Tiger's Curse (29 page)

I smiled happily. “Kishan! You changed your mind. You’re coming with us now? I’m so glad!”

Kishan approached me and held out a paw that changed into a hand.

“Hello, Kelsey. No, I haven’t changed my mind. I am glad to find you safe though.”

Kishan shot a nasty look down at Ren, who wasted no time morphing into human form himself.

Ren shoved Kishan’s shoulder and shouted, “Why didn’t you tell me she was out there! She saw the hunt, and you left her alone and unprotected!”

Kishan countered, poking Ren in the chest, “You left before I could say anything. If it makes you feel any better, I’ve been searching for her all night. You also packed up and left 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, and
I
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 and kissed the back of my hand, while Ren growled menacingly. “Apology accepted. So, how did you like it?”

“You mean the rain or the hunt?”

“The hunt, of course.”

“Umm, it was—”

“She had nightmares,” 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 been weeks before he made a kill on his own.”

“I was doing just fine without you!”

Kishan smirked. “No, you couldn’t catch a limping turtle without me.”

I heard the punch before I saw it. It was a hard, teeth-rattling punch, the kind that I thought only happened in the movies. Ren had moved me deftly to the side and then socked his brother.

Kishan stepped away while rubbing his jaw, but he stood up to face Ren with a smile.

“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 almost had to jog to keep up with him.

The black tiger whooshed past us and leapt into our path. Kishan changed to a man again and said, “Wait. I have something to say to Kelsey.”

Ren frowned, but I put my hand on his chest and interjected, “Ren, please.”

He shifted his gaze from his brother to me, and his expression softened. He let go of my hand, touched my cheek briefly, and moved off a few paces as Kishan approached me.

“Kelsey, I want you to take this,” Kishan said, reaching around his neck to remove a chain tucked into his black shirt. After he attached the clasp around my neck, he said, “I think you know that this amulet will protect you in the same way Ren’s protects Kadam.”

I fingered the chain and pulled the broken charm up to look at it more closely. “Kishan, are you sure 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 stay in the jungle, this will be my small contribution to your endeavors.”

His expression turned serious. “I want to keep you safe, Kelsey. All we know for sure is that the amulet is powerful and may give the wearer a long life. But, that doesn’t mean you can’t be hurt or even killed, so keep your guard up.”

He cupped my chin, and 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, and then Kishan turned back to me. He smiled, and said, “I’ll miss you, Kelsey. Come visit me again soon.”

I hugged him briefly and turned my cheek toward him for a kiss. At the last second, Kishan altered his stance and pecked me quickly on the lips.

I sputtered with shock, “You wily scoundrel!” Then I laughed and punched him lightly on the arm.

He just laughed and winked at me.

Ren clenched his fists and a dark expression stole across his handsome face, but Kishan ignored him and 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 still be angry about Kishan. He tugged on my braid, smiled, and pressed a warm kiss on my forehead.

Changing into a white tiger again, he led me through the jungle for 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 into the verdant undergrowth. After following Ren’s nose for a short distance, we finally came upon a military-style tent, and 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!”

m
iss Kelsey!” Mr. Kadam welcomed warmly. “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 did. I’m fine.”

Mr. Kadam led me to a log near his campfire. “Here, sit down and rest while I break camp.”

I nibbled on a cookie as I watched Mr. Kadam shuffle around taking down his tent and packing up his books. 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. 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. He even had a fancy fold-up writing desk covered with papers held down with smooth, clean river rocks.

I stood up and looked at the papers with curiosity. “Mr. Kadam, are these the translations of Durga’s prophecy?”

I heard a grunt and a slight ping as Mr. Kadam pulled a heavy stake out of the ground. 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 translation of the monolith. I am quite sure that we need to go to Hampi. I also have a better idea of what we’re looking for.”

“Hmm.” I picked up his notes, most of which weren’t in English. As I sipped my water, my hand came up to finger the amulet Kishan had given me.

“Mr. Kadam, Kishan gave me his piece of the amulet, hoping it will protect me. Does yours protect you? Can you still be hurt?”

He walked over and stowed the wrapped tent into the Jeep. He leaned on the bumper, and said, “The amulet helps protect me from serious injury, but I can still cut myself or fall and sprain my ankle.”

Mr. Kadam rubbed his short beard thoughtfully. “I have become ill, but I have not experienced disease. My cuts and bruises have healed quickly, albeit not as quickly as Ren’s or Kishan’s would.”

He picked up the amulet hanging around my neck and examined it carefully. “The different pieces may have different properties. We don’t really know the extent of its power at this point. It’s a mystery that I hope to solve one day. The bottom line, however, is to not take risks. If something looks dangerous, avoid it. If something chases you, run. Do you understand?”

“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 was the reason Ren wanted to stop here in the first place. He wouldn’t leave until he’d convinced Kishan to let you have it.”

Puzzled, I said, “Really? I thought we were trying to convince Kishan to join us.”

Mr. Kadam shook his head sadly. “We knew there was little hope of that. Kishan has 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 Kishan.”

Mr. Kadam sagely considered, “For such a young person, you’re very compassionate and perceptive, 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. After rubbing his head against my hand, he followed me to the Jeep. I hopped into the passenger seat, leaving the back open for Ren to sprawl out in.

Driving back to the highway, Mr. Kadam seemed to actually enjoy 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 tightly onto the door handle and brace myself against the dashboard to keep from knocking my head on the roof. Finally, we were out onto 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 wasn’t that I thought Mr. Kadam wouldn’t have understood; in fact, I think he would have. 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 about how Kishan stayed with me for five days while Ren was hunting and that we talked about how he met Yesubai. I tried to keep my voice quiet and whisper about her 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, 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 he wouldn’t divulge information loosely. Mr. Kadam 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 and changed the subject to Ren and Kishan’s childhood.

“Ah. The boys 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.

“Deschen, their mother, was unconventional for India. She would take them out in disguise to play with the poor children. She wanted her children to be open to all cultures and religious practices. Her marriage to their father, King Rajaram, was a blend of two cultures. He loved and indulged her, not caring what anyone else thought. The boys were raised with the best of both worlds. They studied everything from politics and warfare to herding and crops. They were trained in the weapons of India, and 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?”

Mr. Kadam 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, they had no time for that, and both boys were to have arranged marriages anyway.”

I rested my head against the seat back after tilting it 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. We’ll stop at a hotel for the night so you can 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 won’t look for him. If he keeps his head low there shouldn’t be any trouble.”

An hour later, Mr. Kadam pulled over near a dense part of the jungle at the outskirts of a small town and let Ren out. We continued on to a village that was bustling with vibrantly dressed people and colorful homes and pulled to a stop in front of our hotel.

“It’s not a five star,” Mr. Kadam explained, “but it does have its charms.”

A polished square convenience store 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 cola bottle, which was universally recognizable no matter what language was printed on it.

Mr. Kadam approached the hotel’s front desk while I wandered around, examining the interesting products for sale. I found American chocolate bars and sodas mixed in with unusual candies and frozen popsicles in exotic flavors.