Tiger’s Destiny (27 page)

Renewed, I returned to my tent and gathered the weapons, the Phoenix egg, and our other belongings that had been confiscated from our packs. With Fanindra on my arm and a newly made backpack, I dimmed my light and moved through the darkness until I’d found the corral Lightning had shown me the night before.

Closing my eyes, I sent out a message to the animals I sensed resting not far away. A soft whicker and a clop of hooves was my answer as several of the beasts drew near the fence. The lead Qilin approached me. It nudged my hand and blew a hot burst of air from its nostrils.

You have returned, princess. We have waited for you.

Are you ready to be free once again?
I asked the animals.

They stomped their hooves excitedly, which created a shower of different-colored sparks over the ground in the otherwise dark night.

Do you know the way through the cave?
I asked.

We do, but many of us will be lost on the journey.

Not if you eat these firefruit
, I thought and asked the Golden Fruit to create a mound of firefruits in the Qilin’s corral.
They will heal you and help you to stay awake.

Firefruit! These have been lost for generations! It is a precious gift you’ve given us, princess.

The Qilin devoured the fruit noisily, biting through the tough outer skin with their dragon teeth. I made more until they’d all eaten their fill.

We are ready now for our journey.

Please be careful. The hunters are out tonight. Move swiftly to the cave. They are unlikely to follow you inside.

I made my way over to the gate, which was secured by a complicated system of braided ropes. Simply untying them was impossible because they were so tightly knotted.

Taking the Scarf, I tried to use it to loosen the ropes. Threads shot out and touched the cords but after a few attempts, the threads recoiled. Alarming patterns and colors flickered over its surface momentarily before stopping.

Once again I tried to wiggle a section loose. My long fingers were awkward to use and, frustrated, I yanked my index finger free of the section I’d dug into and angrily ripped my Rakshasa claw across the surface of the rope. The knot fell to the ground.

Quickly, I used my claws to cut the other ropes. Curious, I picked up a severed piece of the silky rope.

One of the Qilin explained,
The cords are made from the manes and tails of our dead brothers. It is very strong, and the demons know we cannot break it.

I’m sorry that I had to cut them then.

Do not be sorry. They would have been happy that we are freed.

The Qilin directly in front of me snorted and whispered a warning in my mind:
Someone comes, princess!

I tensed and crouched in the dark shadows. The dragon-horses were so still, I couldn’t even hear their breathing, though I could feel the presence of the herd behind me. My Rakshasa eyes could just make out the shape of a man carefully walking toward me.

As he neared, I heard his quiet whisper, “Kells?”

“Kishan? Over here,” I whispered back.

He skirted some trees and edged behind some undergrowth until he could grasp my hand. “Are you alright?” he asked.

“Took you long enough to find me,” I said with a smile. “Where’s Ren?”

“We were followed. We had to split up and circle back around.”

Kishan lifted the locking mechanism and pulled the gate open far enough to accommodate the animals shifting excitedly in the dark. As he moved back to me, he said, “I’ve never smelled anything like them in my life. What are they?”

One of the beasts blew out a breath.
We’ve never smelled anything like you before either.

I laughed softly. “They are Qilin, and they can communicate with me. I think you’ve slightly offended them.”

“I apologize,” Kishan told the animals. “I only meant that I’d never met a creature such as you.”

“They accept,” I translated, “and we need to move the broken ropes on the ground. They are all that remains of the Qilin that the Rakshasas killed, and the Qilin herd does not want to accidentally trample them.”

Together, Kishan and I crouched down and collected the silky cords. Startled by a touch on my shoulder, I dropped the bunch of ropes I had picked up. Standing abruptly, I jumped back and raised my deadly claws.

“It’s okay. It’s just me, Ren.”

I lowered my arms to retrieve the ropes and let out a shaky breath. “Ren! We’ve been waiting for you. There’s just one more thing to do.”

Wrapping the Scarf around my body, I whispered the words that would return my form to its natural state. When I pulled the Scarf away and tied it around my waist, I ran my hands through my hair and quickly secured it with a ribbon. “Now that feels much better,” I mumbled.

Out of the corner of my eye, fire erupted in the darkness.

“Betrayer! You are no Rakshasa queen!”

Lightning strode toward us, his tattoos and hair ablaze with anger.

I put my arm on Kishan’s, knowing he was ready to turn this into a brawl. Directing my comments to Lightning, I said firmly, “I am the same woman you have admired, with the same heart and courage. I just choose to take a different form right now.”

“And do you also choose to free the animals we have rightly captured? You break the Rakshasa law! What have you done?”

I stretched out my arms and rubbed my hands slowly. “Rakshasa law says that whatever you are strong enough to capture is yours. I have taken these creatures from you. It’s true that in this form, it appears as if I am powerless, as if I am prey,” I narrowed my eyes, “but make no mistake, Lightning, I still have the ability to bring harm to you and your clan. I have no desire to do so . . . presently, but if a challenge is presented, then—” I shrugged.

He studied me in my new form as Ren and Kishan tensed next to me. Seeming to come to a decision, Lightning smiled evilly, and said, “This is a test. A test that will cement my claim as leader of the Rakshasa clan forever, and I will not fail.”

He sprung at me, claws extended, and Ren and Kishan switched to tigers and met him in mid-air. While they rolled around on the ground, claws ripping, I encouraged the Qilin to make their escape while they could. I stood out of the way as one by one the large beasts moved silently through the dark trees toward the distant cave, and then I turned to help Ren and Kishan.

Murmuring a few words and touching the Pearl Necklace at my throat, I cause a wet fog to surround the men. Lightning gasped and panted as if he was breathing poison. With a mighty cry, Lightning threw both tigers off of him, doused his light, and escaped into the trees. Ren and Kishan were about to chase after him when I called softly, “Ren, Kishan, let him go. We need to get out of here before he brings the whole clan down on our heads.”

The two tigers trotted back to me, and I felt a nudge on my back, which was accompanied by a soft whicker. Three Qilin remained.

We will take you far from here, princess.

But how can you?
I asked the leader.
You must stay with your herd.

You have done us a great service, and we will return the favor. Come. Climb onto our backs, and we will speed you away from this place.

I crouched down near the tigers and stroked their heads. The black tiger licked my arm. “They want us to ride them to safety,” I explained. “They said they are fast and they want to repay their debt.”

Kishan changed into a man and smiled. “Then what are we waiting for?”

The Qilin turned on their lights and stomped the ground eagerly. Kishan lifted me onto the back of the herd leader, and as I grabbed a hold of his flickering blue mane, Kishan leapt onto the back of a beast with green coloring. Ren changed into a man and bent to pick something up, then approached a glimmering purple beast dancing nearby. He leapt onto the back of the animal and deftly maneuvered it closer to me.

Leaning down to pat my blue Qilin, he spoke quietly, “Be careful with her. She hasn’t ridden before.”

After a pause, I smiled. “The Qilin will take care of me.”

“Good,” Ren answered before tucking something between my fingers.

Kishan called out, “Follow me,” and kneed his mount forward.

With a burst of speed, Ren’s Qilin followed and mine raced along behind. Green and purple fire trailed behind Ren’s and Kishan’s Qilin, and I marveled at the beauty of the creatures once again. The Qilin I rode moved so smoothly and so gracefully, through the darkened forest that I could relax and turn my attention to the gift Ren twined through my fingers: a white fire flower. I lifted the soft petals to my nose and allowed my thoughts to fly away as fast as the Qilin’s hooves would take me.

bodha—city of light

A
top a rise, we caught our first glimpse of a beautiful, sprawling city. The City of Light stretched from one end of the valley to the other, bisected by a lava river that flowed from a black mountaintop, ran underneath the city’s center, and disappeared between the hills at the other end. All of the buildings twinkled brightly despite being surrounded by fire trees, and at the heart of the community was a glowing, dazzling temple that sparkled like a diamond. The view was breathtaking.

Ren, Kishan, and I let out a sigh, partly at the splendor before us and partly from relief at having finally made it to our destination. It certainly wasn’t home, but it was one step closer.

Somewhere down there is the Rope of Fire
, I thought.

With renewed determination, I dismounted from the Qilin leader, brushed the hair from its eyes, and thanked it for taking us to safety. With a whinny, the three animals trotted through the trees and soon disappeared.

We slept all afternoon and into the early evening. At nightfall, the fire trees slept, dark as usual, but the city was alive with light and activity. Carefully we made our way into the valley toward the outskirts of town. Everyone seemed to be headed to the temple for some kind of holiday celebration or ceremonial gathering.

Spying through darkened trees, we learned that the citizens were called Bodha. They glowed like the Rakshasa, but the skin of the Bodha twinkled with a golden light, and the tattoos they wore seemed to be just decoration. The Bodha didn’t appear aggressive, though they had the muscled physiques of warriors.

As we studied the golden city, Ren whispered the words of a poem.

ELDORADO
By Edgar Allan Poe

Gaily bedight,
A gallant knight,
In sunshine and in shadow,
Had journeyed long,
Singing a song,
In search of Eldorado.

But he grew old—
This knight so bold—
And o’er his heart a shadow
Fell as he found
No spot of ground
That looked like Eldorado.

And, as his strength
Failed him at length,
He met a pilgrim shadow—
“Shadow,” said he,
“Where can it be—
This land of Eldorado?”

“Over the Mountains
Of the Moon,
Down the Valley of the Shadow,
Ride, boldly ride,”
The shade replied—
“If you seek for Eldorado!”

“Do you think this is where the legend of Eldorado came from?” I asked Ren.

He replied, “I don’t know, but it certainly looks like a city of gold.”

Kishan turned to me and asked for the Divine Scarf. Wrapping it around his body, he whispered a few words and emerged from the Scarf dressed as a citizen of Bodha. I stretched out my fingers to touch his arm. His skin was textured and iridescent, almost like the scales of the Qilin. A sarong hung from his waist, and though he wore glimmering arm and wristbands with red jewels, the rest of his upper body was bare. His golden skin was heavily tattooed with crimson and black patterns and his thick black hair had become a pearly white. Even his eyebrows and lashes gleamed with a pearly luster, and the scales around his eyes were pronounced, making it look as if his golden eyes were lined with clusters of gemstone.

Ren took the Scarf and changed as well, only his color scheme was blue, green, and purple. He handed me the Scarf, but I just stood and stared at the two golden gods standing before me until Ren gave me a nudge and Kishan snickered.

After I’d changed into a Bodha woman and removed the Scarf, Ren and Kishan circled me, admiring my costume.

“Not bad,” Kishan said after giving me the once over.

“Good,” I mumbled. I studied my arm, which was covered with emerald butterflies and twisting black vines, and tried unsuccessfully to dim the light emanating from my skin. Reaching up to touch my hair, I pulled some over my shoulder. It was long, ivory, and coarse, very different from my natural hair, which was thick, brown, and had a natural wave. I wore golden jewelry crusted with what looked like emeralds but were actually Scarf-made fabrications and a dress seemingly spun from strands of starlight.

“What does my face look like?” I asked.

“It’s pretty,” Kishan replied.

Ren had crouched down to pack our bags and responded without even looking at me.

“Your eyelids are covered with tiny emeralds that radiate out and down your cheekbones. Topaz stones dot your forehead from your eyebrows to your hairline. The skin of your cheeks and forehead are tinged a greenish hue that spills down your neck and shoulders and then fades to gold.”