Tiger's Voyage (62 page)

Again the cup was brought to my lips. Mere drops, only a teaspoon of the soothing liquid was given. I licked the remaining drops from my lips, and my head lolled back against a warm body. I slept.

I woke thirsty again, but the heat was gone, and a cool breeze wafted over my feverish skin. I opened my mouth to ask for water, but only a whimper came out.

“She’s awake. Kelsey?”

I heard Kishan speak, but I couldn’t open my eyes or move.

“Kelsey? You’re going to be alright. You’re healing.”

Healing? How was that possible?
The shark bit through my calf. The lower part of my leg was hanging on by only a few tendons. I hadn’t meant to look at it after I’d gotten in the boat but I couldn’t
not
look.

“Give her some water,” Ren suggested.
Ren? He was alive. Somehow he’d escaped from the feeding frenzy.

“Do you need some too?”

“Her first. I’ll survive.”

He’ll survive? What happened to him?
Instead of questions, my body produced moaning sounds.

I felt a light touch at my neck and heard Kishan say, “Pearl Necklace, we need some drinking water.”

Gently, Kishan lifted my upper body so my head rested against his chest. I blinked woozily, but couldn’t focus until I saw a cup brought to my lips. He held it for me as I swallowed gratefully. “It’s a good thing we have the Necklace. The Golden Fruit can’t make water.”

When it was gone, I whispered rasply, “More.”

He filled the cup four more times before I nodded that I was satisfied. I’d even had the strength to grip his arm as I raised my head. He refilled the cup and handed it to Ren. It was evening, and we were floating on an ocean bathed in moonlight. I practiced keeping my eyes open, watching Ren as he drank. By the time he was done, my eyes had adjusted, and six Rens had become one.

“You’re hurt,” I said.

Ren’s grimace became a smile though I could still see the pain he tried to hide. “I’ll be fine.”

I squinted at his chest. A strange scar arced from his shoulder to his stomach. My eyes widened.

“The shark bit you? Those are puncture wounds!” I started wheezing, which turned into a wet cough.

Kishan held me as my body spasmed painfully. Ren waited until my coughing stilled to answer.

“Yes. It bit me almost in half. Broke all my ribs on the left side, my left arm, shattered my spine, and I think it may have pierced my heart and kidney.”

“How … how did you get back to the boat with all those sharks in the water?”

“After the monster shark died, thanks to you and a trident to the brain, most of the others went after him. A few came after me and bit my legs, but they weren’t in attack mode. A quick jab with the trident caused them to leave me alone. Kishan saw me and instructed the Scarf to make a rope. He tugged me back to the boat before they could take off any of my limbs.”

I shuddered and reached for his hand. He wrapped his fingers around mine, and I sank back against Kishan, weak as a daisy after a thunderstorm.

“You said I was healing. How? I should be dead by now.”

Ren made eye contact with Kishan and nodded.

Kishan cleared his throat and explained, “We used the Nectar of Immortality—the drops of liquid collected from the mermaid’s fountain. You
were
dying. You were bleeding to death, and the Scarf couldn’t stop it. Your heart slowed, and you lost consciousness. Your life was slipping away, and there was nothing I could do to prevent it from happening. Then I remembered the mermaid’s words. She said the nectar was to be used when I was the most desperate. I couldn’t let you die … so I used the
kamandal
.

“At first, I wasn’t sure it was working. There wasn’t enough blood for your heart to pump. I could hear that it wasn’t filling between beats. Then your heart rate increased. You began healing. Your leg slowly repaired itself before my eyes. Color returned to your face, and you slipped into a deep sleep. I knew then that you would survive.”

“Does this mean I’m immortal now? Like the two of you?”

Kishan looked at Ren. “We don’t know.”

“Why is my skin so hot?”

“It could be a side effect.” Kishan offered.

Ren countered, “Or she could have a sunburn.”

I groaned and poked my arm. It turned white, then pink. “I vote sunburn. Where are we?”

“No idea.” Ren grunted, shifted, and then closed his eyes.

“Is there anything to eat? I could use some more water too if you have any.”

Kishan used the Golden Fruit to make tomato soup, which was nourishing, but not too heavy for our weakened bodies to handle. Then he instructed Ren and me to sleep while he kept watch. Kishan cradled me in his arms while my exhausted body obeyed.

It was dawn when I woke. I was lying on my side with my head resting on Kishan’s thigh. My hand was pressed against the cold, slick floor of the boat.
Fiberglass? How had the Necklace produced that?
Rubbing my hand back and forth against the smooth surface, I felt the sides of the boat curve up. Gingerly, I shifted my leg and felt only a twinge of pain.

“How are you feeling?” Ren asked softly.

“I feel … okay. Not going to be running any marathons today, but I’ll survive. Can’t sleep?”

“I traded off with Kishan an hour ago.”

I ran my hands over the outer edge of the craft and found the bumpy ridges on the outside. The center of the boat was a hot pink that faded to light pink and then alabaster around the outside. Kishan was asleep, an arm covering his eyes, as he rested in one of five vertical folds.

“It’s a giant clam shell,” Ren explained.

“It’s beautiful!”

He smiled. “Only you would find something beautiful in our situation.”

“That’s not true. A poet can always find something good to write about.”

“A poet doesn’t write only of beauty. Sometimes he writes of sorrow—of the ugly things in the world.”

“Yes, but you make even the bad things sound lovely.”

Ren sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “Maybe not this time.” He sat up with a determined expression. “We need to check your leg, Kells.”

I shook my head slightly. “Can’t we wait until we get back?”

“We don’t know how we’re getting back, and we need to watch for infection.”

I started hyperventilating. “I can’t.”

His expression softened. “You don’t have to look. Why don’t you tell me a story while I unwrap your bandages?”

“I … I can’t think of any. Ren, I’m scared. What if my leg falls off? What if it’s just a stub?”

“Can you wiggle your toes?”

“Yes. At least, it feels like I can, but that could be a phantom foot tricking me. I don’t want to lose it.”

“If that happens, we’ll deal with it. The important thing is you’re alive.”

“But I’d never walk normally again. How could I ever have a normal life? I’d be crippled forever.”

“It doesn’t matter.”

“What do you mean it doesn’t matter? How could I help you finish the tasks? How could I—” My words cut off abruptly.

He paused. “How could you what?”

I blushed. “How could I marry and have children? I wouldn’t be able to chase the kids around the house. My husband would be ashamed. And that’s only if I could convince someone to marry me.”

Ren watched me with an indiscernible expression. “Are you finished? Are there any more fears you haven’t shared?”

“I guess that’s it.”

“So you’re frightened that you won’t be normal, you won’t be attractive, and you won’t be able to properly fulfill your responsibilities.”

I nodded.

“I can identify with not being normal, but if the decades at the circus taught me one thing, it’s that normalcy is an illusion. Each person is utterly unique. A standard of normalcy is something that most people of the world simply will never access. A husband ashamed of his wife doesn’t deserve her, and I will personally make sure such a man never makes your acquaintance.

“As far as you being attractive or attaining a man’s interest, I can guarantee that even if both of your legs were removed, I would still find you beautiful, and I would still desire you.” Ren smiled while I twitched. “And children are a responsibility of both parents. You and your husband would balance the work between you in a way that was comfortable for both of you.”

“But I’d be a burden to him.”

“You would not. You’d lighten his burden because you love him.”

“He’d have to wheel me around like a grandma.”

“He’d carry you off to bed every night.”

“You’re not going to let me wallow are you?”

“No. Now can I check your leg?”

“Fine.”

He smiled. “Fine. Now hold still.”

He whispered a command to the Divine Scarf to gently remove the blood-crusted bandages from my leg and make new, soft cloths. He asked the Pearl Necklace to create a basin of warm water. My toes emerged first, and I was relieved to see them healthy and pink. But as the threads disappeared around my calf, I shut my eyes and turned away. Ren said nothing, but dipped a cloth into the water and began cleaning my leg. It felt like my leg was all there, but I didn’t want to risk looking.

“Can you talk to me? Distract me so I won’t think about it,” I asked tightly.

He pushed my once beautiful but now salt-crusted skirt over my knee and gently wiped under and around my kneecap.

“Alright. I wrote a new poem recently. Will that be sufficient?”

I mutely nodded and whimpered as Ren swiped a tender spot.

“It’s called ‘The Caged Heart
’
.” He began and his warm voice washed over me, soothing me the way it always did.

The Caged Heart

Does the caged heart diminish?
No! It beats more fiercely.
It paces
Bound not by locks and iron bars
But by his own hand.

He crushes his heavy heart.
He holds it back
Molds it to an orderly shape
Uses his great will to contain it
And yet it strains against his grip.

Feral and untamed
It can only find rest
In the jungle.
A place where it is free
A place where it is welcomed.

There it finds peace
As he is embraced
By her leafy arms.

But the path to the jungle is lost.
So he moves
Circling his cage anxiously.
He watches
Waiting for the moment
When his hungry heart will be set free.

Ren finished and squeezed out the towel. “You can look if you want to. Your leg is going to be fine.”

I cracked open my eyes and looked down the long white length of my leg. A thin pink scar ran from the top of my calf to my ankle. Ren touched it lightly, tracing it from the beginning down to my foot. I shivered.

He misunderstood my reaction. “It’s not that bad. Does it hurt?”

“No, not really. It’s just a little sore.”

He nodded and cupped the back of my calf, squeezing lightly.

“That actually feels good. Maybe a massage will help, after I’ve healed a little bit more.”

“Anytime.”

I put my hand on his arm. “Thank you. I … your poem … it was lovely.”

“You’re welcome,” he smiled warmly, “and thank
you
,
dil ke dadkan
.”

Saddened, I shifted closer and rested my palm against his heart. “Your ‘Caged Heart’ poem wasn’t about Lokesh, the circus, or forgetting, was it?”

“No.” He placed his hand over mine and held it against him. “And before you ask, it means, ‘my heartbeat.’”

A tear plopped onto my cheek. “Ren … I—”

Kishan grunted as the sun rose over the horizon and hit him in the face. Sitting up, he rubbed his sleepy eyes and scooted closer to us. Then he wrapped his arms around my waist and slid me back into his chest.

“Be careful with her!” Ren hissed.

“Right, sorry. Did I hurt you?”

“No. Ren cleaned my leg. Look. It’s much better.”

He inspected my leg closely. “Looks like you’re out of the woods.” He nuzzled my neck despite the soft growl coming from the other side of our shell boat. “Good morning,
bilauta
. What did I miss?”

“Just a poem.”

“Glad I slept through it,” he snickered.

I elbowed him lightly. “Be civil.”

“Yes, my sweet.”

“That’s better. How about breakfast?”

We ate heartily after Ren and Kishan agreed that we all were almost back to normal health. When we had finished, I repositioned myself stiffly in the naturally curved clamshell seat.

“Okay. Now what do we do?” I asked.

“Maybe we call a dragon for help,” Kishan suggested.

Ren replied, “I have a feeling they won’t help us anymore. Besides we don’t want Lǜ sèlóng to come along and offer us another challenge,
do
we?”

“No!” I shuddered, remembering how both of them were almost blackened dragon kibble. “One thing’s for sure. I need to stay out of the sun today.” I fingered the side of the shell where a small hole had been hollowed out, and an idea started to form.

“Ren? Can you use the trident to make three more holes like this one? I want them spaced evenly like a box.”

He knelt next to me and thrust his finger through the hole. “Do you want them the same size?”

“Yes. We need them big enough for a thick rope to pass through.”

He grunted and got started.

Kishan shifted over next to me. “What’s your plan?”

“I think we should try to use the wind to carry us back to the ship.”

“Good idea. It’s better than just floating here in shark town.”

“Shark town? I hope you’re exaggerating.”

“Exaggerating?” Kishan’s brows knit together when he saw the fear on my face. “Right, exaggerating.”

“No, you weren’t. They’re all around us, aren’t they?”

He winced. “Yes. There’s still a lot of shark meat in the water. I heard them splashing all night.”

I made an involuntary sound and closed my eyes, praying my little experiment wouldn’t flip us over into shark-filled waters. I asked the Scarf to create a kite-like parachute and attach it with ropes to all the holes Ren made. Then I asked the Scarf to gather the winds softly into the parachute and blow us back to the
Deschen
.