Tiger’s Destiny (24 page)

Ren dipped his head slightly in agreement, his concentration still focused on the forest. “It seems safe enough for now, but I suggest we take turns sleeping and travel through the forest as quickly as possible.”

We stepped through the cave opening into the fire forest, and it was like stepping from an igloo onto a balmy tropical island. I felt the warmth of the fire trees almost immediately. They stretched out long vines to brush against my arms and clothes as we passed.

I stopped underneath a large tree, and a leafy tendril wrapped around my finger.

As I examined a particularly beautiful fire flower, Ren cautioned, “We have to address our problem. We stink like the dead.”

Kishan sighed, “We’re leaving a trail.”

“I think I can help with that,” I said.

“What do you mean?” Ren asked.

“The trees can burn the smell off of us. It’s something the Phoenix mentioned when I asked how I healed from being so badly burned. They can’t do anything about our clothes but we can make more.”

“What do we do?”

“Put your hands on a tree and concentrate on its energy. The heat will be drawn from its roots. Allow it to cycle around you and cleanse your body. It will burn your clothes away and might sting a little, but the warmth will also heal you. You two go into the clearing over there and I’ll stay here.”

Kishan and Ren reluctantly left their weapons with me and headed to the clearing. The fact that they were willing to leave their weapons behind showed just how tired they were.
We all are
, I amended. I set Fanindra down next to their weapons and backpacks and placed my palms on the tree.

The limbs of the surrounding trees began to quiver and shake, and I heard a hum reverberate in the air. The glowing leaves grew brighter and brighter and the air sizzled. Then with a burst of light, the leaves turned so white hot I had to close my eyes. The blue ribbon I’d tied my hair with disintegrated, along with my clothing. A searing tickling vibration moved from my toes all the way up my body. Then a sudden wind blew my loose hair straight up into the air and caressed my bare skin as it whisked away the smell of death.

I heard a distant yelp and knew the boys were being cleansed in a similar manner and wondered briefly if it burned their skin. To me it felt like a tingle. Finally the strong wind disappeared, and I felt more than warm. I felt . . . flushed. I was relaxed and sleepy, as if I’d been languishing in a hot tub and then placed under a blow dryer while someone massaged my shoulders and brushed out my hair.

I picked up the Divine Scarf and lifted it to my nose. It was mimicking the glowing pattern on the leaves of the fire trees, which had faded again to orange and yellow. The Scarf smelled clean and fresh, retaining no odor from the caves. I wished for new clothes for myself and quickly dressed.

Ren and Kishan made an appearance soon after in the white and black clothing that always appeared after they became tigers. They debated the merits of hiking farther. Ren felt our previous smell was strong enough to be easily tracked, but Kishan argued that it would be just as easy to track our new smell when the old one disappeared. I figured we were safe since we no longer smelled like prey and sided with Kishan mostly because I wanted to sleep. We compromised by hiking just a bit farther before striking camp.

Kishan used the Scarf to create a tent and bedding while Ren replaced the backpacks that had been melted away with our clothing. With my white and black tigers positioned on either side of me, I was unconscious as soon as my head hit the pillow.

This time I dreamed about Lokesh as a young boy. An older man who I soon realized was his flather, the emperor, was tutoring him.

Shifting his hands in the air, Lokesh’s father instructed, “To control the movement of air, use your mind. Imagine the wind swirling between your fingers or around your body, and it will happen. Once you have practiced and have more control, you can summon something as powerful as a cyclone or simply lift a leaf on the wind.”

The emperor showed his young son how to manipulate the air to lift a kite into the sky. He flicked his fingers, and the kite bucked and wove in the air. When it was the boy’s turn, the emperor placed the amulet around his son’s neck, and the kite plummeted. With a determined expression, the boy lifted his hands, and at the last moment, the kite circled around the two of them and rose again.

“Good,” the father said. “Now try calling your falcon.”

The boy closed his eyes and soon a bird screeched high overhead.

His father explained, “All creatures of the air are subject to you but you must learn control.”

Soberly the boy nodded.

Someone touched my arm, and I jerked awake. “There’s movement in the trees,” Kishan hissed desperately.

Immediately alert, Ren and Kishan moved silently through the tent, collecting weapons. They gestured for me to remain quiet before the two of them crawled out of the tent and disappeared into the forest. It was completely dark outside, which meant the night comet had passed.

After waiting for what seemed like too long, I decided to risk looking for Ren and Kishan. Fanindra led me to them. They had backtracked and were crouched behind a rock, watching the opening to the cave.

As I approached, I accidentally stepped on a twig and both Ren and Kishan whipped around, saw me, and yanked me down next to them in a matter of seconds. At the same time, what looked like torches flared to life ahead of us in the forest. The flickering lights bobbed and converged in one spot. I heard hissing, clicking noises that moved closer to us.

I sucked in a breath as the lights grew brighter and saw a mob of dark-skinned demons with glowing tattoos covering their bodies. Their long locks of hair flickered in the darkness like small campfires. The radiant strands were brushed back from their foreheads and fire leaves were braided through them.

The male demons were large with powerful arms and bare chests. Two sets of horns grew out from their foreheads—the longer set on the outside. A female approached the largest male and lifted her hand to his shoulder. With a fast swipe, she raked wicked claws down his chest and hissed at him. He stood mutely by as she licked wet droplets from her claws, and I noticed that her tattoos glowed brighter red while his faded to a dull orange.

As she spoke to him in harsh tones, the inside of her mouth glowed yellow as if her throat burned with an inner flame. I sucked in a breath, and she turned quickly toward our hiding place. Her shrewd eyes gleamed, and with an abrupt whisper, all the lights, including their hair, eyes, and tattoos, quickly extinguished.

We sat quietly for a long time, taking shallow breaths and not daring to move. I could sense their presence around us. It was as if they were waiting for us to bolt, wanting to flush us out from our hiding place.

Soon, we heard a familiar shuffling noise, and we peeked out through the darkened leaves toward the cave opening. A stumbling zombie, bald and thin, with wrinkled mummified skin, staggered into the jungle. He stopped as if confused, and I heard a slight hissing. Glowing hair and tattoos flared to life as the Rakshasas surroundedt he zombie. Moving as one, they attacked, wrapped it in vines, and carried it off.

It was a long time before Ren and Kishan allowed me to stand. My knees felt locked into place as we made our way quietly back to camp. Without a word, we packed up and hiked in the exact opposite direction in which the Rakshasas had carried off their dinner.

On the way, the three of us reviewed all the visions I’d had. I told them that I now knew for sure that Lokesh had the power to manipulate water, air, earth, and space, thanks to Mr. Kadam’s piece, and could also call forth creatures from each of the realms. Lokesh had four segments of the Damon Amulet now, and all he needed was the one hanging around my neck. We finally had all the pieces of the puzzle. It was time to begin putting the picture together.

When the morning comet flew overhead, the trees lit up and touched my cheeks in feather-light strokes. Kishan was worried but said that according to stories the Rakshasa typically hunted at night though they’d been known to venture out during the day if they were very hungry.

Ren wanted to get as far away from the demons as possible, so we hiked all day and only stopped when the evening comet flew overhead. Ren found a secluded place to camp and was keeping watch with Kishan so I decided to head to a nearby clearing with the Scarf for a fire bath.

“Just make sure you’re back soon, or I’ll come looking for you,” Kishan warned as I kissed him on the cheek. “And if I happen to catch you undressed, then that’s just too bad.”

He grinned while Ren frowned. “Be careful, Kells,” he added.

“I will. You won’t even miss me.”

I gave a good jolt of my fire power to a young tree to compensate for the energy it would soon expend, and it returned the favor by giving me a gentle fire bath. After I dressed, I sat on a nearby rock and brushed out my newly cleansed hair as the little tree went back to its normal mode. The fire baths included the added benefit of straightening my hair, and I liked the soft feel of it hanging down my back.

Refreshed, I took the Scarf and Fanindra and returned to our little tent only to find the fabric ripped apart and our belongings strewn about. Ren and Kishan were missing along with all of our weapons. I turned in a slow circle and listened carefully to the dark forest. I heard nothing. Despairing, I headed back to the rock near the young tree and paced the ground.

“Well, we’ve got to save them. There’s no question about that,” I mumbled to Fanindra. “But how?”

Fanindra’s golden scales shimmered to life, and she led me through the forest. Her eyes only glowed enough so that I didn’t trip over rocks or tree roots. After a good hour’s hike, I made out the glowing light of the demon camp.

Untying the Scarf from my waist, I shook it out, wrapped it around my body, and said, “Disguise. Rakshasi queen.”

My body tingled as the Scarf did its magic and when I lifted it away, I pulled my long fiery hair over my shoulder and ran my hand through it. It was thick and coarse, and when I reached up to touch my head, I found a circlet of fire leaves. My dark arms glowed with red tattoos, and I ran my tongue over my teeth. The canines were pointed and sharp. I wore a dress of burnished orange that seemed to smolder when I walked.

With my head held high and Fanindra showcased in all her gleaming glory on my arm, we walked toward the camp. Sentries spotted me almost instantly and called out in low hoots. I was soon surrounded by the clan, but before long, the throng parted and a female sauntered toward me. I’d correctly guessed this was a matriarchal society and that she was the queen.

She was beautiful for a demon. Her dress, though not as fine as mine, was long and of better quality than the clothing of those around her. An orange spark lit her eyes when she saw me, and when she blinked, I saw her pupils were elongated like a cat’s. Boldly, I withstood her inspection and took my own time appraising her. She wore a necklace of little silver interlocking wishbones. Thin bone earrings pierced her ears and hanging below dangled the tiny claws of some small raptor.

A silver circlet with a veil of fire leaves adorned her flaming tresses. Hanging from it was a crescent-shaped bone that rested in the middle of her forehead. Red tattoos that looked like clawed hands covered her eyes and cheeks. Her ears were long and pointed like an elf, and her horns were much thinner and more delicate than the males surrounding her. There were no other females in sight.

Her painted orange lips parted, and her cheeks glowed as if lit under the skin by a flashlight. She ran her tongue across her pointed teeth before speaking.

“Worthy wanderer. Carcass of contamination. How shall I address you?” she asked.

“You may call me . . . Malevolence,” I answered.

The group surrounding me shifted in surprise, and the queen smiled at me dangerously and responded. “Are you a vanquisher or are you our prey?” She tilted her head. “I wonder why you are here alone. Could this be some kind of a clever trick?”

She gave a sign, and some of the warriors took up arms and surrounded me while others disappeared into forest. Slowly, she circled me and plucked at the fabric of my dress, peering at it with obvious covetousness. When she dared to touch Fanindra, the cobra came alive and hissed at her. The queen stepped away but showed no surprise or fear of the snake.

Warriors returned and whispered reports in her ear. She smiled.

“I am called Desecration,” she announced, “the Rakshasi queen of this clan. For now, I will open my hand to you. At least until you present more of a . . . challenge. Come.”

She snarled at the burly demons surrounding us until they dispersed, leaving only the two of us and a few guards. She ran a hand over one of the demon’s biceps appreciatively and indicated that I should follow her.

Leading me to a tent, she ducked inside. Two guards stayed close by while I entered and sat across from the queen. After sprinkling some kind of powder into a cup of steaming drink, she handed it to me. It smelled sweet and coppery, and I immediately suspected it was blood.

I set it aside and proceeded as if I had no time for small talk. “I have come on a matter of great importance.”

The tattoos on her face flared momentarily then returned to their normal color. She sipped from her cup, indicating to me that I should go on.

“My two best hunters are missing from my clan and I believe they have been taken by your people.”

She shrugged. “My hunters have the right to take anything from the forest that they can overpower.”

“So you
do
have them.”

“And if I did?”

“I was hoping you’d be willing to barter for their lives.”

“Barter? What does this word mean?”

“It means trade. I’ll give you something of value in exchange for their freedom.”

“Trade? Rakshasas do not trade.” She licked her lips greedily and shifted in such a way that made me think she was ready to spring. Tilting her head, she studied me suspiciously. “What are you? You are no Rakshasi queen,” she spat. “Your teeth are as dull as those we eat and you do not even extend your claws when threatened. Your venom must be as weak as your hunters. I do have your men, pale and sickly though they are.”