back to a man. He flipped over and laid his head in my lap before I could get a word in, then he

sighed deeply and closed his eyes.

I laughed and said, “I guess that means yes?”

Keeping his eyes closed, he mumbled, “Yes, please.”

I flipped through my book to pick a poem to read. “Ah, this one seems appropriate. I think you’ll like it.

It’s one of my favorites, and it’s also written by Shakespeare, the same guy who wroteRomeo and Juliet

.”

I began reading. I held the book with one hand and absentmindedly stroked Ren’s hair with the other.

Shall I Compare Thee To A Summer’s Day?

by William Shakespeare

Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?

Thou art more lovely and more temperate.

Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,

And summer’s lease hath all too short a date.

Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,

And often is his gold complexion dimm’d;

And every fair from fair sometime declines,

By chance or nature’s changing course untrimm’d;

But thy eternal summer shall not fade

Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow’st;

Nor shall Death brag thou wander’st in his shade,

When in eternal lines to time thou grow’st:

So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,

So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.

His voice was soft. “That was…excellent. I like this Shakespeare.”

“Me too.”

I was thumbing through the poetry book searching for another poem when Ren said, “Kelsey, perhaps I could share a poem of my country…with you.”

Surprised, I set my book down. “Sure, I’d love to hear some Indian poetry.”

He opened his eyes and stared up at the trees overhead. Capturing my hand, he twined my fingers through his and rested our hands on his chest. A slight breeze was blowing. It caused the leaves to dance and twist in the sun, weaving shadows and sunlight across his handsome face.

“This is an old poem of India. It’s taken from an epic story that’s been around for as long as I can remember. It’s called theSakuntala by Kalidasa.”

Thy heart, indeed, I know not:

but mine, oh! cruel, love

warms by day and by night;

and all my faculties are centered on thee.

Thee, O slender maid,

love only warms;

but me he burns;

as the day-star only stifles

the fragrance of the night-flower,

but quenches the very orb of the moon.

This heart of mine,

oh thou who art of all things the dearest to it,

will have no object but thee.

“Ren, that was…very beautiful.” His eyes turned to my face, and we looked at each other. He smiled and reached a hand up to touch my cheek. My pulse quickened, and my face felt hot where he touched it. I became suddenly aware that my fingers were still twined in his hair, and my hand was resting on his chest. I quickly removed them and twisted them in my lap. He sat up slightly, leaning on one hand, which

brought his beautiful face very close to mine. His fingers moved down to my chin, and he tilted my face slightly so that my eyes met his intense blue ones.

“Kelsey?”

“Yes…”

“I would like…permission…to kiss you.”

Whoa…red-alert! The comfortable feeling I was enjoying with my tiger just a few minutes before had disappeared. I became acutely nervous and prickly. My perspective swung 180°. I was, of course, aware that a man’s heart beat inside the tiger’s body, but, somehow, I’d shifted that knowledge to the back of my mind.

Awareness of the man burst into my conscious mind. I stared at him, astonished. He was…well, to be blunt, he was out of my league. I’d never even considered the possibility of a relationship with him, other

than friendship.

His question forced me to acknowledge that my comfortable pet tiger was actually a virile, robust example of masculinity. My heart started hammering against my ribcage. Several thoughts went through my head all at once, but the dominant thought was that I would very much like to be kissed by Ren.

Other thoughts were creeping around at the edge of my consciousness too, trying to wiggle into the forefront. Thoughts like—it’s too soon—we barely know each other—and maybe he’s just lonely—spun through my mind. But, I clipped the threads of those thoughts and let them blow away. Stomping down on caution, I decided that I did want him to kiss me. I’m not exactly sure what happened next, but it went

something like this…

He moved just a smidgen closer to me. I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and then…waited. When I opened my eyes, he was still staring at me. He reallywas waiting for permission. There was nothing, and

I mean nothing I wanted more in the world at that moment than to be kissed by this gorgeous man. But, I ruined it. For some reason, I fixated on the wordpermission .

I nervously rambled, “What…umm…what do you mean you want mypermission ?”

He looked at me curiously, which made me feel even more panicky. To say I had no experience with kissing would be an understatement. Not only had I never kissed a boy before…I’d never even met a guy Iwanted to kiss, until Ren. So, instead of kissing him like I wanted to, I got flustered and started coming up with reasons to not do it.

I babbled, “Girls need to be swept off their feet, and asking permission is…just…just…old-fashioned.

It’s not spontaneous enough. It doesn’t scream passion…it screams old fogey. If you have toask then the answer is…no.”

And I went on like this. What an idiot I was! I sat there telling this beautiful, kind, blue-eyed, hunk of a prince that he was an old fogey.

He looked at me for a long moment, long enough for me to see the hurt in his eyes before he cleared his face of expression. He stood up quickly, formally bowed to me, and avowed softly, “I won’t ask you again, Kelsey. I apologize for being so forward.”

Then he changed into a tiger and quickly ran off into the jungle, leaving me alone to berate myself for my

foolishness.

I shouted, “Ren, wait!” But it was too late. He was gone.

I can’t believe I insulted him like that! He must hate me! How could I do that to him?

I knew I only said those things because I was nervous, but that was no excuse.What did he mean he would neverask me again? I hopehe asks me again.

I replayed my words over and over again in my mind and thought of all the things I could have said that would have given me a better result. Things like, “I thought you’d never ask” or “I was just about to ask you the same question.”

I could have just grabbed the man and kissedhim first. Even just a simple “Yes” would have done the trick. I could have said dramatically, “As you wish,” “Kiss me…kiss me as if it were the last time,” or

“You had me at hello.” He’d never seen the movies…so why not? But, no. I had to go on and on about permission . He left me alone the rest of the day, which gave me plenty of time to kick myself.

Late in the afternoon, I was sitting on my sunning rock with my open journal, pen in hand, staring into space,miserable , when I heard a noise in the jungle near our camp.

I gasped in shock as a large black cat emerged from the trees. It circled the tent and stopped to smell my blanket…then it walked to the fire and sat there for a moment not afraid of it at all. After a few minutes, it loped off into the trees, only to come back into the clearing from the other side. I sat still, hoping it hadn’t seen me.

It was much larger than the panther that had attacked me near the cave. In fact, as it came closer to where I was sitting, I made out jet-black stripes on a dark, sable coat of fur. Bright, golden eyes scanned the camp, sharply calculating. It was a tiger like Ren! I’d never heard of a black tiger. It must not have seen me because, after circling our camp and sniffing the air a few times, the tiger disappeared back into the jungle.

Still…just to be safe, I sat on my rock for a long time, just to be sure it was gone for good.

After hearing nothing for fifteen minutes, I decided it was safe to move. At the exact same second, a man

stepped out of the jungle nearby.

He boldly approached me, looked me slowly up and down, and said, “Well, well, well…we are full of surprises, aren’t we?”

The man was dressed in a black shirt and pants. He was very handsome, but in a darker, more swarthy way than Ren. His skin was antique-bronze, and his hair was ink-black, longer than Ren’s, but it was also swept back from his face and slightly curled.

His eyes were gold with specks of copper. I tried to identify the color. I’d never seen eyes like that before; they were like…like pirate gold, the color of gold doubloons. In fact,pirate was a good way to describe him. He looked like the kind of guy you might find gracing the cover of a historical romance novel, playing the part of a dark lothario. As he smiled at me, his eyes crinkled slightly at the corners.

I knew immediately who I was looking at. It was Ren’s brother. Both men were very handsome and had the same regal bearing. They were about the same height, but where Ren was tall, lean, and muscular…this man was heavier and brawny, with more powerful arms. I thought he might take more after their father. While Ren, with his more prominent Asian features—the slightly almond-shaped blue eyes and golden skin—surely took after his mother. Strangely, I didn’t feel any fear, though I recognized an undercurrent of danger. It was almost as if the tiger part of him had overtaken the man.

I stated, “Before you say anything else, I think you should know that I know who you are.And …I knowwhat you are.”

He stepped forward and quickly closed the gap between us, then cupped my chin, lifting my face for his perusal.

“And…who…or what…do you think I am,my lovely ?”

His voice was very deep, smooth, and silky like hot caramel. His accent was more pronounced than Ren’s. He hesitated as if he hadn’t used his voice in a long time.

“You’re Ren’s brother, the one who betrayed him and stole his fiancée.”

His eyes tightened, and I felt a twinge of fear.

He clicked his tongue, “Tch, tch, tch…now, now…where are your manners? We haven’t even been properly introduced yet, and here you are making wild accusations against me.”

He lifted a lock of my hair and rubbed it between his fingers, then he tilted his head. “I do have to give Dhiren credit. He always manages to surround himself with beautiful women.”

I was about to step away from him when I heard a tremendous bellow from the trees and saw Ren crash through the camp and leap, snarling into the air. His brother quickly moved me to the side and then leapt into the air, changing into the black tiger I’d seen before.

Ren was beyond rage. He roared so loudly that I felt the vibrations of it quiver through my body. The two tiger bodies smashed together in the air with an explosive clap and fell hard to the ground. They rolled in the grass, clawed at each other’s backs, and bit whenever and wherever they got a chance.

I moved as far off to the side as I could and ended up near the falls, behind some bushes. I tried to shout at them to stop, but the fighting was so loud that it drowned out my voice. The two big cats rolled apart and faced each other. They crouched close to the ground, tails twitching, ready to pounce. They began circling the fire, keeping it between them.

For the moment, they were growling menacingly and locked in a staring contest. I decided that this was the best time to intervene, when the claws were on the ground and not in the air. I approached the two tigers slowly, staying closer to Ren’s side.

I mustered my courage and entreated, “Please, stop it. Both of you. You’re brothers. It doesn’t matter what happened in the past. You need to talk to each other.”

I implored Ren, “You were the one who wanted to seekhim out. Now’s your opportunity to talk, to tell him what you need to say.”

I looked at his brother. “And you…Ren’s been a captive for many years, and we’re working on a way to helpboth of you. You should listen to him.”

Ren changed into a man. He said sharply, “You’re right, Kelsey. I did come out here to talk to him, but I

see that he still cannot be trusted. There’s no…vestige of consideration in him. I shouldnever have come here.”

“But, Ren…”

Ren moved in front of me and spat angrily at the black tiger. “Prastha!Durvrtah ! I’ve been circling you for two days! You had no right to come here when youknew I was gone! And you willnever touch Kelsey again…ifyou know what’s good for you!”

Ren’s brother changed to his man-form as well, shrugged his shoulders, and said casually, “I wanted to see what you were protecting so fiercely. You’re right. I’ve been following you for two days, getting close enough to see what you were up to, but staying far enough away so that I could approach you on my terms. As far as me staying here to listen to you, there isnothing you could say that would hold any interest for me whatsoever,Murkha .”

He touched his face and grinned as he traced long scratches left by Ren and then rubbed his jaw. He darted his eyes in my direction, and with a cursory glance at Ren, added, “Unless…of course, you’d like to talk abouther . I’m always interested in yourwomen .”

Ren moved me back and responded with an outraged roar. Morphing in midair, he attacked his brother again. The two rolled through the camp biting and scratching again, banging against trees and slamming down on sharp rocks. Ren lashed out with a paw aiming for his brother, but he hit a tree trunk instead, leaving deep, jagged claw marks in the thick trunk.

The black tiger took off running into the jungle, and Ren chased after him. Two angry roars echoed through the trees, and a flock of birds took off squawking unhappily. The fight continued as they moved from one part of the jungle to another. I could follow their path by standing on my rock and watching the

trees shake in the jungle and tracking the procession of irritated birds, rousted from their comfortable perches.

Ren finally barreled back into the campsite with his brother half riding his back, sinking in his claws and

biting his neck. Ren stood up on his back legs and shook his brother off, and then he leapt up onto a large rock overlooking the pool and turned to face him. The black tiger gathered himself and leapt on top

of Ren, who jumped up to block him. The move ended up pushing the black tiger into the pool of water instead, and Ren dove right in after him.

I stood at the side of the pool watching them continue to fight. One would explode from the water and pounce on the other, pushing him under. Claws raked faces, backs, and sensitive underbellies as the two large cats battered and mauled each other repeatedly. Neither one seemed to dominate the other.

Just when I thought they’d never stop, the fighting seemed to wane. The black tiger dragged his unwieldy

body up out of the water, walked a few paces away, and collapsed on the grass. Panting heavily, he rested for a minute and then began licking his paws.

Ren was next out of the water. He placed himself between the black tiger and me and buckled at my feet. Deep, bloody scratches covered his body, oozing blood that stood out sharply against his white fur.

A nasty one went from his forehead to his chin, slicing across his right eye and his nose. A large puncture

wound from a bite on his neck seeped slowly.

I stepped around him and quickly retrieved the backpack. I dug through the bag until I found the first aid

kit, popped it open, and pulled out a small bottle of rubbing alcohol and a large roll of gauze. My innate fear of blood and wounds was set aside, and a natural protective instinct kicked in. I was more scaredfor them thanof them and knew they needed help. Somehow, I found the courage.

Moving to Ren first, I flushed rocks and dirt out of the wounds with clean bottled water, and then I poured the rubbing alcohol on the gauze and pressed against the worst of them. He didn’t seem mortally wounded, as long as I could stop the bleeding, but there were several deep rips. On his side, the shredded skin was torn so badly it looked like it’d been through a meat grinder.

He softly growled as I moved from his back to his neck and cleaned the puncture wound. I took a large padded bandage from the kit, sprinkled rubbing alcohol on it, then pressed it over the badly shredded section, and put pressure on it to stop the bleeding. Ren softly roared at the sting while I grimaced in sympathy. I left the pad there for the time being. Last, I worked carefully on his face and murmured reassuring words as I worked on his forehead and nose, careful to avoid the eye. It didn’t look as bad as it did the first time I saw it. Maybe I was imagining it was worse than it was.

I did the best I could, but I was worried about infection, and I was seriously concerned about Ren’s side and eye. A tear fell down my cheek as I pressed gauze against his forehead.

He licked my wrist as I worked. I stroked his cheek and whispered, “Ren, this is awful. I wish this hadn’t happened. I’m so sorry. It must hurt terribly.” A tear dropped and splashed on his nose. “I’m going to go take care of your brother now.”

I wiped my eyes and retrieved another roll of gauze. I went through the same process with the black tiger. A particularly bad, gaping tear started at his neck and went down to his chest, so I spent a lot of time on that area. A bite on his back was deep and full of dirt and small pieces of gravel. It was bleeding profusely at first, which was probably a good thing because it helped to flush it out. I applied pressure for

a few minutes, and it slowed enough that I was able to clean it. His back quivered, and he growled when I put rubbing alcohol on it.

I held the gauze over the wound, and more tears dribbled down my chin. I sniffed, “You could probably use stitches on that one.”

Addressing both tigers, I scolded softly, “You two will probably get an infection and your tails will fall off.”

The black tiger made a huffing noise that sounded suspiciously like laughter, which made me stiffen and

get a little angry.

“I hope you both appreciate the fact that cleaning your wounds freaks me out. I hate blood. Also, for your information,I will decide who will or won’t be touching me. I’m not some ball of string that gets tossed between you two cats. I’m alsonot the person you’re really fighting about either. What happened between you two is long over and done with anyway, and I really hope you can learn to forgive each other.”

I addressed the black tiger, “The reason we came here is because Ren and I are trying to find a way to break the curse. Mr. Kadam’s been helping us, and we have a good idea of where to start. We’re going to be looking for four gifts to offer Durga, and, in exchange, you both get to be men again. There, now that you know why we’re here, we can get back to Mr. Kadam and be on our way. I think both of you may need to go to a hospital.”

Ren rumbled in his chest and started licking his paws. The black tiger rolled to his side to show me a long scratch that went from his neck down to his belly. I cleaned that one too. When I finished with him, I

walked back to my bag and placed the bottle of rubbing alcohol inside. I wiped my eyes on my sleeve and jumped when I turned back around. Ren’s brother was standing behind me as a man.

Ren got up, alert, and watched him carefully, suspicious of his every move. His tail twitched back and forth, and a deep grumble issued from his chest.

“Please allow me the opportunity to introduce myself properly. My name’s Kishan, the unfortunate younger brother of this one.” He looked down at Ren, who had crept even closer to keep an eye on him, then looked back at me.

Kishan reached out his hand, and when I placed mine in it, he lifted it to his lips and kissed it, then bowed deeply with great aplomb.

“May I ask your name?”

“My name is Kelsey.”

“Kelsey. Well, I, for one, appreciate all the efforts you have made in our behalf. I apologize if I frightened you earlier. I am…out of practice in conversing with young ladies. These…gifts you will be offering to Durga. Would you kindly tell me more about it?”

Ren growled unhappily.

I said, “Kishan. Is that your given name?”

“Actually, it’s Sohan Kishan, but you can call me Kish if you like.”

He smiled a dazzling white smile, which was even more brilliant due to the contrast with his dark skin.

“Would you please sit and talk with me, Kelsey?”

There was something very charming about him. I surprised myself by finding I immediately trusted and liked him. He had a quality similar to his brother. Like Ren, he had the ability to set a person completely at ease. Maybe it was their diplomatic training. Maybe it was how their mother raised them. Whatever it was made me respond positively. I smiled at him. “I’d love to.”

He tucked my arm under his and walked with me over to the fire. Ren growled again, and Kishan shot a smirk in his direction. I noticed him wince when he sat, so I offered him some aspirin.

“Shouldn’t we be getting you two to a doctor? I really think you might need stitches and Ren—”

“Thank you, but no. You don’t need to worry about our minor pains.”

“I wouldn’t exactly call your wounds minor, Kishan…umm, Kish.”

“The curse helps us to heal quickly. You’ll see. We’ll both recover swiftly enough on our own. Still, it was nice to have such a lovely young woman tending to my injuries.”

Ren stood in front of us and looked like he was a tiger suffering from apoplexy.

I admonished, “Ren…be civil.”

Kishan smiled widely and waited for me to get comfortable, and then he scooted closer to me and rested his arm on the log behind my shoulders. Ren stepped right between us, nudged his brother roughly

aside with his furry head, creating a wider space, and maneuvered his body in the middle. He dropped heavily to the ground and rested his head in my lap.

Kishan frowned, but I started talking, sharing the story of what Ren and I had been through. I told him about meeting Ren at the circus and about how he tricked me to get me to India. I talked about Phet, the cave, and finding the prophecy, and I told him that we were on our way to Hampi. As I lost myself in our

story, I stroked Ren’s head. He shut his eyes and purred, and then he fell asleep. I talked for almost an hour, barely registering Kishan’s raised eyebrow and thoughtful expression as he watched the two of us together and didn’t even notice when he changed back into a tiger.

CHAPTER 15

The last thing I told Kishan was about the prophecy discovered on the monolith.

“There seem to be four parts of the prophecy, and Mr. Kadam has translated the first side, which describes where we’ll find the first gift. He thinks it’s in Hampi.”

I played with Ren’s soft ears. His eyes were still squeezed shut, and he was purring slightly…or perhaps snoring would be more accurate. I looked over at his brother, who had switched back into the black tiger during my story. He was sitting up and staring at me intently with his golden eyes.

Changing back into a man, he looked at me reflectively, and said, “It sounds very…interesting. I just hope you don’t end up getting hurt in the process. It would be smarter of you to return to your home and leave us to our fate.”

“Ren has protected me so far, and with two tigers watching over me, I’m sure I’ll be fine.”

He hesitated. “Even with two tigers, things can go wrong. And…I don’t plan on going with you, Kelsey.”

“What? Even after all I’ve told you?”

He shifted to make himself more comfortable.

“Kishan, I don’t get it. Why won’t you help us, to help yourself?”

“Two reasons. The first is that I won’t have any more deaths on my conscience. The second is because I don’t believe it will work. I think you two and Mr. Kadam are just…chasing ghosts.”

“Chasing ghosts? I don’t understand.”

He shrugged. “You see, Kelsey, I’ve become accustomed to life as a tiger. It’s not a bad existence, really. I’ve come to accept that this is my life now.” He trailed off and got lost in his thoughts.

“Kishan…Kish, are you sure that it’s notyou who’s chasing ghosts?”

He stiffened.

“You’re punishing yourself by staying out here in the wild, aren’t you?”

His golden eyes snapped back to me. He quickly slipped a mask of uncaring over his face, but not fast enough to fool me. I recognized shock and deep pain in his eyes. My abruptness hurt him. It was as if I’d torn off a Band-Aid to expose the infected wound underneath.Time for some Neosporin.

I placed my hand over his and gently asked, “Kishan, don’t you want a future for yourself or a family? I know what it feels like when someone you love dies. It’s lonely. You feel broken like you can never be whole again. You feel like they took a piece of you with them when they left.

“But there are others. There are people you can care for who will care for you too. People who will give you a reason to go on living. Mr. Kadam is one of those. Your brother can be one again. And…I’d like to be one too. Theremay even be someone out there that you could love.”

He looked away and continued softly, “I gave up wishing for things that will never be a long, long time ago.”

I gripped his hand harder. “Kishan, are you sure you won’t come with us? Please reconsider.”

He squeezed my hand back and smiled. “I’m sure, Kelsey.” He stood up and stretched. “Now, if you and Ren insist on going on this long journey, Ren will have to hunt.”

“Hunt?” I cringed. Ren hadn’t been eating much from what I’d seen. “He hasn’t been eating, has he?”

“He might have been eating enough for a human, but definitely not enough for a tiger. He’s a tiger most of the time, and for him to be strong enough to protect you and to continue on this journey you both are determined to follow, he’ll have to eat more. Something big, like a nice boar or a water buffalo.”

I gulped. “Are you sure?”

“Yes. He’s very thin for a tiger. He needs to bulk up. Get some protein.”

I stroked Ren’s back. Icould feel his ribs.

“Okay, I’ll make sure he hunts before we leave.”

“Good.” He bowed his head and grinned at me. He grasped my fingers in his and seemed reluctant to let them go.

Finally, he said, “Thank you, Kelsey, for the very interesting chat.”

With that, he changed back into the black tiger and loped off into the jungle. Ren was still asleep with his

head on my lap, so I sat quietly for a bit longer. I traced the stripes on his back and looked at his scratches. Where gaping rips had been only an hour ago, the skin had almost completely healed. The long scratch across his face and eye was gone. Not even a scar remained.

When my legs were completely numb from having Ren’s weight on them, I shifted out from under his head and built up the fire again. He just rolled over on his side and continued sleeping.That fight must have taken a lot out of him. Kishan is right; he does need to hunt. He’s got to keep his strength up.

Ren slept the rest of the afternoon, so I puttered around the area reading and writing in my journal. I restocked the woodpile and ate dinner. Still, my tiger slept. After the sun went down, I grabbed my blanket, wrapped it around my body, and lay down near him. His chest rumbled, and he rolled closer to me. Using his back as a pillow, I fell asleep looking at the stars.

I woke up in the early morning. The sun hadn’t even come up yet. My head was cushioned on my arm, and my blanket was all twisted around me. I looked around for Ren, but I didn’t see him anywhere. The fire was crackling, though, as if he’d just thrown logs on it. I rolled onto my stomach to try to wiggle out of the blanket, only to gasp in pain as a tremor rippled across my back.

Reaching around and trying to rub my sore muscles, I groaned, “Too many nights sleeping on the hard ground and you wind up an old lady before your time.”

I gave up trying to reach and rested my head on my arms.

I heard a soft footfall, and Ren stuck his nose into my face. “Oh…don’t mind me. I’m just going to lay here until my spine pops back into alignment.”

He turned and began kneading my back with his tiger paws. I laughed painfully as I tried to suck air back into my lungs. He was like an extremely heavy kitten sharpening its claws on a human couch. I squeaked out, “Thanks anyway, Ren, but you’re too heavy. You’re knocking the wind out of me.”

His heavy tiger paws lifted off my back and were replaced by hands. Ren began massaging my lower back. Feeling his warm hands on my back made me think about the kissing altercation. My face turned hot, and my body tensed, causing my back to spasm even more.

“Relax, Kelsey. Your back is full of knots. Let me work on it.”

I tried to not think abouthim , and instead conjured up an image of a middle-aged lady masseuse. I’d had a massage once before, but it was actually painful. The lady pushed too hard and dug her knuckles into my shoulder blades. I didn’t want to say anything negative to her that would make her feel like she was bad at her job, so I just suffered through it. Each minute was torture. With every rub I repeated the mantra—I hope it’s over…I hope it’s over—I never went back for another one.

Ren’s massage was completely different. He was gentle and applied only medium pressure with his palms. Rubbing in a circular pattern down my spine, he found the tight spots and worked the muscles until they were warm and loose. When he was finished with my back, he trailed his fingers up my spine, to the collar of my shirt, and began to massage my shoulders and neck, which shot tingly goose bumps all

over my body.

With warm fingers, he began at my hairline and pressed in little circles, working my neck. Then he increased the pressure using smooth strokes from my neck to my shoulders. Wrapping his fingers over the arch of my neck, he kneaded, squeezed, and compressed the muscles, easing away the aches and pains leisurely and methodically. Eventually, the pressure lightened until it was almost a caress. I sighed deeply, enjoying it immensely.

When he stopped, I carefully tested my back by sitting up. He got up and reached under my elbow to steady me as I stood up.

“Do you feel better, Kelsey?”

I smiled up at him. “Yes. Thank you so much.”

I reached my arms up around his neck and hugged him affectionately. His body seemed stiff, and he didn’t hug me back. I pulled away and saw that his lips were tight, and he wouldn’t make eye contact.

“Ren?”

He pulled my arms from around his neck, held my hands in front of him, and finally looked at me.

“I’m glad you feel better.”

He moved away from me to the other side of the fire and changed into a tiger. He’d never acted cold to me before.

What just happened? He must still be mad at me about the kissing thing. Or maybe he’s still upset about Kishan. I don’t know how to fix this. I’m not good at talking about relationship stuff. What can I say to make it right?

Instead of talking aboutus or ourrelationship or thekiss thing, which made me feel very nervous, I decided to talk about food.

I cleared my throat. “Uh, Ren? You need to go off on a hunt before we leave. Your brother said you needed to eat, and I think you’d be wise to consider it.”

He just huffed and rolled on his side.

“I’m serious. I promised him you would, and…I’m not leaving the jungle with you until you go out to hunt. Kishan said that you’re too thin for a tiger and that you need to eat a boar or something. You like hunting anyway, remember?”

He walked over to a tree and began rubbing his back against it.

I offered, “Do you have an itch on your back? I can scratch it for you. It’s the least I could do after the massage you gave me.”

He stopped twitching for a moment and looked at me, and then he dropped to the dirt and rolled over on his back, wrenching his body back and forth while his legs pawed the air.

Miffed, I said, “You’d rather rub your back in thedirt than to haveme scratch it for you?” Hurt that he would brush me off that way, I shouted, “Fine! Do it yourself then, but I’m still not leaving until you hunt!”

I spun around and grabbed the backpack, crawled into the tent, and zipped it up.

Half an hour later, I unzipped the tent and peeked out. Ren was gone. I sighed and began collecting firewood again to bulk up our supply.

I was dragging a heavy log over to the fire pit when I heard a voice coming from the trees.

Kishan was leaning against a tree watching me. He whistled, “Who knew such a small girl would have such big muscles.”

I ignored him and finished dragging the log, then dusted off my hands and sat down with a bottle of water.

He sat down beside me, a little too close, and stretched out his long legs in front of him. I offered him a bottle of water, and he took it.

“I don’t know what you said, Kelsey, but whatever it was, worked. Ren is out hunting.”

I grimaced. “Did he say anything to you?”

“Just that I was supposed to watch you while he was gone. A hunt can take several days.”

“Really? I had no idea it would take that long.” I hesitated, “So…he doesn’t mind you staying here while

he’s gone?”

“Oh, heminds ,” he chuckled, “but he wants to make sure you’re safe. At least he trusts methat much.”

“Well, I think he’s mad atboth of us right now.”

Kishan looked at me curiously with a raised eyebrow. “How so?”

“Um…let’s just say we had a misunderstanding.”

Kishan’s face turned hard. “Don’t worry, Kelsey. I’m sure that whatever he’s upset about is foolish.

He’s very argumentative.”

I sighed and shook my head sadly. “No, it’s really all my fault. I’m difficult, a hindrance, and I’m a pain to have around sometimes. He’s probably used to being around sophisticated, more experienced women who are much more…more…well, more than I am.”

Kishan quirked an eyebrow. “Dhiren hasn’t been aroundany women as far as I know. I must confess that I’m now exceedingly curious as to what your argument was about. Whether you tell me or not, I won’t tolerate anymore derogatory comments about yourself. He’s lucky to have you, and he’dbetter realize it.” He grinned. “Of course, if you did have a falling-out, you’re always welcome to stay with me.”

“Thanks for the offer, but I don’t really want to live in the jungle.”

He laughed. “Foryou …I may even consider a change of residence. You, my lovely, are a prize worth fighting for.”

I laughed and punched him lightly on the arm. “You, sir, are a major flirt. Worth fighting for? I think you

two have been tigers for too long. I’m no great beauty, especially when I’m stuck out here in the jungle.

I

haven’t even picked a major yet. What have I ever done that would make someone want to fight overme

?”

Kishan apparently took my rhetorical questions seriously. He reflected for a moment, then answered,

“For one thing, I’ve never met a woman so dedicated to helping others. You put your own life at risk for a person you met only a few weeks ago. You are confident, feisty, intelligent, and full of empathy. I find you charming and, yes, beautiful.”

He fingered a strand of my hair. I blushed at his assessment and sipped my water.

I said softly, “I don’t like him being angry with me.”

He shrugged and dropped his hand, looking slightly annoyed that I’d steered the conversation back to Ren. “Yes. I’ve been on the receiving side of his anger, and I’ve learned not to underestimate his ability to hold a grudge.”

“Kishan, can I ask you something…personal?”

He chuckled and rubbed his jaw. “I am at your service.”

“It’s about Ren’s fiancée.”

His countenance darkened, and he murmured tightly, “What is your question?”

I faltered for a moment. “Was she…beautiful?”

“Yes. She was.”

“Will you tell me a little about her?”

His face relaxed a little, and he stared off into the jungle. He ran a hand through his hair and mused,

“Yesubai was very…bewitching . She was the most beautiful girl I’d ever seen.”

He spoke quietly, “The last day I saw her, she wore a beautiful sparkling gold sharara with a tinkling jeweled belt, and her hair was coiled and twisted up with a golden chain. She always dressed elegantly, befitting her station, and she was arrayed as a bride in all her finery that day. That last image of her is something I have remembered all these hundreds of years.”

“What did she look like?”

“She had a lovely, oval-shaped face, full pink lips, dark lashes and eyebrows, and the most amazing violet eyes. She was petite and only came up to my shoulder. When her hair was down, she often covered it with a scarf, but it was smooth, silky, and black as a raven’s wing. It was long and cascaded down her back to her knees.”

I closed my eyes and pictured this perfect woman with Ren. The idea of it punctured my heart, ripped a gaping hole right through the center, and pierced me with an emotion I didn’t know I could feel.

He continued, “The minute I saw her, I knew that I wanted her. I would have no other but her.”

I asked, “How did you two meet?”

“Ren and I were not allowed to engage in battle at the same time for fear that both of us would be killed,

and then there would be no heir to the throne. So, while Ren was away, I was stuck at home training with

Kadam, learning about military strategy and working with the soldiers.

“One day, as I was returning home from weapons practice, I decided to take a detour through the gardens. There she was, standing near a fountain that she had just plucked a lotus blossom from. Her scarf hung down around her shoulders. I asked her who she was, and she quickly turned around and covered her glorious hair and face, then swung her eyes to the ground.”

I asked, “Is that when you realized who she was?”

“No. She curtsied, told me her name, and then ran off to the palace. I assumed that she was a visiting dignitary’s daughter. When I returned to the palace, I immediately began asking about her and quickly found out that arrangements had been made for her to marry mybrother ! I was insanely jealous. I was the second in everything. Dhiren was given all the things I wanted in life. He was the favorite son, the better politician, destined to be king, and now he would marry the girl I wanted.”

He spat out, “He’d never even met her. I didn’t even know that my parents wereseeking a bride for Dhiren! He was only twenty-one, and I was twenty. I asked father if he could alter the arrangement so thatI could be her betrothed instead. I reasoned that another princess could be found for Ren. I even offered to seek a bride for him myself.”

“What did your father say?”

“He was totally focused on the war at that time. I told him that Ren wouldn’t care either way, but father wouldn’t even listen to my pleas. He insisted that the arrangements with Yesubai’s father were irrevocable. He said that Yesubai’s father insisted that she marry the heir to the throne so that she could become the next queen.”

He stretched out his arms along the log we were seated against and continued, “She left a few days later and was taken by caravan to meet Ren, to sign documents, and go through the ceremony of betrothal.

She stayed there with him for just a few hours, but the trip took a week. It was the longest week of my life. Then she returned to the palace to wait…forhim .”

His golden eyes pierced mine. “Three months, threemonths she stayed in our palace waiting, and I tried to avoid her as best I could, but she was lonely and wanted company. She wanted someone to walk the grounds with her, and I reluctantly agreed, thinking I could keep my feelings in check.”

He confessed, “I told myself that she would be my sister soon and that it was okay to like her, but the more I got to know her, the more deeply I fell for her and the more resentful I became. One evening, as we were wandering the gardens, she admitted to me that she wished I were her betrothed.

“I was exultant, immediately reached for her hand, and tried to embrace her, but she put me off. She was very strict about following protocol. She even had a chaperone follow us on our walks at discreet distances. She implored me to wait and said we would figure out a way to be together. I was insanely happy and determined that I would do everything,anything , necessary to make her mine.”

I reached over and held his hand. He squeezed it and then went on, “She said that she had tried to put her feelings for me aside for the good of the family, for the good of thekingdom , but that she couldn’t help but to love me.Me .Not Ren . For the first time in my life, I got something first. We were both very young and in love for the first time. When the date approached for Ren’s return, she became desperate and insisted that I speak with her father. This was entirely improper, of course, but I was lovesick and agreed, determined to do anything to make her happy.”

“What did her father say?”

“Her father agreed to give me her hand in marriageif I conceded to certain…conditions.”

I interjected, “That’s when you arranged to have Ren captured, right?”

He winced, “Yes. In my mind, Dhiren was a hurdle I had to jump over in order to have Yesubai. I endangered him so that I could have her. In my defense, I was told that the soldiers were going toescort him to her father’s palace and that we would make different arrangements regarding the betrothal.

Obviously, things didn’t go as planned.”

I entreated, “What happened to Yesubai?”

He said softly, “An accident. She was struck and she fell. Her neck was broken. I held her as she died.”

I squeezed his hand, “I’m so sorry, Kishan.”

Though I wasn’t sure I wanted to know, I decided to inquire anyway. “Kishan, I once asked Mr.

Kadam if Ren loved Yesubai. He never really gave me a straight answer.”

Kishan laughed bitterly. “Dhiren loved theidea of her. She was beautiful, desirable, and would make a wonderful companion and queen, but he didn’t really know her. In letters he wrote, he insisted on calling her Bai and wanted her to call him Ren. She hated that. That level of informality was beneath her. She felt

that only lower castes of people used nicknames. In all honesty, they didn’t really even know one another.”

At first, I felt relieved, but then I remembered Kishan’s description of Yesubai. Not knowing a girl didn’t

mean she wasn’t desired or sought after. Ren could easily still be harboring feelings for his lost fiancée.

A slight tremor shot through Kishan’s arm. “It’s time for you to change. Thanks for staying with me, Kishan. I have so many more questions. I wish you could talk with me longer.”

“I’ll stay here with you until Dhiren returns. Perhaps we can converse again tomorrow.”

“I would like that.”

He changed into the black tiger and found a nice spot for a nap. I decided to write in my journal for a while.

I felt awful about Yesubai’s death. I turned to a blank page, but ended up drawing a picture of two tigers with a beautiful, long-haired girl in the middle. Sketching a line leading from the girl to each tiger, I

sighed. It was hard to sort out your feelings on paper if you hadn’t really sorted them out in your head yet.

Ren didn’t return the rest of the day, and Kishan napped all afternoon. I walked past him noisily several times, but he kept on sleeping.

I muttered, “So much for my big protector. I could walk off into the jungle and he’d never know it.”

The big black tiger huffed slightly, probably trying to tell me that he knew what was going on, even if he

was napping.

I ended up reading quietly the rest of the afternoon, missing Ren. Even when he was a tiger, I felt like he

always listened to me and that he would talk with me if he could.

After dinner, I patted Kishan on the head and retreated to my tent to get some sleep. As I cushioned my head on my arms, I couldn’t help but notice the big empty hole next to me where Ren always slept.

The next four days continued in the same pattern. Kishan stayed nearby, left on patrol a couple of times a day, and then returned to sit by me during lunch. After lunch, he changed to a man and allowed me to pester him with questions about palace life and the culture of his people.

On the morning of the fifth day, the routine changed. Kishan changed to a man right after I emerged from

the tent.

“Kelsey, I’m worried about Dhiren. He’s been gone a long time, and I haven’t caught his scent on patrol. I suspect that he’s had no luck on his hunt. He hasn’t hunted for himself since he was captured, which I’m guessing was about two hundred and fifty years ago.”

“Do you think he’s hurt?”

“It’s a possibility, but keep in mind that we heal quickly. There aren’t many beasts here that would try to

injure a tiger, but there are poachers and traps that need to be watched for. My plan is to go find him and discover what’s keeping him from returning.”

“Do you think it’ll be easy to find him?”

“If he’s smart, he would have stuck to the river. Most of the herds congregate near the water. Speaking of food, I noticed you were getting low. Last night while you were sleeping, I met Mr. Kadam at his camp near the road and brought back more of those meal packages.” He indicated a bag left by the tent.

“You must have carried that in your mouth the entire way. Thank you.”

He grinned. “You are entirely welcome, my lovely.”

I laughed. “Better to carry a backpack in your teeth over several miles than to have Ren sink his into your hide for letting me starve, eh?”

He frowned. “I did it for you, Kelsey. Nothim .”

I put my hand on his arm. “Well, thank you.”

He pressed his hand on top of mine. “Aap ke liye. For your sake, anything.”

“Did you tell Mr. Kadam that we would be a bit longer?”

“Yes, I explained the situation to him. Don’t worry about him. He’s comfortably camped near the road and will wait as long as necessary. Now, I want you to pack up some water bottles and food. I’m taking you with me. I would leave you here, but Ren insists that you get into trouble if left alone.” He touched my nose. “Is that true, bilauta? I can’t imagine an endearing young woman such as you getting into trouble.”

“I don’t get into trouble…trouble finds me.”

He laughed. “That much is obvious.”

“Despite what you tigers think, I can take care of myself, you know.”

He squeezed my arm. “Perhaps the tigersenjoy taking care of you.”

He changed to a tiger and waited patiently for me to get ready and pack, then led me on a trail that angled up toward the top of the falls. He let me rest for a while at the top. I took in the view of the jungle and made out our little camp below in the small clearing.

We continued to follow the river until we arrived at a large tree trunk that had fallen across. It was stripped bare of branches, and the rushing water had peeled off the bark, leaving the trunk smooth and dangerous. The water was rushing, and every once in a while it splashed over the top of the makeshift bridge. Kishan leapt up on the trunk and padded across. The tree bobbed up and down under his weight, but it seemed stable enough. He landed softly on the other side and then turned to watch me cross. Somehow, I mustered the courage.

I yelled across nervously, “Kishan! Did you ever think that crossing this log just might be a little bit easier

for a tiger with claws than for a girl with a heavy backpack wearing sneakers? If I fall in, I hope you’re ready for a swim!” I’d traded my shoes out for the hiking boots when we arrived in camp and forgot to put the hiking boots back on. The new boots had left my heels blistered, and I’d been trying to give my feet a chance to recover. The boots were nice, but I still needed to break them in.

I made it across and breathed a deep sigh of relief. We continued walking, and after about three miles, Kishan finally caught Ren’s scent, which we followed for another two hours. He let me get a good rest while he took off to scout out Ren’s location. He returned a half an hour later with his report.

“There’s a large herd of black antelope in the clearing about a half mile away. Ren has been stalking them for three days without catching any of them. They’re extremely fast, and usually a tiger would go for

a baby or an injured animal, but there aren’t any right now, so he has to catch a healthy adult.

“They’re edgy and jumpy because they know Dhiren is stalking them. They’re sticking close together, which makes it hard for him to separate one from the herd. He’s also been hunting for several days, so he’s very tired. I’m going to lead you to a safe place downwind where you can stay and rest, while I help Ren with the hunt.”

I agreed and shouldered my pack again. He led me through the trees and started climbing a large hill, stopping to sniff the wind several times along the way. After we’d climbed several hundred feet, he found

a place that suited him. Seeing that I was settled, he took off.

I drank down a bottle of water and started to get restless. I decided to hike around just a bit to get my bearings and explore the area. I carefully noted rock formations and used my compass to make sure I knew where I was.

I hiked farther up the hill and spied a large rock jutting out over the tree line. The rock was flat on top and shaded by a large tree. I climbed up to it and was amazed when I looked out at the view. I scrambled up higher, crossed my legs, and sat down. The river meandered lazily below, weaving back and forth at a sluggish pace a few hundred feet below me. I sat back against a tree trunk and enjoyed the breeze.

About twenty minutes later, something moving down below caught my attention. A large animal emerged

from the trees. Several more of the creatures followed. At first, I thought they were deer, but then I realized they were probably some of the antelopes that Kishan had been talking about. I wondered if they were from the same herd that Ren and Kishan were following. The tops of their bodies were sable colored while the bottom half was white. They had white chins and white rings circling their big brown eyes.

The bucks sported two long, twisted horns that stuck straight out from the top of their heads like television antennas. The larger males’ horns were bigger and more tightly twisted than the smaller males.

More of the animals appeared, and I saw that some of the animals had lighter hides ranging from light tan

to dark brown.

They drank from the river, flicking their white tails back and forth. The bigger males kept watch while the

others drank. I would guess the females were about five feet tall and the males, if you included their horn

height, would be about eight or nine feet.

The longer I looked at the horns, the more nervous I felt for Ren.No wonder he’s had a hard time catching one of them.

The herd seemed to relax, and some of the animals even started grazing. I scanned the trees for Ren, but I couldn’t see him anywhere. I watched the herd for a long time. The animals were beautiful, but eventually I grew tired of scanning the trees, especially now that the sun was lower and I was staring almost directly into it. That’s the moment when I realized that the sun was in the antelopes’ eyes too.

The attack came quickly. The herd stampeded. Kishan was a black streak racing across the landscape.

He singled out a large male, who ran quickly in a different direction from the herd, which I figured was either his fatal mistake or an act of great bravery to lead the predator away from the group.

Kishan chased him toward a copse of trees, leapt up on the antelope’s back, dug his front claws into the sides of the animal, and nipped at its backbone. Just then, Ren shot out from the trees, came up alongside

the animal, and bit its front leg. Somehow, the antelope twisted out from under Kishan, who fell off. The tiger started circling around, looking for another opportunity to leap.

The antelope turned toward Ren and kept its long horns pointed at him. Ren started pacing back and forth, but the animal remained focused, always turning its head to keep its horns pointed toward the white

tiger. Its ears twitched back and forth, listening for Kishan, who had moved around behind.

Kishan leapt up and sunk his claws into the animal’s haunches, twisting so that it fell down. Ren saw an opportunity and leapt in to bite at the neck. The antelope kept writhing and twisting, trying to get up, but the tigers kept pulling it back down. Several times, in fact, I thought the animal might escape. The antelope thrashed about, got up, and darted away a few paces. Panting, it watched the tigers slowly rise and approach. I imagined its eyes rolling back and forth, wild with fear. It quivered with exhaustion and limped lamely as it waited for the next attack. The tigers slowly tackled it to the ground again.

I thought the whole process would be quick, but it seemed to take a long time, much longer than I’d expected. It was almost like they were tiring out the beast first, engaging in a macabre dance of death.

The tigers were moving wearily too. It seemed they saved their energy for the chase, burning up all their strength on that, then the kill itself ended up being an almost sluggish process.

The antelope struggled valiantly. It kicked out several times and caught both tigers with its hooves. The tigers clamped on with their jaws and held until the animal finally stopped moving. Ren and Kishan finally

let go and rested there for a minute. Both tigers were panting from the exertion. Kishan started eating first. I didn’t want to watch, but it was unspeakably fascinating.

Kishan sunk his teeth deeply into the antelope and set his claws on the body to brace it, then, by just using the force of his jaw, he ripped off a dripping chunk of steaming flesh and started gulping it down.

Ren followed suit. It was grisly, nauseating, and disturbing. It shot shivers down my spine and goose flesh

down my arm, but I just couldn’t tear my eyes away.

After feeding like this for a while, they started to move slowly as if drugged or sleepy.Maybe it’s like eating a Thanksgiving turkey. They sat near their meal, occasionally going back to lick at the juiciest parts. A black cloud descended and I figured they must be giant black flies if I could see them from where I was. They’d somehow signaled to each other that a great meal was being served. There must be hundreds of them in that swarm, all buzzing around the fresh kill.

As the black cloud of insects surrounded them, I imagined the flies landing on the unseeing eyes of the dead animal and on Kishan and Ren’s bloody faces, bloating themselves on the carcass of the poor antelope. That’s when I lost it and couldn’t watch any longer. It was not that I didn’t like meat myself; my

favorite meal was French fries, a cheeseburger, and a chocolate malt, but if I had to tear the hamburger raw from the cow myself, I would quickly become a vegetarian.

I picked up my backpack and slid down the rough hill, covering the distance in just a few moments.

Since I had my compass, flashlight, and backpack, I decided to head back to camp on my own. It was a three-hour walk back along the river, so I wasn’t worried about getting lost. Plus, I wasn’t sure I could face either Kishan or Ren right after watching them gorge on raw flesh.

With almost three hours of sunlight left, I set off at a brisk pace, made it back to the log, and crossed the river before the sun had set. I moved sluggishly for the last few miles because it was getting dark and rain

clouds had moved in. I felt little sprinkles hit my face, and the path got wet, but the downpour didn’t hit until I was back at the campground.

It seemed like the storm was coming up from behind me. I wondered if it was now raining on Ren and Kishan. I figured that would probably be a good thing so it could wash the blood off their faces and drive

off the flies. I involuntarily shuddered. The idea of food disgusted me. I climbed into my tent and sang songs from theWizard of Oz to get my mind off disturbing images, hoping that it would help me fall asleep. It backfired on me, though, because after I fell asleep, I dreamed of the cowardly lion tearing chunks out of Dorothy.

CHAPTER 16

Iwas running in the darkness. It was always that way in nightmares, wasn’t it? I couldn’t find Ren.

Something evil was chasing me, and I had to get away. Strange, grasping fingers reached out to pull my clothes and hair. They scraped my skin and tried to pull me off the path. I knew if they could, they would

ensnare and destroy me.

I turned a corner and entered a large room. I saw a man dressed in rich amethyst robes. He was standing in front of a large table. I watched from a dark corner as he raised a sharp, curved knife in the air, and I listened as he began chanting softly in a language I didn’t understand. I peeked around him and saw another man tied to the table.

I knew I had to save him. I launched myself at the man with the knife and pulled on his arm, trying to wrestle the knife from his hand. My hand started to burn bright red and crackled sparks.

“No, Kelsey! Stop!”

I looked down at the altar and gasped. It was Ren! His body was torn and bloody, and his hands were bound over his head.

“Kells…get out of here! Save yourself! I’m doing this so he can’t find you.”

“No! I won’t let you! Ren, change to a tiger. Run!”

He shook his head frantically and said loudly, “Durga! I accept! Do it now!”

“What is it? What do you need Durga to do?”

The man began chanting loudly, and, despite my feeble efforts to stop him, he raised his knife and plunged it into Ren’s heart. I screamed and watched Ren’s blood pump out of his body; my heart beat in sick rhythm with his. With each thud, his strength diminished. His damaged heart beat slower and slower

until it stalled and stopped forever.

Tears rolled down my face. I felt a terrible, cutting pain in my heart. I watched Ren’s lifeblood drip down the table and pool on the tiled floor. I slumped to the ground on my hands and knees and choked on my emotions. My tears splashed into the growing red pool of blood. The pain of Ren’s death was unbearable. If he was dead, then so was I. I was drowning in sorrow; I couldn’t breathe. I didn’t have any will left to drive me. There was no incentive, no voice urging me to fight back, to kick for the surface

and rise above the pain. Nothing could make me breathe again. Make me live again.

The room disappeared, and I was in blackness once again. The dream changed. I was wearing a golden dress and ornate jewelry. Seated on a beautiful chair on a high dais, I looked down to see Ren standing on the floor in front of me. I smiled at him and held out my hand, but Kishan grabbed it and sat down beside me.

I looked at Kishan, confused. He was smiling smugly at Ren. I turned back to Ren again. His anger was white hot, and he glared at me with hatred and fiery contempt.

I struggled to free my hand from Kishan’s grasp, but he wouldn’t let me go. Ren changed into a tiger and

ran into the jungle. I screamed after him, but he couldn’t hear me. Hewouldn’t hear me.

Wind whipped the cream-colored drapes, and storm clouds rushed in, pushed along by a brisk wind.

They blanketed the trees and darkened the sky. Lightning struck in several places. I heard a mighty roar echo across the landscape. It was the impetus I needed. I wrenched my hand out of Kishan’s and ran into the squall.

Rain began to beat the ground, and it slowed my progress as I searched for Ren. My beautiful golden sandals were stripped away, stuck in the thick mud created by the downpour. I couldn’t find him anywhere. I pushed my dripping hair out of my eyes and shouted, “Ren! Ren! Where are you?”

A thunderbolt struck a nearby tree with a mighty boom, and fragments of burnt wood shot out in every direction. The tree cracked, and the trunk twisted and splintered. It crashed down and pinned me to the ground with its branches.

“Ren!”

Muddy rainwater pooled under me and slowly rose around my body. I carefully twisted my bruised, aching body and climbed out from under the tree. The golden dress was ripped and torn, and my skin was covered with bloody scratches.

I yelled, “Dhiren! Please come back! I need you!”

I was cold and shaking, but I continued running through the jungle, tripping over roots and shoving aside

gray, prickly undergrowth. Searching and yelling while running, I wove between trees looking for him.

I forlornly begged and cried, “Ren, please don’t leave me!”

Finally, I spied a white form loping through the trees and doubled my efforts to catch up to him. I caught

my dress on a thorny bush, but I fiercely dug my way through it, determined to reach him. Lightning struck in the jungle nearby several times, and I followed its path.

I wasn’t afraid of it; in fact, I felt like the lightning was guiding me to him. I found him lying on the ground.

Large burn marks scorched his white fur where lightning bolts had repeatedly struck him. Somehow, I knew I had done it. I was the one responsible for his pain. I shifted his tiger head, knelt beside him, and maneuvered my legs underneath him to lay his head carefully in my lap.

I stroked his head and the soft, silky fur of his neck and cried, “Ren, I didn’t want this. How could this happen?”

He changed to a man and whispered, “You lost faith in me, Kelsey.”

I shook my head in denial. Tears streaked down my cheeks. “No, Ididn’t . Iwouldn’t !”

He looked sulkily to the side. “You did. It hurts too much. You left me.”

I threw my arms around him desperately. “No, Ren! I’ll never leave you.”

“But you did. You left me alone. Was it too much to ask you to wait for me? To believe in me?”

I sobbed forlornly. “But, I didn’t know. I didn’t know.”

“It’s too late now, priya. This time, I’m leaving you.” He closed his eyes and died.

I shook his limp body. “No. No! Ren come back. Please come back!”

Tears mixed with rain and blurred my vision. I angrily brushed them from my eyes, and when I opened them again, I saw not just him but my parents, my grandmother, and Mr. Kadam. They were all lying on the ground dead. I was alone and surrounded by death.

I cried and shouted over and over, “No! It can’t be! Itcan’t be!”

A black anguish seeped through my body. Thick and viscous, it oozed through my core and dribbled down my limbs. I felt so heavy, so full of despair, and so alone. I held onto Ren and rocked his body back and forth, unconsciously trying to comfort myself. But I found no relief.

Then, I wasn’t alone anymore. I realized that it wasn’t me rocking Ren, but someone else was rocking me, and holding me tightly. I became alert enough to know that I had been dreaming but the pain of the dream still engulfed me. My face was wet with real tears and the storm had been real. Wind surged through the trees outside and a hard rain beat against the canvas. A lightning bolt struck a nearby tree and

briefly lit up my small tent. In the flash, I made out dark wet hair, golden skin, and a white shirt.

“Ren?”

I felt his thumbs wipe the tears from my cheeks.

“Shh, Kelsey. I’m here. I’m not leaving you.Mein aagaya.

With great relief and a hiccupping sob, I reached up and wrapped my arms around Ren’s neck. He slid his body farther into the little tent to get out of the rain, pulled me onto his lap, and tightened his arms around me.

He stroked my hair and whispered, “Hush now. Mein aapka raksha karunga. I will watch over you, priyatama.”

He continued to soothe me with words from his native language until I felt the dream fade. After a few minutes, I thought I was recovered enough to pull away, but I made a conscious choice to stay right where I was. I liked the feel of his arms around me.

The dream made me acknowledge how alone I really felt. The thought occurred to me that, since my parents died, no one had held me like this. Of course, I hugged my foster parents and their kids, but no one had embraced me with…love, since then.

That was the moment I knew he loved me. Whether it would become romantic love or not didn’t matter.

I knew he cared deeply for me, loved me, like my parents had.

People needed to have someone who loved them. For me, it had been four years without that love. For Ren, it had been centuries. I felt my heart open to him. I already loved and trusted the tiger part of him.

That part was easy. But, I recognized that the man needed that love even more. Not being familiar with romantic love didn’t mean I had no experience with love at all. So, I held him close and didn’t break apart from him until I knew he was out of time.

I whispered in his ear, “Thank you for being here. I’m glad you’re a part of my life. Please stay in the tent. There’s no reason for you to sleep outside in the rain.”

I kissed his cheek and lay down again, spreading my blanket over me. He changed to a tiger and lay down next to me. I snuggled against his back and fell into a dreamless, peaceful sleep despite the storm raging outside.

I felt rested when I awoke the next morning. I stretched… well…like a cat and laughed at the irony, then

crawled out of my tent to find the sun shining on a wet jungle. The warmth of the morning turned the area

into a steamy sauna as the rainwater evaporated. The storm had torn off branches and leaves, and they littered the campground. The fire that we had kept lit was a sopping wet moat full of ashy, black water surrounding charred black lumps of wood.

The waterfall was rushing faster than usual, and there were sodden pieces of flotsam spilling over and floating in the now muddy-looking pool.

I sighed. I’d been meaning to bathe again today, but the water was moving too fast, and there were too many things plunging over the falls.

When I mentioned it to Ren, he surprised me by changing into a man. He said, “It doesn’t matter anyway. We’re heading out today to meet Mr. Kadam. It’s time we resumed our journey.”

“What about Kishan? Is there any way that you can convince him to come with us?”

“Kishan’s made his position clear. He wishes to remain here, and I’m not going to beg him. Once he’s made up his mind, he rarely changes it.”

“But, Ren—”

“No buts.”

He approached me and tugged lightly on my braid. He smiled at me and kissed my forehead. What passed between us during the storm had repaired the emotional rift that had put us at odds, and I was happy that he was my friend again.

“Come on, Kells. Let’s pack up.”

It took only a few minutes to get the tent rolled up and get everything stowed in the backpack. I was relieved to get back to Mr. Kadam, but I felt troubled over the way things had gone with Kishan. I didn’t even get a chance to say goodbye.

I took a long final look at the place. As we began hiking out, I swept past the flowered bushes to stir the butterflies into the air again. There were not as many as when we had first arrived. They clung to the sodden bushes and flapped their wings slowly in the sun drying them out. A few took to the sky one last time, and Ren waited patiently while I watched. I sighed as we began the trek back to the highway where

Mr. Kadam was camped.

Even though I hated hiking and camping, this place was special. Ren was right. How often did people get to camp in paradise? Ren led the way as usual, and I traipsed along behind, trying to avoid his muddy

paw prints and walk on drier ground. To pass the time, I decided to talk to Ren about what had happened while he was away on his hunt. I told him about how I’d talked to Kishan about palace life and

about how he carried a bag full of food in his mouth so that I wouldn’t starve. I decidednot to share the things Kishan had told me about Yesubai for two reasons.

The first reason? I was selfish. I didn’t want him thinking about her. The second reason was that I felt Kishan needed to talk it out with Ren himself. When I got to the part about Kishan and me looking for him and described the things I saw on the hunt, Ren exploded.

One minute I was calmly babbling away while following my white tiger on the trail, the next minute, he spun around as a man and grabbed my arms, startling me.

He shouted, “You saw…what?!”

Confused, I repeated, “I saw the…the hunt. I thought you knew. Didn’t Kishan tell you I was there?”

Grinding his teeth, he said, “No, hedidn’t !”

I walked around him and stepped on a series of stones. “Oh. Well, it doesn’t matter. I’m fine. I made my way back myself.”

He grabbed my elbow, spun me into his arms, and then set me down in front of him.

“Kelsey, are you telling me that not only did youwatch the hunt, but that you hiked back to the campground byyourself ?”

He was very angry.

I squeaked out, “Yes.”

“The next time I see Kishan, I willkill him.”

He pointed his finger in my face. “Youare not to be trusted. You could have beenkilled or…oreaten ! I can’t eventell you all the things that are in the jungle out there that could’ve ended your life. You arenever

leaving my sight again!”

He grabbed my hand and pulled me ahead on the trail. I could feel the tension radiating from his body.

“Ren, I don’t understand. Didn’t you and Kishantalk after your…uh…meal?”

He grumbled, “No. We went our separate ways. I came straight back to the camp, and he lingered over the…food, a bit longer.” He pondered, “I must not have caught your scent because of the rain.”

“Maybe Kishan is still looking for me, then. Maybe we should go back.”

“No. It would serve him right to let him search the area for you after the rain.” He laughed spitefully.

“It’ll

probably take him days to figure out we’re gone.”

“Ren, you really should go back and tell him we’re leaving. He helped you on the hunt. It’s the least you

could do.”

“Kelsey, we arenot going back. He’s a big tiger and can take care of himself. And what do you mean by he needed tohelp me on the hunt? I was doingfine without him.”

“No, you weren’t. Isaw the hunt, remember? He helped you take down the antelope. Also, Kishan said that you hadn’t hunted for yourself in about two hundred and fifty years. That’s why we went after you.

He said he knew you’d need his help.”

He scowled but said nothing. I paused and put my hand on his arm. “It’s not a sign of weakness to need help sometimes.” He grunted. “Ren, what exactly happened to you two hundred and fifty years ago?”

He stopped and turned to me. I smiled at him and saw his scowl slowly disappear and the tension melt from his shoulders.

“First of all, it’s a lot easier for a black tiger to hunt than a white tiger. I don’t exactly blend in to the jungle. It’d be easier for me to hunt in the arctic than here. That’s one of the reasons you don’t see white tigers except in captivity. They’d have a hard time surviving. They’re an anomaly anyway, or so I’ve learned from listening to zookeepers. It’s a birth defect that makes the tiger white. The only reason you see so many in captivity is because of inbreeding.”

“Hmm. Well, that still doesn’t explain why you haven’t hunted in so long.”

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “Two hundred and fifty years ago is when I was captured.”

“You were in captivityall those years? How’s that possible? They would’ve figured out how old you are.”

He twined his fingers in mine and kept walking. “Yes. I was in captivity all those years. They never figured out how old I was because I got moved around a lot, and they didn’t know as much about tigers back then as they do today. In the last hundred years, Mr. Kadam made sure I was moved around enough for them not to notice that I wasn’t aging.”

“Why didn’t Mr. Kadam just buy you himself and take you home?”

“He couldn’t. He was prevented every time. He sent people in to buy me and even tried purchasing me himself. It never worked. When he sent people in to steal me, they were always captured. When he tried to buy me, they’d never sell at any price. But hecould send potential buyers with a genuine interest my way. Hewas able to influence good people to buy me, but only if he had no intention of getting me for himself. Eventually, he just kept tabs on me.”

He swatted a mosquito on the back of his neck and reflected, “At first, when I was taken, I thought it would be easy to escape. I’d just wait for night to fall and pull the latch on the cage, but once I was captive, I was stuck in tiger form. I couldn’t become a man again, not until you came along.”

“How were you captured?”

“It was a standard tiger trap.”

“A tiger trap? What happened?”

He shook his head wryly. “I wasn’t paying attention. I knew what tiger traps were and how they worked and I knew how to avoid them. In fact, I often enjoyed tricking the men by figuring out their trap, stealing

the meat, and then turning it around to trap them.”

“Was it a steel trap? Like the kind trappers use on bears or wolves?” I shuddered. “You know, I’ve heard animals will often chew their own legs off just to get out of those.”

“There were some of those. There are actually quite a variety of large animal traps.”

“Like what?”

“Well…for example, a large pit is dug and lined with sharpened bamboo skewers dipped in poison, positioned so that the animal would be impaled. Farmers mostly used that one because they preferred the animal dead and didn’t care what happened to the fur. Other traps shot arrows automatically. Some dropped heavy stones onto the animal as it fed. Those were the roughly made ones created by people who just wanted to be left alone.

“The poachers usually either wanted the animal alive or the fur intact, so they created boxes that could trap the animal alive. A similar model is still in use today. There was one really clever one that I came across only once. It was clever but simple.

“Leaves were spread over the ground, and then sticky glue was drizzled all over leaves. When an animal

walked by, the leaves stuck to it’s paws. The animal becomes so annoyed that it tries to pull off the leaves with its teeth. More leaves get stuck, then, eventually, the poor beast rolls around in frustration, totally covering itself in leaves, all while trying to get them off. The animal becomes enraged and blinded,

which distracts it from protecting itself. That’s when the hunters move in for the kill.”

“How were you caught?”

“The hunters were seeking me in particular. Kishan not only hunts easier than I do, but he also manages to hide easier. When I was really hungry and frustrated in hunting wild game, I’d occasionally venture into

a village and make off with a goat or a sheep. I was careful, but rumors soon spread of a white tiger, and the hunters came out in force. Not only were there farmers who wanted to keep me away, but there were big-game hunters seeking an exotic animal.

“There were traps set for me all over the jungle, and many innocent creatures were being killed.

Whenever I found one, I’d disable it. One day, I happened upon a trap and made a stupid mistake.

There were two traps right next to each other, but I focused on the obvious one, which was the standard meat-dangling-over-a-pit trap.

“I was looking down at the pit and figuring out a way to get the meat, and then I tripped a hidden wire.

It

triggered a shower of spikes and arrows that rained down on me from the tree above. I leapt to the side as a spear came down at me, but the dirt gave way and I fell into the pit.”

“Did any of the arrows hit you?”

“Yes. Several of them grazed me, but I healed quickly. Fortunately, the pit didn’t have any bamboo stakes, but it was well made and deep enough that I couldn’t get out.”

“What did they do to you?”

“After a few days, men came and found me. They placed me in a cage and drove me to the city. I wasn’t worried yet because I thought I would still be able to free myself and escape as soon as an opportunity presented itself. As you know, I couldn’t. The men sold me to a private collector who had a menagerie of interesting creatures. When I proved difficult, he sold me to another who sold me to another

and so on. Eventually, I ended up in a Russian circus and have been passed from circus to circus since.

Whenever people became suspicious of my age or hurt me, I would cause enough trouble to inspire a quick sale.”

I pondered that information and then asked, “What was it like being in a circus?”

“Maurizio’s circus treated me well and did the best they could, so I was patient with them, but many others were inhumane to the animals. The trainers used whips, choke collars, fire, muzzles, and, more recently, electric prods, and shock treatments. There’s also another tool that has been used for centuries.

My own kingdom even used it. It’s called an ankush.”

“What’s that?”

I tripped over a stone, and he reached out to steady me. When I was standing firmly again, he slid his hands reluctantly from my waist and offered a hand to me again.

“It’s a long, wooden stick with a sharp hook on the end that’s used on elephants. Elephants are very intelligent creatures and can be trained to do a variety of things. My father had thousands of elephants that were trained for battle. In addition to the battle elephants, others were trained to move big things around. We didn’t have cranes and tractors, so we used them to do our heavy lifting. The ankush was a popular tool used by our trainers.”

“How is it used?”

“An elephant has certain sensitive areas—the feet, the mouth, behind the ears, and under the chin. The ankush is used to poke and prod the animals in those vulnerable areas until they do your bidding. An elephant has thick skin on most of its body, but in those areas, the skin is as thin as rice paper, and the prodding really hurts.”

“Did they use any of those things on you?”

He reflected darkly, “Yes. I was whipped, poked, and prodded with the rest of them. I was lucky, though, because I healed quickly and was smart enough to know what they wanted me to do. The other animals were relying on instinct.

“A tiger doesn’t naturally want to jump through a flaming hoop. Tigers hate fire, so the tiger has to be taught to fear the trainer more than he fears the flame.”

“It sounds awful!”

He shrugged. “Circuses back then were. The animals were placed in cages much too small. Natural familial relationships were broken, and the babies were sold, which is hard, especially on the elephants.

They’re social creatures. In the early days, the food was bad, the cages were filthy, and the animals were beaten. They were trekked from city to city and left outdoors in places and climates they were not accustomed to. They didn’t survive very long.”

Thoughtfully, he went on, “Now, though, there’s more study and effort to prolong the lives of the animals. Expensive habitats, professional veterinary care, and high-quality food are the rule of the day.

But, captivity is still captivity no matter how pretty the jail is. Being caged made me think long and hard about my relationships with other creatures.”

He held back a branch so I could pass under and continued, “I had a favorite stallion once that I loved to ride, and as I would sit there in my cage day after day, I wondered if he felt like I did. I imagined him sitting in his stall, bored, just waiting for me hour after hour to come and let him out.”

Ren squeezed my hand and changed back into a tiger again. I got lost in my thoughts. How hard it must have been on Ren to be caged up for centuries. At least the other animals didn’t live as long, so their internment ended, but he had to endure decades…no… centuries of that. I shuddered and kept hiking.

After another hour had passed, I spoke up again, “Ren…one thing I don’t understand. Where was Kishan? Why didn’t he help you get away?”

Ren leapt over a huge fallen log. At the height of his jump, he changed in midair, dropping to the ground

on the other side, silently, on two feet. I reached out for his hand to help steady me as I began to climb over the log, but he ignored it, He reached over the log and put his hands around my waist.

Before I could even form the words to protest, he lifted me up and over the log as if I were as light as a down pillow. He cuddled me close to his chest for a moment. I stopped breathing. He looked in my eyes, and a slow smile spread across his face. He set me down and held out a hand again. I placed my slightly shaky hand in his warm one, and we set off again.

“Kishan and I tried to avoid each other as much as possible back then. He didn’t know what had happened until Mr. Kadam was able to find him. By the time they’d figured it out, it was too late to do anything. Mr. Kadam had tried unsuccessfully to free me, and he didn’t think Kishan could do anything about it. Mr. Kadam persuaded Kishan to stay in hiding while he tried to figure out a way to free me.

Like I said, Mr. Kadam tried breaking me out, purchasing me, and hiring thieves for centuries…nothing worked until you. For some reason, after youwished me free, I was able to call him.”

“How exactly did I do that?”

“I’m not sure. Phet had told Mr. Kadam that a girl would come along with the power to free me. He didn’t say when, just that it would happen. When you read me that poem and wished that I was in the wild and free, it worked.”

“Did Mr. Kadam know where you were?”

“More like he knew who I was with. He was not expecting a call, however. He visited me from time to time and knew of my whereabouts. He came to see me often enough so that I knew how to contact him, but there was really nothing he could do.

“In reality, the curse was in charge and not us. The more he tried to intervene, the worse my situation became, so he stopped and just kept tabs on Kishan and me. He never stopped trying to figure out a way to break the curse though. He’s dedicated all his time to researching that. His visits meant everything

to me. I think I would have lost my humanity without him.”

He laughed. “When I changed to a man again for the first time in centuries, I got out of my cage and actually had Matthew place a collect call for me. I told him that I’d been mugged and needed to get in touch with my boss. He helped me figure out how to use the phone, and Mr. Kadam flew in right away.”

He changed back to a tiger again, and we continued. He walked close beside me, so I kept a hand on the scruff of his neck. After walking for several hours, Ren stopped suddenly and smelled the air. He sat on his haunches and stared at the jungle. I listened intently, but I didn’t hear anything. Ren didn’t look like

he was alert to another animal; in fact, he looked resigned. Right then, I spied the black tiger coming out of the undergrowth.

I smiled happily. “Kishan! You changed your mind. You’re coming with us now? I’m so glad!”

He approached me and held out a paw that changed to a hand. “Hello, Kelsey. No, I haven’t changed my mind. Iam glad to find you safe though.”

Kishan shot a nasty look down at Ren, who wasted no time morphing to human form himself.

Ren shoved Kishan’s shoulder and shouted, “Why didn’t you tell me she was out there! Shesaw the hunt,and she walked all the way back byherself !”

Kishan countered, poking Ren in the chest, “Youleft before I could say anything. If it makes you feel any

better, I’ve been searching for her all night. You also packed up andleft without telling me.”

I stood between them and interjected, “Please calm down, both of you. Ren, I agreed with Kishan that it would be best for me to go with him, and he watched over me with great care.I was the one who decided to watch the hunt, andI was the one who chose to head back to camp alone. So if you’re going to be mad at someone, be mad at me.” I turned to Kishan, “I’m so sorry that I made you search for me all night in a rainstorm. I didn’t realize it was going to rain or that it would hide my trail. I apologize.”

Kishan grinned at me, picked up my hand, and kissed my fingers, while Ren growled menacingly behind

me, “Apology accepted. So…how did you like it?”

“You mean the rain or the hunt?”

“The hunt, of course.”

“Umm…it was…”

“She hadnightmares ,” Ren spat at his brother.

I grimaced and nodded, dipping my head in agreement.

“Well, at least my brother is well fed. It might have beenweeks until he made a kill on his own.”

“I was doing justfine without you!”

Kishan smirked. “No…you couldn’t catch a limpingturtle without me.”

I heard the punch before I saw it. It was one of those hard, teeth-rattling punches that I thought only happened in the movies. Ren had moved me deftly to the side and then pulled back his fist and socked his brother. Kishan stepped away while rubbing his jaw, but he stood up to face Ren with a smile on his face.

He gestured to Ren, “Try that again…big…brother.”

Ren scowled, saying nothing. He just took my hand and set off at a fast pace, pulling me along behind him through the jungle. I had to almost jog to keep up with him.

Kishan, as the black tiger again, whooshed past us and leapt in our path.

He changed to a man again and said, “Wait…I have something to say to Kelsey.”

Ren scowled at him, but I stepped in front of him and put my hand on his chest.

“Ren…please.”

He dropped his gaze from his brother to me, and I saw his expression soften. He let go of my hand and touched my cheek briefly, then moved off a few paces as Kishan approached me.

“Kelsey, I want you to take this.”

He reached up around his neck and pulled a chain out of his black shirt. I hadn’t even noticed he was wearing a chain. After he took it off, he reached around my neck and fixed the clasp.

“I think you know what this is. It will protect you in the same way as Kadam.”

I fingered the chain and pulled the broken charm up to look at it more closely.

“Kishan…are yousure you want me to wear it?”

He grinned rakishly. “My lovely, your enthusiasm is infectious. A man can’t be near you and remain aloof to your cause. And even though I will remain here, this will be my small contribution to your endeavors.” His expression turned serious. “I want you to have it to keep you safe, Kelsey. All we know for sure is that it’s powerful and may give the wearer a long life like Mr. Kadam. But, that doesn’t mean you can’t be hurt or even killed, so keep your guard up.”

He cupped his hand under my chin, so I looked into his golden eyes. “I wouldn’t want anything to happen to you,bilauta .”

“I’ll be careful. Thank you, Kishan.”

Kishan looked over at Ren, who inclined his head in a soft nod, then turned back to me.

He smiled at me. “I’llmiss you, Kelsey. Come visit me again soon.”

I hugged him briefly, and he bent to kiss me on the cheek, so I turned my face toward him. At the last second, he altered his stance and ended up kissing me quickly on the lips.

I sputtered with shock, “You wily scoundrel!” Then I laughed and socked him on the arm, which probably hurt me more than it did him. He just laughed and winked at me. I looked over at Ren, who had his fists clenched and a dark expression on his face. Kishan ran off toward the jungle. His laughter echoed back at us through the trees and became a gruff bark as he changed back into the black tiger.

Ren approached me, picked up the pendant, and rubbed it thoughtfully between his fingers. I put my hand on his arm, worried that he might be angry about Kishan. He tugged on my braid, smiled at me, and

pressed a warm kiss on my forehead. Changing to a white tiger again, he led me through the jungle for about another half hour until, with relief, I saw we’d finally reached the highway.

Waiting until there was no traffic, we hurried to the other side and disappeared in the verdant undergrowth. After following Ren’s nose for a short distance, we finally came upon a military-style tent.

I

ran up to hug the man who emerged from it.

“Mr. Kadam! I can’t tell you how happy I am to see you!”

CHAPTER 17

“Miss Kelsey! I’m glad to see you too! I hope the boys took good care of you.”

Ren snorted and found a shady spot to rest.

“Yes. They took good care of me.”

He led me to a log near his campfire. “Here, sit down and rest a bit from your hike while I break camp.”

He brought me a fresh bottle of water and a pack of chocolate chip cookies. I nibbled on a cookie as I watched him shuffle around. He started taking down his tent and packing up his books. I looked around his camp as I sipped my water. He had pulled the Jeep into the jungle on a narrow dirt road that led to the campsite. It didn’t look maintained enough to be an official campground, but it didn’t look like he had

cut the trail himself either.

His camp was as well organized as I expected it to be. He’d used the back of the Jeep to store his books and other study materials. A campfire was crackling merrily, and he had plenty of wood stacked alongside ready to use. His tent looked like something the United States military might house a general in

if he were roughing it. It appeared to be expensive, heavy, and much more complicated to set up than mine was. He even had a fancy fold-up writing desk and chair. There were papers lying across it held down with smooth, clean river rocks in case it got too windy.

I stood up and looked at the papers. “Mr. Kadam, are these the translations you’ve been working on?”

I heard a grunt and a slight ping as a heavy stake was pulled out of the ground and dropped near a rock.

The tent suddenly folded in on itself and collapsed in a pile of heavy green canvas. He stood up to answer my question.

“Yes. I’ve begun working on the second translation. I am sure now from my research that the first place we need to go is indeed Hampi. I also think I have more of an idea of what we’re looking for.”

“Hmm.” I picked up his notes and glanced through them. Most of it wasn’t in English, and I couldn’t pick out enough to maintain my interest. As I sipped my water, my hand came up to finger the amulet Kishan had given me.

“Mr. Kadam…can I ask you some questions about the amulet?”

He was busy rolling the tent up, wrapping it tightly so that it would fit in its nylon bag.

“Of course. What would you like to know?”

“Well, Kishan gave me his piece to wear, probably hoping it will protect me. Does yours protect you?

Can you still be hurt?”

He walked over and stowed the wrapped tent in the Jeep, then leaned on the bumper. “The amulet…helps. I can still cut myself or fall and sprain my ankle.”

He rubbed his short beard thoughtfully. “I have become ill, but I have not experienced disease or serious

injury. My cuts and bruises have healed quickly, albeit not as quickly as Dhiren’s or Kishan’s would.”

He

picked up the amulet hanging around my neck and examined it carefully. “The different piecesmay have different properties. We don’t really know what the extent of its power is at this point. It’s a mystery that I hope to solve one day.” He looked at me seriously. “The bottom line, however, is to not take risks. If something looks dangerous, avoid it. If something chases you, run. Got it?”

“Got it.”

He dropped the amulet and went back to stowing things in the Jeep. “I’m glad that Kishan agreed to give it to you.”

“Agreed? I thought it was his idea.”

“No, actually getting the amulet for you was the reason Dhiren wanted to stop here in the first place. He didn’t want to leave until he’d convinced Kishan to let you have it.”

Puzzled, I said, “Really? I thought we were going back to have Kishan join us.”

He shook his head. “We knew there was little hope that Kishan would join us. He’s been…indifferent to any previous efforts I’ve made to conscript him for our cause. I’ve tried over the years to lure him out of the jungle and into a more comfortable life at the house, but he prefers to remain here.”

I nodded. “He’s punishing himself for Yesubai’s death.”

Mr. Kadam looked at me, surprised. “Did he speak of this to you?”

“Yes. He told me what happened when Yesubai died. He still blames himself. And not just for her death,

but also for what happened to him and Ren. I feel very sad for him.”

Mr. Kadam sagely considered, “You’re very compassionate and perceptive for such a young person, Miss Kelsey. I’m glad Kishan was able to confide in you. There is hope for him yet.”

I helped him gather up his papers and the fold-up chair and table. When we were done, I patted Ren lightly on his shoulder to let him know we were ready to leave. He stood slowly, arched his back, twitched his tail, and then curled his tongue in a giant yawn. He rubbed his head against my hand and followed me to the Jeep. I hopped into the passenger seat, leaving the back open for Ren to sprawl out on.

Driving back to the highway, Mr. Kadam seemed toenjoy weaving through the obstacle course of tree stumps, bushes, rocks, and potholes. The Jeep’s shock absorbers were top of the line, but I still had to hold on to the door handle tightly and brace myself against the dashboard to keep from knocking my head on the roof. Finally, we were out on the smooth highway again and heading southwest.

Mr. Kadam encouraged, “Tell me all about your week with two tigers.”

I peeked at Ren in the backseat. He seemed to be napping, so I decided to start by telling him about the hunt first, and then I backtracked and talked about everything else. Well…almost everything else. I didn’t

talk about the kissing thing. It’s not that I didn’t think Mr. Kadam would understand; in fact, I think he would have understood. I felt more comfortable talking to him than I had felt with anyone else since my parents died. But, I couldn’t trust that Ren was actually asleep in the back, and I wasn’t ready to share my feelings yet, so I skipped that part.

Mr. Kadam was most interested in hearing about Kishan. He’d been shocked when Kishan walked out of the jungle asking for more food for me. He said that Kishan hadn’t seemed to care about anything or anyone since his parents had died.

I told him how Kishan stayed with me for five days while Ren was hunting and that we talked about palace life and about how he mether. I tried to keep my voice quiet and whisper about Yesubai so I didn’t upset Ren. Mr. Kadam seemed puzzled at my need to encode everything I was saying, but he indulged me anyway. He nodded, while carefully listening to my comments about you-know-what and the thing-that-happened-at-that-place.

I could tell he knew more and could have filled in a few blanks for me, but I knew he wouldn’t divulge information. He was the type of man who kept confidences. That characteristic worked both for me and against me. Ultimately, I decided that it was a good thing. Later, I asked, “What were Ren and Kishan like growing up?”

“Ah. Theboys were their parents’ pride and joy, royal princes with a knack for getting into trouble and charming their way out of it. They were given anything they desired, but they had to work to earn it.

“I told you a bit about them before…remember? I’d said that their mother would take them out to play with poorer children. Their mother wasunconventional for India. She wanted her children to be open to all cultures and religious practices. Their father, King Rajaram, loved her and indulged her.

“He ignored courtly gossip and responded by talking about what fine sons he had and asked if there was any woman more wise and beautiful than his wife. He would often boast to others good naturedly, saying

‘Is there any man as fortunate as I? I am a man blessed abundantly.’ Because he was such a good king and because everyone loved the princes, their occasional small deviances from the norm were tolerated.”

I remarked, “He sounds like a great king. That’s very forward thinking for the time period too.”

He chuckled. “Yes, it was. Their marriage was a blend of two cultures. The boys were raised with the best of both worlds. They studied everything from politics and warfare to herding and crops. They were trained not only in the weapons of India, but also had access to the best teachers from all over Asia.”

“Did they do other things? Like normal teenager stuff?”

“What types of things are you curious about?”

I twitched nervously. “Did they…date?”

He quirked an eyebrow curiously. “No. Definitely not. The story you told me about…,” he winked,

“you-know-what is the only time I have ever heard of either of them having a romantic escapade.

Frankly, there was no time for that, and both boys were to have arranged marriages anyway. They weren’t concerned with dating. In fact, dating, as you know it, didn’t exist in India. All marriages were arranged then and many still are today.”

I rested my head against the seat and tilted the chair back a little. I tried to imagine what their lives were like. It must have been difficult having no choices, but then again they were privileged when others had much less. Still, having freedom of choice was something I treasured.

Soon, my thoughts became foggy, and my tired body nudged me into a deep sleep. When I woke up, Mr. Kadam handed me a wrapped sandwich and a large fruit juice.

“Go ahead and eat something. I thought we could stop at a hotel for the night so you could get a good night’s rest in a comfortable bed for a change.”

“What about Ren?”

“I picked a hotel that’s near a small section of jungle. We can drop him there and pick him up on the way back.”

“What about tiger traps?”

Mr. Kadam laughed softly. “Told you about that, did he? Don’t worry, Miss Kelsey. He’s not likely to make the same mistake twice. There aren’t any big animals in this area so the townsfolk aren’t expecting anything. If he keeps his head low there shouldn’t be any trouble.”

An hour later, Mr. Kadam pulled over near the jungle at the outskirts of a small town and let Ren out.

Ren looked up at me for a brief moment and then padded off into the trees with Mr. Kadam. After about ten minutes, Mr. Kadam came back alone and hopped into the driver’s seat.

We drove through a small town that was bustling with vibrantly dressed people and colorful homes and pulled to a stop in front of our motel. “It’s not a five star, but it does have its charms.”

A polished square window displayed sale items. On top of the store, I saw a giant sign supported by a wood frame. It was painted pink and red and announced the store’s name, which I couldn’t read, and featured an old-fashioned Coke bottle, which was universally recognizable no matter what language was printed on it.

We approached the motel’s front desk, which also housed a cash register for the small store. I left Mr.

Kadam at the desk and wandered around, examining the interesting products for sale. The refrigerated section was small. In fact, all the sodas were on shelves rather than being refrigerated. I found Cadbury chocolate bars and Coke products mixed in with unusual candies and frozen popsicles in exotic flavors.

Mr. Kadam got our keys and bought us two Cokes and two popsicles. He handed me a white one while he took the orange one. I pulled off the wrapper, warily smelling my frozen treat.

“It’s not something like soy bean and curry is it?”

He grinned. “Take a bite.”

I did and was surprised to find it was coconut flavored. He bit off a hunk of his, held it up with a grin, and said, “Mango.”

We grabbed our bags and approached a wrought iron gate. Swinging it open, he said, “Ladies first,” and we entered a concrete patio area that was adorned with potted plants, stone benches, and palm trees.

The motel was painted mint green with pink flamingo trim. It had three wings set at right angles with the

store placed in the front so it made a sort of box with a garden spot in the middle. Each wing had two floors with three rooms per floor and one set of stairs. On the middle wing, instead of rooms on the bottom floor there were two large doors painted dark green.

Mr. Kadam pointed to them and said, “Bathrooms. Men on the right, women on the left.”

“Shared bathrooms? Great. Still, it’s better than camping. I really need a hot shower.”

He let me into my room first, which was on the bottom floor of the left wing, conveniently placing me closest to the women’s bathroom. A full-size bed was set in the middle of the room and a small pillow and a few blankets were placed on the foot.

A colorful curtain hid a small closet with a few wooden hangars. A basin and a pitcher of fresh water as well as a couple of earthenware mugs rested on a table. Instead of air conditioning, a ceiling fan circled lazily overhead, barely stirring the warm air. The accommodations were sparse, but it was better than being outside.

After seeing me settled and giving me my key, Mr. Kadam said he would come retrieve me to take me to dinner in three hours, and then he left me alone.

I unpacked my bag and realized that I didn’t have any clean clothes to put on after my shower. I piled all

my dirty clothes on the bed and was just thinking about bringing them with me to wash in the bathroom when there was a knock on my door. A small Indian woman wearing a bright orange flowing shirt over a white skirt came in to my room bearing a stack of clean towels.

She set them on the bed and, seeing my clothes piled there, started gathering them up. I tried to stop her by using a rudimentary sort of sign language, but she just kept nodding her head up and down while grinning at me. Before I knew it, she’d gathered up my entire pile and was gone.

I sat down heavily on the bed, wondering what to do about a shower and clothes. I pulled a towel off the top of the stack and was surprised to find a white terry cloth robe and slippers under the first towel. I set the towel back on top of the stack, threw my shampoo and soap on top, picked up the entire pile, and carried it with me to the women’s bathroom.

The bathroom was empty, probably due to it being early afternoon. Three sinks lined the right wall. On the left stood a row of toilet stalls with doors, turning a corner, I found the showers. The floor sloped down to a large drain in the middle. Concrete benches lined the outer walls and colorful tiles ran up the walls on either side. Large vent fans swept the moist air out from the building and hummed noisily. I decided to quickly take advantage of the shower while no one was around. My old middle school had similar type showers set all in a row with no dividers, but no one ever used them.

Personally, I was much too shy to shower with others. It was bad enough we had to change in front of each other. I always arranged my PE class to be at the end of the day so I could just head home and shower there.

When I was done, I headed back to my room in my robe and saw my clothes, clean and wet, hanging from the clothesline outside my door, flapping in the breeze. My under things were draped over the hangers in my closet. I towel-dried my hair and brushed it out. Then, I settled myself on the bed and took

a nap while I waited for my clothes to dry.

After my nap, and reading for an additional hour, I went outside to test my clothes. They were ready. I gathered them and got dressed, and then I braided my hair and tied a red ribbon to match my red shirt.

I’d just finished putting on my sneakers when Mr. Kadam knocked on the door.

He took me out to eat at what he said was the best restaurant in town, The Mango Flower. We took a small motorboat taxi across the river and walked to a building that looked like a plantation house that was surrounded by banana, palm, and mango trees.

He led me around the back, and we walked on a paved stone path that led to an amazing view of the river. Heavy wooden tables with smooth polished tops and stone benches were placed all around a stone patio. Decorated iron lanterns were set on the corner of each table and provided the only light. A brick archway to the right was covered in white jasmine that perfumed the evening air.

“Mr. Kadam, this is lovely!”

“Yes, the man at the front desk recommended it. I thought you would enjoy a nice meal since you’ve been eating army rations for a week.”

I let Mr. Kadam order for me since I had no idea what the menu said. We enjoyed a dinner of basmati rice, grilled vegetables, chicken saag (chicken cooked with creamed spinach), a flaky white fish with mango chutney, vegetable pakoras (vegetable fritters), coconut prawns, naan bread, and a kind of lemonade made with a dash of cumin and mint called jal jeera. I liked the lemonade, but it was a bit too tangy for my taste, and I ended up drinking a lot of water instead.

As we started our meal, I asked Mr. Kadam what more he’d learned about the prophecy.

He wiped his mouth with his napkin, took a sip of water, and said, “I believe that what you are seeking is called the Golden Fruit of India.” He leaned in a little closer and lowered his voice. “The tale of the Golden Fruit is a very old legend forgotten by most modern scholars. It was supposedly an object of divine origin given to Hanuman to watch over and protect. Shall I tell you the tale?”

I sipped my water and nodded.

“Before the gods and goddesses, India was a vast wasteland, completely uninhabitable. It was full of fiery serpents, great deserts, and fierce beasts. When the gods and goddesses came and created man, they gave mankind special gifts, the first one being the Golden Fruit. When it was planted, a mighty mango tree sprung up, and from the fruit that grew on the tree, seeds were gathered and spread all over India, changing it into a fertile land that would feed millions.”

“But, if the Golden Fruit was planted, wouldn’t it have disappeared or become the roots of the tree?”

“One mango from that first tree ripened quickly and became golden, and that Golden Fruit was taken and hidden by Hanuman. As long as the fruit is protected, India’s people will be fed.”

“Sothat’s the fruit we have to find? What if Hanuman is still protecting it and we can’t get to it?”

“Hanuman protected the fruit by placing it in his fortress and surrounding it with immortal servants who would watch over it. I don’t know much about the kinds of barriers that would be set up to stop you. I’m guessing there will be more than one trap designed to pull you from your course. On the other hand, you are Durga’s favored one, and you have her protection as well.”

I rubbed my hand absentmindedly. It tingled. I couldn’t see the henna drawing anymore, but I knew it was still there, under the surface. I sipped my lemonade. “Do you really think we’ll find anything? I mean,

do you really believe in this stuff?”

“I don’t know. I hope it’s true so that there can be a cure for Ren. I try to keep my mind open. I know there are powers that I can’t discern and things that bend and shape us that we can’t see. I shouldn’t be alive, but somehow I am. Ren and Kishan are trapped in some kind of magic that I don’t understand, and it’s my duty to help them.”

I must have looked worried because he patted my hand and said, “Don’t fret. I have a strong feeling that everything will work out in the end. That faith keeps me focused on our goal. I have great confidence in you and Dhiren, and I believe, for the first time in centuries, that there is hope.”

He clapped his hands and rubbed them together. “Now, shall we turn our attention to dessert?”

He ordered kulfi for both of us, which he explained was an Indian ice cream made from fresh cream and nuts, in this case, cashews. It was refreshing on a warm evening, though not as sweet or creamy as American ice creams. My favorite brand of ice cream was made in Oregon, naturally. Sadly, kulfi just didn’t hold a candle to Tillamook Mudslide. After dinner, we strolled back to the boat and talked about Hampi.

He seemed certain that the ruins of Hampi were the place to start looking for Kishkindha. He also wanted us to visit a local temple of Durga before we ventured to the ruins.

As we strolled slowly through town to the market, Mr. Kadam and I caught sight of our mint green hotel. He turned to me with a sheepish expression and said, “I hope you forgive me in choosing this hotel.

We could have stayed in a five-star hotel in Hampi, but I wanted to stay in the smaller town closer to the jungle in case Dhiren needed me for some reason. He can reach us here quickly if he needs to, and I felt safer being closer to him.”

“I’m fine, Mr. Kadam. After staying in the jungle for a week, this feels luxurious.”

He laughed and nodded his head. We browsed through the different stalls, and Mr. Kadam bought some fruit we could share for breakfast and some type of rice cakes wrapped in banana leaves. They looked similar to the lunch Phet had made for me, but Mr. Kadam assured me they were sweet and not spicy. I wandered over to an artist’s stand and looked through the different paintings and drawings. I found one of a white tiger with vibrant blue eyes resting its head on its paws.

Mr. Kadam walked up behind me and saw what I was looking at. He negotiated a price with the vendor, who then took the picture from me, wrapped it in paper, and handed it back. We returned to our rooms with me clutching my new gift. Mr. Kadam said good night and disappeared into his own room.

After I got ready for bed, I fluffed my pillow and stuck it behind my back. I pulled my freshly washed and dried quilt over my lap and then picked up my wrapped picture. I carefully peeled back the tape and removed it from its packaging. Staring at the blue eyes made me think about Ren sitting in the jungle all alone.

I felt guilty being here with him out there. I also missed him and felt lonely. I liked having him around.

Sighing deeply, I pulled my hair out of my braid so I could sleep more comfortably, wiggled down to rest

my head on the pillow, and fell into a light sleep.

Sometime around midnight, a soft knock on my door woke me. I was hesitant to open it. It was late, and there was no one I was expecting. I walked to the door, put my hand quietly against it, and listened.

There was a muffled tap again, and I heard a familiar voice whisper faintly, “Kelsey, it’s me.”

I unlocked the door and peeked out. Ren was standing there dressed in his white clothes, barefoot, with a triumphant grin on his face. I pulled him inside and hissed out thickly, “What are you doing here? It’s dangerous coming into town! You could have been seen, and they’d send hunters out after you!”

He shrugged his shoulders and grinned. “I missed you.”

My mouth quirked up in a half smile. “I missed you too.”

He leaned a shoulder nonchalantly against the doorframe. “Does that mean you’ll let me stay here? I’ll sleep on the floor and leave before daylight. No one will see me. I promise.”

I let out a deep breath. “Okay, but promise you’ll leave early. I don’t like you risking yourself like this.”

“I promise.” He sat down on the bed, took my hand, and pulled me down to sit beside him. “I don’t like sleeping in the dark jungle by myself.”

“I wouldn’t either.”

He looked down at our entwined hands. “When I’m withyou , I feel like a man again. When I’m out there all alone, I feel like…a beast, an animal.” His eyes darted up to mine.

I squeezed his hand. “I understand. It’s fine.Really .”

He grinned. “You were hard to track, you know. Lucky for me you two decided to walk to dinner, so I could follow your scent right to your door.”

Something on the nightstand caught his attention. Leaning around me, he reached over and picked up the

picture of the tiger. He stared at it for a moment while a bright crimson flush colored my cheeks but he was focused on the picture and didn’t notice.

He traced the tiger’s face with his finger, then whispered gently, “Someday, I’ll give you a portrait of the

real me.”

Setting the picture down carefully, he took both of my hands in his, turned to me with an intense expression, and said, “I don’t want you to see only a tiger when you look at me. I want you to see me.

The man.” Reaching out, he tucked an errant wisp of my hair behind my ear. “I’ve worn the tiger’s face for far too many years. He’s stolen my humanity.”

I nodded while he squeezed my hands and whispered quietly, “Kells, I don’t want to behim anymore. I want to beme . Iwant to have a life.”

“I know,” I said softly. I reached up to stroke his cheek. “Ren, I…”

I froze in place as he pulled my hand slowly down to his lips and kissed my palm. My hand tingled. His blue eyes searched my face desperately, wanting, needing something from me.

I wanted to say something to reassure him. I wanted to offer him comfort. I just couldn’t frame the words. His supplication stirred me. I felt a deep bond with him, a strong connection. I wanted to help him, I wanted to be his friend, and I wanted… maybe something more. I tried to identify and categorize my reactions to him. What I felt for him seemed too complicated to define, but it soon became obvious to

me that the strongest emotion I felt, the one that was stirring my heart now, was… love.

I’d built a dam around my heart after my family died. I hadn’t really let myself love anyone because I was afraid they’d be taken from me again. I purposefully avoided close ties. I liked people and had many friendly relationships, but I didn’t risk loving. Not like this.

His vulnerability allowed me to let my guard down, and gently and methodically, he was tearing apart my

well-constructed dam. Waves of tender feelings were lapping over the top and slipping through the cracks. The feelings flooded through and spilled into me. It was frightening—opening myself up to feel love for someone again. My heart pounded hard, thudding audibly in my chest. I was sure he could hear it.

His expression changed as he watched my face. His look of sadness was replaced by one of concern for me.What was the next step? What should I do? What do I say? How do I share what I’m feeling?

I remembered watching romance movies with my mom, and our favorite saying was “shut up and kiss her already!” We’d both get frustrated when the hero or heroine wouldn’t do what was so obvious to the two of us, and as soon as a tense, romantic moment occurred, we’d both repeat our mantra. I could hear my mom’s humor-filled voice in my mind giving me the same advice: “Shut up and kiss him already, Kells!” So, I got a grip on myself, and before I changed my mind, I leaned over and kissed him.

He froze. He didn’t kiss me back. He didn’t push me away. He just stopped…moving. I pulled back, saw the shock on his face, and instantly regretted my boldness. I stood up and walked away, embarrassed. I wanted to put some distance between us as I frantically tried to rebuild the walls around my heart.

I heard him move. He slid his hand under my elbow and turned me around. I couldn’t look at him. I just stared at his bare feet. He put a finger under my chin and tried to nudge my head up, but I still refused to meet his gaze.

“Kelsey. Look at me.”

Lifting my eyes, they traveled from his feet to a white button in the middle of his shirt.

“Lookat me.”

My eyes continued their journey. They drifted past the golden-bronze skin of his chest, his throat, and then settled on his beautiful face. His cobalt blue eyes searched mine, questioning. He took a step closer.

My breath hitched in my throat. Reaching out a hand, he slid it around my waist slowly. His other hand was still cupping my chin. Still watching my face, he placed his palm lightly on my cheek and traced the arch of my cheekbone with his thumb.

The touch was sweet, hesitant, and careful, the way you might try to touch a frightened doe. His face was full of wonder and awareness. I quivered. He paused just a moment more, then smiled tenderly, dipped his head, and brushed his lips lightly against mine.

He kissed me softly, tentatively, just a mere whisper of a kiss. His other hand slid down to my waist. I timidly touched his arms with my fingertips. He was warm, and his skin was smooth. He gently pulled me

closer and pressed me lightly against his chest. I gripped his arms.

He sighed with pleasure, and the kiss deepened. I melted into him.How was I breathing? I was breathing

him. He claimed all of my attention. All of my senses were locked up in him. His summery sandalwood scent surrounded me. Everywhere he touched me, I felt tingly and alive.

I clutched his arms fervently. His lips never leaving mine, he picked up both of my hands and wrapped them, one by one, around his neck, then he trailed one of his hands down my arm to my waist while the other slid into my hair as he picked me with one arm and crushed me to his chest.

I have no idea how long I was kissing him like this. It felt like a mere second, and it also felt like forever.

My bare feet were dangling several inches from the floor. He was holding all my body weight easily with

one arm. Part of my mind processed this, but most of my mind was on vacation. Sensory overload—that’s what it was.

All the neurons were firing in my brain simultaneously, and it caused my system to go haywire and stop working. I had no idea kissing felt like this. I buried my fingers in his hair and felt a rumble in his chest.

It

was similar to the purring sound he made as a tiger. After that, all coherent thought fled and time stopped.

At some point, he reluctantly let me down. He still supported my weight, which was good because I was ready to fall over. He cupped my cheek and ran a thumb slowly across my bottom lip. He stood close to me, keeping one arm wrapped around my waist. His other hand moved to my hair, and his fingers began to slowly twist the loose strands.

I had to blink my eyes a few times to clear my vision.

He laughed quietly. “Breathe, Kelsey.”

He had a very self-satisfied, smug grin on his face, which, for some reason, got my ire up.

“You seem very happy with yourself.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Iam .”

I smirked back at him and said, “Well, youdidn’t ask for permission.”

He responded by trailing his fingers up my arm, swirling little circles as he went. “Kelsey?”

I watched his progress and mumbled, distracted, “Yes?”

“Do I…”

“Hmm?” I wiggled slightly.

“have your…”

He leaned closer. His lips tickled my ear, and I felt him smile, “permission…”

Goose bumps broke out on my arms.

“to kiss you?”

I nodded weakly. Standing on my tiptoes, I slipped my arms around his neck showing him that I was definitely giving permission.

He trailed kisses from my ear down my cheek in achingly slow motion, grazing along a path of his choosing. He stopped, hovering just over my lips, and waited.

I knew what he was waiting for. I paused only a brief second before whispering faintly, “Yes.”

Smiling victoriously, he crushed me against his chest and kissed me again. This time, the kiss was bolder

and playful. I ran my hands from his powerful shoulders, up to his neck, and pressed him close to me.

When he pulled away, his face brightened with an enthusiastic smile. He scooped me up and spun me around the room, laughing. When I was thoroughly dizzy, he sobered and touched his forehead to mine.

Shyly, I reached out to touch his face, exploring the angles of his cheeks and lips with my fingertips. He leaned into my touch like the tiger did. I laughed softly and ran my hands up into his hair, brushing it away

from his forehead, loving the silky feel of it.

I felt overwhelmed. I didn’t expect a first kiss to be so…life altering. In a few brief moments, the rule book of my universe had been rewritten. Newton’s Third Law of Motion stated: To every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. I think it was safe to say that kissing Ren was about the most powerful act I had ever participated in. I couldn’t help but wonder what the opposite reaction would be.I guess logically it would mean the deeper I allow this relationship to progress…the worse it would be if he left.

The higher you climb, the harder you fall.

He was oblivious to my thoughts, and I tried to push them into the back of my mind and enjoy the moment with him. Setting me down, he briefly kissed me again and pressed soft kisses along my hairline

and neck. Then, he gathered me into a warm embrace and just held me close. Stroking my hair and caressing my neck, he whispered soft words in his native language. After several moments, he sighed, kissed my cheek, and nudged me toward the bed.

“Get some sleep, Kelsey. We both need some.”

After one last caress on my cheek with the back of his fingers, he changed into his tiger form and lay down on the mat beside my bed. I climbed into bed, settled under my blanket, and leaned over to stroke his head.

Tucking my other arm under my cheek, I softly said, “Good night, Ren.”

He rubbed his head against my hand, leaned into it, and purred quietly, and then he put his head on his paws and closed his eyes.

Mae West, a famous American vaudeville actress, once said, “A man’s kiss is his signature.” I grinned to

myself. If that was true, then Ren’s signature was the John Hancock of kisses.

When I woke up, he was gone, and the sun was already high in the sky. I got dressed and knocked on Mr. Kadam’s door.

Mr. Kadam smiled at me. “Kelsey! Did you sleep well?” I didn’t detect any sarcasm and guessed that Ren had chosen not to reveal his night escapade to Mr. Kadam.

“Yes, I slept just fine. A bit too long though. Sorry about that.”

He gestured dismissively. “Not to worry. We will go retrieve Dhiren and drive to Durga’s temple.

There’s no rush.”

He handed me a rice cake wrapped in banana leaf, some fruit, and a bottle of water. He sent me on my way to get ready and pack up a bag with whatever I wanted to bring.

I headed back to my room and set down my breakfast. Slowly gathering a few personal items, I placed them in my small travel bag. I frequently caught myself daydreaming. I looked in the mirror, touched my

arm, my hair, and my lips, remembering Ren’s kisses. I had to constantly shake myself out of it and refocus. What should have taken me ten minutes took me an hour and a half.

The last thing I placed in my bag was the tiger picture. I put my folded blanket on top of it and zipped my bag shut, then went in search of Mr. Kadam. He was waiting for me in the Jeep while looking over maps. He smiled at me and seemed in good cheer, even though I’d made him wait so long.

We picked up Ren, who leapt out of the trees like a playful cub. When he reached the Jeep, I leaned out to pet him, and he reared up on his hind legs to nuzzle my hand and lick my arm through the open window. He hopped in the back seat, and Mr. Kadam got us back on the road. After carefully following the maps, he pulled off on a dirt road that led through the jungle, finally stopping at a stone temple.

CHAPTER 18

Mr. Kadam got out and instructed us to wait in the car while he checked the temple for visitors. Ren nudged his head between the seats and butted my shoulder until I turned around.

I laughed. “You’d better keep your head down. Someone may see you if you’re not more careful.”

He made a noise.

“I know. I missed you too.”

I scratched him behind his ears, and he turned his head to the side so I’d have better access. A small vehicle was parked close by, so I assumed someone was in the temple. Mr. Kadam soon returned to the Jeep to let us know there were indeed visitors, but that they’d be leaving soon.

After about five minutes, a young American couple exited the temple and returned to their automobile.

I watched them drive off, then inquired, “What did you do, Mr. Kadam? How did you get them to leave?”

He grinned at me. “A simple bribe. I offered them some money if they would let my daughter and me have the place to ourselves. I told them that this was her first trip to India, and I wanted it to be special, and since they were getting ready to leave anyway, they were happy to oblige.”

I hopped out and opened the door for Ren, who started brushing up against my legs like a giant house cat waiting to be fed

“Ren! You’re going to knock me over.” I kept my hand on his neck, and he contented himself with that.

“You two go ahead and check out the temple while I keep watch for more visitors.”

We started down a dirt path lined on both sides with smooth terracotta-colored stones. The temple was literally carved out of a rocky hill. The stone of the temple was the same terracotta color mixed with striations of soft sepia, spicy pink, and pale oyster. It was absolutely beautiful. Trees and flowers had been planted around the temple grounds, and various walking paths led off from the main entrance.

We climbed the short stone steps that led to the opening. The entry was open to the air and showcased tall carved pillars that supported the access way. The threshold was just high enough for a person of average height to walk through. On either side of the opening were amazingly detailed carvings of Indian

gods and goddesses.

A notice, written in several languages, warned that we should remove our shoes as we walked through the temple. The floor was dusty, so I took off my socks too, and stuffed them into my tennis shoes. Once inside, the ceiling expanded into a high dome. The entire ceiling was carved with intricate designs depicting images like flowers, elephants, monkeys, the sun, and gods and goddesses at play. The rock floor was rectangular, and four tall decorative pillars stood at each corner. They provided support for the dome and were connected by ornamental arches. The pillars had carvings of people in various stages of life or occupations in the act of worshipping Durga. A likeness of the goddess was found at the top of each post.

A series of stairs led up from the main floor in three directions—left, right, and straight ahead. I picked the archway on the right and climbed the steps. The area beyond had been damaged. Crumbled, broken rocks were scattered all over the floor. I couldn’t imagine from the state of the space what it might have been used for.

The next area, which was the one across from the entryway, housed a stone altar of sorts. A small broken statue, now unidentifiable, rested on top. Everything was coated with thick sepia powder.

Particles of it twinkled and hung the air like pixie dust. Beams of light descended from cracks in the dome

and spotlighted the floor with narrow rays. I couldn’t hear Ren’s footsteps, but I definitely heard mine echo through the empty temple.

The air outside was stifling, but inside the temple was merely warm and even cool in some places, as if each step introduced me to a different clime, a different place. I glanced at the floor and saw my footprints and Ren’s paw prints. I made a mental note to sweep the floor before we left. We wouldn’t want people to think a tiger was prowling the area.

After searching that area and finding nothing of consequence, we entered the archway on the left, and I gasped in amazement. A hallowed out recess in the rock sheltered a beautiful stone statue of Durga. She wore a towering headpiece and had all eight arms arrayed around her torso like peacock feathers. She clutched all of her various weapons, one in each hand. Curled around her legs was her tiger. His large claws extended from a heavy paw aimed at the throat of an enemy boar. The boar challenged Durga, and she also had a weapon raised in defense. I looked closer and saw that it was the gada, the club, she was using.

“I guess she had a tiger to protect her too, huh, Ren?”

I positioned myself directly in front of the statue, and Ren sat next to me. We looked at her for a minute.

I asked him, “What do you think Mr. Kadam expects we will find here? More answers? How do we get her blessing?”

I paced back and forth in front of the statue while examining the walls, poking my fingers gingerly into crevices. I was looking for something…special. After a half hour of that, my hands were smudged, cobwebby, and coated with terracotta dust. What was worse was that I’d gotten nowhere. I wiped my hands on my jeans and plopped down onto the stone steps.

“I give up. I just don’t know what we should be looking for.”

Ren came over and rested his head on my knee.

I stroked his soft back. “What are we going to do next? Should we keep looking or head back to the Jeep?”

I glanced at the supporting column next to me. It showed a carving of people worshipping Durga. On this one, there were two women and one man who were offering food. I thought they must be farmers because there were different types of fields and orchards dominating the rest of the post. Herds of domestic animals and farming tools were also carved into the scene. The man carried a bunch of grain slung over his shoulder. One of the women carried a basket of fruit, and the other woman had something small in her hand.

I got up to take a closer look. “Hey, Ren, what do you think that is in her hand?”

I jumped when his warm hand took mine and squeezed it lightly.

I scolded, “You really should warn me before you change, you know.”

He laughed and traced the carving with his finger. “I’m not sure. It looks kind of like a bell.”

I traced the carving with my finger and muttered, “What if we made an offering to Durga like that?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, what if we offered something. Like fruit. And then rang a bell?”

He shrugged his shoulders. “Sure. Anything’s worth a try.”

We headed back to the Jeep and told Mr. Kadam our idea. He seemed enthusiastic about making an attempt.

“Excellent idea, Miss Kelsey! I don’t know why I didn’t think of it myself.”

He dug through our lunch and pulled out an apple and a banana.

“As for a bell, I did not think to bring one with me, but I believe that in many of these old temples a bell was installed. The disciples rang them when guests arrived, when worshipping, and to call others to a meal. Why not search the shrine for such a bell. Perhaps you will find one, and we will not have to drive back into town to get one.”

I took the apple and the banana. “I sure hope this works and we get her blessing because I have absolutely no idea what I am doing. I hope you’re not expecting too much. Don’t get your hopes up because you’re bound to be disappointed.”

He reassured me that he could never be disappointed in me and shooed us on our way. When Ren and I headed back into the shrine, he began searching the altar area while I started digging through the rubble in

the other room.

After about fifteen minutes, I heard, “Kelsey, over here!”

I quickly joined him.

“It’s here, Kelsey.”

He showed me a thin wall at the edge of the room that couldn’t be seen from the doorway of the temple.

Shallow stone shelves had been carved out like tiny alcoves. On the top shelf, far above my reach but still

within Ren’s, sat a tiny rusty bronze bell covered in cobwebs and dust. It had a little ring at the top so it could hang from a hook.

Ren took it off the shelf and used his shirt to clean it, wiping off the grime and powdery rust. He shook it,

and it emitted an airy tinkling sound. He grinned and offered his hand, walking with me back to the statue

of Durga.

“I think you should be the one to make the offering, Kells.” He brushed his hair away from his eyes.

“Youare the favored one of Durga, after all.”

I grimaced. “Perhaps, but you forget that I’m a foreigner, andyou are a prince of India. Surely, you know what you’re doing more than I do.”

He shrugged. “I was never a Durga worshipper. I don’t really know the process. It’s not something the royalty did. We had priests who did all that stuff. We just got out of the way and let them take care of it.”

Curious, I asked, “So what do, or did, you worship? Were there any of these gods that you believed in?”

“I did what the people did. My parents encouraged me to be open minded. My mother’s family had different beliefs than my father’s, and they both respected each other’s thoughts and spiritual ideas.

They

wanted Kishan and me to discover what we believed for ourselves.”

“And?”

“And…I guess neither of us got around to it. We were both very busy, and religion was something that seemed more of a public spectacle or a holiday than anything internal or spiritual. I participated in the outward rites and rituals, but I never committed myself to, or felt strongly about, any particular religion.”

“Hmm…interesting, we’ll have to talk more about this later. I have a lot of questions for you about that.

Well, anyguesses then on how we should proceed?”

He confided, “Not really. What about you? Doesn’t your spiritual background tell you what to do in this kind of situation?”

“I can honestly say that I’ve never found myself in this type of situation before, spiritual or otherwise.”

I

sat down on a stone step, and Ren took a seat next to me. “My parents raised me as a Christian and took me to church every week growing up, but after they died, I lost my enthusiasm for church. It reminded me too much of them and of what I’d lost. I was mad at God for a while too. I was looking for something, or someone, to blame. I started relying on myself instead of on God or others.”

He squeezed my hand and proposed, “Perhaps we both need to find a path to faith. Ido believe there’s something more than just us, a good power in the universe that guides all things.”

“How do you stay so optimistic when you’ve been stuck as a tiger for centuries?”

He swiped a spot of dust from my nose with the tip of his finger. “My current level of optimism is a relatively new acquisition. Come on.” He smiled, kissed my forehead, and pulled me to my feet.

We approached the statue, and Ren began dusting off the tiger. Cleaning the statue seemed like a good place to start. I unfolded the napkin Mr. Kadam had wrapped the fruit in and started to wipe years of dust off the statute. After we cleaned off all the dust and cobwebs from Durga and her tiger, including all

eight of her arms, we dusted around the base and up the frame. At the base of the statue, Ren found a slightly hollowed-out rock that looked like a bowl. We decided that this may have been where people left their offerings.

I set the apple and banana in the bowl and stood directly in front of the statue. Ren stood next to me and held my hand.

I stammered, “I’m nervous. I don’t know what to say.”

“Okay, I’ll start and then you add what feels natural.”

He rang the small bell three times. Its tinkling sound echoed, bouncing around the cavernous temple.

In a loud, clear voice, he said, “Durga, we come to ask your blessing on our quest. Our faith is weak and simple. Our task is complex and mystifying. Please help us find understanding and strength.”

He looked at me.

I swallowed, tried to wet my dry lips, and added, “Please help these two princes of India. Restore to them what was taken. Helpme be strong enough and wise enough to do what’s necessary. They both deserve a chance to have a life.”

I gripped Ren’s hand firmly, and we waited.

“Is something going to happen?”

“I don’t know, Kells. Let’s wait another minute.”

Another minute passed, and another. Still nothing happened. Ren hugged me briefly and whispered that he had to change back into a tiger again. I kissed his cheek, and he began to change. The minute he was a tiger again, the room began to vibrate, and the walls began to shake. A boom-like thunder sounded in the temple followed by several bursts of white light. Lightning!

An earthquake!We’d both be buried alive! Rocks and stones began falling from overhead, and one of the great pillars cracked. I fell to the ground. Ren leapt over me and stood over my body, protecting me from falling debris.

The quake gradually stopped, and the rumbling ceased. Ren moved away from me, and I staggered up slowly. I looked at the statue in astonishment. A section of the stone wall had broken and slid to the floor, shattering into hundreds of pieces.

Underneath that fallen rock was a hollowed-out imprint of a hand. I walked closer, and Ren growled softly. I traced the handprint with my finger and looked down at Ren. Mustering my courage, I lifted my hand and placed it in the print. I felt the stone grow hot like in the Cave of Kanheri. My skin glowed as if

someone held a flashlight under my hand. Fascinated, I stared at the blue veins under my skin as it became transparent.

My henna hand drawing surfaced again and blazed bright red. Crackling sparks leapt from my tingling fingers. I heard Ren growling and looked down at him. He wasn’t growling. It wasn’t Ren. It was Durga’s tiger!

Its eyes gleamed yellow. The stone changed from hard rock to living flesh. Her tiger was the standard orange and black. It bared its teeth as it growled at Ren. Ren backed up a step and roared back with his fur bristling around his neck. Suddenly, the tiger stopped, sat down, and turned its face up to…itsowner .

I took my hand out of the print and began backing away. Slowly, I stepped backward until I ended up standing behind Ren. Chills shot down my spine, and I started quaking with fear. The rigid statue began breathing, and the pale oyster-colored stone melted away into flesh. It was her! Durga herself! She was beautiful. An Indian woman, but with skin of gold.

Dressed in a blue silk robe, she shifted, and I heard the silky whisper of material slide down a dainty limb. Jewels of every kind adorned each limb. They sparkled in the rays of the sun and glittering reflections in every color of the rainbow filled the temple and bounced from place to place as she moved.

I sucked in a breath and held it as she blinked open her eyes and her eight arms lowered. She folded two pairs across her chest and tilted her head as she regarded the two of us.

Ren moved closer to me and brushed his side against me. It reassured me, and I was very grateful for his

steady presence. I put my hand on his back and felt his tense muscles. He was ready to pounce, to attack if it became necessary.

The four of us considered each other silently for a time. She seemed to be particularly interested in my hand, which was currently stroking Ren’s back.

Finally, she spoke.

One of her golden limbs stretched out and gestured toward us, “Welcome to my temple, daughter.”

I wanted to ask her why I was her favored one and why she called me a daughter. I wasn’t even Indian.

Phet had said the same thing, and the concept still baffled me, but I felt it was better to keep quiet.

She pointed to the bowl at her feet and said, “Your offering has been accepted.”

I looked down at the bowl. The food shimmered and sparkled, then disappeared. She patted her tiger on the head for a while, seeming to forget we were there.

I chose to say nothing and let her take her time. She looked at me and smiled. Her voice echoed like the tinkling bell through the cavern. “I see you have your own tiger to aid you in times of battle.”

My voice sounded weak and frail compared to her rich, melodic tone. “Umm…yes. This is Dhiren, but he is more than just a tiger.”

She smiled at me, and I found myself entranced by her splendor.

“Yes. I know who he is and that you love him almost as much as I love my own Damon. Yes?”

She tugged on her tiger’s ear affectionately while I mutely nodded in agreement.

“You have come to seek my blessing, and my blessing I will give. Come closer to me and accept it.”

Still frightened, I shuffled slightly closer. Ren maneuvered his body between the goddess and me and kept his attention trained on the tiger.

She raised all eight arms and used them to beckon me closer still. I took a few more steps. Ren, between us, was now almost nose to nose with Damon. They both sniffed loudly while wrinkling their faces to show their dislike of the position.

The goddess smiled warmly at me and announced, “You are seeking the Golden Fruit of India in Hanuman’s Kingdom. My sign will show you the gateway. Hanuman’s realm has many dangers. You and

your tiger must stay together to make it safely through. If you separate, there is great danger for you.”

Her arms began moving, and I took a small step back. She attached a conch shell to her belt and then began rotating the weapons in her hands. Passing them from limb to limb, she inspected each one carefully. When she came to the one she wanted, she stopped. She looked at the weapon lovingly and ran a free hand down the side of it.

It was the gada. She held it out in front of her and indicated that I should take it. I reached out, wrapped my hand around the handle, and lifted it toward me. It looked to be made of gold, but, strangely, it wasn’t heavy. In fact, I could easily hold it in one hand.

I ran a hand over it. It was about the length of my arm. The handle was twisted and carved in a golden spiral. It ended in a knob that would prevent it from slipping out of my hands. The middle was a smooth, thin, gold bar. It was about two inches wide and led to the top portion. Attached to the hilt was a heavy sphere about the size of a softball; it was covered with tiny clear-crusted jewels that dotted the entire surface of the orb. I was stunned to realize that they were probably diamonds.

I thanked her as she smiled benevolently at me. She raised an arm and pointed at the pillar, then nodded,

encouraging me.

I pointed, “You want me to go to the pillar?”

She indicated the gada in my hand and then looked at the pillar again.

I sucked in a breath. “Oh. You want me to test it out?”

She nodded once and began petting her tiger’s head again.

I turned toward the pillar and lifted the gada like a baseball bat. “Okay, but just so you know, I’ve always been terrible at sports.” I took a deep breath, closed my eyes, and swung weakly. I expected it to hit the stone, bounce off, and jar my arms painfully.

I missed.

Or…so I thought.

It all happened in slow motion, at least from my perspective. A boom-like thunder shook the temple, but

it sounded far away. I’d definitely swung the gada because my arms were still wrapped around the handle, and I was now holding it on the other side of my body. I peeked at the pillar and was surprised to see a large chunk of it had been gouged out of the side. The chunk of pillar shot across the temple like a missile. The piece hit with a boom and then shattered, exploding into a million pieces. I watched as gritty dust rained down on the pile of rubble.

My mouth gaped open in amazement. I turned back to the goddess, who was smiling proudly at me.

“I guess I’ll have to be really careful with this thing.”

She nodded and explained, “You may use the gada when necessary to protect yourself, but I expect it will mostly be wielded by the warrior at your side.”

I nodded and carefully set the gada on the stone floor. When I looked up, her arms were passing weapons again. This time, she stopped on a golden snake that was curled around her arm. Its tongue darted in and out, and it hissed slightly.

She directed, “This, however, is for you.”

I watched with dread as the golden snake slowly unwound itself from her arm and traveled down the dais. It stopped there and raised its head, bringing half its body up off the floor. It flicked its tongue, sensing the air around it. The eyes looked like tiny emeralds. As it fanned out the sides of its neck into the

telltale hood, I trembled, realizing it was a cobra. The normal markings of the cobra were still there, but instead of brown and black scales, the markings of the hood were beige, amber, and cream swirled on a golden background. The skin of the belly was buttermilk white and its tongue was ivory.

It left the dais and wound its way closer to me. Ren backed up a few steps as it slithered between his paws. I was terrified. My mouth was dry. My throat closed, and I felt as if a stiff wind could easily blow me over. I felt freeze-dried—desiccated—like those meals Mr. Kadam buys for me. I looked up at the goddess. She had a serene smile plastered on her face as she watched her pet draw nearer to me.

The snake approached my shoe, flicked its tongue again, and wound its head around my leg. It circled my calf and twisted its body around several times. I could feel its muscles clench my limb tightly as it undulated and slowly ascended. Around and around it went. My limbs were quaking, and I wavered like a flower in a hard rain. I heard myself whimper. Ren half-growled and half-whined, apparently not knowing what to do to help me. The snake reached the top of my thigh. My elbows were locked stiff, and my arms were quivering as I held them slightly out and away from my sides. The snake gripped my thigh with the lower half of its body and stretched its head toward my hand.

I watched in rapt alarm as it reached my wrist and quickly shot over. Curling under my arm, it continued

its slow progress and began climbing up that limb. I could feel its scales as it slid up my bare skin. The scales were odd. Instead of rough and scratchy as I imagined they would be, they felt cool, smooth, and polished, like onyx disks slipping over my skin. The snake was gripping me in a powerful vise. As it squeezed my arm and moved up, my blood flow stopped, and then began pounding again, as if I’d wrapped a faulty tourniquet around the limb.

When most of its body was bound around my upper arm, it stretched its head up to my shoulder and brushed against my neck. Its flicking tongue shot out and tasted the salty perspiration on my throat, causing my lower lip to quiver. Beads of sweat trickled down my face as I breathed heavily. I could feel its head pass my neck, brush against my chin, and then…there it was… open hooded and looking right in

my face with its jeweled eyes. Just when I thought I was going to pass out, it descended to my arm again,

wrapped itself around two more times, and then froze, its head facing Durga.

I cautiously dropped my eyes to look at it and was awed to see that it had become jewelry. It looked like one of the snake armlets that ancient Egyptians wore. Its emerald eyes stared unblinkingly ahead. I tentatively reached my other arm over to touch it. I could still feel the smooth scales, but it felt metallic, definitely not living flesh. I shuddered and turned toward the goddess.

The thought crossed my mind that if I had to wear a snake, at least it didn’t weigh down on my arm.

Like the gada, it was relatively light. Now that I was brave enough to look more closely, I could see that the snake had shrunk. The large serpent had diminished in size to become a small wraparound piece of jewelry.

The goddess spoke, “She is called Fanindra, the Queen of the Serpents. She is a guide and will help you to find what you seek. She can conduct you on safe paths and will light your way through darkness. Do not be afraid of her, for she wishes you no harm.”

The goddess reached a long arm out to stroke the snake’s immobile head and counseled, “She is sensitive to the emotions of others and longs to be loved for who she is. She has a purpose, as do all of her children, and we must learn to accept that all creatures, however fearsome they may be, are of divine origin.”

I bowed my head and said, “I will try to overcome my fear and give her the respect she deserves.”

The goddess smiled and said, “That is all I ask.”

She gathered her arms and began to return them to the original positions they were in as a statue. She gazed down at Ren and me. “Now, may I give you some advice before you leave?”

I demurred, “Of course, Goddess.”

“Remember to stay by each other. If you get separated, do not trust your eyes. Use your hearts. They will tell you what is real and what is not.” Two of her arms had frozen and were changing back to stone.

“When you obtain the fruit, hide it well, for there are others who would take it and use it for evil and selfish purposes.”

“But aren’t we supposed to bring the fruit back to you as an offering?”

The hand stroking the tiger froze on his fur, and the flesh dulled until it became rough and gray. “You have made your offering. The fruit has another purpose, which you will understand in due time.”

“What about the other gifts, the other offerings?”

I was desperate to learn more, and it was obvious my time was running out.

“You may present the other offerings to me at my other temples, but the gifts you must keep until…”

Her red lips seized in midsentence, and her eyes dimmed and became sightless orbs once more. She, and her golden jewels and bright clothing, faded to become a rough sculpture once again.

I reached out and touched the tiger’s head, and then I dusted my hands on my jeans after grazing over a gritty ear. Ren brushed up next to me, and I trailed my fingers over his furry neck, deep in thought. The sound of pebbles falling brought me out of my reverie.

I hugged Ren around his thick neck, carefully picked up the gada and the small bag I’d brought in, and walked with Ren to the entryway. He stood there for a minute while I grabbed a tree branch and dusted away all of his paw prints.

I peeked outside first to see if the coast was clear and then indicated to Ren that he could follow. We stepped outside into the bright sunshine.

As we walked down the dirt path back to the Jeep, I was surprised to see the sun had traveled a long way across the sky. We’d been in there a long time, much longer than I’d thought.

Mr. Kadam was parked in the shade with the windows down, napping. He sat up quickly and rubbed his eyes as we approached.

I asked, “Did you feel the earthquake?”

“An earthquake? No. It’s been as quiet as a church out here.” He chuckled at his own joke. “What happened in there?” He looked from my face down to what I was carrying and gasped in surprise. “Miss Kelsey! May I?”

I passed the gada to him. He reached out both of his hands tentatively and took it from me. He seemed to struggle a bit with its weight, which made me wonder if he was weaker than he looked in his old age.

Pure delight and scholarly interest reflected on his face.

“It’s beautiful!”

I nodded. “You should see it in action.” I lay my hand on his arm. “You were right to come here first, Mr. Kadam. I would say that we definitely received Durga’s blessing.” I pointed to the snake wrapped around my arm, “Say hello to Fanindra.”

He stretched a finger to the snake’s head. I winced, hoping she wouldn’t reanimate, but she remained frozen. He seemed trans-fixed by the objects. I tugged on his arm.

“Come on, Mr. Kadam, let’s go. I’ll tell you all about it in the car. Besides, I’m starving.”

He laughed, elated and jubilant. Carefully wrapping the gada in a blanket, he stowed it in the back of the

car, then he came around to my side of the Jeep and opened the door for me. I climbed in, put my seatbelt on, and we drove toward Hampi.

CHAPTER 19

On the ride back to the city, Mr. Kadam listened with rapt attention to every detail of our experience.

He asked dozens of questions. He wanted me to remember details that I hadn’t even considered important at the time. For example, he wanted to know what the other three pillars in the temple showed, and I didn’t think I even looked at them.

He was so absorbed in the story that he totally forgot that we still had Ren with us. We had to turn around and head back to the trees to drop him off for the night. When we arrived, I volunteered to walk Ren out. Mr. Kadam was happy to stay in the Jeep and examine the gada more closely.

I walked through the tall grass with Ren all the way to the tree line, bent down, hugged him, and whispered, “You can stay in my room again at the motel if you like. I’ll save you some dinner.” I kissed the top of his head and left him there staring at me.

Mr. Kadam wanted to eat in at the motel, which meant that we made a trip to the market and brought our purchases to the kitchen. People who were particular about their food could cook it on their own using the motel’s pots and pans or the motel owner would cook the food.

Mr. Kadam purchased some vegetables, eggs, and a loaf of bread from the market. He went into the kitchen and whipped us up some veggie omelets with pan-fried toast and papaya juice for dinner. I was starving, and, looking at the other foods emerging from the kitchen, I felt very appreciative that Mr.

Kadam liked to cook. One of the women, or perhaps another guest, was boiling something in a large pot, and the smell left something to be desired. For all I knew, she was boiling the laundry. I also suspected the motel didn’t have any set rules in the kitchen about hand washing.

I ate a plate full of food and then asked Mr. Kadam for seconds to take back to my room, in case I got hungry that night. He was more than happy to oblige me and didn’t even ask any questions, which was good. Answering them would have made me uncomfortable.

I left the gada in Mr. Kadam’s care, but the snake armlet wouldn’t budge from my arm. Mr. Kadam thought it might be better to take it off if I could because there would be people that would try to steal it from me.

“Believe me…I would love to take it off, but if you saw the way she got on there, you might wish for her

to remain inanimate too.”

I could see in his eyes that he was fascinated and probably wished that the snakewould come alive again. Well, I, for one, hoped that particular wish wouldn’t come true. It was creepy enough the first time. Squelching that thought quickly, I chastised myself for forgetting that Fanindra was a gift and a divine blessing, and I whispered a quick apology to her.

When I returned to my room, I changed into my pajamas, which took some doing. Lucky for me, I had a short-sleeved top. I tucked the top of the sleeve into Fanindra’s coil so her head wasn’t covered and picked up my tooth-brush. I looked at Fanindra in the mirror while I brushed my teeth.

Tapping the snake lightly on the head, I mumbled with my toothbrush in my mouth, “Well, Fanindra, I hope you like water because tomorrow morning I plan to take a shower, and if you’re still on my arm, then you’re going with me.”

The snake remained frozen. Her hard eyes glittered back at me from the mirror in the dim room. After brushing my teeth, I clicked on the ceiling fan and set Ren’s dinner on the dresser. I covered it with a napkin and climbed into bed. The snake’s body dug into my side, so I had a hard time getting comfortable. I thought I’d never be able to sleep with that hard piece of jewelry wrapped around my arm, but, eventually, I drifted off. I woke in the middle of the night to a soft scratch on my door and opened it to let Ren in.

He hugged me briefly, stepped into the room, and closed the door behind him. I showed him where his dinner was, and he picked up the plate and sat on the floor next to my bed. I sat down next to him to keep him company. He finished his meal, then set the plate to the side and wrapped his arms around me, pulling me onto his lap. He pressed his cheek against my forehead and started talking about Durga and the gada. He seemed excited about what the gada could do. I nodded sleepily and shifted, resting my head against his chest.

I felt safe, cozy, and protected snuggled in his arms and enjoyed listening to the warm timbre of his voice

as he spoke quietly. Later, he began humming softly, and I felt the strong beat of his heart keeping rhythm

against my cheek. After a while, he stopped and moved his arms. I issued a sleepy protest. Rearranging my limp body, he lifted me in his arms and cuddled me close. He placed me on my bed and gently straightened my limbs. I felt him brush a kiss on my forehead and cover me with my blanket, and then I was out.

Sometime later, I opened my eyes with a start. The snake was gone! I rushed to turn on the light and saw her resting on the nightstand. She was still frozen, but now she was coiled up and had her head resting on top of her body. I watched her for a moment, but she didn’t move.

I shuddered, thinking of a live snake slithering over my body while I slept. Ren lifted his tiger head and looked at me with concern. I patted him and told him I was fine, that it was just that Fanindra had moved during the night. I thought about asking Ren to sleep between the snake and me, but I decided that I needed to be brave. Instead, I turned on my side and rolled myself up in my blanket tightly to prevent any

odd things from happening to my limbs without my knowledge.

I mentioned to Fanindra that I would appreciate it if she wouldn’t slither up and down my body when I wasn’t aware of it and that I would prefer it not to happen atall if she could help it. She didn’t move or blink a green eye.Do snakes blink? Pondering that deep question, I rolled back on my side and fell back asleep.

The next morning, Ren was gone and Fanindra hadn’t moved, so I decided it was the perfect time for a shower. I was back in my room, towel-drying my hair, when I noticed that Fanindra had changed shape again. This time, she was twisted in loops as if she was ready to be placed on my arm.

I picked her up gently and slid her unyielding body up the length of my arm where she fit comfortably.

This time, when I tried to pull her off, she slipped down easily.

Pushing her back up, I said, “Thank you, Fanindra. It will be much easier if I can take you off when I need to.”

I couldn’t be sure, but I thought that I saw her emerald eyes glow softly for a moment. I was just finishing plaiting my hair and tying it with a green ribbon to match Fanindra’s eyes when I heard a knock.

Mr. Kadam was standing outside the door with freshly washed hair and a trimmed beard. “Ready to go, Miss Kelsey?”

“Yes, almost. I’ve just got to grab a few more things.”

“May I take your bag for you?”

“Sure. Thank you.”

We checked out of our motel and drove over to the wooded area to pick up Ren. We waited for several minutes, then finally he shot out of the trees and ran up to meet the car. I laughed nervously.

“Overslept a little today, did you?”

He had probably just run the entire way back. I gave him a meaningful glance, hoping he understood my

you-really-should-have-left-earlier look.

On the way to Hampi, we stopped at a fruit stand and got a smoothie (called a lassi) and a grainy breakfast bar for each of us.

When Mr. Kadam got back in the Jeep, I asked, “What about Ren? Shouldn’t he eat something?”

“Ren could eat, but most likely is still ah…full from his hunt. He will be fine for the next few days or so.”

Still, when I was halfway done with my lassi, I offered Ren the rest. He stuck his head between the front

seats and lapped up the rest of my smoothie. His long tongue slurped out what was left of my shake and he also made sure to lick my hand “by accident” every other lick.

I laughed. “Ren! Thanks a lot. Now my hands are all sticky.”

He leaned over and started licking my hands with more enthusiasm, swirling his pink tongue between my

fingers.

“Okay! Okay! That tickles. Thanks…that’s enough.”

Mr. Kadam laughed heartily, then reached over to open the glove box and handed me a travel pack of antibacterial hand wipes.

As I wiped the tiger saliva off my hands, I said, “See if I ever share a milkshake withyou again.”

I heard a harrumph come from the back seat. When I looked back at him a moment later, he was the picture of an innocent tiger, but I knew better.

Mr. Kadam indicated that we were nearing Hampi and pointed to a large structure in the distance.

He explained, “That tall, conical structure you see ahead is called the Virupaksha Temple. It’s the most prominent building in Hampi.”

“Mr. Kadam, did you ever see the buildings of Hampi, you know, back when you were younger…before they were ruins?”

“Yes, I did. The city was originally settled around two thousand years ago, but it was at its height between the fourteenth and sixteenth century.”

“And you and Ren were born in the seventeenth century, right?”

“Yes, that is correct. When we visited, the temple and other structures were still used, but they were falling into disrepair, and the city had been raided often by invaders. The official city of Hampi is actually

near these ruins, but it doesn’t include them anymore.

“Dhiren and I both visited Hampi to see what military strategies we could glean from the city. The ruins are actually very easy to defend. Stony hills on three sides and a river on the fourth side surround the ruins. It was once a great and prosperous city with a wealthy cosmopolitan society. They had splendid festivals that attracted visitors from around the world, but the Muslim kingdoms of the north eventually overcame the Vijayanagara army around the mid 1500s. We’ll be passing Sugriva’s cave soon, where it is said the jewels of Sita were hidden.”

“Are the jewels still there?”

“The jewels were never discovered, which is also one of the reasons the city has been sacked by treasure hunters.”

He pulled off to the side of the road and let Ren out. Explaining, he said, “There will be too many tourists

on the site during the day, so Dhiren can wait here while we walk the grounds and look for clues. We will

return for him in the early evening.”

I watched Ren out the window as he moved in the tall grass. He turned to look at me too as we drove away. Shortly afterward, we pulled into a dirt parking lot full of tiny vehicles.

“Mr. Kadam, why are most of the cars in India so small? Do they have smaller families? Are those styles

the most popular?”

“Well, first of all, the middle class in India earns around two thousand American dollars per year. They don’t have nearly as much money as the middle class people of America. The average car in India costs around twenty-five hundred American dollars. The cars here are smaller, and therefore, much more economical.”

“That seems about right…most cars in America can cost about a year’s salary.”

He nodded. “At present, only a little over one percent of the people in India even own a car, which was fine for many years because they didn’t travel very far. For centuries, most of the people of India were born, married, and died in their small villages.”

“But all that is changing now?”

“Yes. Car manufacturers are targeting India, trying to sell these smaller, more economical cars at a very cheap price. They are hoping to take advantage of our rising middle class and the large numbers of young

people who desire to have cars of their own. The problem is, the country is so densely populated that the major cities aren’t set up for that much traffic. For now, smaller vehicles are rather a necessity.”

“So your Jeep is like the Hummer of India?”

He laughed. “Yes, I suppose you could say that. The trunk space in those smaller vehicles will hold only

a small duffel bag. When you drive around with tigers, you need something a bit larger.”

“I think even the smallest cars in American are bigger than these.”

“There are several reasons for that. In the early 1900s, Americans were spread out much farther and required a vehicle to help them travel the long distances to town. When cars first started selling, America

was a prosperous and rapidly growing nation. The open borders between states gave people the freedom to travel and inspired them to get out on the roads and explore their country. Since the Model T, cars have also been a powerful symbol of freedom and a strong piece of American culture. When the middle class started to move out to the suburbs, it forced them to spend hours in their cars commuting, and a more comfortable ride was preferable.”

“That’s true. My foster parents hated the commute so much in Portland that they took jobs in Salem so they’d spend less time in traffic. When they did that, they actually downsized their cars.”

He nodded. “Large vehicles also have a subliminal effect. They make you feel secure, imposing, and denote the driver’s personality. In America, the car you drive makes a statement about who you are. I would even say that one of the main themes in American culture is that size matters.”

I laughed. “Yes, that’s probably true. America doesn’t do anything the small way.”

He chuckled. “I must confess that I love the large American cars. In fact, I love all types of cars, perhaps even more than I love airplanes. I have traversed the globe in all manner of accommodations, and I have come to appreciate fast travel and enjoy the comfort of not having my head hit the roof as well

as the luxury of having plenty of leg room.”

I looked across the parking lot. “The little ones here are kind of cute, but you’re right, traveling a long distance with your head bent because you’re too tall is not a fun thing.”

We pulled over and parked in front of the gate. Mr. Kadam didn’t stop to purchase a map of the area.

He said he remembered it pretty well. He led me to the first and largest structure, the Virupaksha Temple. It was about ten stories tall and resembled a giant upside-down waffle cone.

Mr. Kadam pointed ahead and itemized its features, “This temple has courtyards, shrines, and gateways in all of those side buildings. Inside, there is an inner sanctum with pillared halls and cloisters, both closed and open.”

“What are cloisters?”

“You may have seen examples of cloisters in the architecture of Europe. Cloisters are long, arched corridors open to a central courtyard. Come, I will show you.”

We wandered the temple for about an hour and didn’t notice anything special or interesting that would indicate a secret entrance to a lost kingdom. As the day progressed, I became so dazzled by the ruins that I completely forgot our purpose in being there. Everything I saw was amazing. We stopped at another structure called the Stone Chariot. It was a stonework carving of a miniaturized temple set on wheels. The chariot’s wheels were shaped to look like lotus flowers and could even rotate like normal tires.

Another building, called the Vithala Temple, had beautiful statues of women dancing. We listened in on a

tour guide who explained the significance of this temple’s fifty-six pillars.

He said, “When struck, the pillars vibrate, and produce sounds exactly like musical notes. A truly skilled

musician could even play a song on them.”

We stood still for a moment to listen to the columns hum and vibrate as he softly tapped the stone. The magical musical tones thrummed through us, lifted into the air, and slowly faded into nothing. The sound

disappeared long before the vibrations stopped.

We stopped at another building called the Queen’s Bath. Mr. Kadam pointed out its features.

“The Queen’s Bath was a place the king and his wives could relax. There used to be apartments there and there.” He gestured to the gray buildings surrounding the center. “Balconies jutted out from the rectangular buildings, and the women would sit, look over the bathing pool, and relax. An aqueduct pumped water into the brick pool, and there used to be a small flower garden off to the side, over here, where the women could lounge and have picnics. The pool was about fifty feet long and six feet deep.

Perfume was poured into the water to make it more fragrant, and flower petals were strewn across the surface. Lotus-shaped fountains surrounded the pool as well. You can still see a few of them. A canal surrounded the entire structure so that only the king could enter and frolic with the women. All other would-be suitors were kept out.”

I frowned at him. “Umm, if the king was the only man to enter…how is it that you know so many details

about the ladies’ pool?”

He stroked his beard and grinned.

Shocked, I whispered, “Mr. Kadam! You didn’t break into the king’s harem, did you?”

He shrugged his shoulders lightly. “It was a rite of passage for a young man to try to break into the Queen’s Bath, and several died trying. I happen to be one of the brave few who lived through the experience.”

I laughed. “Well, I have to say, my whole opinion of you has changed. Breaking into a harem! Who would’ve thought?”

I walked a few more steps and then spun around. “Wait a minute…a rite of passage, did you say? Did Ren and Kishan…?”

He paused and raised his hands. “It might be better if you asked them yourself. I wouldn’t want to say the wrong thing.”

I grunted, “Hmm. That question has definitely moved to the top of my list for Ren.”

We moved on to tour the House of Victory, the Lotus Mahal, and the Mahanavami Dibba, but we didn’t see anything particularly interesting or outstanding there. The Noblemen’s Palace was a place for diplomatic meetings and high-ranking officials to be wined and dined. The King’s Balance was a building

used by the kings to weigh gold, money, and grains in trade, and was also used to distribute goods to the poor.

My favorite place was the Elephant Stables. A long, cavernous structure, it had housed eleven elephants in its heyday. Mr. Kadam explained that those elephants were not used for battle, but for ritual. They were the king’s private stock—highly trained and used for various ceremonies. Often, they were dressed in golden cloth and jewels, and their skin was painted. The building had ten domes of different sizes and shapes that rested on the top of each elephant’s apartment. He explained that other elephants were kept also to do menial labor and construction, but that these would have been special.

A large statue of Ugra Narasimha was the last thing that we saw. When I asked Mr. Kadam what he represented, I didn’t get an answer. He walked around the structure, looking at it from many different angles while thinking and mumbling quietly to himself. I shaded my eyes and studied the top of it.

He came back around to my side and asked, “What was it you said, Miss Kelsey?”

“I asked who he is. He’s a pretty ugly fellow.”

“He was created to be frightening. It made him seem more powerful. Ugra Narasimha is a god who is half man and half lion, though he can assume other forms as well. He is most famous for slaying a powerful demon king. What’s interesting is the demon king could not be killed either on earth or in space,

during day or night, not inside or outside, by neither human nor animal, nor by any object that was dead or alive.”

“You sure seem to have a lot of unslayable demons running around in India. So how did he kill the demon king?”

“Ah, Ugra Narasimha was very clever. He picked up the demon king, placed him on his lap, and then killed him at twilight, on a doorstep, with his claws.”

I laughed. “Sounds like Miss Scarlett, in the conservatory, with a candlestick.”

Mr. Kadam chuckled. “Indeed, it does.”

“Hmm, day or night…that’s twilight, inside or outside was doorstep, and he was half human and half lion, so that covers animal/human requirement. Not on earth or space is on his lap… what was the other one?”

He answered, “He could not be killed by an object that was dead or alive, specifically, animate or inanimate, so he used his claws.”

“Huh. Thatis pretty clever.”

“I’m impressed, Kelsey. You figured out most of those on your own. If you look closely, you can see that he is sitting on the coils of a seven-headed snake, and their heads are arching above him, hoods open, to provide shade for his head.”

I grimaced. “Uh-huh, those are snakes alright.”

I twitched my arm uncomfortably and peeked over at my golden snake. She still looked like a hard piece of jewelry.

Mr. Kadam started muttering to himself again and spent a long time examining the statue.

“What are you looking for, Mr. Kadam?”

“Part of the prophecy sayslet serpents guide you . Before, I thought it might only mean your golden snake, but perhaps the plural is important.”

I joined him in looking for a secret doorway or a handprint like the one I found before, but I couldn’t see

anything. We tried to be casual as we studied the statue to avoid calling attention to ourselves.

Finally giving up, Mr. Kadam said, “I think it might be a good idea if you and Dhiren return here this evening. I have a suspicion that this might be the correct place for you to begin looking for the entrance to

Kishkindha. For now, let’s get something to eat, shall we?”

We returned to the Jeep and drove to a local stand to purchase an early dinner, then we went back to get Ren. We met him at the stand of trees where we’d dropped him off and decided it was a good place for our picnic dinner. I tore off pieces of Tandoori chicken for him, which he carefully nibbled from my hand, and talked about the different buildings we’d investigated.

Mr. Kadam explained to us that the ruins were closed to visitors at sundown unless there was a special event taking place. “Most evenings, guards are standing watch, looking out for treasure hunters.

“In fact,” he elaborated, “treasure hunters are responsible for much of the destruction you see in the ruins

now. They seek gold and jewels, but those things were taken from Hampi long ago. The treasures of Hampi now are the very things they are destroying.”

Mr. Kadam felt that it would be best if he dropped Ren and me off at a location on the other side of the hills because the back way didn’t have any roads leading into Hampi, and it wasn’t guarded as well.

“But if there aren’t any roads, then how will you be able to drop us off?”

He grinned. “Off-roading is one of the reasons Ibought the Jeep, Miss Kelsey.” He rubbed his hands together animatedly. “It will be exciting!”

I groaned and muttered, “Fantastic. I feel nauseous already.”

“You will need to carry the gada in your backpack, Kelsey. Do you think you can manage?”

“Sure. It’s not that heavy, really.”

He stopped what he was doing and looked at me, puzzled.

“What do you mean it’s not heavy? It is actually quite heavy.” He pulled it free from its wrapping and hefted it with two hands, straining his muscles to hold it.

Puzzled, I mumbled, “That’s weird. I remember it being light for its size.” I walked over and took the gada from him, and we were both shocked that I could easily lift it with one hand. He took it back again and tried to lift it with one hand, and he again faltered under its weight.

“To me it feels like fifty pounds.”

I took it back again. “For me it feels like maybe five to ten pounds.”

“Amazing,” he marveled.

Shocked, I added, “I had no idea it actually weighed that much.”

Mr. Kadam took it from me again, wrapped it in a soft blanket, and then placed it in my backpack. We hopped back into the Jeep, and he drove us along a back road, which changed to a dirt road, which changed to gravel, which changed to two lines in the dust, and then disappeared altogether.

He let us out and set up a mini-camp, assuring me that Ren would be able to find his way back. He also gave me a small flash-light, a copy of the prophecy, and then he included a warning: “Don’t use the flashlight unless you have to. Be sparing because there are security guards walking through the ruins at night. Be alert. Ren can smell them coming, so you should be alright. Also, I would suggest that Ren stay

in tiger form as much as possible in case you should need him for something later.” He squeezed my shoulders and smiled at me. “Good luck, Kelsey. Remember that you might not find anything at all. We might have to start all over again tomorrow night. Don’t fret and pressure yourself.”

“Okay. Well…here goes nothing!”

I began trailing after Ren. The moonless night allowed the stars to glisten with extra brilliance in the black, velvety sky. Beautiful though it was, I wished the moon were out so I could see. Fortunately, Ren’s white hide was easy to follow. Pits and holes dotted the terrain, and I had to be extra careful. I didn’t even want to think about what kinds of creatures had made those holes. It would be bad timing to trip and break my ankle.

After a few minutes of stumbling, a greenish light began to softly glow in front of me. I looked around and finally figured out that the light was coming from Fanindra’s jeweled eyes. She lit the dark countryside for me, providing a special kind of night vision. Everything was clearly outlined, but it still felt

creepy, like I was walking across alien terrain on some weird green planet.

After almost an hour of walking, we arrived at the outskirts of the ruins. Ren slowed and smelled the air.

A cool breeze wafted over the hills and freshened the warm evening. He must have decided the coast was clear because he continued forward quickly.

We made our way through the ruins, striking a path toward the statue where Mr. Kadam wanted us to start our search. The ruins that had been stunning during the day now hovered over me, casting dark shadows. Beautiful archways and pillars that I had admired were now gaping black maws waiting to devour me. The gentle breeze I had appreciated earlier wound its way through passageways and doors that whistled and moaned, as if ancient ghosts were announcing our presence.

Hair on the back of my neck prickled as I imagined eyes watching us and demons lurking in hazy hallways. When we finally neared the statue, Ren started moving around it, sniffing, and searching out hidden crevices. After an hour of searching and finding nothing, I was ready to give up, head back to Mr.

Kadam, and get some sleep.

“I’m exhausted, Ren. Too bad we don’t have an offering and a bell. Maybe the statue would come alive.

Hmm?”

He sat next to me, and I patted his head for a moment. I looked up at the statue, and an idea popped into my head. I mumbled, “A bell…I wonder…” I got up and ran to the Vithala Temple with its musical columns. I lightly tapped on one three times, hoping that no guards would hear it, and ran back to the statue. The eyes on the seven-headed snake were now glowing red, and a small carving of Durga had appeared on the side of the statue.

“This is it! The sign of Durga! Okay, we’re doing something right. What do we do next? An offering?”

I

moaned in frustration. “But we don’t have anything to offer!”

The mouth of the statue opened, and wispy, gray mist started pouring out of it. Puffs of the cold, smoky vapor rolled down the statue’s body, spilled over the ground, and began to expand in all directions. Red snake eyes were soon the only thing I could still make out. I kept my hand on Ren’s head for reassurance.

I decided to climb the stone carving and search the head of the statue for some sign. Ren growled an objection, but I ignored him and began climbing up. It didn’t matter because I still found nothing to lead us further. As I hopped down from the statue, I misjudged the distance to the ground and tripped. Ren was at my side instantly. I wasn’t hurt, but being encompassed by the swirling fog was chilling.

Just then, I remembered Mr. Kadam’s story about Ugra Narasimha. I thought for a minute. “Ren, maybe if we repeat the actions that Ugra Narasimha performed, the statue will lead us to the next step.

Let’s try to reenact Ugra Narasimha’s famous task.”

He brushed against my hand in the darkness.

“Okay, there are five parts. The first thing we need is an animal/human, so that’s you. Here, stand next to me. You can be Ugra Narasimha, and I’ll be the demon king. Next, we need to be standing somewhere that isn’t inside or outside, so…let’s look for some steps or a doorway.”

I felt around the statue. “I think there was a little doorway here, near the statue.” I stretched out my hand

and felt the stone door frame. We both stepped under it.

“The third part was neither day nor night. It’s too late for dusk or twilight. I guess I can try using my flashlight.” I clicked my little flashlight on and off, hoping that would be enough.

“Then there was the part about claws. You do have those. Umm, I think you have to scratch me. The story says kill, but I think scratching me might work.” I flinched. “You might need to draw blood though.”

I heard his chest rumble in protest. “It’s okay. Just do a small scratch. It’s no big deal.”

He growled again softly, but then he lifted his paw and set it gently on my arm. I’d seen him hunt from a

distance and had also seen his claws during his fight with Kishan. As the flashlight shined on his extended

claws, I couldn’t help but feel a little scared. I closed my eyes and heard a soft growl as he swiped, but I didn’t feel anything.

I shone the flashlight all over my legs and didn’t see anything. I knew he’d done something, though, because I’d heard his claws tear through flesh. Immediately, I had a suspicion and aimed the flashlight on

his white body, searching for where he’d hurt himself.

“Ren!Let me see. How bad is it?”

He lifted his leg, and I saw vicious rips where his claws had raked the flesh. Blood was freely dripping on the ground.

I was angry. “I know you can heal fast, butreally , Ren. Did you have to wound yourself so deeply? You know it might not work anyway ifI don’t bleed. I appreciate your sacrifice, but I still want you to slashme

. I’m the one representing the demon king, so cutme .” I added, “Preferably not as deep as that.”

He still wouldn’t lift his paw. I had to bend over and actually lift his heavy paw myself. When I finally positioned it over my arm, he retracted his claws. I begged, “Ren.Please…pleasecooperate. This is hard enough as it is.”

He allowed his claws to peek out halfway, and he lightly scratched my arm, barely leaving a mark at all.

“Ren…doit, please. Now would be good.”

He growled softly in protest and scratched me harder. The scratch marks left angry red welts down the length of my forearm. Two of the scratches bled lightly.

“Thanks.” I flinched.

I adjusted my flashlight to see his scratches again, which were almost healed already. Satisfied, I moved on to the last item. “Now, the last one was that the demon kind can’t stand either in heaven or on the earth. Ugra set the demon on his lap, which means I guess I have to…sit on your back.”

Awkward.Even though Ren was a big tiger and it would be like riding a small pony, I was still conscious

that he was a man, and I didn’t feel right about turning him into a pack animal. I took off my backpack and set it down wondering what I could do to make this a bit less embarrassing. Mustering the courage to sit on his back, I’d just decided that it wouldn’t be too bad if I sat sidesaddle, when my feet flew out from under me.

Ren had changed into a man and swept me up in his arms. I wiggled for a minute, protesting, but he just gave me a look. The don’t-even-bother-coming-up-with-an-argument look. I shut my mouth. He leaned over to pick up the backpack and let it dangle from his fingers, then said, “What’s next?”

“I don’t know. That’s all that Mr. Kadam told me.”

He shifted me in his arms, walked over to stand in the doorway again, then peered up at the statue.

He murmured, “I don’t see any changes.”

He held me securely while looking at the statue and, I have to admit, I totally stopped caring about what we were doing. The scratches on my arm that had been throbbing a moment ago didn’t bother me at all.

I let myself enjoy the feeling of being cuddled up close to his muscular chest. What girl didn’t want to be swept up in the arms of a drop-dead gorgeous man? I allowed my gaze to drift up to his beautiful face.

The thought occurred to me that ifI were to carve a stone god, I’d pick Ren as my subject. This Ugra half lion and half man guy had nothing on Ren.

Eventually, he realized I was watching him, and said, “Hello? Kells? Breaking a curse here, remember?”

I just smiled back stupidly.

He quirked an eyebrow at me. “What were you thinking about just now?”

“Nothing important.”

He grinned at me. “May I remind you that you are in prime tickling position, and there’s no escape. Tell me.”

Gads. His smile was brilliant, even in the fog. I laughed nervously. “If you tickle me, I’ll protest and struggle violently, which will cause you to drop me and ruin what we’re trying to accomplish.”

He grunted and leaned close to my ear, then whispered, “That sounds like an interesting challenge, rajkumari . Perhaps we’ll experiment on it later. And just for the record,Kelsey , Iwouldn’t drop you.”

The way he said my name made goose bumps rise all over my arms. When I looked down to quickly rub them, I noticed the flashlight was off. I switched it on, but the statue remained the same. I sighed and suggested, “Nothing’s happening. Maybe we need to wait till dawn.”

He laughed throatily while nuzzling my ear and declared softly, “I’d say that somethingis happening, but

not the something that will open the doorway.” He trailed soft, slow kisses from my ear down my neck. I sighed faintly and arched my neck to give him better access. With a last kiss, he groaned and reluctantly raised his head.

Disappointed that he’d stopped, I asked, “What does rajkumari mean?”

He laughed quietly, carefully set me down, and said, “It means princess. Let’s find a good place to sleep for a couple of hours, shall we? I’ll run back and tell Mr. Kadam that we’re planning to wait till dawn to try again.”

He took my hand and led me to a grassy spot hidden from view. Once I was settled, he left. I bunched my blanket up under my head and attempted to sleep. Restless until Ren returned, I finally snuggled against his tiger back and fell asleep.

I awoke to find myself moving, nestled in Ren’s arms. He was carrying me back to the doorway. I sleepily mumbled, “You don’t have to carry me. I can walk.”

He smiled. “You were tired, and I didn’t have the heart to wake you. Besides, we’re here already.”

It was still dark outside, but the eastern horizon was just starting to lighten. The statue was the same as we’d left it—with red snake eyes glowing and mist seeping out from the mouth. We stood in the doorway for a moment. I immediately felt something twist and move. It was Fanindra. She suddenly came alive, swelled to her normal size, and unwound herself from my arm. Ren lowered me closer to the ground so she could drop delicately to the dirt below. She wound her way toward the statue and found a way to climb up to the top where the snake heads were resting.

We watched from the steps as she weaved over and under the seven snakes. As she passed them, they too came alive and writhed back and forth. We could see the coils that the statue was sitting on slowly change to scaly flesh.

Fanindra made her way back down and slithered over to Ren and me. Winding her body into loops, she stiffened and shrunk back to her golden armlet form. Ren set me down and walked over to pick her up.

He slid her carefully up my arm, smiled at me, then traced the scratches on my arm lightly and frowned.

He brushed a light kiss on the tender skin and changed back into a tiger.

We approached the statue where the wriggling snake torso was now moving and shifting. The snake coils lifted and slowly raised the statue higher and higher in the air, until a black void opened up underneath. It raised high enough that there was space for Ren and me to step down into the opening.

Peering into the hole, I saw a series of stone steps that disappeared down into the darkness. The mouth of the statue suddenly stopped emitting fog; instead, began to draw it back in. Fog swept back toward us, up into the mouth of the statue, and dropped down into the pit below.

I gulped and turned my flashlight toward the steps. We stepped between the thick snake coils, and Ren and I descended into a fog of nebulous shadow.

CHAPTER 20

We walked carefully down the stone steps depending on the weak illumination of my tiny flashlight.

When we reached the bottom, Fanindra’s eyes began to glow and gave the tunnel an eerie, viridian illumination. I stopped Ren and opened the paper that Mr. Kadam had pressed into my hand before we last parted. He had written the prophecy down and had included some of his notes. I read the whole page out loud to Ren.

For protection, seek her temple

And take hold of Durga’s blessing

Travel west and search Kishkindha

Where simians rule the ground

Gada strike in Hanuman’s realm

And hunt the branch that’s bound

Thorny grasping dangers above

Lovely dazzling dangers below

Strangle, ensnare, the ones you love

And trap in brackish undertow

Lurid phantoms thwart your route

And guardians wait to bar your way

Beware once they begin pursuit

Embrace in moldering decay

But all of these you can refute

As serpents find forbidden fruit

And India’s hunger satisfy

Lest all her people surely die

There are several trials you must face when you enter Kishkindha, so be wary. I have also included the warnings from Durga as you described them. She said that you should try to stay near Dhiren. If for some

reason you get separated, there is great danger for you. She also said do not trust your eyes. Your hearts and your souls will tell you the difference between fantasy and reality. The last thing she said was that when you obtain the fruit, hide it well.

Bhagyashalin!

May you be endowed with Luck!

Anik Kadam

I mumbled, “I have no clue what these dangers might be. The thorny ones are obviously some kind of plant…at least I hope so.”

We started walking, and I babbled along the way about what kind of animals might have thorns.

“Let’s see. There are stegosaurus. No, stegosauruses. Hmm, maybe it’s stegosauri. Well, however you say the plural, there are those kinds of dinosaurs. Then there are dragons, porcupines, and we can’t forget horny toads. If Ihad to pick a thorny animal, that would be my number one choice. Oh! But what if

the horny toads are giant? With huge gaping mouths. They could swallow us whole! Maybe we should get the gada out of the backpack, huh?” I took it out. The hiking would probably be bad enough as it was without hauling around the weighty club but it made me feel better.

The tunnel soon turned into a stony path. The farther we walked, the brighter it became. Fanindra’s eyes dimmed, and her light went out. Her eyes became mere glittering emeralds again. Somethingweird was going on. My weirdness meter had expanded considerably in the last few weeks, but this was weird even for me.

I couldn’t really tellwhere the light was coming from. It seemed to filter in from ahead.Literally , we were

following a light at the end of the tunnel. There was a dream-like quality to the place. It wasn’t bright, but

it wasn’t dark either. My recent nightmares have been very powerful. Ren, Kishan, Mr. Kadam, and now Durga were all a part of them. A lurking evil seemed to permeate my subconscious. I think it was embodied in the man I dreamed about who killed Ren. He chased me, thwarted my progress, and hurt those I cared about. This place felt like one of my nightmares. I felt as if we were walking in a surreal kind of dream.

The roiling mist seemed to follow us. As we walked, it surged slightly ahead to hinder our view of the path. When we stopped, it gathered itself and circulated around us like small nebulous clouds in orbit.

The cold, gray mist swirled around our feet and explored our skin with icy fingers as if looking for an Achilles’ heel.

The corridor began to feel different. Instead of walking on stone, my feet sunk slightly into moist ground,

and I could hear the crunch my shoes made on the stubby grass. The walls became mossy, then grassy, and soon were covered with small fern-like plants. I wondered how they could survive in this humid, dim

environment.

The walls grew farther apart, and I couldn’t make them out anymore. The ceiling opened up to a gray sky. Sky may be the wrong term. There was no depth to it, and yet I couldn’t see an end. It reminded me of an I-MAX or a biosphere dome, but it wasn’t manmade. It was like we’d stepped on another planet.

Our path turned downward, and I had to focus on my feet in front of me. We entered a forest full of strange plants and trees. They rocked on their roots as if the wind was pushing them, but I didn’t feel a hint of breeze. The trees were so close together and the brush was so thick that the path became difficult to see, and then it disappeared altogether.

Ren stayed in front and tore a trail with his body. The trees had long branches that drooped to the ground like weeping willows. Their tendrils were feathery and tickled my skin as I passed. I reached up to scratch my neck and found it wet.

I must be sweating. Strange, I don’tfeeloverworked. Maybe water fell from the branch.

Something was smeared on my hand. The greenish light gave the liquid a brown appearance.What is that? Tree sap? No! Blood!

I plucked a feathery leaf to get a closer look. When I examined it, I was surprised to find tiny needles lining the underbelly. I reached out a finger to touch one, and the needles swelled, lifting out toward my finger. I moved my finger back and forth, and the needles shifted, following my finger like a magnet.

“Ren, stop! The branches are scratching us. They have needles underneath that follow our movements.

They’re the thorny grasping dangers!”

When he stopped, feathery branches slowly slithered down from above and wrapped around his neck and tail. He jumped away and tore them viciously from the tree.

“Ren, we have to run or they’ll ensnare us!”

He doubled his effort to break through the undergrowth; I jogged after him. The forest seemed to go on forever with no sign of the trees thinning. After another fifteen minutes, I slowed, feeling extremely tired. I

just couldn’t run anymore.

I panted, “Ren, I’m slowing you down. Go on ahead without me. Break through the tree line. You can make it.”

He stopped, turned around, and raced quickly back to my side. The branches started snaking down and began to wrap their curly tendrils around his body.

He roared and rolled, then slashed at the branches with his claws, which made them retreat for a moment. I felt one twisting its way around my arm and knew that this was it for me. Tears welled up in my eyes, and I knelt to stroke Ren’s cheek.

I begged, “Ren, go.Please leave me.”

He shifted form and placed his hand over mine.

“I won’t leave you, Kelsey.” He smiled sadly. “We have to stay together. Remember?”

I swallowed and nodded as he gently removed the curly branch from my arm and batted away another one that was reaching out for my neck.

“Come on.”

He grabbed the gada out of my hand and started beating it against the branches, but they just tried to wrap their sharp green fingers around the weapon, unaffected by its power. Then he moved to a trunk and beat it severely. Immediately, the tree gathered into itself. Branches folded in toward the trunk and wrapped around it protectively. Ren stepped in front of me and cautioned me to wait by the injured tree.

He walked ahead a few paces and swung the gada.

He thrashed the tree trunks, leaving gaping, pulpy wounds as he went. I followed a length behind as he made his slow progress through the forest. The branches seemed to know what he was up to and tore at him viciously. Ren seemed to have an endless amount of energy. I winced as I watched the cuts and scrapes appear across every bare patch of skin. His back was soon lacerated, his shirt torn and bloody.

He looked like he’d been brutally whipped with a cat-o’-nine-tails.

At last, we reached the edge of the eternal needle forest and stopped in a clearing. He pulled me out of the reach of the branches and allowed his body to collapse to the ground. He bent over, sweating and panting from his exertion. I took some water out of my backpack and offered it to him; he drank the entire bottle in one gulp.

I leaned over and touched his arm. His body was slippery with sweat. I got out another water bottle and an old T-shirt and began cleaning the dirt from his cuts and bruises. I pressed the cool, wet cloth to his face and back. He started to relax and breathe slower as I continued my ministrations. His cuts quickly began to heal, and as my worry over Ren diminished, I realized something.

“Ren! You’ve been a man now for much longer than twenty-four minutes. How do you feel?”

He rubbed his hand on his chest. “I feel…fine. I don’t feel the pull to change back.”

“Maybe this is all we need to do. Maybe you’re cured!”

He considered for a minute. “No, I don’t think so. I have a feeling that we need to move on.”

“Why don’t you test it? See if you can become a tiger or not.”

He changed to a tiger and changed back.

“Perhaps it’s just the magic of this place that allows me to be human.”

My face must have appeared crestfallen.

He laughed and kissed my fingers. “Don’t worry, Kells. I’ll be fully human soon, but for now I’ll take this gift as long as I can keep it.”

He winked at me and grinned, and then he leaned over to pull me closer so he could have a turn at examiningmy injuries. He inspected my arms, legs, and neck. He swiped a wet towel down my arms and cleaned my cuts with healing tenderness. I knew that his injuries were much more severe than mine, so I tried to dissuade him, but he wouldn’t have it.

He declared, “Everything checks out okay. You have one wicked scratch on your neck, but I think it’ll heal fine.” He bathed the back of my neck with the towel and pressed it there for a moment. Then he tugged at the collar of my T-shirt with his finger. “Are there ah…anyother places you want me to check out for you?”

I batted his hand away. “No, thank you. Thoseother places I can check for myself.”

He laughed and grinned good-naturedly, then stood and helped me up. He put on my backpack and hefted the gada over one shoulder. He offered me his hand and began walking.

We passed more of the needle trees, but they were spaced much farther apart and were mixed in with some normal, non-killer types of trees, so we were able to stay out of their range.

He twined his fingers through mine. “You know…it’s nice just to walk with you and not be worried about how much time I have left.”

“Hmm, yes,” I agreed.

He seemed happy despite our situation. I thought about how hard it must be for him, knowing that he had only a few minutes per day to be a man and trying to make the most of each and every minute. He felt like this creepy place was a gift. His cheerful mood eventually affected me too. I knew that worse challenges probably awaited us, but walking alongside Ren, I didn’t care. I let myself enjoy my time with him.

We found a dirt path again and started to follow it. The path led toward some hills and a large tunnel that

we assumed led through them. There was no other place to go, so we entered slowly, keeping a careful watch of our surroundings. Torches lined the stone walls, and many other tunnels led off from the main one. I jumped as I saw something pass by in a side passage.

“Ren! I saw something in there.”

“I saw something too.”

It seemed we were in a vast honeycomb of tunnels, and figures kept appearing at the edge of our vision.

I pressed my body close against Ren, and he draped an arm around my shoulders.

I heard a voice, a woman’s voice, cry softly, “Ren? Ren? Ren? Ren?”

It echoed from tunnel to tunnel.

“I’m here,Kells !Kells !Kells !”

Ren looked at me apprehensively and squeezed my shoulder. The voices were ours. He let go of me and pulled the gada out to a ready position in front of him. Walking warily in front, he watched the other tunnels very carefully. I heard screams and running footsteps, growling tigers, and screeches. I stopped walking for a moment and stood in front of one of the tunnels.

“Kelsey!Help me!” Ren appeared in the side tunnel. He was fighting a group of monkeys that were scratching and biting him. He changed to a tiger, sunk his teeth into them, and ripped them apart. It was gruesome!

I took a step backward, feeling afraid. Then I froze and remembered Durga’s warning about staying together. I turned around and saw two other tunnels that hadn’t been there before. Two Rens were walking straight ahead with the gada in front, one in each tunnel.Which was the main tunnel? Which one was the real Ren?

I heard running footsteps behind me and hastily chose the one on the right. I hurried to catch up to him, but it seemed the closer I got, the farther away he was. I knew I’d chosen the wrong path.

I called out to him, “Ren!”

He didn’t turn toward me. I stopped and looked in other tunnels for a sign of him. I saw Kishan and Ren fighting as tigers in one tunnel. Mr. Kadam was in a swordfight with a man who looked like my nightmare

guy in another.

I hurried from tunnel to tunnel. Several passageways flashed scenes of my life. My grandma beckoned me to help her plant flowers. My high school teacher was asking me questions. There was even one with my parents. They were calling out to me. I gasped, and tears filled my eyes.

I screamed aloud, “No…no…no! This can’t be happening! Where’s Ren?”

“Kelsey. Kelsey! Where are you?”

“Ren! I’m here!”

I heard my voice, but I hadn’t said anything. I looked in an-other tunnel and saw Ren running up to approach…me. Only it wasn’t me.I was me. Ren came close tome , or rather, thething that looked like me, and stroked her face.

“Kelsey, are you okay?”

I heard thething respond, “Yes. I’m fine.”

It turned its head and looked straight at me while Ren kissed its cheek. The image morphed, and with a sharp, shattering noise, the face melted intodeath . It smiled insidiously at me, and I shivered with revulsion as I looked at a putrid corpse blooming with maggots.

I approached the tunnel entrance and yelled at Ren to stop, but he couldn’t hear me. There was some kind of barrier blocking me so I couldn’t enter. The corpse snickered at me and waved a hand. The image became obscure, and I could no longer make out their forms.

Infuriated, I pounded on the barrier, but it had no effect. After a few moments, the barrier disappeared, and I was staring into a long black tunnel lit with torches, just like the dozens of others that I’d passed by

before.

I gave up and moved on. I passed a Ren who was cowering on the ground, forlorn and self-deprecating.

He was sobbing and bemoaning his losses. He spoke of all the mistakes he’d made and how wrong he’d been about everything. He begged for forgiveness, but he could find no absolution. The things he mentioned having done were ineffable, horrible, awful things. Things that I knew Ren had never done and

couldn’t even imagine doing. His body was angular and broken, and it was indescribably heartbreaking.

I was indignant. This was too much! It was so awful to see someone I cared about broken down into nothing that I became furious. Someone or something was playing games with us, and I hated it. What was worse was knowing that the same things were happening to Ren somewhere in these tunnels. Who knew how they were representingme !

I moved on to another tunnel and saw an upright and proud Ren with his back turned to me.

I called out cautiously, “Ren? Is that really you?”

He turned around and smiled his beautiful smile, and then he held out his arms to me and beckoned me closer.

“Kelsey!Finally ! What took you so long? Where have you been?”

With great relief, I wrapped my arms around him as he pulled me close. He held me and rubbed my back.

Puzzled, I inquired, “Ren? Where’s the backpack and the gada?” I pulled back and looked up into his handsome face.

“We don’t need it anymore. Shh, now. Just stay here with me for a minute.”

I moved back quickly and took a few steps away. “You’re not Ren.”

He laughed. “Sure I am, Kelsey. What do I have to do to prove it to you?”

“No! Something’s wrong! You’re not him!” I ran out of the tunnel and kept running until my lungs were

about to explode.

I got nowhere. I just passed tunnel after tunnel. Slowing to a stop, I breathed hard, trying to think about what I should do. Ren had the gada and the backpack. He would never discard them. So he still had them somewhere, and I had nothing. No! That wasn’t true. I did have something!

I pulled the paper out of my jeans pocket and read through the warnings again.

If you get separated, do not trust your eyes.

Your hearts will tell you the difference between fantasy and reality.

Do not trust my eyes. Well, that was obvious at this point. So my heart will help me tell the difference.

Okay, follow my heart. How do I do that?

I decided to just continue walking and keep an open mind. Each tunnel I passed, I stopped to watch for a minute and then closed my eyes and tried tofeel if it was right. Usually, whatever or whoever was in there doubled their efforts. They talked and cajoled, trying to tempt me to go in after them. I continued in

this way, passing several tunnels, and none of the places where I stoppedfelt right.

I came to another passageway and paused to examine the scene. I saw myself dead and lying on the ground with Ren kneeling beside me. He leaned over my inert body investigating.

I heard his soft whisper, “Kelsey? Is it you? Kelsey,please . Talk to me. I need to know if it’s really you.”

He picked my body up and cradled it lovingly in his arms. I checked to make sure he had the gada and the backpack, which he did, but I’d been fooled before.

Then he said, “Don’t leave me, Kells.”

I closed my eyes and listened to his voice begging me to live. My heart started thumping wildly, a different reaction than I’d had in the past visions. I took a step closer and hit a barrier again.

I answered his query softly, “Ren? I’m here. Don’t give up.”

He raised his head as if he heard me.

“Kelsey? I can hear you, but I can’t see you. Where are you?”

He lowered me, or the body that looked like me, to the ground, and it disappeared.

I told him, “Close your eyes andfeel your way to me.”

He stood slowly and closed his eyes.

I closed my eyes too, and tried to focus not on his voice but on his heart. I imagined my hand on his chest, feeling the strong thump, thump, thump of his heart beneath my fingers. My body seemed to move

of its own volition, and I took several steps forward. I concentrated on Ren, his laugh, his smile, how I felt being near him…then, suddenly, my hand touched his chest, and Icould feel his heart beating. He was

there. I opened my eyes slowly and looked at him.

He reached out a hand to touch my hair, but then he pulled it back. “Is it really you this time, Kells?”

“Well, I’m no maggoty corpse, if that’s what you mean.”

He grinned. “That’s a relief. No maggoty corpse would bethat sarcastic.”

I countered, “Well, how do I know it’s reallyyou ?”

He considered my question for a moment and then ducked his head to kiss me. He tugged me flush up against his chest, pulling me closer than I even thought possible. His lips started warm and soft, but quickly turned hungry and demanding. His hands ran up my arms, to my shoulders, and then cupped my neck. I wrapped my arms around his waist and luxuriated in the kiss. When he finally pulled back, my heart was pounding in response.

When the power of speech returned, I quipped, “Well, even if itisn’t really you, I’ll take this version.”

He laughed and relief flooded both of us. “Kells, I think you’d better hold my hand the rest of the way.”

I smiled gaily back at him. “No problem.”

Thrilled to havemy Ren back, I was able to ignore the calls and beseeching inquiries coming from the side passages.

A light appeared at the far end of the tunnel, and we made our way there. Ren held my hand tightly until we emerged from the opening and stood well away from it. We stopped next to a meandering creek that curved off behind some trees.

It felt like noon here, wherever here was. We decided to take a break and eat. Munching on an energy bar, Ren said, “I’d prefer to avoid the trees and stay closer to the creek bed. I’m hoping that if we follow it a little farther, it’ll lead us to Kishkindha.” I nodded in agreement and wondered what else was waiting for us around the next corner.

Feeling refreshed, we pushed on and followed the creek. The water was running ahead of us, which, according to Ren, meant we were walking downstream. The bank was pebbly and full of smooth river rocks. Picking up a gray stone, I tossed it up and down as I walked and lost myself in thought. The weight and feel of the rock changed. I opened my hand and peered at it. It had transformed into a smooth, sparkling emerald! I stopped and looked down at the rocks underfoot. They were still gray and dull, but as they disappeared under the water, I saw shimmering jewels instead.

“Ren! Look here! Under the water!” I pointed out the jewels glittering below. The farther out in the river

I looked, the bigger the jewels were. “Do you see that? Out there? There’s a ruby the size of an ostrich egg!” I had just leaned over to pluck a large diamond from the water when I felt Ren wrap his arms around me from behind and pull me back several feet.

He whispered against my cheek while pointing to the river, “Look over there. There, out of the corner of

your eye. What do you see?”

“I don’t see anything.”

“Use your peripheral vision.”

Right next to the diamond, an image glimmered slightly beneath the water. It looked like a white monkey,

but hairless. Its long arms were stretched up, reaching out toward me.

“It was trying to grab you.”

I quickly tossed the emerald into the creek. The water swirled and hissed where it hit, then it quieted and

calmed again to become as smooth as silk. When I looked directly at the jewels, that’s all I could see, but when I looked out of the corner of my eye, I could see water monkeys everywhere, floating just under the surface. It appeared they used their tails to anchor their bodies to tree roots and underwater plants, just like sea horses.

Ren mumbled, “I wonder if they could be Kappa?”

“What are Kappa?”

“A demon from Asia my mother used to tell me about. They lurked in water, waiting to catch children and suck their blood.”

“Vampire sea horse monkeys? Are you serious?”

He shrugged. “Apparently, they are real. Mother told me about them when I was young. She said that children in China were taught to show respect for their elders by bowing. They were told that if they didn’t bow, the Kappa would get them. You see, the Kappa have depressions on the tops of their heads that are full of water. As long as they have the liquid there, they can come out of the water. The only way

to save yourself if one comes after you is to bow.”

“How does bowing save you?”

“If you bow to a Kappa, they will bow back. When they do, the water spills out of the top of their head, which leaves them defenseless.”

“Well, if they can come out of the water, why haven’t they attacked?”

He pondered thoughtfully. “They usually attack only children, or so I was told. My mother told me that her grandmother used to carve the children’s names into fruit or cucumbers and then toss them into the water before bathing. The Kappa would eat the fruit and be satisfied enough that they wouldn’t hurt the bathing children.”

“Did your mother follow that tradition?”

“No. First of all, we were royalty and had our baths drawn for us. Secondly, my mother didn’t believe in

the story. She just shared it with us so we would understand the point, which was that all people and things needed to be treated with respect.”

“I’d like to learn more about your mother sometime. She sounds like a very interesting woman.”

He replied softly, “She was. I would’ve liked for her to know you as well.”

He meticulously scanned the water and pointed out the waiting demon. “That one was grabbing foryou , even though they’re supposed to attack only children. These might be assigned to protect the jewels. If you’d taken one, they probably would’ve pulled you under.”

“Why pull me under? Why not just jump out at me?”

“Kappa usually drown their victims first then take their blood. They stay in the water as much as possible

to protect themselves.”

I backed up to stand next to Ren. “So should we head for the trees again or stay by the creek bed?”

He ran a hand through his hair. “How about we stay some-where in the middle.”

He shouldered the gada again, keeping it ready for attack. “The Kappa seem content to stay in the water for the time being, but let’s try to avoid the branches of the trees too.”

We were able to skirt both the Kappa and the trees, though they did try their best to reach out and grab us. We walked along for another couple of hours.

The creek curved in a long bend that brought us a bit too close for comfort to the trees, but Ren had the gada ready, and a few blows on the close ones took care of any wayward branches.

We came upon an enormous tree that was directly in our path. Its long, snaking branches stretched impossibly far out toward us, needles pricked forward. Ren crouched down, then, with an extraordinary burst of speed, ran ahead and leapt up toward the trunk. The tree’s leafy embrace immediately engulfed him.

I heard a big thump, and the tree quivered and released him. He emerged all scratched and bloody. He walked up to me with a grin on his face that changed into a look of concern because my mouth gaped in wonder as I looked over his head. The tree had been blocking our view, and now that it had folded in on itself, I could see ahead the ghostly gray kingdom of Kishkindha.

CHAPTER 21

We moved past the giant needle tree’s reach and stared at the city. It was more the size of a medieval castle than a city. The river ran down to its wall and split off in two directions, circling it like a moat.

The

walls were built of light gray stone tinged with blue flecks of mica, giving it a sparkling smoky periwinkle

color.

“We’re losing our light, Kelsey. And it’s been a hard day. Why don’t we set up camp here, get some sleep, and enter the city tomorrow.”

“Sounds good to me, I’m beat.”

Ren went off to collect some wood and came back, muttering, “Even the old dead branches can scratch you.”

He threw several branches in the stone ring I’d created and got a fire started. I handed him a bottle of water. Pulling out the little pot, I filled it with water and left it to boil. He went out for more firewood while I bustled about setting up camp, which went rather quickly because I didn’t have the tent this time.

All I could do was clear a space of rocks and branches. After the water was hot, I poured some into both of our dinner packets and waited for the freeze-dried food to rehydrate and become edible. He soon returned, grumbling about the wood, and sat down next to me. I handed him a dinner, and he stirred it quietly.

I spooned up a bite of my hot pasta, blew on it, then chewed and swallowed.

“Ren, do you think those Kappa things will come after us during the night?”

“I don’t think so. They’ve stayed in the water this whole time, and if the story is accurate, they’re also afraid of fire. I’ll just make sure to keep the fire going all night.”

“Well, maybe we should stand watch. Just in case.”

The corner of his mouth quirked up as he took another bite of his dinner. “Okay, who gets the first watch?”

“I do.”

His eyes twinkled with mirth. “Ah, a brave volunteer?”

I glared at him and took another bite. “Are you making fun of me?”

He threw a hand over his heart, “No, ma’am! I already know you’re brave. You have nothing to prove tome .”

He finished his meal, then hunkered down by the woodpile and threw more of the strange branches on.

The fire was bright. The flames licking the wood started burning with a greenish hue at first, then sputtered and crackled like fireworks. The flame changed to a bright reddish-orange tinged with green around the burning branches.

I set down my finished dinner packet and stared into the strange flames. He sat down beside me again and picked up my hand. “Kells, I appreciate you volunteering to stand watch, but I want you to rest. This journey is harder on you than it is on me.”

“You’re the one getting all scratched up. I just follow along behind.”

“Yes, but I heal fast. Besides, I really don’t think there’s anything to worry about. Tell you what, I’ll take

the first watch, and if nothing happens, we’ll both sleep. Agreed?”

I frowned at him.

He started playing with my fingers and turned my hand over so he could trace the lines of my palm.

Firelight flickered across his handsome features. My eyes drifted to his lips.

“Kelsey?” He made eye contact, and I quickly looked away.

I wasn’t used to dealing with him when camping like this. I usually got to make all my own decisions, and

he just followed me around. Er, or I guess I followedhim most places. But, at least when he was a tiger he didn’t argue back.Or distract me with thoughts of being wrapped in his arms kissing him.

He smiled his amazingly white smile and stroked the inside of my arm. “Your skin here is so soft.” He leaned over to nuzzle my ear. My blood started pounding thickly and fogged my brain.

“Kells, tell me you agree with my plan.”

I shook myself free from the spellbinding fog and set my jaw stubbornly. “Fine, I agree,” I mumbled.

“Even though youare coercing me.”

He laughed and moved to look at me. “And howexactly am I coercing you?”

“Well, first of all, you can’t expect me to have coherent thoughts when you’re touching me. Second, you’re too…good looking. Good-looking people usually get whatever they want.”

“Is that right?”

“Sure. All you have to do is bat your eyes, or in your case smile and ask nicely, throw in a distracting touch, and then, before you know it, you get whatever it is you want.”

“Really?” he teased quietly. “I hadno idea I had that effect on you.”

Reaching out a hand, he turned my face toward him. He trailed his fingers lightly from my jaw, down to the pulse at my throat, and then across my neckline. My pulse hammered as he touched the cord tied around my neck and followed its path down to the amulet; then he skimmed his fingers lightly back up to

my neck. I swallowed thickly. He leaned in close and threatened playfully, “I’ll have to use it more to my

advantage in the future.”

I sucked in a breath, my skin tingled, and I quivered slightly, which seemed to make him even more pleased with himself. He went off to walk the perimeter of our camp one last time while I drew up my knees to my chin, wrapped my arms around them, and let my mind drift.

My throat tingled where Ren had touched me. I lifted my hand to the hollow at the base of my neck and fingered the amulet. I briefly thought about Kishan and how dangerous he appeared to be on the surface.

Inside, he was as harmless as a kitten. The dangerous one was Ren. Innocent though the white tiger appeared to be, he was a compelling predator. Utterly irresistible—like a Venus flytrap. So alluring, so tempting, so deadly. Everything he did was seductive and possibly hazardous to my health.

He seemed much more dangerous to me than Kishan with his flirty and blatant comments. Both brothers

were gorgeous and charming. They had old-fashioned chivalrous manners that any girl would swoon over. But the way they talked, the things they said were straightforward. It was not just a game to them.

It was not just a way to pick up women. They were serious.

Kishan was equal to Ren in many ways. In that regard, I could understand Yesubai’s choice, but what made Ren one hundred percent more dangerous for me was…I had feelings for him. I had already loved the tiger part of him before I even knew he was a man.

Being with the man was so much more complicated than being with the tiger. I had to constantly remind myself that they were two sides of the same coin—literally heads and tails. There were so many reasons I

should be with him. There was a definite connection between us. I was undeniably attracted to him. We had a lot in common. I enjoyed my time with him. I liked talking to him and listening to his voice. And, I

felt like I could tell him anything.

But there were also many reasons for me to be cautious. Our relationship felt so complex. All those strange things had been happening so fast. I felt overwhelmed by him. We were from different cultures.

Different countries. Different centuries. We were even from differentspecies for most of the day.

Falling for him would be like cliff diving. It would either be the most exhilarating thing that would ever happen to me or it would be the stupidest mistake I’d ever make. It would make my life worth living or crush me against stony rocks that broke me utterly. It would’ve been much simpler to just be his friend.

Perhaps the wise thing to do would be to slow things down.

He came back, picked up my empty dinner packaging, and stowed it in the backpack. He sat down across from me and asked, “What are you thinking about?”

I kept staring glassily at the fire. “Nothing much.”

He tilted his head and considered me for a moment. He didn’t press me, which I felt grateful for…another characteristic I could add to the pro relationship side of my mental list.

He pressed his hands together palm to palm and rubbed them slowly, mechanically as if cleaning them of

dust. I watched them move, mesmerized.

“I’ll take the first watch, even though I really don’t think it’ll be necessary. I still have my tiger senses, you know. I’ll be able to hear or smell them if they decide to emerge from the water.

“Fine.”

“Are you alright?”

I mentally shook myself. Sheesh! I needed a cold shower! He was like a drug, and what did you do with drugs? You pushed them as far away as possible.

“I’m fine,” I said brusquely, then got up to dig through the backpack. “You let me know when your spideysenses start to tingle.”

“What?”

“Can you also leap tall buildings in a single bound?”

“Well, I still have my tiger strength, if that’s what you mean.”

I grunted, “Fabulous. I’ll add superhero to your list of pros.”

He frowned. “I’m no superhero, Kells. The most important consideration right now is that you get some rest. I’ll keep an eye out for a few hours; then, if nothing happens…,” he said with a grin, “I’ll join you.”

I froze and suddenly became very nervous. Surely, he didn’t mean what that sounded like. I searched his

face for a clue, but he didn’t seem to have any hidden agenda or be planning anything. I fished out my blanket, purposefully moved to the other side of the fire, and tried to get comfortable on the grass. I rolled around, twisting in my blanket until I was mummy-wrapped to keep out the bugs. Tucking my arm

under my head, I stared up at the starless black canopy.

Ren didn’t seem to mind my defection. He made himself comfortable on the other side of the fire and virtually disappeared in the darkness.

I murmured, “Ren? Where do you think we are? I don’t think that’s the sky up above us.”

He replied softly, “I think we’re deep underground somewhere.”

“It feels almost like we’ve crossed over into another world.” I shifted around, trying to find a soft piece of ground. After a restless half hour of wriggling, I sighed in frustration.

“What’s wrong?”

Before I could stop myself, I mumbled, “I’m used to resting my head on a warm tiger-fur pillow is what’s wrong.”

He grunted, “Hmm, let me see what I can do.”

Panicky, I squeaked out, “No, really. I’m okay. Don’t bother.”

He ignored my protests, scooped up my mummy-wrapped self, and set me down again on his side of the fire. He turned me on my side so I faced the fire, lay down behind me, and slid an arm under my neck

to cradle my head.

“Is that more comfortable for you?”

“Uh…yes and no. My head can definitely rest better in this position. Unfortunately, the rest of me is feeling the complete opposite of relaxed.”

“What do you mean? Why can’t you relax?”

“Because! You’re tooclose for me to relax!”

Bemused, he said, “Me being too close never bothered you when I was a tiger.”

“The tiger you and the man you are two completely different things.”

He put his arm around my waist and tugged me closer so we were spooned together. He sounded irritated and disappointed when he muttered, “It doesn’t feel different tome . Just close your eyes and imagine I’m still a tiger.”

“It doesn’t exactly work like that.” I lay stiffly in his arms, nervous, especially when he began nuzzling the

back of my neck.

He said softly, “I like the smell of your hair.”

His chest rumbled against my back, sending massaging vibrations through my body as he purred.

“Ren, can you not do that right now?”

He lifted his head. “You like when I purr. It helps you sleep better.”

“Yes…well, that only works with the tiger. How can you do that as a man anyway?

He shrugged. “I don’t know. I just can.”

He buried his face in my hair again and stroked my arm.

“Uh, Ren…explain to me how you plan to keep watch like this.”

His lips grazed my neck. “I can hear and smell them, remember?”

I twitched and shivered, with nerves, or anticipation, or something…else. And he noticed. He stopped kissing my neck and lifted his head to peer at my face in the flickering firelight.

His voice was serious and calm, “Kelsey, I hope you know that I wouldnever hurt you. You don’t need to be afraid of me.”

Turning toward him, I lifted my hand and touched his cheek. Looking into his blue eyes, I sighed. “I’m not afraid of you, Ren. I trust you with my life. I’ve just never been close to someone like this before.”

He kissed me softly and smiled. “I haven’t either.”

He shifted, lying down again. “Now, turn around and go to sleep. I’m warning you that I plan to sleep with you in my arms all night long. Who knows when, orif , I’ll ever get to do it again. So try to relax, and

for heaven’s sake, don’t wiggle!”

He pulled me back against his warm chest, and I closed my eyes. I ended up sleeping better than I had in weeks.

When I woke, I was nestled on top of Ren’s chest. His arms were wrapped around me, and my legs were entwined with his. I was surprised I could breathe that way all night with my nose smashed against his muscular torso. It had gotten cold, but my blanket covered both of us and his body, which maintained a hotter-than-average temperature, had kept me toasty all night.

He was still asleep, and I took this rare opportunity to study him. I’d been with Ren night and day for the

past four weeks, but the time he was a man was such a small fraction of the day that he seemed almost like a dream guy to me, a Prince Charming.

So this is the real Ren.He doesn’tseem real.Real people just don’t look this perfect . I studied his face for a flaw and found none. He looked like an archangel who fell to the earth. His powerful frame was softened with full lips, long sooty lashes, and glossy dark hair that fell softly over his brow. I could even imagine the wings folded behind his back that would carry him back up into heaven where he belonged.

He was just unbelievably beautiful.

I traced a black eyebrow, following its arch with my finger, and lightly brushed the silky dark hair away from his face. Sighing and hoping not to disturb him, I shifted slowly and tried to move away, but his arms

tensed, restraining me.

He sleepily mumbled, “Don’t even think about moving.” He pulled me back to cuddle his chest again. I rested my cheek against his heartbeat and contented myself with listening to its rhythm.

After a few minutes, he stretched and rolled to his side, pulling me with him.

He kissed my forehead, blinked open his eyes, and smiled at me.

It was like watching the sun come up. The handsome, sleeping man was potent enough, but when he turned his dazzling white smile on me and blinked open his cobalt blue eyes, I was dumb-struck. He was sobeautiful . I bit my lip. A little voice in my head cautioned,he’s too beautiful .

He tucked some loose hair behind my ear. “Good morning,rajkumari . Sleep well?”

I stammered, “I…you….I….slept just fine, thank you.”

I closed my eyes and rolled away from him, standing up. I could deal with him a lot better if I didn’t think about him much, or look at him, or talk to him, or hear him.

He wrapped his arms around me from behind, and I felt his grin. “Best night of sleep I’ve had in about three hundred and fifty years.”

He nuzzled my ear, and an image came into my mind of him beckoning me to jump off a cliff and then laughing as my body broke on the wet rocks below.

I mumbled something akin to, “Good for you,” and pulled away from him. I wandered off to get myself ready for the day ignoring his puzzled expression.

We broke camp and headed toward the city. We were both very quiet. He seemed to be mulling over something in his mind, and as for me, I was trying to stop nervous flutterings from overwhelming me every

time I glanced in his direction.

What is wrong with me? We have a job to do. A big job, and I’m just acting…twitterpated!

I was annoyed with myself. I had to keep reminding myself that this was just Ren, the tiger, and not some teenage crush. Being close to the man for this long was making me face some facts. I had to get a handle on these emotions. As we walked, I pondered the problem that was our relationship.

He’d probably react this way with any girl who happened to be destined to save him. In the real world, there’s just no way a guy like him would ever be attracted to a girl like me. When the curse is broken, he’ll probably want to date supermodels.

Also, I’m the first girl he’s been around in about three hundred years, give or take. It’s not his fault. It’s a natural reaction to want human companionship. I’m the one who knows what the world is like. If he chooses me now, he’ll just wind up disappointed when he sees the entire selection. I can’t allow myself to believe I could be anything more than a temporary girlfriend for him. If I let myself dream about keeping him when this is all over, I’m sure to be disappointed.

In truth, I was already disappointed. Or, I guess disillusioned would be a better term. Allowing myself to

look, really look at thereal Ren woke me up from my pretty fantasy. The bits and pieces of him that I’d gotten to know all these weeks didn’t even come close to adding up to the time I’d spent with him here.

The problem was, the more time I spent with him, the more I wanted to keep him. And I was a realist.

My brief moments with him now, though exhilarating, wouldn’t guarantee me a happy ending. I knew from painful experiences that happy endings weren’t real. Now that his cure loomed in the near future, I had to face the facts.

One, he’s just too beautiful, too perfect for me. Two, once he obtains his freedom, he’ll want to explore the world, as well he should, and not settle down. Three, it’s too risky. If he decides that he doesn’t love me, it would destroy me. It would be safer for me to head back to Oregon and my solitary, normal life there and forget all about him. Four, he’s not ready to make that kind of choice. I’d be trapping him in a relationship he might regret.

Some of my reasoning was circular, but the circles all led to one thing:not being with Ren. I swallowed the wave of sadness at leaving this,him , behind and bit my lip in determination. I decided that, to protect

myself, it would be better if I nipped this thing in the bud right now and save myself the heartache and him

the embarrassment later.Better to pluck out the tender shoot of love now before it blossoms and sends deeper roots. If I uprooted it now, the hole, theache , would be much less than if I allowed it to develop and had to yank out something the size of a tree.

I would just focus on the task ahead. Then, when this was all over, he could go his way and I could go mine. I’d just do my part to help my friend and then let him go off and be happy.I should want that for him, right?

Now I was depressed. Ren was like Superman, and I had to face the fact that I was no Lois Lane. He deserved someone insanely beautiful and poised—the kind of girl who looked fabulous even when screaming for help. Not a frumpy, braids her hair, bookworm, who hadn’t even chosen a major yet.

I formulated a plan, not a grandiose plan, just a plan of avoidance. I started sending subtle signals.

Whenever he reached over to hold my hand, I found a reason to gently pull back. When he touched my arm or my shoulder, I stepped away. When he tried to put his arm around me, I shrugged it off or moved ahead. I didn’t say anything or offer any explanations because I couldn’t think of a way to broach the subject. He tried to ask me what was wrong, but I just said, “Nothing,” and he dropped it. I hurt him. At first, he was confused, then he was hurt, then he started closing himself off and became angry. It didn’t take long for him to stop trying, and I felt a wall,the Great Wall of China , go up between us.

We arrived at the city wall and found a draw-bridge. Unfortunately, it was pulled up, but it did hang down slightly on one side as if broken. Ren walked down the creek bed on both sides and stared hard into the water.

“There are too many Kappa here. I wouldn’t recommend swimming across.”

“What if we dragged a log over and crossed on that?”

He grunted, “That’s a good idea.” He walked over to me and spun me around.

I mumbled nervously, “What are you doing?”

“Just getting out the gada.” He continued sarcastically, “Don’t worry, that’sall I’m doing.”

He took it out and zipped up the backpack quickly, and then he strode off stiffly toward the trees.

I winced. He was angry. I’d never seen him angry before except at Kishan. I didn’t like it, but it was a natural side effect of the whole yanking-out-the-seedling-of-love-and-avoiding-the-jagged-rocks-below plan. It couldn’t be helped.

A minute later, a heavy boom sounded, and a tree quickly sucked in its branches. Another splintering boom and the tree crashed through the canopy and fell to the ground with a hard crack. He began clubbing the branches off the trunk, and I walked over to help.

“Is there something I can do?”

He kept his back turned toward me. “No. We only have one gada.”

Even though I already knew the answer, I asked, “Ren, why are you angry? Is something bothering you?” I grimaced, knowing that it wasme that was bothering him.

He stopped and turned to look at me. His vivid blue eyes searched my face. I quickly averted my gaze and looked down at a quivering branch flexing its needles. When I looked back at him, his face was set in an unreadable mask.

“Nothing’s bothering me, Kelsey. I’m fine.” He turned and continued whacking the branches off the tree.

When he was finished, he handed me the gada, picked up one end of the heavy tree, and started dragging it toward the creek.

I hurried after him and bent down to pick up the other end.

He called back without even looking at me, “Don’t.”

When we got back to the creek, he dropped the trunk and started looking for a good place to set it. I was about to sit on the tree trunk when I noticed the needles. Even the trunk had thick, spiky needles that rose up to sink themselves into unsuspecting flesh. I walked up to the front end and saw Ren’s blood in great drops coating the shiny black needles.

When he came back, I said, “Ren, let me see your hands and chest.”

“Leave it alone, Kelsey. I’ll heal.”

“But, Ren.”

“No. Now stand back.”

He moved to the back of the trunk and picked it up, cradling it against his chest. My mouth gaped open in amazement.Yep, he still has tiger strength. I winced as I imagined those hundreds of needles digging into the skin on his chest and arms. His biceps bulged as he walked the trunk to the edge of the creek.

A girl can still admire, can’t she? Even those who can’t afford to go in the store can still window-shop.

Right?Knowing he wasn’t for me didn’t mean I couldn’t covet the merchandise. It was like watching Hercules in action. I sucked in an appreciative breath and had to keep repeating the words, “He’s not for me…He’s not for me…He’s not for me,” to strengthen my resolve. The far end of the trunk butted against the stone wall. He moved down the creek bank several more steps until he found the spot he wanted and then dropped it in place with a soft thud.

The needles had ripped jagged, deep scratches down his chest and torn the front of his white shirt to ribbons. I walked over to him and reached out to touch his arm. He turned his back to me and said,

“Now stay here.”

He changed to a tiger, vaulted up and across the log, then leapt up to the crack where the drawbridge was hanging slightly open. He clawed his way in and disappeared.

I heard a metallic clang and then a whoosh as the heavy stone drawbridge lowered. It fell across the creek, hit the water with a big splash, and then settled itself deeply in its pebbly bed. I walked quickly across, fearful of the Kappa I spied in the water below. Ren was still a tiger and seemed content to stay that way.

I looked up at the stone city. Most of the buildings were about two or three stories high. The smoky periwinkle stone of the outer walls was also used in the buildings. The stone was hard and polished like granite and had shiny pieces of mica reflecting the light. It was beautiful. There was definitely a monkey theme in the city’s design plan.

A giant statue of Hanuman stood in the center, and every nook and crevice of the city was covered with stone monkeys. The statues roughly approximated the proportions of actual monkeys. I noticed that the statues also comprised several different species of monkey and were often grouped together in twos and threes. In fact, the only kind of monkeys not included were the fictitious flying monkeys from theWizard of Oz andKing Kong .

Every building, every rooftop, every balcony, had monkey statues. Then the buildings themselves had ornate monkey carvings, as well. I took a step forward and felt pressure on my arm. Fanindra came alive. I bent down to let her slide off my arm to the ground. She raised her head and tasted the air with her tongue several times; then, she started moving through the city. Ren and I followed her as she wove her slow path.

“You don’t have to stay a tiger just because of me.”

He kept his eyes forward following the snake.

“Ren, it’s a miracle that you can be a man at all. Don’t do this to yourself, please. Just because you’re ang—”

He switched back to a man and spun around to face me.

“Iam angry! Why shouldn’t I stay a tiger? You seem to be much more comfortable withhim than you are

with me!” His blue eyes flashed with uncertainty and hurt.

“Iam more comfortable with him, but not because I like him more. It’s toocomplicated to discuss with you right now.” I turned away from him, hiding my red face.

Frustrated, he ran a hand through his hair and asked anxiously, “Kelsey, why have you been avoiding me? Is it because I’ve been moving too fast? You aren’t ready to think of me in that way yet. Is that it?”

“No. It’s not that. It’s just…I don’t want to make a mistake or get involved in something that will lead to

one or both of us getting hurt, and I don’t really think this is the best place to talk about this.”

I stared at his feet as I said these words. He was quiet for several minutes. I peeked at his face from under my lashes and found him assessing me. He continued to watch me patiently as I squirmed under his

gaze. I looked at the stone pavers, Fanindra, my hands, anything except him. Finally, he gave up.

“Fine.”

“Fine?”

“Yes, fine. Here, hand me the backpack. It’s my turn to carry it for a while.”

He helped me slip it off my back and then adjusted the straps to fit over his wide shoulders. Fanindra seemed ready to get moving again, and she continued her journey, slinking through the city.

We passed between buildings in dark shadow where Fanindra’s golden body gleamed in the darkness.

She slipped through cracks beneath unwieldy doors that Ren had to throw his body up against to get open. She took us on an interesting obstacle course from a snake’s perspective, going under and through things that were impossible for Ren and me to navigate. She disappeared under cracks in the floor, and Ren had to sniff her out to find her. Often, we had to backtrack and meet her on the other side of walls or rooms. We always found her coiled and resting, patiently waiting for us to catch up.

Eventually, she led us to a rectangular reflecting pool brimming with sea-green algae-filled water. The pool was waist high, and on each corner stood a tall stone pedestal. On top of each pedestal was a carved monkey, each one looking out in the distance, one for each point of the compass.

They were crouched down with hands touching the ground. Teeth were bared, and I could visualize them hissing, as if ready to pounce. Their tails curled up over their bodies, fleshy levers to increase the range of their attack. Under the pedestals, groups of evil-looking stone monkeys stared out of the darkness with grimaces and hollowed black eyes. Long arms were stretched out, as if to grab and claw at whomever passed by.

Stone steps led up to the reflecting pool. We climbed up and peered into the water. With relief, I saw that no Kappa were lurking in the murky depths. At the edge of the pool on the stone border was an inscription.

“Can you read it?” I asked.

“It says Niyuj Kapi—Choose the Monkey.”

“Hmm.”

We walked around the four corners examining each statue. One had ears pricked forward and another had ears flat against its head. All four were of different species.

“Ren, Hanuman was half man half monkey, right? What kind of monkey was the monkey half?”

“I don’t know. Mr. Kadam would know. Ican tell you that these two are not native to India. This one’s a spider monkey. They come from South America. This one is a chimpanzee, which is technically an ape,

not a monkey. They’re often classified as monkeys because of their size.”

I gaped at him. “How do you know so much about monkeys?”

He crossed his arms over his chest. “Ah, so I’m to assume that talking about monkeys is an approved topic of conversation? Perhaps if I were a monkey instead of a tiger you might clue me in as to why you’re avoiding me.”

“My avoiding you has nothing to do with your species. It has to do with other things.”

“What other things?”

“Nothing.”

“No. Obviously, it’s not nothing.”

“Trust me, it’s nothing.”

“It’s something.”

“It can’tbe anything.”

“What can’tbe anything?”

“Nothing! Can we get back to the monkeys, please?”

He yelled, “Fine!”

We stood there glaring at each other for a minute, both of us frustrated and angry. He went back to examining the various monkeys and ticking off a list of their traits.

Before I could stop myself, I shot off a sarcastic, “I had no idea that I was walking with a monkey expert, but, then again, you haveeaten them right? So I guess that would be the difference between say, pork and chicken, to someone like me.”

He scowled at me. “I lived in zoos and circuses for centuries, remember? And I don’t…eat….monkeys!”

“Hmm.” I crossed my arms over my chest and glared back at him. He threw me a look and then stomped over and crouched in front of another statue.

Irritated, he spat out, “That one’s a macaque, he’s native to India, and this hairy one is a baboon, also found here.”

“So which one do I pick? It has to be one of the last two. The other two monkeys aren’t from around here, so I’d guess one of these is right.”

He ignored me, probably still offended, and he was looking at the monkey clusters under the pedestal when I declared, “Baboon.”

He stood up. “Why choose him?”

“He has a more human face. He reminds me of the statue of Hanuman.”

“Okay, so give it a try.”

“Give what a try?”

He lost patience. “I don’t know! Do that thing you do, with your hand.”

“I’m not sure it works that way.”

He gestured to the monkey. “Okay…then rub his head like a Buddha statue.”

Oh yeah, he was definitely frustrated with me.

I frowned at him, then walked up to the baboon statue and tentatively touched its head. Nothing happened. I patted its cheeks, rubbed its belly, and tugged on its arms, its tail…nothing. I was squeezing its shoulders when I felt the statue move a bit. I pushed on one of the shoulders, and the top of the pedestal moved aside to reveal a stone box with a lever. I reached in and pulled on the lever. At first, nothing happened. Then I felt my hand grow hot like it had before. The symbols drawn into my hand resurfaced, and the lever shifted, rose up, twisted, and popped out.

Rumbling shook the ground, and the water in the pool started to drain. Ren grabbed my arms and quickly yanked me against his chest, swiftly backing us away from the pool. He rested his hands on my upper arms while we watched the shifting stone.

The rectangular pool cracked and divided in two. Both halves began moving in opposite directions. The water spilled out and fell below, splashing against rock and stone as it tumbled into a gaping hole that opened up where the pool used to be.

Something began to emerge. At first, I thought it was just a reflection of light on the shiny wet stone, but

the light grew increasingly brighter until I saw a branch poke out of the hole. Sparkling golden leaves covered it. More branches emerged and then a trunk. It kept rising until the entire tree was standing before us. The leaves were shimmering, radiating a soft yellow light as if thousands of golden Christmas tree bulbs were threaded through the branches. The golden leaves quivered, as if a slight breeze shook the tree.

The tree was about twelve feet tall and covered with small white flowers that released a sweet fragrance.

The leaves were long and thin, attached to delicate, thin branches that led to thick, stronger ones and from there to a sturdy, compact trunk. The trunk sat in a large stone box that had ascended on a solid stone base. It was the most beautiful tree I’d ever seen.

Ren took my hand and led me cautiously toward the tree. He stretched out a hand to finger a golden leaf.

“It’s beautiful!” I exclaimed.

He plucked a flower and smelled it. “It’s a mango tree.”

“Mango? Are you sure?”

He watched me admire the tree. I was sure my face was as awestruck as his. His expression softened.

He took a step toward me and lifted his hand to tuck the flower in my hair. I turned away from him, pretending not to see, and fingered a golden leaf. When I glanced at him a moment later, his expression was stony. I saw he’d dropped the white flower. It was crushed and broken, and my heart throbbed painfully when I saw the beautiful petals lying torn and forsaken in the dirt.

He stared indifferently at my face and said, “I’m sure.”

We walked around the base of the tree, examining it from all angles.

Ren shouted, “There! Do you see up at the top? It’s a golden fruit!”

“Where? I can’t see it from here.”

He pointed to the top of the tree and, sure enough, a golden orb swung softly from a branch.

Ren mumbled, “A mango fruit. Of course. It makes sense.”

“Why?”

“Mangoes are one of the main exports of India. It’s a staple for our country…possibly the most important natural resource we have. So the Golden Fruit of India is a mango. I should have guessed it before.”

I gazed up at the tall branches. “How are we going to get it?”

“What do you mean, ‘How are we going to get it?’You climbing up on my shoulders is how we’re going

to get it.”

I laughed. “Uh, Ren, I think you’d better come up with another plan. Like maybe leap up as you supertigers do and catch it in your mouth or something.”

He smiled at me malevolently. “No. You,” he touched my nose with his finger, “are going to sit on my shoulders.”

I moaned, “Pleasestop saying that.”

“Come here. I’ll talk you through it. It’s child’s play.”

He picked me up and set me on the tall border of the reflecting pool; then, he spun around so his back was facing me. “Okay, climb on.”

He held out his hands. I tentatively grabbed them and swung one leg over his shoulder, complaining the entire time. I almost lifted my leg back off, but he anticipated that I would chicken out and reached back with his arm to grab my other leg and hoist me up before I could retreat.

After I yelled at him to no effect, he held my hands and, easily balancing my weight, walked back to the tree. He took his time looking for the right place and then began instructing me.

“See that thick branch right above your head?”

“Yes.”

“Let go of one of my hands and reach up to grab it.”

I did and threatened, “Don’t drop me!”

He bragged, “Kelsey, there is absolutelyno danger of me dropping you.”

I grabbed the branch.

“Good. Now reach up with your other hand and grab the same branch. I’ll be holding your legs, don’t worry.”

I reached up and got a good hold of the branch, but my palms were sweaty, and if he hadn’t been supporting me, I was sure I would have fallen. “Hey, Ren, this was a great idea and all, but I’m still a good foot or two away from the fruit. What do you expect me to do now?”

In response, he laughed and said, “Hold on a sec.”

“What do you mean, ‘hold on a sec’?”

He yanked my tennis shoes off my feet and then said, “Hold on to the branch and stand up.”

Frightened, I yelped and strangled the branch for dear life. Ren was pushing me up above the branch even higher. I glanced down and saw he was cupping my feet in his hands, supporting my entire body weight with his arms alone.

I hissed, “Ren, are you crazy? I’m too heavy for you.”

He scoffed drolly, “Obviously not, Kelsey. Now pay attention. Keep your hold on the branch, and I want you to step from my hand to my shoulder, first one foot, and then the other.”

He lifted my right leg first, and I felt my heel bump against his upper arm. I carefully shifted my foot to rest it on his wide shoulder, and then did the same with the other one. I looked at the fruit, which was now hanging directly across from me and bouncing slightly up and down.

“Okay, I’m going to try and grab the fruit now. Hold on.”

His hand had moved to the back of my calves, and he squeezed them tightly. I pushed off from the branch, which was now at my waist, and stretched my arm to reach the bobbing fruit. It was attached to a long, woody stem that shot off from the top of the tree.

My fingers grazed it, and it shifted away from me for a moment. When it swung back to me, I wrapped my hand around it and pulled gently.

It didn’t want to move. I tugged a bit harder, careful not to damage the golden fruit. Surprisingly, it still felt like a real mango with leathery smooth skin, even though it twinkled with dazzling golden light.

I braced my body on the branch again, yanked firmly, and was finally able to pluck it from the stem.

All at once, my body iced over and became rigid, and my mind was carried away in a black vision. A burning heat seared my chest, and I stood in complete darkness. A ghostly figure started making its way toward me. The misty features swirled around a shape and solidified into a form. It was Mr. Kadam! He was clutching at his chest. When he removed his hand, I saw the amulet he was wearing was glowing red

hot. I looked down and saw mine too, glowing in the same manner. I tried to reach out to him, and I spoke, but he couldn’t seem to hear me or I him.

Another ghostly figure swirled up across from us and slowly took form. He was gripping a large amulet as well. When he became alert, he turned his eyes to Mr. Kadam. He immediately focused his attention on the amulet Mr. Kadam was wearing.

The man was dressed in expensive, modern clothing. His quick eyes showed intelligence, confidence, determination, and something else, something dark, something…evil. He tried to take a step forward, but

a barrier of some kind prevented any of us from moving.

His expression tightened and twisted into a vile rage that, though quickly suppressed, continued to swirl like a stalking beast behind his eyes. Black, desperate fear congealed in my stomach as the man turned his attention to me. He clearly wanted something.

His eyes examined me carefully from head to toe and then settled on the glowing amulet around my neck. Gleaming malice and loathsome delight swept over his face. I looked at Mr. Kadam for support, but he was studying the man meticulously as well.

I was very afraid. I cried out for Ren, but even I couldn’t hear my own voice.

The man pulled something from his pocket and started muttering words to himself. I tried to read his lips,

but I think he was speaking in another language. I looked at Mr. Kadam again. His features were becoming transparent. He was becoming spectral again. I looked at my arm and gasped as the same thing started happening to me. I became dizzy and felt like I was going to pass out. I couldn’t stand anymore. I was falling down…down…down.

CHAPTER 22

When I opened my eyes, I was staring up into Ren’s face. “Kelsey! Are you okay? You fell. Did you faint? What happened?”

“No, I didn’t faint!” I then mumbled, “At least I don’t think I did.”

He was holding me in his arms, cradling me close, and I liked it. I didn’twant to like it.

“You caught me?”

He lectured, “Itold you I wouldn’t drop you.”

I muttered sarcastically, “Thanks, Superhero. Now put me down, please. Ican stand up.”

He set me down carefully, and to my great dismay, my legs still wobbled.

He reached out a hand to steady me, and I howled at him, “I said I can stand! Back off a minute, would ya?”

I had no idea why I yelled at him. He was just trying to be helpful, but I was frightened. Strange things were happening to me that I had no control over. I also felt embarrassed and was overly sensitive about him touching me. I couldn’t think straight when he touched me. My brain got all fogged up like a mirror in

a steamy bathroom, so I wanted to get away from him as soon as possible.

Also, it seemed my determination to avoid emotional entanglement wasn’t working. I thought it would be

easy for me to uproot this connection between us, but it was proving tricky. The tender bud of love was holding on tenaciously. Every minute I spent with him just made me want him more. Since merely annoying him wasn’t working, I’d have to up the ante.

Apparently, I needed him not only to fall-out-of-like with me, but hate me as well. Otherwise, those feelings of mine would never go away, and I’d plummet to the jagged rocks of heartbreak. I’d frequently been told that I was an all-or-nothing kind of girl. If I were going to push him away, it was going to be so

far away that there would be absolutely no chance of him ever coming back.

I sat down on the stone border of the pool and put my tennis shoes back on, hoping the dizziness would soon pass.

He crossed his arms over his chest and narrowed his eyes at me. “Kelsey, tell me what happened, please.”

“I don’t know exactly. I had a…a vision, I guess.”

“And what did you see in this vision?”

“There were three people, Mr. Kadam, some scary man, and me. All three of us wore amulets, and they were glowing red.”

He dropped his arms and his face became serious. He asked quietly, “What did the scary man look like?”

“He looked like….I don’t know, a mob boss or something like that, the kind of guy that likes to be in control and kill things. He had dark hair and black, glittery eyes.”

“Was he Indian?”

“I don’t know. Maybe.”

Fanindra had curled up at my feet in her jewelry position. I picked her up, slid her onto my arm, and then looked around desperately. “Ren? Where’s the golden fruit?”

“It’s here.” He picked it up from where it had fallen at the base of the tree.

“We should hide it.” I picked up my backpack and yanked out my blanket. I reached for the fruit and took it from Ren’s hand carefully, making sure I didn’t allow my skin to touch his. Then I wrapped it in my blanket and stowed it in the backpack. I guess I’d been a little bit too obvious in my desire to avoid touching him, because he was scowling at me when I looked up at him.

“What? You can’t even touch me now? Nice to know I disgust you so much! Too bad you couldn’t convince Kishan to come with you so you could avoid being with me altogether!”

I ignored him and yanked my shoelaces in double knots.

He gestured toward the city and smiled mockingly, “Whenever you feelrecovered enough,rajkumari .”

I glared and poked him in the chest. “MaybeKishan would have been less of a jerk. And for the record, Mr. Sarcastic, I don’tlike you very much right now.”

He narrowed his eyes at me. “Welcome to the club, Kells. Shall we proceed?”

“Fine.” I turned my back to him, adjusted the straps on the backpack, and marched off on my own.

He threw up his hands in exasperation,“Fine!”

I hollered back,“FINE!”

I walked stiffly back to the city with him following silently behind me, fuming.

When we passed the first building, the ground started shaking. We stopped and turned to look at the golden tree. It was sinking back into the ground, and the two pool halves were moving back together again. There was a strange glow coming from inside the four monkey statues.

“Uh, Kells? I think it might be wise to exit the city as soon as possible.”

We double-timed our pace and started to jog briskly between the buildings. I heard a hiss and screech, followed by several more. Monkey statues were glowing all around the buildings. I saw something move overhead.

Small black and brown figures were leaping across buildings following us. The screeches became cacophonous, and the noise level was incredible.

I yelled over at Ren as I ran, “Perfect! Now we’re being chased by hoards of monkeys! Perhaps you would care to name their species as we’re attacked, just so I can appreciate the special traits of said monkey as hekills me!

He ran along beside me. “At least when the monkeys are harassing you, you don’t have any time to harassme !”

The monkeys were getting close. I almost tripped over one as it darted in front of my legs.It probably wanted to trip me. It could bring me down easier that way. Then they can pummel me with their little monkey fists, while Ren stands over me and laughs.

Ren leapt over a fountain with his tiger power.Show-off.

“Ren, you’re holding back. Just get out of here! Take the back-pack and go, would you?”

He laughed acerbically as he ran ahead of me; then, he turned to look at me while jogging backward,

“Ha! You’d like tothink you could get rid of me that easily!”

He did run a bit farther ahead of me though, and switched to the tiger. Then he barreled back toward me and actually leapt over my running body and into the throng of monkeys.

I shouted back at him while still running, “Hey!Careful where you jump, Mister! You almost took my head off!”

I kept running between buildings, pumping my legs as fast as they would go. I heard terrible noises behind me. Most of the monkeys were now attacking Ren, who was biting, slashing with his claws, and roaring thunderously. I looked back over my shoulder. Brown, gray, and black monkeys covered his body and clung to his fur. A dozen or so monkeys were still chasing me, including the huge, scary baboon

from the reflecting pool.

I turned a corner and finally saw the drawbridge. A monkey leapt and latched itself onto my leg, slowing

me down. I tried to shake it off as I ran.

I batted at him ineffectually. “Stu-pid mon-key…get…off!” In response, he bit my knee.

“Owww!” I shook my leg harder as I ran and stomped my foot down hard to make the ride as jarring as possible for the hitch-hiker. Just then, Fanindra animated the top half of her body. She hissed and spat at the monkey, who screeched and immediately let go of my leg.

“Thanks, Fanindra.”

I patted her head as she settled back down on my arm again. I reached the gate, crossed the bridge, and stopped on the other side. Ren was bouncing toward me trying to shake monkeys off his back. Several monkeys were storming toward me. I kicked at them viciously, quickly threw off my backpack, and took out the gada.

I started swinging the gada like a baseball bat at the monkeys. I hit one with a sickening smack. Once they’d been hit with the gada, the monkeys hightailed it back to the city, whimpering. The problem was that I was able to hit a monkey only every third try or so. One jumped on my back and started pulling my

hair. Another attached itself to my leg. I continued swinging the gada back and forth in front of me, and eventually ended up being able to get rid of most of them.

Ren ran down the drawbridge with about fifteen monkeys clinging to his fur. He bounced over, leapt into

the trees, and banged his body up against the trunks, first on one side and then the other. He leapt up high to rub his back on a branch and scrape the remaining monkeys off. The needle trees came alive like before, shot leafy tendrils down to ensnare the malicious simians by their legs and tails, and then pulled their shrieking bodies up into the branches. They were too lightweight to fight back and soon disappeared

into the treetops.

Meanwhile, I was still swinging the gada at the gray baboon. He darted around to avoid being hit. He was too fast for me and chattered at me violently. He also swung his long arms and hammered my body at every opportunity. He was strong, and it hurt. Each pound from his monkey arms battered against my already tired muscles. I felt like I was being tenderized. A tiny monkey was still sitting on my shoulder and tugging on my braids so hard that it brought tears to my eyes.

Free of monkeys, Ren jogged over, detached the little monkey fingers from my braids, plucked the tiny monkey off my shoulder, and threw him hard back through the city gate. The tiny monkey bounced, rolled on the ground, and then got up, hissed at us, and disappeared. Ren took the gada from my hand and raised it to threaten the baboon. The baboon must have realized that Ren’s aim was better than mine because he shrieked loudly and headed back to the city too.

I sat down hard on the ground panting. The city became eerily quiet. Not a monkey hiss or screech could be heard.

Ren turned around to look at me. “Are you okay?”

I waved my hand at him dismissively.

He crouched down, touched my cheek, looked me up and down, and then smirked at me. “That was a pygmy marmoset, by the way, just in case you were wondering.”

I wheezed. “Thank you, oh Walking Monkey Dictionary.”

He laughed and got out bottled water for both of us, then handed me an energy bar.

“Aren’t you going to eat one?”

He put a hand on his chest and scoffed. “What? Me? Eat an energy bar when the jungle is full of delicious monkeys? No thanks. I’m not hungry.”

I nibbled my energy bar in silence and checked the golden fruit to make sure it wasn’t bruised. It was still wrapped up in my blanket cocoon. Between bites, I said, “You know, all in all, we made it out of the

city fairly unscathed.”

His mouth fell open. “Unscathed!Kelsey , I have monkey bites all over my back and in other places that I don’t even want to think about! Ha!Unscathed , she says.”

“I saidfairly .”

He grunted at me.

After a quick meal and rest, we started the walk back on the pebbly path between the trees and the creek. Ren banged the trees extra hard as we passed. I started to feel guilty about the way I’d been treating him. I watched his stiff shoulders as he paced angrily in front of me. This was hard. I missed his friendship.Not to mention all the other things. I was almost ready to apologize when I realized that Kappa

were sticking the tops of their heads out of the water and were watching us.

“Uh…Ren? We have company.”

Looking at them only seemed to empower them to more action. They slowly raised their heads out even farther and followed our progress with inky black eyes. I couldn’t stop staring at them. They were horrible! They stank like a fetid swamp, and when they blinked, their lids moved sideways like a crocodile’s.

Their flesh was pale, almost diaphanous, and their pulsing black veins could be seen under their clammy

skin. I increased my pace. Ren moved between the creek and me, raising the gada as a warning.

“Try bowing to them,” I suggested.

We both started dipping our heads and bowing as we passed, but they ignored us and rose up farther out of the water. They were now standing up and moving forward slowly, mechanically, as if they’d just awakened from a deep sleep. The water currently came up to their chests, but they were getting closer. I turned around and did a deep curtsy type of bow, but it still didn’t work.

“Keep going, Kelsey. Move faster!”

We started jogging. I knew I wouldn’t have the stamina to keep up this pace for long, even with Ren taking on the extra weight of the backpack. More Kappa emerged from the water, several in front of us.

They had long arms and webbed hands. One of them smiled at me, and I saw sharp, jagged teeth. A shiver tore down my spine, and I ran a little faster.

Now I could see their legs. I was surprised that they had legs like humans. Ridges ran down their backs like a dinosaur, or, no, more like a fish. Powerful, muscular legs were covered in brine and scaly pond scum, and their long tails could curl, like a monkey’s, but ended in a transparent caudal fin. They swung back and forth menacingly, pulling their feet out of the muck with loud sucking noises while they made their way to the bank of the river.

They were careful to keep their heads level, which made their bodies seemed disjointed. The head stayed in one place while the torso bobbed and swayed, zombie like. They were about a foot shorter than Ren and I, and they moved quickly, picking up speed while shifting awkwardly forward on their webbed feet. It was eerie seeing their bodies accelerate while their heads remained virtually still.

“Faster, Kelsey. Run faster!”

“I can’t go any faster, Ren!”

A horde of white Kappa vampires descended on us, closing the distance quickly.

Ren shouted, “Keep running, Kelsey. I’ll try to slow them down!”

I ran ahead a good distance then turned and jogged backward to see how Ren was faring. He had stopped to try bowing to them again. They did pause to assess his action, but they didn’t bow in return.

Gills on the sides of their necks opened and closed, and they opened their mouths to bare their teeth.

Viscous black droplets trickled from their mouths as an insipid gurgle turned into a piercing squeal.

They

surged toward Ren, closing in on their prey.

He swung the gada mightily at the nearest one and sunk it deep into the creature’s chest. The monster sprayed filthy dark fluid from its mouth and fell to the creek bank. The other creatures didn’t even notice their fallen comrade. They just closed in on Ren.

He wacked several more then spun around and ran in my direction again. He waved at me.

“Keep running, Kelsey! Don’t stop!”

We were able to keep ahead of them, but I was tiring quickly. We stopped for just a moment to catch our breath.

I gasped for air. “Ren…they’re going to catch us. I can’t keep running. My legs are giving out.”

He was breathing heavily too. “I know. But we have to keep trying.”

Taking a big swig of water, he handed me the rest of the bottle.

He grabbed my hand. “Come on. Follow me. I have an idea.”

He led me to the trees.

“Ren, I don’t think it’s a good idea to go back into the needle trees. Two things will be trying to grab us instead of just one.”

“Just trust me, Kells. Follow my lead.”

He pulled me along as we raced through the trees. I seriously didn’t think I could keep going, but somehow I did. When we entered the needle trees, the branches immediately began reaching for us. I could feel them whipping my back and ripping my shirt. After several minutes of running, Ren stopped, told me to stand still, and beat the trees all around me with the gada.

He leaned over, panting. “Sit down. Rest for a while. I’m going to try to get the Kappa to chase me into the trees. I hope it works on them as well as it did with the monkeys.”

He changed into a tiger, left me with the gada and backpack, and then leapt back into the waving branches. I listened carefully and heard the trees moving, trying to snag him as he passed. Then it became

deathly quiet. The only sound was my jagged breathing. I sat on the mossy ground as far away from the trees as I could and waited.

I strained my ears to listen but heard nothing, not even birds. Eventually, I lay down and rested my head on my backpack. My sore body and muscles throbbed, and the scratches on my back stung. I must have drifted to sleep because a noise startled me awake. I heard a strange shuffling noise near my head. A sallow grayish-white shape walked out of the trees toward me, and before I could even get up, it grabbed my arms and jerked me up to a sitting position. It leaned over me and drooled black spittle on my face.

I swung my arms wildly, beating on its chest, but it was more powerful than I was. Its torso was covered

with cuts oozing murky droplets; the trees had torn off pieces of its flesh. Alien eyes blinked several times

as it pulled me up closer, bared its teeth, and sunk them into my neck.

I heard it grunting and suckling at my neck, and I kicked my legs hard, trying to escape its clutches. I screamed and thrashed, but my energy quickly waned. After a moment, I couldn’t feel it any longer. It was almost as if it were happening to someone else. I could still hear the monster, but a strange lethargy stole through my frame. My vision fogged up, and my mind drifted until I felt a dreamy peace.

I heard a crash, followed by a very angry roar. Then I saw a warrior angel rise up above me. He was magnificent! I felt a slight tugging on my neck, and then a weight lifted off my body. There was a juicy splat, and the handsome warrior angel knelt beside me. He was speaking to me, and I tried to respond, but my tongue wouldn’t work. I couldn’t understand his words.

Gently, he brushed the hair away from my face and touched my neck with cool fingers. His dreamy eyes

filled with tears, and a sparkling diamond drop fell to my lips. I tasted the salty tear and closed my eyes.

When I opened them, he smiled. The warmth of that smile enveloped me and wrapped me in a blanket of

soothing tenderness.

The warrior carefully lifted me in his arms, and I slept.

When I opened my eyes, it was dark, and I was lying in front of a green-and orange-tinged fire. Ren sat nearby staring into it, looking broken, exhausted, and forlorn. He must have heard me move because he came directly to me and lifted my head to help me drink some water. My throat burned, and the fire moved deeper into my body until it exploded in my core. I was burning from the inside out, and I whimpered from the terrible pain.

Ren set my head down gently and knelt beside me. He picked up my hand and stroked my fingers.

“I’mso sorry . I shouldnever have left you alone. This should have happened to me, not to you. You don’t deserve this.”

He stroked my cheek. “I don’t know how to fix this. I don’t know what to do. I don’t even know how much blood you lost or if the bite is lethal.” He kissed my fingers and whispered, “I can’t lose you, Kelsey. I won’t.”

The burning in my blood overtook me, and pain clouded my vision. I started writhing. The pain was beyond anything I’d ever felt before. Ren bathed my face with a cool wet towel, but nothing could distract me from the pain. It was excruciating! After a moment, I realized that mine was not the only body

writhing.

Fanindra had freed herself from my arm and was coiling next to Ren’s knee. I didn’t blame her for wanting to get away from me. She raised her head and opened her hood. Her mouth gaped open wide, and she struck! She bit me on the neck, sinking her fangs deep into the ripped tissue.

She pumped her own venom in me, drew back, and then bit me again, and again, and again. I groaned and touched my neck. When I pulled back my hand, I saw golden juices that had dribbled out of the fang punctures. I could feel it roll down my skin. I watched a golden drop trickle from my finger to meet some

of the oozing black pus on my palm, it steamed and hissed. I felt Fanindra’s venom course through my body. It felt like ice as it shot through my limbs and entered my heart.

I was dying. I knew it. I didn’t blame Fanindra. She was a snake, after all, and she probably just didn’t want me to suffer anymore. Ren lifted the bottle of water to my lips again, and I swallowed gratefully.

Fanindra had turned inanimate and remained coiled at his side. Ren cleaned my wounded neck gently, washing off all the hissing black blood that had dribbled out.

At least the pain was gone. Whatever Fanindra had done numbed me. I became sleepy and knew that I needed to say good-bye. I wanted to tell Ren the truth. I wanted to say that he was the best friend I’d ever had. That I was sorry about the way I had treated him. I wanted to tell him…that I loved him, but I couldn’t say anything. My throat was closed up, probably swollen from snake venom. All I could do was look at him as he knelt over me.

That’s okay. Looking at his gorgeous face one last time is enough for me. I’ll die a happy woman.I was so tired, and my eyelids were so heavy. I closed my eyes and waited for death to come. Ren cleared a space and sat down near me. Pillowing my head on his arm, he pulled me onto his lap and into his arms.

I

smiled.Even better. I can’t open my eyes to see him anymore, but I can feel his arms around me. My own warrior angel can carry me in his arms up to heaven. He squeezed me closer to his body and whispered something in my ear that I couldn’t make out. Then darkness overtook me.

Light hit my eyelids, forcing me to crack them open painfully. My throat burned, and my tongue was thick and fuzzy. “This is too painful for heaven; I must be in hell.”

An annoyingly happy voice admonished, “No. You’re not in hell, Kelsey.”

I moved and felt sore, cramped muscles protest. “I feel like I lost a boxing match.”

“You did a lot more than that. Here.”

He crouched beside me and helped me to gingerly sit up. He examined my face, my neck, my arms, and then sat behind me to prop up my back against him and held a water bottle to my lips.

“Drink,” he commanded.

He held the bottle for me and tipped it back slowly, but I couldn’t swallow fast enough, and some of the water dribbled from my slack mouth down my chin, and then dripped down to my chest.

“Thanks, now I have a wet T-shirt.”

I felt his smile on the back of my neck. “Perhaps that was my intention.”

I snorted and lifted a hand to my face. I poked my cheek and arm. The skin tingled but felt a little numb.

“It feels like my whole body was shot full of Novocain and I’m just getting the feeling back. Here, hand me the bottle. I think I can lift it myself now.”

“Fine.”

He let go of the water bottle and snaked both arms around my waist, pulling me back to rest fully against

his chest.

His cheek grazed mine, and he murmured quietly, “How are you feeling?”

“Alive, I guess, though I sure could use some Tylenol.”

He laughed softly. “We’ve probably got some in the bag.” He yanked the bag within reach and began rummaging through it.

I asked, “Where are we?”

“At the entrance to the caves.” He handed me two aspirin. I popped them into my mouth and took a big swig of water.

“So we still have to go through the caves and the trees and then climb back up to Hampi?”

“Yes, but we don’t have to do it all today. You should rest a bit more first.”

“How long have I been out of commission?”

“Two days.”

“Two days! What happened? The last thing I remember is Fanindra biting me and me dying.”

“You didn’t die. You were bitten by a Kappa. He was making quick work of you when I came back to get you. He somehow followed you there. They are nasty things. I’m glad most of them were done in by the trees.”

“The one that found me was scratched and bloody, but he didn’t seem to care.”

“Yes, most of the ones that followed me had to be literally torn apart by the trees. They wouldn’t halt their pursuit.”

“Didn’t any of them follow you here?”

“They stopped chasing me once I got near the cave. Apparently, they’re frightened of it.”

“I don’t blame them. Did you…carry me the whole way? How did you whack the trees and hold me at the same time?”

He sighed. “I slung you over my shoulder and banged the trees until we cleared them. Then I stowed the gada, put on your pack, and hiked up to our camp here carrying you in my arms.” I drank deeply from the water bottle and heard Ren let out a deep breath. Quietly, he said, “I’ve experienced a lot in my life.

I’ve been in bloody battles. I’ve been with friends who were killed. I’ve seen terrible things done to man and beast, but I’ve never felt afraid.

“I’ve been troubled. I’ve been uneasy and tense. I’ve been in mortal danger, but I’ve never experienced that cold-sweat kind of fear, the kind that eats a man alive, brings him to his knees, and makes him beg.

In fact, I always prided myself on being above that. I thought that I’d suffered through and seen so much that nothing could scare me anymore. That nothing could bring me to that point.”

He brushed a brief kiss on my neck. “I was wrong. When I found you and saw that…thatthing assaulting

you, I was enraged. I destroyed it without hesitation.”

“The Kappawere terrifying.”

“I wasn’t afraid of the Kappa. I was afraid…that I’d lost you. I felt an unquenchable, gut-wrenching, corrosive fear. It was unbearable. The most agonizing part was realizing that I didn’t want to live anymore if you were gone and knowing there was nothing I could do about it. I would be stuck forever in

this miserable existence without you.”

I heard every word he said. It pierced through me, and I knew I would have felt the same way if our places had been reversed. But I told myself that his heartfelt declaration was just a reflection of the tense pressure we’d been under. The little love plant in my heart was grasping at each wispy thought, absorbing

his words like sweet drops of morning dew. But I chastised my heart and shoved the tender expressions of affection elsewhere, determined to be unaffected by them.

“It’s okay. I’m here. You don’t need to be afraid. I’m still around to help you break the curse.”

He squeezed my waist and whispered softly, “Breaking the curse didn’t matter to me anymore. I thought

you were dying.”

I swallowed and tried to be flippant. “Well, I didn’t. See? I lived to argue with you another day. Now don’t you wish it had gone the other way?”

His arms stiffened, and he threatened, “Don’t ever say that, Kells.”

After a second of hesitation, I said, “Well, thank you. Thank you for saving me.”

He pulled me closer, and I allowed myself a minute, just a minute, to lie back against him and enjoy it. I had almost died after all. I deserved some kind of reward for surviving. After my minute was up, I wiggled forward and out of his grasp. He reluctantly let me go, and I turned around to face him with a nervous smile. I tested my legs, which felt strong enough for me to walk on.

Before, when I thought I was dying, I wanted to tell Ren that I loved him, but now that I knew I’d survived, it was the last thing I wanted to do. The strong resolve to keep him at a distance to protect myself from heartbreak returned, but the temptation to allow myself to rest wrapped in his arms was strong, powerfully strong. I turned my back to him, squared my shoulders, and picked up the backpack.

“Come on, Tiger. Let’s get a move on. I feel healthy as a horse,” I lied.

“I really think you should take it easy and rest a bit more, Kells.”

“No. I’ve been sleeping for two days already. I’m ready to hike another umpteen miles.”

“At least wait until you’ve eaten something.”

“Toss me an energy bar, and I’ll eat on the way.”

“But, Kells…”

My eyes locked briefly with his cobalt blue ones, and I said softly, “I want to get out of here.”

I turned and started gathering our things. He just sat there watching me closely, his eyes burning into my

back. Iwas desperate to get out of there. The longer we were together, the more my resolve wavered. I was almost to the point of asking him to stay here with me forever and live among the needle trees and the Kappa. If I didn’t get the tiger part of him back soon, I’d lose myself to the man forever.

Finally, he said slowly, almost sadly, “Sure. Whatever you say, Kelsey.”

He stood up, stretched, and then put out the fire. I walked over to Fanindra, who was spiraled in the arm piece form, and stared down at her.

“She saved your life you know. Those bites healed you.”

I reached up and touched my neck where the Kappa had bitten me. The skin was smooth, without a pucker or a scar. I crouched down. “I guess you saved me again, huh, Fanindra? Thanks.” I picked her up and positioned her on my upper arm, grabbed my backpack, and then walked ahead a few steps.

I spun around, “You coming, Superman?”

“Right behind you.”

We entered the mouth of the black cavern. Ren held out his hand. I ignored it and began walking into the

tunnel. He stopped me and held out his hand again, staring at it pointedly. I sighed and gripped a couple of his fingers in mine. I smiled sheepishly and was again too obvious in my attempt to avoid physical contact. He groaned in disgust, took my elbow, and yanked my body up next to his, settling his arm around my shoulders.

We walked through the tunnels quickly. The other Rens and Kelseys moaned and beckoned even more aggressively than before. I closed my eyes and let Ren lead me through as quickly as possible. I gasped when the figures approached and tried to lay ghostly hands on us.

Ren whispered, “They can’t become corporeal unless we pay attention to them.” We walked through as quickly as possible. Evil shapes and familiar forms clamored for us to notice them. Mr. Kadam, Kishan, my parents, my foster family, even Mr. Maurizio all shouted, begged, demanded, and coerced.

We made it through the tunnel much faster than the first time. Ren still held my hand in his warm grip after we emerged, and I tried to gently and inconspicuously free my hand from his. He looked at me and then at our entwined hands. He raised an eyebrow and grinned maliciously. I started tugging harder, but he merely tightened his grip. I finally had to wrench it away to get him to let go.So much for subtlety.

He

smirked at me knowingly while I glared back.

He headed toward the trees. Banging on the trees with the gada, he led us through the prickly forest much more quickly. It was quieter too, this time around because we weren’t speaking to one another.

In no time at all, we were through the forest and climbing the rocks leading to the cavern, heading back toward the statue in Hampi. When we reached the long tunnel, Ren seemed about to say something several times. I was curious, but not curious enough to start a conversation.

I pulled out my flashlight and angled my stride to put distance between us. I ended up hugging the other side of the cavern. He looked over at me once and quirked an eyebrow at me, but he allowed me to maintain my distance. Eventually, the tunnel narrowed, and we were walking side by side again. Every time I glanced at him, I found him watching me. When we finally reached the end of the tunnel and saw the stone steps that led to the surface, Ren stopped.

“Kelsey, I have one final request of you before we head up to the surface.”

“And what would that be? Want to talk about tiger senses or monkey bites in strange places maybe?”

“No. I want you to kiss me.”

I sputtered, “What?Kiss you? What for? Don’t you think you got to kiss me enough on this trip?”

“Humor me, Kells. This is the end of the line for me. We’re leaving the place where I get to be a man all

the time, and I have only my tiger’s life to look forward to. So, yes, I want you to kiss me one more time.”

I hesitated. “Well, if this works, you can go around kissingall the girls you want to. So why bother with me rightnow ?”

He ran a hand through his hair in frustration. “Because! I don’twant to run around kissingall the other girls! Iwant to kissyou !”

“Fine! If it will shut you up!” I leaned over and pecked him on the cheek. “There!”

“No. Not good enough. On the lips, myprema .”

I leaned over and pecked him on the lips. “There. Can we go now?”

I marched up the first two steps, and he slipped his hand under my elbow and spun me around, twisting me so that I fell backward into his arms. He caught me tightly around the waist. His smirk suddenly turned into a sober expression. “A kiss. Areal one. One that I’ll remember.”

I was about to say something brilliantly sarcastic, probably about him not having permission, when he captured my mouth with his. I was determined to remain stiff and unaffected, but he was extremely patient. He nibbled on the corners of my mouth and pressed soft, slow kisses against my unyielding lips.

It was so hard not to respond to him.

I made a valiant struggle, but sometimes the body betrays the mind. He slowly, methodically swept aside

my resistance. And, feeling he was winning, he pressed ahead and began seducing me even more skillfully. He held me tightly against his body and ran a hand up to my neck where he began to massage it

gently, teasing my flesh with his fingertips.

I felt the little love plant inside me stretch, swell, and unfurl its leaves, like he was pouringLove Potion

# 9 orMiracle-Gro over the thing. I gave up at that point and decided what the heck. I could always use a rototiller on it. And I rationalized that when he breaks my heart, at least I will have been thoroughly kissed. I’ll have a really good memory to look back on in my multi-cat spinsterhood.Or multi-dog. I think

I will have had my fill of cats. I groaned softly.Yep. Dogs for sure.

I opened myself up to the kiss and began kissing him back with enthusiasm. Putting all my secret emotions and tender feelings into the embrace, I wound my arms around his neck and slid my hands into his hair. Pulling his body that much closer to mine, I embraced him with all the warmth and affection that I

wouldn’t allow myself to express verbally.

He paused, shocked for brief instant, and then quickly adjusted his approach, escalating into a passionate frenzy. I shocked myself by matching his energy. I ran my hands up his powerful arms and shoulders and then down his chest. My senses were in turmoil. I felt wild. Eager. I clutched at his shirt. I couldn’t get close enough to him. He even smelled delicious.

You’d think that several days of being chased by strange creatures and hiking through a mysterious kingdom would make him smell bad. In fact, Iwanted him to smell bad. I’m sureI did. I mean, how can you expect a girl to be fresh as a daisy while traipsing through the jungle and getting chased by monkeys?

I desperately wanted him to havesome fault.Some weakness. Some…imperfection. But he smelled amazing—like waterfalls, a warm summer day, and sandalwood trees all wrapped up in a sizzling, hot guy. How could a girl defend herself from a perfect onslaught delivered by a perfect person? I gave up and let Mr. Wonderful take control of my senses. My blood burned, my heart thundered, my need for him quickened, and I lost all track of time in his arms. All I was aware of was Ren. His lips. His body.

His soul. I wanted all of him.

Eventually, he put his hands on my shoulders and gently separated us. I was surprised that he had the strength of will to stop because I was nowhere near being able to. I blinked in a daze. We were both breathing hard.

“That was…enlightening,” he breathed. “Thank you, Kelsey.”

I blinked. The passion that had dulled my mind dissipated in an instant, and my mind sharply focused on

a new feeling. Irritation.

“Thank you? Thank you! Of all the…” I slammed up the steps angrily and then spun around to look down at him. “No! Thankyou , Ren!” My hands slashed at the air. “Now you got what you wanted, so leave me alone!” I ran up the stairs quickly to put some distance between us.

Enlightening? What was that about? Was he testing me? Giving me a one-to-ten score on my kissing ability? Of all the nerve!

I was glad that I was mad. I could shove all the other emotions to the back of my mind and just focus on the anger, the indignation.

He leapt up the stairs two at a time. “That’snot all I want, Kelsey. That’s for sure.”

“Well, I no longercare about what you want!”

He shot me a knowing look and raised an eyebrow; then, he lifted his foot out of the opening, placed it on the dirt, and instantly changed back into a tiger.

I laughed mockingly, “Ha!” I tripped over a stone but quickly found my footing. “Serves you right!” I shouted angrily and stumbled blindly along the dim path.

After figuring out where to go, I marched off in a huff. “Come on, Fanindra. Let’s go find Mr. Kadam.”

CHAPTER 23

It was early dawn. The sun was just peeking over the horizon. I stormed off through the buildings of Hampi and allowed the momentum of my anger to carry me halfway back to Mr. Kadam’s camp. Ren followed along behind me somewhere quietly. I couldn’t hear him, but Iknew he was there. I was acutely

aware of his presence. Ifelt him. And not the tiger part of him. It was theman that I could feel. Almost as if he were walking next to me.Almost as if he were touching me.

I must have started walking down the wrong path because he trotted ahead, pointedly walking a different direction. I muttered, “Show-off. I’ll walk the wrong way if I want to.” But, I still followed after

him. After a while, I made out the Jeep parked on the hill and saw Mr. Kadam waving at us.

I walked up to his camp, and he grabbed me in a brief hug.

“Miss Kelsey! You’re back. Tell me what happened.”

I sighed, set down my backpack, and sat on the back bumper of the Jeep. “Well, I have to tell you, these past few days have been some of the worst days of my life. There were monkeys, and Kappa, and rotted kissing corpses, and snakebites, and trees covered with needles, and…”

He held up a hand. “What do you mean a few days? You just left last night.”

Confused, I said, “No. We’ve been gone at least…” I counted on my fingers, “at least four or five days.”

“I’m sorry, Miss Kelsey, but you and Ren left me last night. In fact, I was going to say you should get some rest and then try again tomorrow night. You were really gone almost a week?”

“Well, Iwas asleep for two of the days. At least that’s whattiger boy over there told me.” I glared at Ren. He stared back at me with an innocuous tiger expression while listening to our conversation. He appeared to be sweet and attentive, as harmless as a little kitten. He was about as harmless as a porcupine. Actually, the porcupine analogy probably fit me better. I was bristling. All of my quills were standing on end so I could defend my soft belly from being devoured by the predator who had taken an interest.

“Two days? What happened? No. Wait. My curiosity will have to wait for later. You are obviously exhausted and probably injured. Why don’t we return to the hotel and rest? We can try to get the fruit again tomorrow night.”

“But, Mr. Kadam…” I unzipped the backpack, “we don’t have to come back. Wegot the fruit.” I pulled out my blanket and unfolded it, revealing the Golden Fruit nestled within. He gently picked it up out of its

cocoon.

“Amazing!”

“It’s a mango.” With a smirk, I added, “It only makes sense. After all, mangoes are very important to Indian culture and trade.” Ren huffed at me and rolled on his side in the grass.

“Indeed, it does make sense, Miss Kelsey.”

He admired the fruit for another moment, then carefully wrapped it in my blanket again and placed the blanket in my bag. He clapped his hands together. “This is very exciting! Let’s break camp then and head

home. Or perhaps it would be better to go to a hotel so you can rest, Miss Kelsey.”

“Oh, it’s okay. I don’t mind getting back on the road. We can stay in a hotel tonight. How many days will it take for us to get home?”

“We will need to stay over two more nights in a hotel on our trip home.”

Momentarily alarmed, I glanced at Ren. “Okay. Umm, I was thinking that maybe this time if you don’t mind, we could check out one of those bigger hotels. You know…something that has more people around. With elevators…and rooms that lock. Or even better, a nice high-rise hotel in a big city. Far, far, far away from the jungle?”

Mr. Kadam chuckled. “I’ll see what I can do.”

I graced Mr. Kadam with a beatific smile. “Good! Now let’s be on our way. I can’t wait to take a shower…,” I opened the door to the passenger side then turned and hissed in a whisper aimed at Ren, “

in my nice, upper-floor, inaccessible-to-tigers hotel room.”

He just looked at me with his innocent, blue-eyed tiger face again. I smiled wickedly at him and hopped in the Jeep, totallyforgetting to open the door for him. He just calmly trotted over to the back of the Jeep where Mr. Kadam was loading the last of his supplies and leapt up through the back. Another leap and he was in the back seat. He leaned in the front, and before I could push him away, he gave me a big, wet, slobbery tiger kiss right on my face.

I sputtered, “Ren! That isso disgusting!” I used my T-shirt to swipe the tiger saliva from my face and turned to yell at him some more. He was already lying down in the back seat with his mouth hanging open, as if he were laughing. Before I could really lay into him, Mr. Kadam, who was the happiest I’d ever seen him, got into the Jeep, and we started the bumpy journey back to a civilized road.

He wanted to ask me questions. I knew he was itching for information, but I was still fuming at Ren, so I

lied. I asked him if he could hold off his curiosity for a while so I could sleep. I yawned big for dramatic effect, and he immediately agreed to let me have some peace, which made me feel guilty. I really liked Mr. Kadam, and I hated lying to people. I excused my actions by mentally blaming Ren for my uncharacteristic behavior. Convincing myself that it was his fault was easy. I turned to the side and closed

my eyes.

I slept for a while, and when I woke up, Mr. Kadam handed me a Coke, a sandwich, and a banana. I raised my eyebrow at the banana and thought of several good monkey jokes I could annoy Ren with, but I kept quiet for Mr. Kadam’s sake. Instead, I immediately dug into my sandwich and drained my Coke in one long drink.

Mr. Kadam laughed and handed me another one. “Are you ready to tell me about what happened, Miss Kelsey?”

“Sure, I guess so.”

It took the better part of two hours to tell him about the long tunnel, the needle forest, the cave, the Kappa, and Kishkindha. I spent a long time talking about the golden tree and the monkeys coming to life.

I ended with the Kappa attack and Fanindra biting me.

I never mentioned that Ren was a man the whole time. In fact, I downplayed his presence in Kishkindha altogether. Whenever Mr. Kadam asked me how this or that was accomplished, I answered vaguely, or said lucky we had Fanindra, or lucky we had the gada. That seemed to satisfy most of his questions.

When he asked for more details about the Kappa attack, I just shrugged my shoulders and repeated my mantra, “Lucky I had Fanindra.” I didn’t want to answer any weird questions about Ren. I knew he’d probably tell his side of the story when he became a man again, but I didn’t care. I kept my version factual, unemotional, and, more importantly, Renless.

Mr. Kadam said we’d be stopping at a hotel soon, but he wanted to find a good place to leave Ren first.

I demurred, “Of course,” and smiled a sickly sweet smile back at the attentive tiger.

Mr. Kadam worried, “I hope our hotel won’t be too far away for him.”

I patted Mr. Kadam’s arm and reassured him, “Oh, don’t worry about him. He’svery good at getting what he wants. I mean…taking care of his needs. I’m sure he’ll find hislong nightalone in the jungle extremelyenlightening .”

Mr. Kadam shot me a puzzled glance, but eventually nodded and pulled over near a forested area.

Ren got out of the Jeep, came around to my side of the car, and stared at me with icy blue eyes. I just turned my body away so I wouldn’t have to look at him. When Mr. Kadam got back in the Jeep, I peeked out my window again, but Ren was gone. I reminded myself that he deserved it and sat back against the seat with my arms folded over my chest and an intense expression on my face.

Mr. Kadam spoke softly, “Kelsey, are you alright? You seem very…tense, since I last saw you.”

I muttered under my breath, “You have no idea.”

“What was that?”

I sighed and smiled at him weakly. “Nothing. I’m fine, just drained from the trip is all.”

“There’s something else I’ve been meaning to ask you.”

“Yes, what is it?”

“Did you have any strange dreams while in Kishkindha?”

“What kind of dreams?”

He glanced at me, worried. “Perhaps a dream about your amulet?”

“Oh! I totally forgot to tell you! When I plucked the fruit, I fainted and had a vision. It was of you, me, and some evil guy.”

“Then it was real. I was afraid of that.”

“Who was that guy anyway?”

He cleared his throat. “His name is Lokesh. He’s the same dark wizard who cursed Ren and Kishan.”

My mouth gaped open in shock. “He’s stillalive ?”

“It seems he is. It also appears that he has at least one part of the amulet. I suspect, however, that he has all of the other pieces.”

“How many pieces are there?”

“There are rumored to be five altogether, but no one really knows for sure. Ren’s father had one piece, and his mother brought another piece into the family because she was the only offspring of a powerful warlord who also had one. That’s how Ren and Kishan both ended up with a segment.”

“But why have a vision of him after all these years? I mean, what does it have to do with me?”

“That’s just it, Kelsey. You are helping Ren break the curse, and that man is the one who cast it. I’m worried that he now knows of us. Ofyou , in particular. I was hoping that something had happened to him, that he wasn’t alive anymore after all these years. I’ve been searching for him for centuries. Now that he’s seen us, I’m worried that he will resume his search.”

“You really think he’s that persistent?”

“I know he is.” He considered, “Perhaps it is time for you to return home.”

“What?” I panicked.Return home? Home to what? Home to who? I had no life at home. I hadn’t even thought about what would happen after we broke the curse. I guess I’d just assumed that there was so much to do that I’d be stuck here for a couple of years. Dismayed, I inquired, “You really want me to go home now?”

He saw my face and patted my hand. “Not at all! I didn’t mean Iwanted you to leave us. Don’t worry.

We’ll figure something out. I’m just speculating for now. I have no immediate plans to send you home.

And, of course, if and when you do go, you may always return whenever you wish. Our home is yours.”

I felt my panic subside, but only halfway.Maybe he’s right. Maybe I do need to go home. It would be much easier to forget Mr. Superhero if I were on the other side of the planet, right? Heck, he’s the only young male I’ve been around for weeks, not counting Kishan. It would be healthier for me to get out and meet other guys anyway. Maybe if I did that, I’d realize this whole emotional connection I feel with him isn’t really that strong.

Maybe my mind is playing tricks on me. Maybe I’m not as attracted to him as I thought I was. He can’t reallybe that good looking. He can’t reallybe as perfect as he seems to be. I’ve just been isolated, that’s all. When all you have is Tarzan and some monkeys, Tarzan looks pretty good, right?

I’ll just get over him. I’ll just go home and date a nice, normal computer geek or something and forget all

about old what’s-his-name. Oregon was full of aspiring computer engineers who would be much more on

my level. Guys I could go out with and people wouldn’t stop, point, and whisper, “What’s he dating her for? He could have anyone.” Or worse, they’d mob him and try to take him away from me.

I continued this line of thought, listing my reasons for staying away from Ren, and stubbornly rededicated

myself to avoiding him. The only problem was my rebellious, weak mind kept drifting back to how safe I

felt when he held me. And what he’d said when he thought I was dying. And the warm tingle that lingered

on my lips after he kissed me. Even if I ignored his beautiful face, which was next to a Herculean task, there were many other dazzling qualities for my mind to dwell on, and those thoughts kept me occupied for the rest of the drive.

Mr. Kadam pulled into the drive of a fabulous five-star hotel. I felt frumpy in my week-old, ripped, torn,

and bloody clothes. Mr. Kadam seemed nonchalant and was happy as a clam when he handed over the keys to a valet and accompanied me into the hotel. I kept my backpack close, but our other two bags were handled by hotel staff and taken up to our rooms.

Mr. Kadam filled out the necessary forms and spoke quietly with the lady at the front desk in Hindi.

Then he gestured for me to follow.

As we passed, I leaned over and asked the lady, “Just out of curiosity, youdon’t take pets. Am I right?”

She seemed confused and looked at Mr. Kadam, but shook her head no.

“Great…just checking.” I smiled back at her. Mr. Kadam tilted his head in puzzlement but said nothing.

He must think I’m off my rocker.I grinned and followed him to the elevator. The staff person inserted a key into the slot at the top of the elevator button pad and turned it, which automatically closed the door, and selected our floor. We got out and stepped directly into our room, the penthouse suite.

The staff person left us, and the elevator doors shut. Mr. Kadam told me that he’d be staying in the bedroom to the left and that I would have the suite on the right. He left me to myself with the admonishment that I rest and eat in whatever order I chose and that food would be delivered soon.

I walked into my beautiful suite with a king-sized bed and laughed giddily. A huge Jacuzzi tub was set in

the middle of my private bathroom. I quickly kicked off my dirty tennis shoes and decided to shower first and then soak in the Jacuzzi. Stepping into the hot shower, I soaped my hair four times and then applied

conditioner and left it to soak in while I scrubbed my skin raw. I dug my fingernails into a bar of soap and

wiggled them back and forth to get the dirt out. I paid special attention to my feet. My poor, knobby, blistery, sore feet.Oh well, maybe Mr. Kadam will spring for a pedicure later.

After I felt thoroughly clean, I wrapped a towel around my hair, slipped into a robe, filled the Jacuzzi with hot water, poured in bubble bath that was conveniently provided, and started the jets. The scent of juicy pears and just-picked berries rose in the air. Its smell reminded me of Oregon.

Sinking into that tub was the best feeling in the whole world.Well, the second best feeling. I was annoyed

that the memory of kissing Ren popped into my mind, and I quickly dismissed it, or tried to. The more I relaxed in the tub, the more my mind seemed to dwell on it. It was like a song that got stuck in my head, and, no matter what I did, it kept coming back to me.

The kiss played over and over. Despite my best efforts to eradicate it, I felt myself smile at the memory.

Ugh! What’s that about? I shook myself out of my reverie angrily, and I reluctantly got out of the tub.

After I dried off and pulled on a pair of shorts and a clean T-shirt, I sat down to brush out my hair. It took a long time to get all the tangles out because I’d had it in braids and hadn’t brushed it out for several

days. The brushing was soothing. It reminded me of my mom. I sat back on my king-sized bed and just enjoyed the feel of pulling my hairbrush through clean, wet hair.

Later, I ventured to the shared space and found Mr. Kadam reading a newspaper.

“Hello, Miss Kelsey. Are you feeling refreshed?”

“I feel so much better; I can’t even begin to tell you.”

“Good. There’s a late dinner under the cover over there. I took the liberty of ordering you something.”

“I lifted the lid and found turkey, cornbread stuffing, cranberry relish, peas, and mashed potatoes.”

“Wow! How did you get them to do this?”

He shrugged. “I thought you might like something American for a change, and that’s about as American as it gets. There’s even apple pie for dessert.”

I picked up my dinner plate and the glass full of icy lemon water that he knew I liked and sat down next to him with my legs tucked under me to eat.

“Did you eat already?”

“Yes, an hour or so ago. Don’t worry about me. Enjoy your dinner.”

I dug in and was pleasantly stuffed before I’d even had the apple pie. I swirled a piece of roll in my gravy and said, “Mr. Kadam? I want to tell you something. I feel guilty about not telling you before, but I

think you should know.” I took a deep breath and went on. “Ren was a man the whole time we were in Kishkindha.”

He set down his newspaper. “That’s interesting. But why couldn’t you tell me this before?”

I shrugged a shoulder and hedged, “I don’t know. Things weren’t exactly…smoothbetween us these past few days.”

His eyes twinkled as he laughed with understanding. “Now things make sense. I wondered why you were acting differently around him. Dhiren can be…difficult, if he chooses.”

“Stubborn, you mean. And demanding. And…” I looked out the window at the nighttime city lights and muttered, “lots of other things.”

He leaned forward and took one of my hands in his. “I see. Don’t fret, Miss Kelsey. I’m surprised that you’ve accomplished so much in such a short time. It’s hard enough to undertake a perilous journey, let alone with someone you are just getting to know and are not sure if you can trust. Even the best of companions can have falling-outs when under such great duress as you two have been. I’m sure that this is just a temporary setback in your friendship.”

Ourfriendship was not exactly the issue. Still, Mr. Kadam’s words gave me some comfort. Maybe, now that we were out of that situation, we could talk it out and apply common sense to the problem. Perhaps I could be the bigger person. After all, Renwas just starting to communicate with people again. If I could just explain to him how the world worked, I was sure he would understand and be able to move on to a place where we could still be friends.

He continued, “It’s remarkable that he was able to maintain human form the entire time there. Perhaps it has something to do with time stopping.”

“Do you really think time stopped in Kishkindha?”

“Perhaps time just moves differently there, but I do know that you were gone in our time for only a short

while.”

I nodded, agreeing with his assessment. Feeling better after talking and also happy that I had told Mr.

Kadam the truth, I said that I was going to read for a while and then go sleep for a long time with a soft pillow. He nodded and asked me to place all my clothing in the laundry bag provided so it could be cleaned overnight.

Heading back to my suite, I began to gather my things. I threw in my clothes and tennis shoes too. Also, I carefully unrolled my blanket, removed the Golden Fruit, and wrapped it in a small towel. I picked up my sad-looking, filthy quilt and popped it into the laundry bag as well.

I placed the laundry bag outside my door and hopped into bed, luxuriating in the soft, plush sheets. I sunk into the goose-down pillows and fell into a deep, relaxing sleep.

The next morning, I smiled and stretched out all my limbs as far as they could go and still didn’t even reach the edge of the bed. I brushed out my hair again and pulled it up into a loose ponytail. Mr. Kadam was just sitting down to hash browns, toast, bacon, and Spanish omelets. I joined him, sipped my orange juice, and chatted about how exciting it was to be heading back home.

Our laundry was brought back pressed and folded as if brand new. Taking some clothes out of the pile to wear, I transferred all the rest of the folded clothing to my other bag. When I got to my quilt, I stopped

for a moment to smell the lemony soap they’d used and inspected it carefully for damage. Faded and old as it was, it was still holding together well. I sent a silent thanks to my grandmother, “They don’t make them anymore like you did, Gran.”

I placed my folded quilt on the bottom of my backpack and put the gada on the side standing straight up. I’d taken the gada out to clean the night before, but I was surprised to find it shiny and spotless, as if it had never been used. Next, I set Fanindra carefully on top of my quilt and put the Golden Fruit right in the middle of her coils. Then I zipped it up, leaving just a part open so Fanindra could breathe. I didn’t know if she actually breathed, but it made me feel better anyway.

After getting dressed, I met Mr. Kadam in the main room, and he took my large bag from me. We left the hotel room, me carrying the backpack and the staff people carrying our other bags. The valet drove the freshly washed Jeep right up to the door and held the doors open for us to climb in. They stowed our bags in the back, while I kept the backpack between my feet in the front seat.

I felt happy, refreshed, and perfectly content the whole drive back to pick up Ren until we pulled up to the side of the road, and I saw him standing there. Not the tiger him, theman him. Mr. Kadam walked to him and hugged him. I could hear their voices, but I couldn’t make out what they were saying. I did hear Mr. Kadam laugh as he clapped Ren on the back rather loudly. He was obviously very happy about something.

Soon after, Mr. Kadam walked back to the Jeep and opened the back door. Ren had changed back into a tiger. He curled up for a nap in the back while I pointedly ignored him and selected a book to keep myself occupied on the long drive.

Mr. Kadam explained that we would have to stop at another hotel on the way back and that we would be driving all day. I told him that it was fine with me. I had plenty of books to read. Mr. Kadam had bought me a couple of novels at the hotel bookstore as well as a travel book of India.

I napped on and off during the day between chapters. I finished the first novel by early afternoon and was nearing the end of the second book by the time we drove into the city. The car was unusually quiet.

Mr. Kadam seemed in high spirits, but he wasn’t sharing, and Ren slept the day away in the back.

After the sun went down, Mr. Kadam announced that we were nearing our destination. He indicated that he would drop me off first and then would take care of Ren. I shrugged, not caring much. I didn’t even stipulate a nice hotel again because I felt guilty about having Ren so far away. I could still lock my door if he decided to track me down, so I wasn’t worried.

He dropped me off, got out of the vehicle, and had a long conversation with the concierge. We’d stopped at a nice hotel again. Not as nice as before, but still very upper class. He said that I should head to my room and get dressed in something nice. He wanted to have dinner in the hotel restaurant to celebrate. I nodded and followed the hotel employee to my room.

I knew he would be gone awhile because he had to take Ren out to the jungle, so I took a long, hot shower and took the time to blow-dry my hair, scrunching it so it fell in soft waves down my back.

When

it was time to get dressed, I lamented over what to wear because all I had were jeans and T-shirts in my bag. I heard a knock at the door and shuffled over in my robe and slippers. A maid handed me a zipped garment bag and a box. I tried to talk to her, but she didn’t understand English. She just kept saying,

“Kadam.”

I took it, thanked her, and zipped open the garment bag to find a gorgeous dress inside. The bodice was fitted black velvet, and the sleeves and skirt were made of a pearlescent plum dupioni silk. Capped sleeves attached to the black velvet top and blended softly into a sweetheart neckline. The snug-fitting bodice made me look curvier than I really was. It tapered down to my hips and settled over the full plum,

knee-length skirt. A belt, made of the same soft material as the skirt, was knotted on the side and pinned with a sparkling broach to emphasize my waist.

The dress was silky, lined, and probably expensive. When I moved, the light hit the skirt and it shimmered, reflecting several different shades of purple. I’d never worn something so nice, except for the

beautiful blue Indian dress I had back at the house. I opened the box and found a pair of strappy black heels with diamond buckles and a matching lily clip for my hair. A dress like this required makeup, so I headed to the bathroom and finished getting ready. I clipped the lily into my hair just over my left ear and

finger-combed through my wavy hair. Then I slipped on my shoes and waited for Mr. Kadam.

He soon knocked on my door and admired me with fatherly appreciation. “Miss Kelsey, you look beautiful!”

I swirled my skirt for him. “Thedress is beautiful. If I look good, it’s all your doing. You picked out something fabulous. Thank you. You must have known that I wanted to feel like a girl for a change, instead of a camper Jane.”

He nodded. His eyes seemed thoughtful, but he smiled at me, held out his arm, and escorted me out to the hotel elevator. We rode down the elevator and laughed about monkeys, as I told him about Ren running around with about twenty of them attached to his fur.

We walked into a candlelit restaurant with white linen tablecloths and napkins. The hostess guided us to a section with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the lights of the city below. Only one of the tables in

this section of the restaurant was occupied; it was a man dining alone. He was sitting with his back turned

toward us as he looked out at the lights.

Mr. Kadam bowed and said, “Miss Kelsey, I will leave you to your dining companion. Enjoy your dinner.” Then he walked out of the restaurant.

“Mr. Kadam, wait. I don’t understand.”Dining companion? What is he talking about? Maybe he’s confused.

Just then, a deep, too familiar voice behind me said, “Hello, Kells.”

I froze, and my heart dropped into my stomach, stirring up about a billion butterflies. A few seconds passed. Or was it a few minutes? I couldn’t tell.

I heard a sigh of frustration. “Are you still not talking to me? Turn around, please.”

A warm hand slid under my elbow and gently turned me around. I raised my eyes and gasped softly. He wasbreathtaking ! So handsome, I wanted to cry.

“Ren.”

He smiled. “Who else?”

He was dressed in an elegant black suit and he’d had his hair cut. Glossy black hair was swept back away from his face in tousled layers that tapered to a slight curl at the nape of his neck.

The white shirt he wore was unbuttoned at the neck. It set off his golden-bronze skin and his brilliant white smile, making him positivelylethal to any woman who might cross his path. I groaned inwardly.He’s

like…like James Bond, Antonio Banderas, and Brad Pitt all rolled into one.

I decided the safest thing to do would be to look at his shoes. Shoes were boring, right? Not attractive at all.Ah. Much better. His shoes were nice, of course—polished and black, just like I would expect. I smiled wryly when I realized that this was the first time I’d ever seen Ren in shoes.

He cupped my chin and made me look at his face.The jerk . Then it was his turn to appraise me. He looked me up and down. And not a quick up and down like I would have preferred. Oh,no . He had to lookslowly . The kind of slow that made a girl’s face feel hot. I got mad at myself for blushing and glared

at him.

Nervous and impatient, I asked, “Are you finished?”

“Almost.”

He was now staring at my strappy shoes.

“Well, hurry up!”

His eyes drifted leisurely back up to my face.

He smiled at me appreciatively, “Kelsey…when a man spends time with a beautiful woman, he needs to pace himself.”

I quirked my eyebrow at him and laughed. “Yeah, I’m a regular marathon alright.”

He kissed my fingers. “Exactly. Awise mannever sprints…in a marathon.”

“I was being sarcastic, Ren.”

He ignored me and tucked my hand under his arm then led me over to a beautifully lit table. He pulled the chair out for me, inviting me to sit.

Speaking of marathons, I stood there wondering if I could sprint for the nearest exit.Stupid strappy shoes ,I’d never make it.

He leaned in close and whispered in my ear, “I know what you’re thinking, and I’m not going to let you escape again. You can either take a seat and have dinner with me like a normaldate ,” he grinned at his word choice, “or,” he paused thoughtfully then threatened, “you can sit on my lap while I force feed you.”

I hissed, “You wouldn’t dare. You’re too much of a gentleman to force me to do anything. It’s an empty bluff, Mr. Asks-For-Permission.”

“Even a gentleman has his limits. One way or another, we’re going to have a civil conversation.I’m hoping I get to feed you from my lap, but it’syour choice.” He straightened up again and waited. I unceremoniously plunked down in my chair and scooted myself in noisily. He laughed softly and took the

chair across from me. I felt guilty because of the dress and readjusted my skirt so it wouldn’t wrinkle.

I glared at him as our waitress came over. She set my menu down quickly, and I had to watch as she took an extra long time giving him his menu. She stood near his shoulder and pointed out several choices while leaning over his arm. After she finally left, I rolled my eyes in disgust.

Ren took his time perusing the menu and seemed to be thoroughly enjoying himself. I didn’t even pick my menu up. He kept shooting me meaningful glances while I sat silently, trying to avoid making eye contact. When she came back, she spoke to him briefly and gestured to me. I smiled, and in a syrupy sweet voice, said, “I’ll have whatever will get me in and out of here the fastest. Like a salad, maybe.”

Ren smiled benignly back at me and rattled off what sounded like a banquet of choices, which the waitress was more than happy to take her time writing down. She kept smiling and laughing with him too.

Which I found very,very annoying.

When she left, he leaned back in his chair and sipped his water.

I broke the silence first and hissed at him quietly, “I don’t know what you’re playing at, but you only have about two minutes left, so I hope you ordered the steaktartare , Tiger.”

He grinned mischievously. “We’ll see, Kells. We’ll see.”

“Fine. No skin offmy nose. I can’t wait to see what happens when a white tiger runs through this nice establishment creating mayhem and havoc. Perhaps they will lose one of their stars because they put their

patrons in danger. Maybe your new waitress girlfriend will run away screaming.”I smiled at the thought.

He affected shock, “Why, Kelsey! Are youjealous ?”

I snorted in a very unladylike way, “No!Of course not.” He grinned.

I nervously played with my napkin. “I can’t believe you convinced Mr. Kadam to play along with you like this. It’s shocking, really.”

He opened his napkin and winked at the waitress when she came to bring us a basket of rolls.

When she left, I challenged, “Are you winking at her?Unbelievable! ”

He laughed quietly and pulled out a steaming roll, buttered it, and put it on my plate.

“Eat, Kelsey,” he commanded. Then he sat forward. “Unless you are reconsidering seeing the view from

my lap.”

Angrily, I tore apart my roll and swallowed a few pieces before I even noticed how delicious they were—light and flaky with little flecks of orange rind mixed into the dough. I would have eaten another one, but I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction.

The waitress returned shortly with two helpers, and they piled dish after dish on our table. Sure enough, he had ordered a smorgasbord. There was not one inch left on our table. He took my plate and piled it high with aromatic, mouth-watering selections. After placing it in front of me, he began filling his own.

When he was finished, he set his plate down, looked at me, and raised an eyebrow.

I leaned forward and whispered angrily, “I amnot going to sit on your lap, so don’t get your hopes up, buster.”

He still waited until I picked up a fork and took a few bites. I speared a bite of macadamia nut crusted ruby snapper and said, “Whew. Time’s up. Isn’t it? The clock is ticking. You must be sweating it, huh? I mean, you could turnany second .”

He just took a bite of curried lamb and then some saffron rice and sat there chewing as cool as a cucumber.

I watched him closely for a full two minutes and then folded up my napkin. “Okay, I give. Why are you acting so smug and confident? When are you going to tell me what’s going on?”

He wiped his mouth carefully and took a sip of water. “What’s going on,my prema , is that the curse has been lifted.”

My mouth dropped open. “What? If it was lifted, why were you a tiger for the last two days?”

“Well, to be clear, the curse is not completely gone. I seem to have been granted apartial removal of the curse.”

“Partial? Partial meaning what, exactly?”

“Partial, meaning a certain number of hours per day. Six hours to be exact.”

I recited the prophesy in my mind and remembered that there were four sides to the monolith, and four times six was… “Twenty-four.”

He paused, “Twenty-four what?”

“Well, six hours makes sense because there were four tasks, four sides of the monolith. We’ve only completed one of the tasks, so you only get six hours.”

He smiled at me. “I guess I get to keep you around then, at least until the other tasks are finished.”

I snorted. “Don’t hold your breath, Tarzan.I …might not need to bepresent for the other tasks. Now that you’re a man part of the time, you and Kishan can resolve this problem yourselves, I’m sure.”

He cocked his head and narrowed his eyes at me. “Don’t underestimate your level of…involvement, Kelsey. Even if you weren’t needed anymore to break the curse, do you think I’d simply let you go? Let you walk out of my life without a backward glance?”

I nervously began toying with my food and decided to say nothing. That wasexactly what I’d been planning to do.

Something had changed. The hurt and confused Ren that made me feel guilty for rejecting him in Kishkindha was gone. He was now supremely confident, almost arrogant, and very sure of himself.

He kept his eyes on my face while he ate. After he finished all the food on his plate, he filled it again two

more times. He ate at least half of every dish on the table.

I squirmed under his gaze and played with my food. He looked like the cat that got the cream or the student who had all the answers to the test before the teacher even told the class about it. He was disgustingly pleased with himself, and I sensed that there was much more to his newfound confidence than just getting time back as a man.

He seemed toknow . Know my secret thoughts and feelings. His confidence set me on edge. I felt like I was backed into a corner, and he was holding all the cards.

“The answer to that question is…I won’t. You belong here. Which leads me to the discussion I wanted to have with you.”

“Where I belong is for me to decide, and though I may listen to what you have to say, that doesn’t mean I will agree with you.”

“Fair enough.” He pushed his empty plate to the side. “We have some unfinished business to take care of.”

“If you mean the other tasks we have to do, I’m already aware of that.”

“I’m not talking about that. I’m talking aboutus .”

“What aboutus ?” I put my hands under the table and wiped my clammy palms on my napkin.

“I think there are a few things we’ve left unsaid, and I think it’s time we said them.”

“I’m not withholding anything from you, if that’s what you mean.”

“You are.”

“No. I’m not.”

“Are you refusing to acknowledge what has happened between us?”

“I’m notrefusing anything. Don’t try to put words in my mouth.”

“I’m not. I’m simply trying to convince a stubborn woman to admit that she has feelings for me.”

“If Idid have feelings for you, you’d be the first one to know.”

“Are you saying that youdon’t feel anything for me?”

“That’s not what I’m saying.”

“Then whatare you saying?”

“I’m saying…nothing!” I sputtered.

He smiled and narrowed his eyes at me. I felt like we were playing a game of chess, and I was losing. If he kept up this line of questioning, he was bound to catch me in a lie. I’m not a very good liar.

He sat back in his chair. “Fine. I’ll let you off the hook for now, but wewill talk about this later. Tigers are relentless once they set their minds to obtaining something. You won’t be able to evade me forever.”

Casually, I replied, “Don’t get your hopes up, Mr. Wonderful. Every hero has his Kryptonite, and you don’t intimidate me.” I twisted my napkin in my lap while he tracked my every move with his probing eyes. I felt stripped down, as if he could see into the very heart of me.

When the waitress came back, he smiled at her as she offered a smaller menu, probably featuring desserts. She leaned over him while I tapped my strappy shoe in frustration. He listened attentively to her; then, the two of them laughed again.

He spoke quietly, gesturing to me, and she looked my way, giggled, and then cleared all the plates quickly. He pulled out a wallet and handed her a credit card. She put her hand on his arm to ask him another question, and I couldn’t help myself. I kicked him under the table. He didn’t even blink or look at

me. He just reached his arm across the table, took my hand in his, and rubbed the back of it absentmindedly with his thumb as he answered her question. It was like my kick was a love tap to him.

It

only made him happier.

When she left, I narrowed my eyes at him and asked, “How did you get that card, and what were you saying to her about me?”

“Mr. Kadam gave me the card, and I told her that we would be having our dessert…later.”

I laughed facetiously. “You meanyou will be having dessert later byyourself this evening because I am done eating with you.”

He leaned across the candlelit table and said, “Who said anything abouteating , Kelsey?”

He must be joking! But, he looked completely serious.Great! There go the nervous butterflies again.

“Stop looking at me like that.”

“Like what?”

“Like you’re hunting me. I’m not an antelope.”

He laughed. “Ah, but the chase would be exquisite, and you would be a most succulent catch.”

“Stop it.”

“Am I making you nervous?”

“You could say that.”

I stood up abruptly as he was signing the receipt and started making my way toward the door. He was next to me in an instant.

He leaned over. “I’m not letting you escape, remember? Now, behave like a good date and let me walk you home. It’s the least you could do since you wouldn’t talk with me.”

“We talked.”

“Not about what I intended to talk about.”

“Fine. Get it over with. Say it now.”

“Nowis not the right time or the right place.”

He took my elbow and began to guide me out of the restaurant. I was acutely aware of him, and the thought that he was walking me back to my room and would most likely try to kiss me again sent shivers down my spine. For self-preservation purposes, I had to get away.

I tried to wrench my elbow out of his grasp, but he just held on more tightly.

I grumbled at him, “Stop using your tiger strength on me, Superman.”

“Am I hurting you?”

“No, but I’m not a puppet to be dragged around.”

He trailed his fingers down my arm and took my hand instead. “Then you play nice, and I will too.”

“Fine.”

He grinned. “Fine.”

I hissed back. “Fine!”

We walked to the elevator, and he pushed the button to my floor.

“How do you know what floor I’m on?”

“Because I’m on the same floor.”

I scowled. We got in the elevator, and a thought occurred to me.

I grinned lopsidedly and just a little bit evilly, “And umm… how exactly is that going to work for you in

themorning , Tiger?”

His hand slapped his chest in mock surprise. “Are you…worriedabout me, Kelsey?”

“No. I just don’t want Mr. Kadam to get in trouble for having a rather large pet.”

He sighed. “Don’t worry aboutme , Kells. I’ll just save an hour or so, so that I can get out of the hotel without a problem.”

“Hmm.”

The elevator door opened, and he walked me right up to my door.

“I guess there’s no point in asking how you knew which door belonged to me, huh, Tiger Nose?”

He just looked at me in a way that turned my insides to jelly. Awareness of him shot through my limbs, and I could feel him standing close behind me watching, waiting. I put my key in the lock, and he moved

closer. My hand started shaking, and I couldn’t twist the key the right way. He took my hand and gently turned me around. He then put both hands on the door on either side of my head and leaned in close, pinning me against it. I trembled like a downy rabbit caught in the clutches of a wolf. The wolf came closer. He bent his head and began nuzzling my cheek. The problem was…Iwanted the wolf to devour me.

I began to get lost in the thick sultry fog that overtook me every time Ren put his hands on me.

So much for asking for permission.

He whispered warmly, “I can always tell where you are, Kelsey. You smell like…” he smiled, “like peaches and cream.”

I shivered and put my hands on his chest to push him away, but I ended up grabbing fistfuls of shirt and held on for dear life. He trailed kisses from my ear down my cheek and then pressed soft kisses along the

arch of my neck. I pulled him closer and turned my head so he could really kiss me. He smiled and ignored my invitation, moving instead to the other ear. He bit my earlobe lightly, moved from there to my

collarbone, and trailed kisses out to my shoulder. Then he lifted his head and brought his lips about one inch from mine and the only thought in my head was…more.

With a devastating smile, he reluctantly pulled away and said, “Thanks fordessert , Kelsey. Too badyou didn’t want any.” He lightly ran his fingers through the strands of my hair. “By the way, I forgot to mention that you lookbeautiful tonight.” He smiled again then turned and strolled off down the hall.

Tiny quakes vibrated through my hand like aftershocks following an earthquake. I couldn’t steady my hand as I twisted the key. I shoved open the door to my dark room, entered, and shakily closed it behind me. Leaning back against the door, I let the darkness envelop me.

CHAPTER 24

The next morning, I quickly packed up my things and waited for Mr. Kadam. I sat in the easy chair, nervously tapping my foot back and forth. Last night had convinced me that I needed to do something about Ren. His presence was devastating me. I knew that if I spent any more time with him, he would convince me to get serious with him, and I absolutelycould not allow that.

I would end up crushed. Oh, it would be great for a while. Really,really great. But, eventually, he would grow tired of me, or bored, or see a pretty young thing walk by, and that would be it. I’d be cast aside like last week’s rubbish. It would never last. He was a bronze Adonis, and I was a…a…well, I don’t knowwhat to call myself, but Iknew that I was no Helen of Troy. We’d never make it. I had to be realistic. I decided that when we got back to the house, he and I would have a woman-to-tiger talk.

Then, if he still wouldn’t give up, I’d just go home as Mr. Kadam had suggested. Maybe distance was what was needed. Maybe he just needed time apart from me to realize that this would be a mistake. With that resolve, I braced myself to see him again as we left the hotel.

I waited a long time for Mr. Kadam. I was almost ready to call his room, when finally, there was a knock at the door. Mr. Kadam stood there alone.

“Are you ready, Miss Kelsey? I’m sorry that we’re getting such a late start.”

“It’s okay. Mr.Wonderful was probably taking his sweet time, right?”

“No, it was actually my fault this morning. I was busy with… paperwork.”

“Oh. Well, that’s alright. Don’t worry about it. What kind of paperwork?”

He smiled. “Nothing important. Did the staff bring you breakfast?”

I grinned. “Yes. Blueberry muffins and fruit. What about you?”

“Dhiren and I have already eaten as well.”

He held the door for me, and we walked out into an empty hallway. I pushed the button for the elevator, and I was just starting to relax when I heard a hotel room door close. Ren walked down the hall toward us. He’d purchased new clothes. I took a step back from the elevator and tried to avoid eye contact.

Crap. He looks like a runway model.

He wore a brand new pair of dark-indigo, purposely faded, urban destruction designer jeans. His shirt was a long-sleeved, buttoned-down, crisp, oxford-style and was obviously of high quality. It was blue with thin white stripes and matched his eyes perfectly. He’d rolled up the sleeves and left it untucked and

open at the collar. Of course, it was also an athletic cut, so it fit tightly to his muscular torso, which made

me suck in an involuntary breath in appreciation of his male splendor.

How in the world am I going to be able to reject that? The world is so unfair. Seriously, it’s like turning Brad Pitt down for a date. The girl who could actually do it should win an award for idiot of the century.

I again quickly ran through my list of reasons for not being with Ren and said a few “He’s not for me’s.”

The good thing about seeing his mouthwatering self and watching him walk around like a regular person was that it tightened my resolve. Yes…it would be hard because he was so unbelievably attractive, but it was now even more obvious to me that we didn’t belong together.

As he joined us at the elevator, I shook my head and muttered under my breath, “Figures. The guy is a tiger for three hundred and fifty years and emerges from his curse with expensive taste and keen fashion sense too.Incredible .”

Mr. Kadam asked, “What was that, Miss Kelsey?”

“Nothing.”

Ren raised an eyebrow and smirked.He probably heard me. Stupid tiger hearing. The elevator doors opened. I stepped in and moved to the corner hoping to keep Mr. Kadam between the two of us, but apparently, Mr. Kadam wasn’t receiving the silent thoughts I was projecting furiously toward him and remained by the elevator buttons. Ren moved over next to me and stood too close. He looked me up and down slowly and gave me a knowing smile. We rode down the elevator in silence. When the doors opened, he stopped me, took the bag off my shoulder, and threw it over his, leaving me with nothing to carry. He walked ahead next to Mr. Kadam while I trailed along slowly behind, keeping distance between us and a wary eye on his tall frame.

When the valet brought the Jeep around, Ren stowed our bags in the back. He then came over to my side of the car and opened the door for me. He held out his hand to help me in the Jeep. When I ignored it, he took it anyway and squeezed it subtly. I pointedly frowned at his hand, obviously trying to indicate to him that I’d like it to be removed, but he just raised his eyebrow, challenging me to do something about it. I locked eyes with him in a silent war of wills. He won. I allowed him to help me in, sat down quickly, and started strapping on my seatbelt. He smirked at me, closed my door, and got in the back seat.

Mr. Kadam did enough talking for all three of us. He was so excited that Ren could be a man again. It must have been a great relief for him. In a way, Mr. Kadam was just as cursed as Ren and Kishan. He couldn’t have a life of his own. Focusing his time and attention on serving the brothers had become his only purpose in life. He was as much of a slave to the tigers as they were.

The thought occurred to me thatI was in danger of becoming a slave to a tiger as well.Hah! I’d probably like it too. I rolled my eyes at the thought.I disgust myself. I’m so darn weak! I was disconcerted to realize that I was just as susceptible to a pretty face as the next person. Although, I reasoned, Ren was much more than just a pretty face. Speaking of his pretty face, I peeked in the back seat and saw that he was a tiger again.

Whew! I hated the idea that all he’d have to do was crook his finger at me, beckon me to come to him, and I probably would. I’d come running right up to him, just like happy puppy trying to get attention from

its owner. I felt the connection, the love plant, for lack of a better word, swell inside me again. It was spreading deeper roots and my dog scenario morphed into a vision of me sitting happily at his feet in front

of a fireplace while he smiled and leaned over to…That’s it! No more! I’m going to talk it all out with him

when we get back and hope that we can still be friends.

This was pretty much my line of thought for the entire trip home. I’d daydream then stop and lecture myself and repeat my stubborn mantra. I tried to read, but I kept rereading the same paragraph over and over. Eventually, I gave up and napped a little. We finally got back late in the evening. I took one look at

Ren’s beautifully lit-up dream home and sighed deeply. It felt like home to me. It would be very hard for me to leave it when the time came, and I had a sinking feeling that the time would come very soon.

We went into the house, and Mr. Kadam carried my bags upstairs for me. He left me on my own, and I walked into my room, closed the door, and sank onto the down-filled comforter. I dragged a couple of plum pillows over to me and hugged them to myself while thinking abouthim again, of course. I couldn’t

seem to get him out of my mind.

I realized that it was late, and I figured that I should try to get some rest, so I forced myself to stop agonizing over my choice and brushed my teeth and changed into my pajamas. I carefully took Fanindra out of my backpack and picked up a small pillow. Placing the pillow on the nightstand, I arranged Fanindra’s hard, coiled body as comfortably as I could with her head facing the nice view of the pool. If I

were a frozen snake, that would be what I’d like to look at.

Next, I took out the gada and the Golden Fruit. Wrapping the Golden Fruit in a soft towel, I put it and the gada in my dresser drawer. Looking at the fruit, I realized that I was hungry. I wanted a midnight snack, but I was too lazy to go downstairs to get one. I tucked the fruit in the drawer. I’d have to remember to ask Mr. Kadam to lock up the Fruit and the gada with Ren’s family seal, wherever that was. We needed to be sure it was safe.

As I crawled into bed, I noticed a small plate of crackers and cheese with sliced apples on the nightstand. I hadn’t noticed it before.Huh. Mr. Kadam must have snuck the plate in when I was in the bathroom. Grateful for his thoughtfulness, I ate my snack and then turned out the lights. Sleep wouldn’t come. My mind wouldn’t let me rest. I was afraid to face Ren the next day. I was afraid that I couldn’t say what needed to be said. I finally drifted off at about four in the morning and slept till noon.

I took my time getting up the next morning. I knew I was avoidinghim and the discussion that needed to happen, but I didn’t care. I took my time showering and dressing. By the time I mustered the courage to go downstairs, my stomach was grumbling with hunger pains. I crept down the stairs and heard someone puttering in the kitchen. I stood at the bottom of the steps and listened long enough to figure out that there

was only one person in there.Ah, Mr. Kadam must be making lunch. Maybe Ren is sleeping somewhere

, I thought hopefully.

Relieved, I turned the corner and was just about to greet Mr. Kadam when, to my dismay, I found Ren, all alone, trying to make a sandwich. He had sandwich fixings spread all over the kitchen. Every vegetable in the refrigerator and almost every condiment were set out. He was standing there, deep in thought, trying to figure out if he should use ketchup or chili sauce on his turkey and eggplant sandwich.

He wore one of Mr. Kadam’s aprons, and it was smeared with mustard. Despite my attempt to be quiet, I giggled.

He smiled but kept his attention on his sandwich. “I heard you get up. Took your sweet time coming downstairs. I thought you might be hungry and came down to make you a sandwich.”

I laughed acerbically, “Ugh, not one of those. I’ll take a peanut butter.”

“Okay. Umm…which one of these jars is peanut butter?”

He pointed to a group of condiments. He’d separated all the bottles, placing the ones labeled in English to one side and keeping everything else near him.

Bemused, I approached him. “You can’t read English, can you?”

He scowled. “No. I can read about fifteen other languages and speak about thirty, but I can’t figure out what these bottles are.”

I smirked at him. “If yousmelled it, you’d probably figure it out, Tiger Nose.”

He looked at me, grinned, then set down both bottles, walked over to me, and kissed me right on the mouth.

“See? That’s why I need to have you around. I need a smart girlfriend.”

He went back to his sandwich and started opening bottles and smelling them.

I sputtered, “Ren!I amnot your girlfriend!”

He just grinned at me in response, located the peanut butter, and made me the thickest peanut butter sandwich I’d ever seen. I took one bite and couldn’t open my mouth. “Weenn, hobouutssomme mlkk uff datte?”

He laughed. “What?”

“Ilkk, illlkk!” I mimed drinking something.

“Oh,milk ! Okay, hold on a sec.”

He had to open every cupboard in the kitchen to locate a cup, and, naturally, they were in the last cupboard he chose. He poured me a frothy glass, and I drained half of it immediately to clear the sticky peanut butter out of my mouth. Pulling the slices of bread apart, I chose the one with the least amount of peanut butter, folded it in half, and ate that instead.

Ren sat down across from me with the biggest, strangest looking sandwich on the planet and dug in.

I blinked at it and laughed. “You’re eating a Dagwood.”

He chewed and swallowed. “What do you mean?”

“In America, there’s a cartoon character that’s famous for giant sandwiches. His name is Dagwood. So, huge sandwiches like that are called Dagwoods.”

He grunted and took another big bite. I decided it was a good time to talk when he couldn’t talk back.

“Umm, Ren? We need to talk.”

He mumbled with his mouth full, “So talk.”

I hedged, “Not now. Later. Meet me on the veranda at sundown, okay?”

He froze with his sandwich halfway to his mouth. “A secret rendezvous? On the veranda? At sundown?”

He arched an eyebrow at me. “Why, Kelsey, are you trying toseduce me?”

“Hardly,” I dryly muttered.

He laughed, “Well, I’m all yours. But be gentle with me tonight,fair maiden . I’m new at this whole being

human business.”

Exasperated, I threw out, “I amnot your fair maiden.”

He ignored my comment and went back to devouring his lunch. He also took the other half of my discarded peanut butter sandwich and ate that too.

“Hey! This stuff’s pretty good.”

Finished, I walked over to the kitchen island and began clearing away Ren’s mess. When he was done, he stood to help me. I couldn’t help but notice we worked well together. It was almost like we knew what the other person was going to do before he or she did it. The kitchen was spotless in no time. Ren took off his apron and threw it in the laundry basket. Then he came up behind me while I was putting away some glasses and wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me up against him.

He smelled my hair, kissed my neck, and murmured softly in my ear, “Mmm, definitely peaches and cream, but with a hint of spice. I’ll go be a tiger for a while and take a nap, and then I can save all my hours for you this evening.”

I grimaced. He was probably expecting a make-out session, and I was planning to break up with him.

He wanted to spend time with agirlfriend , and my plan was to explain to him how weweren’t meant to be together. Not that we were ever officiallytogether . Still, itfelt like a break up.Why does this have to be so hard?

He rocked me and whispered, “‘How silver-sweet sound lovers’ tongues by night, Like soft music to attending ears…’”

I turned around in his arms, shocked.

“How did you remember that? That’sRomeo and Juliet !”

He shrugged. “I paid attention when you were reading it to me. I liked it.”

He kissed my cheek. “See you tonight,iadala ,” and left me standing there.

The rest of the afternoon, I couldn’t focus on anything. Everything I started out doing failed to hold my attention. I practiced what I should say, but nothing sounded right. I rehearsed in the mirror: “It’s not you,

it’s me,” “There are plenty of other fish in the sea,” “I need to find myself,” “Our differences are too big,”

“I’m notthe one ,” “There’s someone else.” Heck, I even tried “I’m allergic to cats.”

None of the excuses I came up with would work with him. I decided the best thing to do was be straightforward with him. Tell him the truth. That’s who I was. I faced things, got on with the hard parts, and moved on with life.

Mr. Kadam was gone all day. The Jeep was missing. I was hoping that he’d be around to distract me a little bit, maybe give me some advice, but he was MIA.

Sundown came too quickly, and I nervously headed upstairs. I walked in the bathroom, took out my braids, and brushed out my hair until it fell down my back in loose waves. I put on some lip gloss and eyeliner and then searched through my closet for something nicer to wear than a T-shirt.Apparently, someone had been adding designer clothing to my wardrobe. I came out with a mulberry, small-scale, plaid, cotton blouse trimmed in black silk, and some slim leg black pants cropped at the ankles.

The charitable thing to do would be to make myself as homely looking as possible, which would probably make it much easier on him, but I didn’t want his parting memories of me to be that I was frumpy looking and dressed like a tomboy.I do have some feminine pride after all. I still want him to squirm. At least a little.

Satisfied with my appearance, I passed Fanindra, patted her head, and asked her to wish me luck. I slid open the glass door and stepped outside. The outside air was warm and fragrant. I smelled jasmine and the woodsy scent of the jungle. I watched the sun dip down below the horizon, leaving the sky carnation pink and clementine orange. The pool and fountain lights clicked on below as I sat back on the cushioned

patio loveseat and rocked gently, enjoying the balmy, sweet-smelling breeze as it wafted over my skin.

I sighed and spoke aloud, “The only thing missing is one of those fruity, tropical drinks with pineapple, cherries, and an umbrella.” I heard something fizz next to me on a side table. A curved, frosty glass held a

cold red-orange fruit drink, complete with umbrella and cherries! I picked it up to see if it was real. It was. I sipped it cautiously, and the bubbly sweet juice was perfect.Something weird is going on. Nobody else is here, so how did this drink get here?

Right then, Ren appeared, and I forgot all about my mysterious beverage. He was barefoot, dressed in a sea-green silk shirt and black slacks with a thin belt. His hair was damp, and he’d brushed it back away from his face. He sat down beside me on the loveseat and snuck his arm around my shoulders. He smelled fantastic. That warm summery sandalwood scent of his mixed with the jasmine.That’s got to be what heaven smells like. He propped his foot up on a side table and started to rock us back and forth.

He seemed content to just sit, relax, and enjoy the breeze and sunset, so we stayed that way for a while, sitting comfortably for several minutes. It was nice. Maybe we could still be friends like this afterward. I hoped so. I liked his companionship.

He reached over and took my hand, lacing his fingers through mine. He toyed with my fingers for a while, then brought my hand up to his lips and kissed them slowly, one by one.

“What did you want to talk about tonight, Kelsey?”

“Uh…”What the heck did I want to talk about? For the life of me, I couldn’t remember. Oh yeah. I shook off my reaction to him and braced myself.

“Ren, I would kind of prefer it if you would sit across from me so I can see you. You’re a little less distracting from over there.” He laughed at me. “Okay, Kells. Whatever you say.”

He slid a chair across from me and then sat down. Leaning over, he picked up my foot and brought it up to his lap.

I twitched my leg. “What are you doing?”

“Relax. You seem tense.” He started massaging my foot. I started to protest, but he just gave me a look.

He twisted my foot one way and then another. “You have blisters all over your feet. We need to get you better shoes if you’re going to be hiking in the jungle this often.”

“The hiking boots gave me blisters too. It probably doesn’t matter what shoes you get me. I’ve been hiking more in the last few weeks than I have my entire life. My feet aren’t used to it.”

He frowned. “Well, I don’t want this to happen anymore. I’ll think of something.”

He softly traced my arch with his finger, which shot tingly sensations up my leg. Then he wrapped his hands around my foot and started massaging, being careful to avoid any tender places. I was going to object again, but it felt good. Besides, it could be a good distraction during an uncomfortable conversation, so I let him continue. I glanced at his face. He was studying me curiously.

What was I thinking? I thought him sitting across from me would make it easier. Stupid me! Now I have

to stare at his warrior archangel face and try to stay focused.

I closed my eyes for a minute.Come on, Kells. Focus. Focus. You can do this!

“Okay, Ren, there reallyis something that we need to discuss.”

“Alright. Go ahead.”

I blew out a breath. “You see, I can’t…reciprocateyour feelings. Or your, umm, affections.”

He laughed. “What are you talking about?”

“Well, what Imean is, I…”

He leaned forward and spoke in a low voice, full of meaning, “Kelsey, Iknow you reciprocate my feelings. Don’t pretend anymore that you don’t have them.”

When did he figure all this out?Maybe when you were kissing him like an idiot, Kells. I’d hoped that I’d

fooled him, but he could see right through me. The little love plant inside me trembled. I decided to play dumb and pretend I didn’t know what he was talking about.

I waved my hand in the air. “Okay! Yes! I admit that I’m attracted to you.”Who wouldn’t be? “But it won’t work out.”

“Why not?”

“Your attractiveness is part of the problem”

“I don’t understand what you’re saying. How can your being attracted to me be a problem? I would think that’s a good thing.”

“Normally. Fornormal people…it is.”

“So I’m not normal?”

“No.”

“Are you normal?”

“Yes. Which is the crux of the issue.”

“I still don’t understand.”

“Okay. Let me explain it this way…you’ve only been a man again for a short time, right?”

“Right.”

“Which means that you don’t really know what else is out there.”

“Out where?”

“Out in the world.”

“You think I don’t know what’s out in the world?”

“No. It’s like this…a starving man would gladly eat a radish, right? In fact, a radish would be a feast if that’s all he had.But if he had abuffet in front of him, the radish would never be chosen.”

He paused a moment. “I don’t get it. What are you saying?”

“I’m saying…I’m the radish.”

“You’re the radish.”

“Right.”

“And what amI? The buffet?”

“No…you’re the man.”

“I see. Go on.”

“Now…I don’t reallywant to be the radish. I mean, who does? But I’m grounded enough to know what I am, and I amnot a buffet. I mean,you could be havingchocolate éclairs for heaven’s sake.”

“Uh-huh, chocolate éclairs.”

“Yes.”

“But not radishes.”

“No.”

“What if I like radishes?”

“You don’t.”

“I don’t?”

“No. You don’t know any better.”

“Right.”

“I’m also really sorry that I’ve been so rude to you. I’m not normally. I don’t know where all the sarcasm comes from.”

He raised an eyebrow.

“Okay. I have a cynical, evil side. I normally keep it hidden. But when I’m under great stress or extremely desperate, it comes out.”

He set down my foot, picked up the other one, and began massaging it with his thumbs. He didn’t say anything, so I continued, “Being coldhearted and nasty was the only thing I could do to push you away.

It

was kind of a defense mechanism.”

“So youadmit you were trying to push me away.”

“Yes. Of course.”

“And it’s because you’re a radish.”

Frustrated, I said, “Yes!So you see, now that you’re a man again, you’ll get out in the world and find someone better for you. Someone who complements you. It’s not your fault that this happened. I mean, you’ve been a tiger so long that you just don’t know how the world works.”

“Right. And howdoes the world work, Kelsey?”

I missed the intensity of his question, thinking that things were progressing pretty well. Boy, was I wrong.

I cleared my throat, “Well…normally, good looking actors date models. Models date rock stars. And rich, handsome men date beautiful actresses.”

He set my foot down and crossed his arms over his chest. “Whatexactly do you consider me?”

I stammered, “Uh…you’re a,” I waved my hands in the air, “you’re a rich, handsome, rock-star, hot-looking-actor-type, supermodel who should be going out with a supermodel-turned-actress with a rich daddy.”

“But not a radish.”

“No! Are you paying attention?”

Angrily, he shouted, “Oh, yes,indeed Iam paying attention! What you are saying is that I should be a stuck-up, rich, shallow,libertine who cares only about wealth, power, and bettering my status. That I should be seeking superficial women who are fickle, pretentious, have no brain, and who care more about myconnections than they do about me.And that I am not wise enough, or up-to-date enough, to knowwho I want orwhat I want in life! Does that about sum it up?”

I squeaked out a small, “Yes.”

“You truly feel this way?”

I flinched. “Yes.”

He leaned forward. “Well, you’rewrong , Kelsey. Wrong aboutyourself and wrong aboutme !”

He was livid. I shifted uncomfortably while he went on.

“Iknow what I want. I’m not operating under any delusions. I’ve studied people from a cage for decades, and that’s given me ample time to figure out my priorities. From the first moment I saw you, the

first time I heard your voice, I knew you were different. You were special.” He leaned forward, “The first

time you reached your hand into my cage and touched me, you made me feel alive in a way I’ve never felt before.”

“Maybe it’s all just a part of the curse. Did you ever think of that? Maybe these aren’t your true feelings.

Maybe you sensed that I was the one to help you, and you’ve somehow misinterpreted your emotions.”

“I highly doubt it. I’ve never felt this way about anyone, even before the curse happened.”

This was not going the way I wanted it to. I felt a desperate need to escape before I said something that would screw up my plans. He was the dark side, the forbidden fruit, my personal Delilah—the ultimate temptation. The question was…could I resist?

I patted his knee, sisterly like, saw him narrow his eyes, and played my trump card.

“I’m sorry that you feel that way, Ren. But, in time, you’ll figure it all out. That’s why…I’m leaving.”

“You’re what?”

“I’m going home to Oregon. Mr. Kadam thinks it will be safer for me anyway, with Lokesh and all.

Besides, you need time to figure out…stuff.”

“If you’re leaving, then I’m going with you!”

I smiled at him wryly. “That kind of defeats the purpose of me leaving. Don’t you think?”

He slicked back his hair, let out a deep breath, then took my hand and looked intently into my eyes.

“Kells, when are you going to accept the fact that webelong together?”

I tore my hand from his grasp and felt the little love plant inside me wither and retreat as I ripped off the budding bloom, plucked off its leaves, and kicked viciously at its roots. I felt sick, like I was kicking a faithful puppy who only wanted to be loved. I looked out at the pool.

He sat back scowling and said menacingly, “I won’tlet you leave.”

Inside, I desperately wanted to take his hand and beg him to forgive me, to love me, but I steeled myself, dropped my hands in my lap, then implored, “Ren,please . Youhave to let me go. Ineed … I’m afraid …look, I just can’tbe here, near you, when you change your mind.”

“It’s not going to happen.”

“It might. There’s a good chance.”

He growled angrily. “There’sno chance!”

“Well, my heart can’t take that risk, and I don’t want to put you in what can only be an awkward position. I’m sorry, Ren. I really am. I do want to be your friend, but I understand if you don’t want that.

Of course, I’ll return when you need me,if you need me, to help you find the other three gifts. I wouldn’t abandon you or Kishan in that way. I just can’t stay here with you feeing obligated to pity-date me because you need me. But I’d never abandon your cause. I’ll always be there for you both, no matter what.”

He spat out, “Pity-date!You ? Kelsey, youcan’t be serious!”

“I am . Very,very serious. I’ll ask Mr. Kadam to make arrangements to send me back in the next few days.”

He didn’t say another word. He just sat back in his chair. I could tell he was fuming mad, but I knew that, after a week or two, when he started getting back out in the world, he would come to appreciate my gesture.

I looked away from him. “I’m very tired now. I’d like to go to bed.” I got up and headed to my room.

Before I closed the sliding door, I asked, “Can I make one last request?”

He sat there tight-lipped, his arms folded over his chest, with a tense, angry face. I sighed.Even infuriated

he was beautiful.

He said nothing so I went on, “It would be a lot easier on me if I didn’t see you, I mean as a man. I’ll try to avoid most of the house. Itis yours after all, so I’ll stay in my room. If you see Mr. Kadam, please tell him I’d like to speak with him.”

He didn’t respond.

“Well, goodbye, Ren. Take care of yourself.” I tore my eyes away from him, shut the door, and drew the curtains.

Take care of yourself?That was a lame good-bye. The love plant screamed at the havoc I’d created in its little garden. I’d done my best to yank it out and destroy it, but it tenaciously clung to the dirt. Now it was a pathetic stem, an ugly, torn, abused version of what it had been. Tears welled in my eyes and blurred my vision. I was proud that I’d gotten through it without showing emotion. But, now, I felt like a steamroller had come along and flattened me.

I couldn’t breathe. I went in the bathroom and turned on the shower. I closed the door, which trapped all the steam inside, and sobbed. Gut-wrenching spasms shook my body. My eyes, nose, and mouth all leaked simultaneously as I allowed myself to feel the empty despair of loss.

I slumped to the floor and then slid down even farther until I was sprawled out on it with my cheek resting on the cool marble. I let my emotions overtake me until I was completely spent. My limbs felt lifeless and dull, and my hair frizzed up and stuck to the wet tears on my face.

Much later, I got up slowly, turned off the now cold shower, washed my face, and climbed into bed.

Thoughts of Ren ran through my mind again, and silent tears started streaming down my face once more.

I actually thought of putting Fanindra on my pillow and cuddling her. That was how desperate I was for comfort. I cried myself to sleep, hoping that I would feel better the next day.

I again slept in late the next day and got up feeling hungry and numb. I was emotionally exhausted. I didn’t want to risk going downstairs to get something to eat. I didn’t want to run intohim . I sat on the bed, pulled my knees up to my chest, and wondered what to do.

I decided to write in my journal. I rubbed my hand along its spine while I thought. I spent several hours cataloguing what had happened to me since I’d left the waterfall. Pouring all my thoughts and emotions into its friendly pages helped me feel better,a little .

My stomach growled.I wish I had some of Mr. Kadam’s berry crepes. Something moved at the corner of my vision. I turned and saw a breakfast laid out for me on the little table. I walked over to inspect it.

Crepes with triple berries! My mouth fell open in shock.That’s just tooconvenient. I suddenly remembered that fizzing juice that I had tasted last night. When I wanted something to drink, it had appeared.

I decided to test these strange phenomena. I said out loud, “I would also like some chocolate milk.” A tall glass of chocolate milk materialized out of nowhere. This time, I decided to try tothink something.I wish I had a new pair of shoes. Nothing happened. I voiced, “I wish I had a new pair of shoes.” Still nothing.Maybe it only works with food. I thought,I would like a strawberry milkshake.

A tall glass appeared, full to the brim with a thick strawberry milkshake topped with whipped cream and

a sliced strawberry. What is doing this? The gada? Fanindra? Durga? The Fruit?The Fruit! The Golden Fruit of India! Mr. Kadam had said that through the Golden Fruit, the people of India would be fed. The Golden Fruit providedfood! I took the fruit out of the drawer and held it in my hand as I wished for something else.

“A…radish, please.”

The fruit shimmered and glowed like a golden diamond, and a radish appeared in my free hand. I examined it thoughtfully and then chucked it in my trash can.

I mumbled ironically, “See? EvenI don’t want a radish.”

I immediately wanted to share this exciting news with Ren and ran for the door. I twisted the knob, but then I hesitated. I didn’t want to undo all the things I’d said last night. I meant it about staying friends with

him, but, ironically, I was the one who couldn’t be his friend right now. I needed time to get over him.

I kept telling myself that the love plant hadn’t blossomed yet and that all I had was a really,really bad case of twitterpation. I fervently hoped that saying those words would make them true, so I repeated them over and over in my mind. I decided to wait for Mr. Kadam to come back; then, I would tellhim about the Fruit.

I dug into my crepes and enjoyed my meal…all the more special because it was magical. Then I got dressed and decided to read in my room. After awhile, someone knocked on my door.

“May I come in, Miss Kelsey?” It was Mr. Kadam.

“Yes. The door’s open.”

He entered, shutting the door behind him. He came in and sat down on one of the easy chairs.

“Mr. Kadam, stay right there. I have something to show you!”

I got up excitedly and ran to the dresser. Pulling out the Golden Fruit, I unwrapped it and set it carefully on the table. “Are you hungry?”

He laughed. “No. I just ate.”

“Well…wish for something to eat anyway.”

“Why?”

“Just try it.”

“Alright.” His eyes twinkled. “I wish for a bowl of my mother’s stew.”

The fruit twinkled, and a white bowl appeared in front of us. The tangy aroma of an herbed lamb stew filled the room.

“What is this?”

“Go on, Mr. Kadam, wish for something else. Food, I mean.”

“I wish for a mango yogurt.”

The fruit sparkled again, and a small dish of mango yogurt appeared.

“Don’t you see? It’s the fruit! Itfeeds India. Get it?”

He picked up the fruit carefully. “What an amazing discovery! Have you shared this with Ren?”

I blushed guiltily. “No, not yet. But you go ahead.”

He nodded, stunned, and turned the fruit in his hands, looking at it from all angles.

“Umm…Mr. Kadam? There’s something else I wanted to talk with you about.”

He set the fruit down carefully and gave me his full attention. “Of course, Miss Kelsey. What is it?”

I let out a deep breath. “I think it’s time…for me to go home.”

He sat back in his chair, steepled his hands, and looked at me thoughtfully for a moment. “Why do you believe so?”

“Well…like you said…there’s the Lokesh thing, and there are also other…things.”

“Other…things?”

“Yes.”

“Such as?”

“Such as…well, I don’t want to take advantage of your hospitality forever.”

He scoffed, “Nonsense. You are a member of the family. We owe you an eternal debt, one that can never be repaid. This house is as much yours as it is ours.”

I smiled at him gratefully. “Thank you. It’s not only that, though, it’s also…Ren.”

“Ren? Can you tell me about it?”

I sat on the edge of the couch and opened my mouth to say that I didn’t want to talk about it, but the whole thing came spilling out. Before I knew it, I was crying, and he was sitting next to me patting my hand and comforting me as if he were my grandfather.

He didn’t say a word. He just let me spill out all of the confusion, hurt, and tender new feelings. When I was done, he patted my back while I hiccupped with tears dropping onto my cheeks. He handed me an expensive cloth handkerchief, smiled, and wished for a cup of chamomile tea to give me.

I laughed wetly at his delighted expression as he handed me the tea; then, I blew my nose and calmed down. I was horrified that I had confessed everything to him.What must he think of me? Then another thought pierced my despair:Will he tell Ren?

As if reading my thoughts, he said, “Miss Kelsey, don’t you feel bad about what you have told me.”

I begged, “Please,please don’t tell Ren.”

“Rest assured, I will never break your confidence.” He chuckled. “Iam very good at keeping secrets, my dear. Don’t despair. Life often seems hopeless and too complicated to hammer out a happy result. I only hope I can offer you some of the peace and harmony that you have given to me.”

He sat back and thoughtfully stroked his short beard. “Perhaps itis time for you to go back to Oregon.

You are right that Ren needs time to learn how to be a man again, although not quite in the way you believe.”

He paused for a moment. “Yes. I will help you arrange to go back. Never forget, though, that this home is yours too, and you can always call me at a moment’s notice, and I will bring you back. If it’s not too forward of me, I consider you a daughter.” He laughed. “Or perhaps, granddaughter would be more accurate.”

I smiled at him tremulously, threw my arms around his neck, and sobbed anew on his shoulder. “Thank you. Thank you so much. You are like family to me too. I will miss you terribly.”

He hugged me back. “And I will miss you. Now, enough of tears. Why don’t you go out for a swim and get some fresh air while I make the arrangements.”

I swiped a sparkling tear from my eye. “That’s a good idea. I think I will.”

He squeezed my hand and left the room, quietly closing the door behind him.

I decided to take his advice, changed into my bathing suit, and headed for the pool. I swam laps for a while, trying to put my energy into something other than my emotions. When I got hungry, I tried wishing

for a club sandwich and one appeared next to the swimming pool.This sure comes in handy! I don’t have to even be in the same room! I wonder what the range on that thing is. I ate my sandwich and lay out on a beach towel until my skin got hot, then I hopped back in the pool and floated lazily for a while to cool off.

A tall man walked up and stood by the pool directly in front of the sun. Even shading my eyes, I couldn’t

see his face, but I knew who it was.

I scowled, “Ren! Can’t you leave me alone? I don’t want to talk to you right now.”

The man stepped out of the sun, and I squinted up at him. “You don’t want to see me? And after I came all this way?” He clicked his tongue, “Tsk, Tsk, Tsk. Someone needs to teach you some manners, Miss.”

I gasped, “Kishan?”

He grinned, “Who else, bilauta?”

I squealed, darted up the pool steps, and rushed over to him. He opened his arms to me and laughed as I gave him a big wet hug.

“I can’t believe you’re here! I’m so glad.”

He looked me up and down with his golden eyes, so different from Ren’s, “Well, if I knew that this was the kind of welcome I’d be getting, I would have come here a lot sooner.”

I laughed. “Stop teasing me. How did you get here? Did you get six hours back too? You have to tell me all about it!”

He raised his hand and chuckled. “Hold on, hold on. First of all, who’s teasing? And secondly, why don’t you go get changed, and we can sit down for a long talk.”

“Okay.” I smiled at him then faltered, “But can we meet out here by the pool?”

He cocked his head, confused, but smiled. “Sure, if you want to. I’ll just wait for you right here.”

“Alright. Don’t move. I’ll be right back!”

I ran up the back steps to my room and quickly showered, got dressed, and brushed out my hair. I also ordered two root beer floats, courtesy of the Golden Fruit, and carried them down with me.

When I got to the pool, he had moved two deck chairs over into the shade and was sitting back and relaxing with his hands behind his head and his eyes closed. He was wearing a black T-shirt with jeans, and his feet were bare. I sunk down into the other chair and handed him a root beer float.

“What’s this you’ve brought me?”

“It’s called a root beer float. Try it.”

He took a sip and coughed. I laughed. “Did the bubbles go up your nose?”

“I believe they did. It’s good though. Very sweet. It reminds me of you. Is it from your country?”

“Yes.”

“If I want to answer your questions before nightfall, I guess I’d better get started.”

He took another sip of his root beer and continued, “First, you asked me if I got six hours back. The answer is yes. You know, it’s strange. I’ve been content being a tiger for centuries, but after you and Dhiren visited, I’ve felt…uncomfortablein my black hide. For the first time in a long time, I wanted to be

alive again, not as an animal but as myself.”

“I understand. How did you figure out you had six hours, and how did you get here?”

“I’d been changing to a man every day and had also started sneaking into nearby villages to watch people and see what the modern world offers.” He sighed sadly. “The world has changed much since I was last a part of it.”

I nodded, and he went on, “One day, about a week ago, I’d changed to a man and was watching the children play in the village square. I knew my time was almost up, so I moved back into the jungle and waited for the tremors that come before a change. They didn’t come.

“I waited one hour, then two, and still no change. I knew that something had happened. I walked back through the jungle and waited until I felt the pull of the tiger take over again. I tested myself the next day,

and the next, and the time was the same every day.

“That’s when I knew that you and Ren had been at least partially successful. After that, I returned to the village as a man and asked some people to help me place a call to Mr. Kadam. Someone finally figured out how to reach him, and he drove out to pick me up.”

“Sothat’s where Mr. Kadam was for the last couple of days.”

He looked me up and down then leaned back and sipped his float appreciatively. He raised his glass to me. “I have to say, I hadno idea what I was missing.”

He smiled at me and stretched out his long legs in front of him, crossing them at the ankles.

I said, “Well, I’m glad you’re here. This is your home, and you belong here.”

He looked off soberly in the distance. “I guess it is. For the longest time, I felt I had no spark of humanity in me. My soul was dark. But, you, my dear,” he reached over, took my hand, and kissed it,

“have brought me back into the light again.”

I put my hand lightly on his arm. “You just missed Yesubai, that was all. I don’t believe your soul was dark or that you had lost your humanity. It just takes time to heal when your heart’s been broken like that.”

His eyes twinkled. “Perhaps you are right. Now, tell me of your adventures! Mr. Kadam filled me in on the basics, but I want to hear details.”

I told him about Durga’s weapons, and he expressed a keen interest in the gada in particular. He laughed when I shared the tale of the monkeys attacking Ren and looked at me in horror when I described the Kappa that had almost eaten me. It was easy talking to him. He listened with interest, and I didn’t have any of the nervous butterflies I felt when I talked with Ren.

When I got to the end of the story, I stared at the pool, while Kishan carefully studied my face.

“There’s something else I’m curious about, Kelsey.”

I smiled at him. “Sure, what else do you want to know?”

“What exactly is going on between you and Dhiren?”

A vise clamped down on my chest, but I tried to play it cool. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, are you two more than just traveling companions? Are youtogether ?”

I clipped off a fast, “No. Definitely not.”

He grinned. “Good!” He grabbed my hand and kissed it. “Then that means you’re free to go out with me. No girl in her right mind would want to be with Dhiren, anyway. He’s very… stuffy. Cold, as far as relationships go.”

My mouth hung open for a minute, shocked, and then I felt anger shove the shock aside and take over.

“First of all, I amnot going tobe with either one of you. Secondly, a girl would have to be crazynot to want Ren. You’re wrong about him. He’s not stuffy or cold. In fact, he’s considerate, warm, drop-dead gorgeous, dependable, loyal, sweet, and charming.”

He raised an eyebrow and measured me thoughtfully for a minute. I squirmed under his gaze, knowing that I had spoken too quickly and said way too much.

He ventured carefully, “Isee . Perhaps you are right. The Dhiren I know has surely changed in the past couple of hundred years. However, despite that fact, and your insistent claim that you will notbe with either one of us, I would like to propose that we go out and celebrate tonight, if not as my…what is the correct word?

“The word is date.”

“Date. If not as mydate …then as my friend.”

I grimaced.

He continued, pressing his point, “Surely, you won’t leave me to fend for myself on my first night back in

the real world?”

He smiled at me, encouraging my acceptance. I did want to be his friend, but I wasn’t sure what to say to his request. And for just a moment, I wondered how Ren would feel about it and what the consequences might be.

I queried, “Where exactly do you want to go to celebrate?”

“Mr. Kadam said there’s a nightclub in town nearby with dinner and dancing. I thought we could celebrate there, maybe get something to eat, and you can teach me how to dance.”

I laughed nervously. “This is my first time in India, and I don’t know a thing about the dancing or the music here.”

He seemed evenmore delighted by that news. “Fantastic! Then we will learn together. I won’t take no for an answer.” He jumped up to rush off.

I yelled, “Wait, Kishan! I don’t even know what to wear!”

He shouted back over his shoulder, “Ask Kadam. He knowseverything !”

He disappeared into the house, and I sunk glumly into a depression. The last thing I wanted to do was try to be happy when I was emotionally wrung dry. I was pleased that Kishan was back and in high spirits though.

In the end, I decided that, although I really didn’t feel like celebrating, I also didn’t want to dampen Kishan’s newfound enthusiasm for life. I leaned over to pick up our discarded root beer glasses and found that they’d disappeared.How awesome was that? Not only did the Golden Fruit provide food, it also did the dishes!

I got up to head back into the house and felt something. Goose bumps stood out on my arms. I looked around, but I didn’t see or hear anything. Then I felt it. Something tugged at me and pulled my eyes up to

the balcony. Ren was standing there, leaning against a pillar with his arms folded across his chest watching me.

I felt an electric sizzle shoot through my body. It jolted the little love plant like a defibrillator and shocked

it alive. The plant wanly stretched out a weak, leafy tendril and stretched its roots, searching for sustenance.

We looked at each other for a minute, not saying anything, but I could feel the air between us shift. It became thick, sultry, and tangible—like when the air changes right before a storm. I could feel its power envelop me as it brushed across my skin. Even though I couldn’t see it, I knew a storm was coming.

I closed my eyes and ignored it, continuing on. The sultry air pulled on me like a riptide, trying to suck me back into the vacuum of power Ren had stirred between us. I felt like I had to physically yank myself away from it.

When it finally let me go, a horrible ripping feeling occurred within me, and I spun out into the void alone.

As I walked to my room and closed the door behind me, I could feel his eyes still on me, burning a fiery hole between my shoulder blades. I stiffly entered my dark room, trailing the torn threads of disconnection along behind me.

I stayed in my room for the rest of the afternoon. Mr. Kadam visited me and expressed his delight that I would be going out for the evening with Kishan. He suggested that a celebration was indeed in order and that we should all go.

I asked, “So you and Ren want to come too?”

“I don’t see why not. I will ask him.”

“Mr. Kadam, it might be better for you to just have a guys’ night out. I’d just get in the way.”

“Nonsense, Miss Kelsey. Weall have something to celebrate, and I will make sure that Ren is on his best

behavior.”

He turned to leave, and I said, “Wait! What should I wear?”

“You may wear whatever you wish. You can wear modern clothes or dress in more traditional fashions.

Why don’t you wear your sharara dress?”

“You don’t think I’d be out of place?”

“No. There are many women who wear them for celebrations. It would be perfectly acceptable.”

My face fell, and he added, “If you don’t wish to wear it, you can wear your regular clothes instead; either choice is appropriate.”

He left and I groaned. Being alone and trying to celebrate with Kishan was bad enough, but at least he didn’t make me feel like I was drowning in emotional turmoil. Now,he would be there. It would be miserable.

I felt stressed about going out. I wanted to wear regular clothes, but I knew the boys would probably be wearing Armani or something like that, and I didn’t want to stand next to them in jeans and sneakers, so I

opted for my Sharara dress.

I pulled the heavy skirt and top out of the closet, ran my hand over the beading, and sighed. It was so beautiful. I spent some time doing my hair and makeup. Playing up my eyes with more mascara and liner

than I usually did, I also smudged some purple-gray shadow over my lids and used a flat iron to straighten my hair. I liked the feel of smoothing it out in long strokes. It was very therapeutic and helped me relax.

By the time I was finished, my golden-brown hair was sleek and shining and hung in a curtain down my back. I carefully slipped the purple-blue bodice over my head and then picked up the heavy skirt. I centered it on my hips and aligned the glittering folds. I liked the weighty feel of it. Fingering the intricate

pattern of teardrop pearls, I couldn’t help but smile.

I was just lamenting that the Golden Fruit could not create footwear when a knock sounded at my door.

Mr. Kadam was waiting for me.

“Are you ready to go, Miss Kelsey?”

“Well, not exactly. I don’t have any shoes.”

“Ah, perhaps Nilima has something in her closet you can borrow.”

I followed him to Nilima’s room, where he opened her closet and pulled out a pair of golden sandals.

They were a little big, but I laced them tighter and they worked fine. Mr. Kadam offered me his arm.

“Wait just a second. I forgot something.” I ran back to my room and grabbed my dupatta scarf, wrapping it around my shoulders.

He smiled at me and offered his arm again. We walked outside to the front drive where I expected to see the Jeep, but parked there instead was a glossy platinum Rolls-Royce Phantom. He opened the door for me, and I sank into a luxurious smoke-gray leather interior.

“Whose car isthis ?” I asked, as I rubbed my hand across the polished dashboard.

“Oh, this?This , ismy car.” Mr. Kadam beamed with pride and obvious love for his vehicle.

He went around to his side and turned the keys to start the car. The engine didn’t roar to life, it purred.

Very nice.

“Where are the boys?” I inquired.

“Kishan is on his way down, and Dhiren…has opted not to come.”

“I see.”

I should have been glad, but I was surprised that I felt…let down. I knew it was better if we didn’t spend time together until this crush, or whatever it was, went away, and he was probably just honoring my wish to not see him, but there was still a part of me that wanted to be with him at least this one last time. I bit back my disappointment and smiled at Mr. Kadam.

“That’s okay. We’ll still have fun without him.”

Kishan darted out the door. He wore a lightweight burgundy V-neck sweater over pressed khaki slacks.

His hair had been trimmed to a shorter length and was cut in angled, choppy layers that had been styled to give him a dramatic fall-in-your-face Hollywood look. The thin sweater showed off his muscular build.

He looked very handsome.

He opened the back door to the car and hopped in. “Sorry I took so long.”

He leaned up between the front seats. “Hey, Kelsey, did you miss….” He whistled, “Wow, Kelsey!

You look amazing! I’m going to have to beat the other guys off with a stick!”

I blushed. “Please. You won’t even be able to get near me what with the crowds of women that will be surroundingyou .”

He grinned at me and leaned back in his seat. “I’m glad Ren decided to back out. More of you forme that way.”

“Hmm.” I turned around in my seat and buckled the seatbelt.

We pulled up outside a nice restaurant with an outdoor wraparound porch, and Kishan rushed forward to open the door for me. He offered me his arm while smiling at me disarmingly. I laughed and took it, determined to enjoy my evening.

We were seated at a nice table in the back of the place. The waitress came by, and I took the liberty of selecting cherry Cokes for me and Kishan. He seemed happy to let me make suggestions of food choices for him.

We had a fun time looking through the menu together. He asked me what my favorite foods were and what he should try. He translated what the menu said, and I offered my opinions. Mr. Kadam ordered some herbal tea and sat quietly, sipping it as he listened to our discussion. After we ordered our food, we sat back and watched couples swaying on the dance floor.

The music was soft and slow, timeless classics, but in a different language. I let melancholy sweep over me and fell quiet. When the food arrived, Kishan dug into it with relish and then happily finished mine when I gave up trying to eat. He seemed fascinated with everything—the people, the language, the music,

and especially the food. He asked Mr. Kadam thousands of questions like “How do I pay?” “Where did the money come from?” “How much money do I give the server?”

I listened and smiled, but my thoughts were far away. Our plates were cleared, and we sipped refills of our drinks and watched the people around us.

Mr. Kadam cleared his throat. “Miss Kelsey, may I have this dance?”

He stood up and held out his arm. His eyes were twinkling, and he smiled at me. I looked up at him with

my own watery smile and thought about how much I would miss this kind man.

“Of course you may, kind sir.”

He patted my hand on his arm and led me to the dance floor. He was a very good dancer. I’d only danced with high school boys at dances before, and they usually just moved in a circle until the song was

over. It was nothing interesting or exciting.

However, dancing with Mr. Kadam was much more exhilarating. He led me all around the dance floor spinning me in circles that made my skirt fan out. I laughed and enjoyed my time with him. He twirled me

out and then brought me back deftly each time. His skill made me feel likeI was a good dancer.

When the song was over, we walked back to the table. Mr. Kadam acted as if he was old and winded, but I was actually the one breathing hard. Kishan was thumping the floor impatiently with his foot, and as

soon as we returned, he immediately stood up, grabbed my hands, and led me back out to the dance floor.

This time, it was a faster song, and he carefully watched and copied the moves of the other dancers on the floor. He had good rhythm, but he was trying too hard for it to look natural. We had a good time, though, and I laughed through the entire song.

The next song was a slow love song, and I started to walk back to our table, but Kishan grabbed my hand and said, “Wait a minute, Kelsey. I want to try this.”

He watched another couple near us for a few seconds; then, he placed my arms around his neck while he encircled my waist with his. He kept his eyes on the other couples for only a few more seconds and then looked at me with a rakish smile.

“I can definitely see the benefit ofthis kind of dancing.” He pulled me a bit closer and mumbled, “Yes.

This isvery nice.”

I sighed and let my thoughts drift for a moment. A sound suddenly vibrated through my body. A deep rumble. No. A soft growl. Barely heard over the music. I looked up at Kishan, wondering if he’d heard it too, but he was staring at something over my head.

A quiet but indomitable voice behind me said, “Ibelieve this ismy dance.”

It washim . I could feel his presence. The warmth of him seeped into my back, and I quivered all over like spring leaves in a warm breeze.

Kishan narrowed his eyes and said, “I believe it is thelady’s choice.”

Kishan looked down at me. I didn’t want to cause a scene, so I simply nodded and removed my arms from his neck. Kishan glared at his replacement and stalked angrily off the dance floor.

Ren stepped in front of me, took my hands gently in his, and placed them around his neck, bringing my face up achingly close to his. Then he slid his hands slowly and deliberately over my bare arms and down

my sides, until they encircled my waist. He traced little circles on my exposed lower back with his fingers,

squeezed my waist, and drew my body up tightly against him.

He guided me expertly through the slow dance. He didn’t say anything, at least not with words, but he was still sending lots of signals. He pressed his forehead against mine and leaned down to nuzzle my ear.

He buried his face in my hair and lifted his hand to stroke down the length of it. His fingers played along my bare arm and at my waist.

When the song ended, it took both of us a minute to recover our senses and remember where we were.

He traced the curve of my bottom lip with his finger then reached up to take my hand from around his neck and led me outside to the porch.

I thought he would stop there, but he headed down the stairs and guided me to a wooded area with stone benches. The moon made his skin glow. He was wearing a white shirt with dark slacks. The white made me think of him as the tiger.

He pulled me under the shadow of a tree. I stood very still and quiet, afraid that if I spoke I’d say something I’d regret.

He cupped my chin and tilted my face up so he could look in my eyes.

“Kelsey, there’s something I need to say to you, and I want you to be silent and listen.”

I nodded my head hesitantly.

“First, I want to let you know that I heard everything that you said to me the other night, and I’ve been giving your words some very serious thought. It’s important that you understand that.”

He shifted and picked up a lock of hair, tucked it behind my ear, and trailed his fingers down my cheek to my lips. He smiled sweetly at me, and I felt the little love plant bask in his smile and turn toward it as if

it contained the nourishing rays of the sun. “Kelsey,” he brushed a hand through his hair, and his smile turned into a lopsided grin, “thefact is…I’m in love with you, and I have been for some time.”

I sucked in a deep breath.

He picked up my hand and played with my fingers. “I don’t want you to leave.”

He began kissing my fingers while looking directly into my eyes. It was hypnotic.

He took something out of his pocket. “I want to give you something.”

He held out a golden chain covered with small tinkling bell charms.

“It’s an anklet. They’re very popular here, and I got this one so we’d never have to search for a bell again.”

He crouched down, wrapped his hand around the back of my calf, and then slid his palm down to my ankle and attached the clasp. I swayed and barely stopped myself from falling over. He trailed his warm fingers lightly over the bells before standing up.

He put his hands on my shoulders, squeezed, and pulled me closer. “Kells…please.”

He kissed my temple, my forehead, and my cheek. Between each kiss, he sweetly begged, “Please.

Please.Please . Tell me you’ll stay with me.”

When his lips brushed lightly against mine, he said, “Ineed you,” then crushed his lips against mine.

I felt my resolve crumbling. I wanted him. I wanted himbadly . I neededhim too. I almost gave in. I almost told him that there was nothing in the world I wanted more than him. That I didn’t think I was capable of leaving him. That he was more precious to me than anything. That I’d give up anything to be with him.

But then he pressed me close and spoke softly in my ear, “Please don’t leave me, priya. I don’t think I couldsurvive without you.”

My eyes filled up with tears, and shiny wet drops spilled down my cheeks.

I touched his face. “Don’t you see, Ren? That’s exactly why Ihave to go. You need to know that youcan survive without me. That there’s more tolife than just me. You need to see this world that’s opened up to you and know that you have choices. I refuse to be your cage.

“I could capture you and keep you selfishly to indulge my own desires. Regardless of whether you’re willing or not, it would be wrong. I helped you so that you could be free. Free to see and do all of the things that you missed out on all these years.” My hand Endings slipped from his cheek to his neck.

“Should I put a collar on you? Chain you up so you spend your life connected to me out of a sense of obligation?” I shook my head.

The plant screamed as if I’d dribbled acid over it. I wept openly now. “I’m sorry, Ren, but Iwon’t do that to you.I can’t . Because…I loveyou too.”

I kissed him quickly one last time. Then, I gathered up my skirts and ran back to the restaurant. Mr.

Kadam and Kishan saw me enter, looked at my face, and immediately rose to leave. We got in the car, and, thankfully, the men were quiet while I cried softly and brushed the flowing tears away with the back

of my hand. When we got home, a sober Kishan briefly squeezed my shoulder, got out, and went into the

house. I took a deep breath and told Mr. Kadam that I’d like to fly home in the morning.

He nodded silently, and I ran up to my room, closed the door, and fell onto my bed. I dissolved into a broken puddle of weeping despair. Eventually, sleep overcame me.

The next morning, I got up early, washed my face, and plaited my hair, tying on a red ribbon. I put on jeans, a T-shirt, and my tennis shoes, and I packed my things in a large bag. Reaching out a hand to touch the sharara dress, I decided that it held too many memories to bring with me. I left it in the closet.

I

left a note for Mr. Kadam, which told him where the gada and the Fruit were and asked him to store them in the family safe and to let Nilima have my sharara dress.

I decided to take Fanindra with me. She felt like a friend to me now. Carefully placing her on top of my quilt, I zipped up my bag. I picked up the delicate golden anklet that Ren had given me. The little bells tinkled as I brushed my finger across them. I had intended to leave it on the dresser, but I changed my mind at the last minute. It was probably a selfish thing to do, but I wanted it. I wanted to have something from him, a keepsake. I dropped it in my bag and closed it up.

The house was quiet. I walked silently down the stairs and passed the peacock room where I found Mr.

Kadam sitting and waiting for me. He took my bag and walked with me out to the car. He opened my door, and I slid in to the seat and buckled my seatbelt. Starting the car, he circled the stone driveway slowly. I turned to take one last look at the beautiful place that felt like home. As we started down the tree-lined road, I watched the house until the trees blocked my view.

Just then, a deafening, heartrending roar shook the trees. I turned in my seat and faced the desolate road ahead.

EPILOGUE

The immaculately dressed man stood at his penthouse office window. He gazed upon the city lights far below and clenched his fist.How do you find one small person in a city of millions, let alone a world of billions? He grimaced. He lived in a city of twenty-nine million people, the most densely populated city in

the world.

His office was in the most expensive, tallest building in the city, as far away from the general populace as

possible. It wasn’t that he had a phobia of the unwashed masses. He employed many of them, in fact.

They served their purpose, but they were inconsequential. The generations rose and fell like so many waves upon the beach, and he stood alone, a rocky, unmovable sentinel, letting the waves of humanity pass him by, hardly noticing them at all.

If money and power were all it took, finding the girl would not be a problem. Hewas the most powerful and the richest man on the Asian continent. Most people weren’t aware of that, of course. He preferred to regulate his affairs from a distance and used several pseudonyms, as well as many different company names. Not even his underlings knew his real name. He never kept his minions around that long anyway.

There were some, a very few, who suspected that a few of his businesses were tied together somehow, but no one had come close to trackingall of his investments. He smiled malevolently. Besides, if anyone had made a connection, he would immediately have them dispatched. It usually wasn’t necessary though.

He was good enough at covering his tracks to keep everyone in the dark. He should have been. He’d been playing this game for centuries.

But, sadly, money and power weren’t enough in this case. He just didn’t have enough information. He rarely lost his temper. It was a waste of energy. When a person retained this much power, a simple flick of the finger removed whatever or whoever was annoying him. But, now, his power meant nothing. He hadn’t felt this surge of black rage in a long, long time.

A quiet chime announced his returning assistant. He’d rather not see him now. This particular assistant was better than average. It would be a shame to kill him just because he felt this uncharacteristic irritation.

The man sighed and made a visible effort to control himself, then sat behind his opulent desk.

“Enter.”

The assistant entered and bowed, showing his submissiveness, and yet there was a confident gleam in his

eye. He stood and said only three words…the words his employer had been longing to hear for months.

“We found her.”

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I’d like to thank my early reading group. My family—Kathy, Bill, Wendy, Jerry, Heidi, Linda, Shara, Tonnie, Megan, Jared, and Suki. And my friends—Rachelle, Cindy, Josh, Nancy, and Linda.

Hand claps for Jared and Suki who helped me brainstorm cover designs for theTiger series books and for also organizing my author photos and the website.

Special thanks for my editor from India, Sudha Seshadri. Her enthusiasm and guidance in the language and culture of India was invaluable. She patiently and kindly advised me, going above and beyond the duties of an editor. I’m sure I would have offended many people without her. If there are any discrepancies, cultural or linguistic, they are entirely my own, and I apologize in advance for anything aberrant. Rest assured, it was not my intention. My hope is that I’ve shown India’s people and culture respect, and have depicted the beauty of their land and the rich mythology of their people in an appropriate way.

I am always appreciative of my husband, who went through countless edits. He waded through pages of meager novice scribbling and helped shape my first book into what it is today. His enthusiasm kept me writing. Even though he’s lived on sandwiches and leftovers for a year he’s never complained and brags about his author wife to anyone willing to lend an ear and even to some who won’t.

Thanks to my friend Linda who gave me great feedback on every chapter. Many of the paragraphs in Tiger’s Curse are thanks to her requests for more detailed information. Her tireless support and excitement kept me motivated to write every day and I always look forward to talking about my tigers with her.

Thanks to my sister Linda who is my confidant, hair stylist, personal chef, housekeeper, and cookie baker. Without her, there would be no double chocolate chip peanut butter cookies. She kept my household running so I could write my first book. When she moved away I was crushed and overwhelmed. There’s no replacement for her. Everyone should have such a sister…such a friend.

I would also like to express my gratitude to Tina Anderson, the Manager of the Polk County Fairgrounds and to my editors—Rhadamanthus and Gail Cato. Thank you to all the people at Booksurge who organized me and helped me share my story.

Extra special hugs for my nieces and nephews who lent me their names—Michael, Matthew, Sarah, Rebecca, Sammy, Joshua, Mitchell, M. Cathleen, D. Andrew, and Madison. I promise I’ll work the rest of you in later.

Table of Contents

Prologue The Curse

Chapter 3 The Tiger

Chapter 6 Mumbai

Chapter 9 A Friend

Chapter 13 Waterfall

Chapter 15 The Hunt

Chapter 17 A Beginning

Chapter 19 Hampi

Chapter 22 Escape

Epilogue Shadow

PROLOGUE

CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 3

CHAPTER 4

CHAPTER 5

CHAPTER 6

CHAPTER 7

CHAPTER 8

CHAPTER 9

CHAPTER 10

CHAPTER 11

CHAPTER 12

CHAPTER 13

CHAPTER 14

CHAPTER 15

CHAPTER 16

CHAPTER 17

CHAPTER 18

CHAPTER 19

CHAPTER 20

CHAPTER 21

CHAPTER 22

CHAPTER 23

CHAPTER 24

EPILOGUE