Tiger’s Destiny
contents
Tiger’s Destiny
by
COLLEEN HOUCK
An imprint of Sterling Publishing Co., Inc.
SPLINTER and the distinctive Splinter logo
are trademarks of Sterling Publishing Co., Inc.
© 2012 by Colleen Houck
All rights reserved. no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission from the publisher.
ISBN 978-1-4027-9844-3
Designed by Katrina Damkoehler
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Houck, Colleen.
Tiger’s destiny / by Colleen Houck.
p. cm. -- (Tiger’s curse ; 4)
Summary: kelsey, Ren, and kishan race against time and the evil sorcerer lokesh on the Andaman Islands in the Bay of Bengal as they seek Durga’s final gift, the Rope of Fire, that will finally break the tiger’s curse.
ISBN 978-1-4027-9843-6 (hardback) -- ISBN 978-1-4027-9844-3 (ebook) [1. Tiger-Fiction. 2. Blessing and cursing--Fiction. 3. Amnesia--Fiction. 4. Dating (Social customs)--Fiction. 5. Immortality--Fiction. 6. orphans--Fiction. 7. Andaman and nicobar Islands (India)--Fiction. 8. India--Fiction.] I. Title.
PZ7.H81143Tij 2012
[Fic]--dc23
2012011392
For information about custom editions, special sales, and premium and corporate purchases, please contact Sterling Special Sales at 800-805-5489 or [email protected].
2 4 6 8 10 9 7 5 3 1
Some of the terms included in the book may be trademarks or registered trademarks. Use of such terms does not imply any association with or endorsement by such trademark owners and no association or endorsement is intended or should be inferred. This book is not authorized by, and neither the Author nor the Publisher is affiliated with, the owners of the trademarks referred to in the book.
For my brother Jared and his wife, Suki,
who provide fan support, tech support
battle-scene support, moral support,
and, most important,
keeping-it-fun support
rising phoenix
By Colleen Houck
Does Rising Phoenix know his fate?
He’s born, grows strong, and learns to fy.
He builds a nest and seeks a mate,
He sleeps and thirsts and hunts the sky.
Does he know his future blazes?
A quelling flame will take his life?
When purging heat the pyre raises,
Consuming all his earthly strife?
Does stinging dread seep through his breast?
Does he regret past choices made?
Does heartbreak stir his feather’d crest?
Does he perceive the price he’s paid?
Exquisite once, his body burns
As he cries out in pain and fear.
Charred and black his feathers turn,
Conceding life, he sheds a tear.
From death so dire, another soul
Emerges new to take his place.
With destiny and purpose whole
A glorious dawn begins apace!
Does Rising Phoenix thank his sire
For embers black that gave him birth?
Does he too know his fate is fire?
Can he enjoy his time on Earth?
A
ll at once, they were lost, swirling through the inky black whirlwind of time. Seconds passed. Eons passed. Molecules shifted and stirred. Then, a light pierced the cosmic dust and just as suddenly, a wave of understanding washed over him.
Through trial and error, he had learned how to control the vortex and skip through the years. If he ran too fast, he entered an unknown future. If he stepped back in haste, the world ceased to exist. Time required a delicate hand, an exacting touch. At first he bounced roughly through millennia, like a smooth stone skipping on a lake. But soon he moved in a dance with the cosmos, practicing the steps that would take him to the places he needed to see.
He scanned the centuries as if they were books in a library. When he was finished, he knew his place in the universe and how to best serve those he loved.
Sensing she was ready, he smiled and squeezed her hand. Then he gathered her close and shifted them between the stars, moving them to the beginning of the end and the end that would lead to a beginning.
