Tiger's Voyage (63 page)

A breeze picked up, and Ren and Kishan fed the parachute like a kite into the wind. The strong cloth ballooned out and tugged us forward. We bounced on the water, and the wind whipped us around, but Ren shifted quickly to keep our shell boat balanced. All things considered, it was a pretty comfortable ride. Ren even made a sunshade using a canvas courtesy of the Scarf and oversized peppermint sticks embedded in hollowed-out wheels of cheese, which the Golden Fruit provided.

We snacked on wedges of salty Romano cheese on crackers and talked as we kept our eyes peeled for the yacht. I relaxed knowing we were now miles from the shark buffet and even trailed my fingers in the spray of water. I dozed off and on.

The morning passed into afternoon, and still there was no sign of the
Deschen
. Clouds rolled in, and soon we were surrounded by a fog thick enough to block out the sun.

“Maybe we’re near the blue dragon’s island,” I said.

We decided I should send up a flare every fifteen minutes or so, and it was after the fourth one Kishan said he’d heard something. They pulled on one of the ropes to angle us to the right and told me to send up another flare. This time, I saw a faint sparkle in answer. The wind suddenly died, and our parachute floated onto the water.

Ren dragged it back into the boat as another flare went off directly above our heads. As the red sparks faded, our clamshell struck the smooth side of the yacht. Kishan tied us off, and I was so happy I practically cried.

“Hello?” a familiar voice called out into the fog.

“Mr. Kadam? Mr. Kadam! We’re here!”

Then out of the fog Mr. Kadam’s beloved face appeared.

He smiled hugely and helped Kishan pull the boat closer. “What in the world type of craft are you in?” he laughed.

“It’s a clamshell,” I explained. “It was created by the Necklace.”

“Well, haul it aboard. May I help you, Miss Kelsey?”

“I’ve got her.” Ren scooped me up in his arms and somehow managed to get us both up the ladder to the wet garage while Mr. Kadam and Kishan maneuvered the shell boat onto the ramp and dragged it in.

“Miss Kelsey, you’ve been injured again.”

I nodded. “I think I died. Kishan brought me back. We have so much to tell you.”

“I can imagine. But first, allow me to send Nilima to help you get comfortable. Can she walk, Ren?”

“She hasn’t tried since the injury.”

“Put me down. I should be able to stand, at least.”

He carefully stood me on my feet and lent me his arm for support as I practiced walking. I limped a little. The muscles felt cramped.

“I think I’ll be alright, especially if I can get a nice calf massage later.”

“I can do it,” both brothers spoke at the same time.

I laughed. “Lucky I have two legs then.” I bent over, traced the pink scar, and compared my legs. Sighing, I saw that I now had a scar on each leg, one from the monster shark and one from the kraken. “I think I can manage with Nilima. You two can take off. I want to catch up with Mr. Kadam.”

“I’ll stay with you,” Ren offered.

“No. I’ll stay with her,” Kishan challenged.

“I’ll be fine. Don’t worry about me. I’ll see both of you later.”

Reluctantly, both men left, and I leaned against Mr. Kadam’s shoulder. He put an arm around me and sighed.

“You haven’t told them yet.”

I knew exactly what he was talking about. I shook my head. “There was already so much danger; I didn’t want to burden them. Knowing would only spur them on to confront Lokesh.”

He nodded. “They need to know though … soon.”

“I know. They just need a good night’s rest first. ‘One battle at a time’ is my new motto.”

“You’re tired too. You need rest.”

Mr. Kadam insisted we save the explanations for later that evening and left me alone in my room. I turned on the shower and took off my jewelry. Nilima appeared and helped me with the clasp on the Pearl Necklace. She made a sound of admiration as she held it in her palms.

“It’s lovely, Miss Kelsey.”

“It is. It makes water and summons creatures of the ocean, sort of. We’ll need to figure out what else it does.”

“May I try it?”

“Knock yourself out.”

“Please fill the tub with hot water for Miss Kelsey.”

The tub immediately filled, and Nilima clapped, delighted.

I smiled. “It looks nice, but I’d like a shower to get all the salt off first.”

“Of course. You can soak afterward.”

I shuddered. The thought of soaking made me nervous. I wondered if I’d ever be able to scuba dive again. Images of the giant shark flashed through my mind, and I could easily picture its extended jaws opening for a bite.

“I’d like to soak another time if that’s okay. I think I’ll stick with the shower for now.”

Nilima shrugged and helped me out of my dress. She clucked at the ruined material and ran her hands over the beadwork. “It must’ve been so beautiful.”

“It was pretty,” I admitted, “but it made me a little uncomfortable.”

“Why?”

“The top was too short.”

“Ah, the
choli
. There are many different styles, some modern, some ancient. They are not short to expose a woman’s body but to keep her comfortable in the heat.”

I raised an eyebrow, and Nilima laughed.

“Okay. I admit that sometimes it’s worn to catch a man’s eye.”

“Then it definitely works.
Too
well,” I mumbled.

She removed the jewels from my hair and marveled at each piece with appreciation. Steam rose from the shower. After she loosened my
choli
, she left me alone, and I took my time soaping through my hair and scrubbing my skin. When I sat at the vanity in my thick robe, she returned with an armful of clothing. She brushed out my long wet hair while I rubbed lotion into my sunburned arms and legs.

“Nilima?”

“Yes?”

“Will you cut my hair shorter? Please?” I hurried on as I saw her shaking her head with apprehension. “It’s too long. It’s unmanageable. You don’t have to cut it all—just to mid-back or so.”

“He’ll be mad.”

“I don’t think it matters anymore.”

“Why not?”

I sighed. “Because we’ve broken up. I’ve told him that I’m with Kishan now.”

She paused, mid-brushstroke, and then continued slowly. “I …
see
.”

“Kishan doesn’t care what I do with my hair and even braided, it’s too much for me to manage when it’s this long.”

“Alright, Miss Kelsey. But if he asks, you did this yourself.”

“You’ve got a deal.”

She cut my hair to just past my shoulder blades and braided it for me. I pulled on a soft T-shirt and a pair of worn jeans and set off barefoot to find everyone.

Nilima stayed on watch in the wheelhouse while Mr. Kadam joined the three of us in the sundeck lounge. We ate and took turns catching him up on what had happened. He took copious notes and frequently asked us to repeat the dragon’s instructions as precisely as we could. I showed him the Pearl Necklace, which he turned over in his hands and sketched a very accurate resemblance in his notebook. He documented the different ways in which we’d used it and wanted to begin a battery of tests as soon as possible.

“I find it interesting that you didn’t heal from the shark bite while in this realm, though you healed quickly in Shangri-la from the bear attack,” Mr. Kadam commented.

“Remember, I didn’t heal in Kishkindha either when the Kappa bit me.”

“But you did heal from the kraken bite, though somewhat more slowly. A few possible explanations come to mind. One: It could be that there is something special about Shangri-la. The law of doing no harm might apply. Two: Perhaps only the actual guardians of the objects can cause mortal harm. Three: Healing only occurs when the wound is not mortal. Whatever the reason, I believe you need to be very careful, Miss Kelsey.

“Even in the realms of the other worlds, you can be killed. We are fortunate that Kishan was blessed with the
kamandal
. I feel we can no longer afford to believe that your amulet protects you from injury or that being in a magical realm will help you to heal.” He reached forward and patted my knee. “It would be unthinkable to lose you, my dear.”

Mr. Kadam widened his gaze to include everyone. “We will all have to be more vigilant regarding Miss Kelsey’s health.”

The brothers nodded in agreement.

When we finished giving our accounts, Mr. Kadam sat back and pressed his hands together. He tapped his lip in his usual style and said, “I believe that is just about everything. Except I feel I should share with you that the five dragons have disappeared on Lady Silkworm’s design. Nilima and I could see the dragons change as you entered their realms, so we knew when you left the waters of their dominion. Two days ago all five of them vanished.”

I blinked. “That was about the time we entered the Seventh Pagoda.”

He nodded. “We still have the sextant and the disk, but I believe those will disappear when we reenter our world. Nilima and I have speculated that there is a passageway of some kind similar to the Ugra statue and the Spirit Gate that will take our boat back into normal time.

“Tomorrow we will head to the location where we first met the red dragon and hope that it will lead us back to the Shore Temple. However, before we proceed, I would like to stay at anchor tonight and allow everyone to get a good night’s rest. I have reason to believe another battle looms in our near future, and I want us to be ready. Miss Kelsey? Perhaps it is now time to share what happened in the vision.”

I swallowed thickly and turned to face Ren and Kishan. “When you asked me before what Lokesh said, I downplayed it.”

“What do you mean?” Kishan asked.

“I … I lied.”

Ren leaned forward. “What really happened?”

“First of all, Captain Dixon is dead.”

Mr. Kadam waited a moment for them to absorb the news and then explained, “Lokesh caused the death of my friend. We watched it happen, and I feel great sorrow for his loss. My first reaction was that we should seek the rest of the crew and make sure they are all safe, but we cannot risk going back to Mahabalipuram, knowing that Lokesh was, and possibly still is, there. It’s very likely he has already murdered our entire crew. I can only hope that some of them survived, but in my heart I don’t believe they did. Still, when we are safely away, I will send agents to look for them.”

“What else?” Ren said.

“Umm … it seems he wants more than just our amulets,” I stammered and choked.

Mr. Kadam smiled in sympathy and took over. “He made overtures to Miss Kelsey. He … desires her.”

Ren abruptly stood up, and Kishan’s fists tightened.

“I will kill him,” Ren swore. “He’ll never touch her.”

“I don’t believe it is merely lust for a woman that is driving him, though that’s certainly a part of it. He sees power in Miss Kelsey, and he wishes to … sire a son from her.”

The reaction from the two men was very different. Ren was seething. His hands clenched, and his fingers curved as if he still had claws and wanted to rip something to shreds.

In contrast, Kishan despaired quietly. His face fell. “This is my fault,” he said.

I touched his arm. “Why do you say that?”

“I goaded him, pushed him when I fought him on the Baiga lands. He saw me wield the
chakram
when I was disguised as you.”

“I don’t believe that is entirely the reason,” Mr. Kadam assured. “But perhaps that adds to his perception. If I may be so bold as to hypothesize, I think he has always seen the Rajaram family as powerful, and he wants to absorb that power. He has never defeated you. You have escaped him many times, and he doesn’t like to lose. Having a son is something he’s desired for a long time, for centuries even. Back in our day, he had the same wish but with a different woman.”

“Mother,” Ren choked softly.

“Yes. He would have taken Deschen if we had not escaped, and now he seeks to take Miss Kelsey. He is on a boat, and I suspect he will be watching for our return.”

“He won’t lay a finger on her,” Kishan promised.

Ren added, “We need to hide her.”

“Wait a second,” I interjected. “You need me. I have power, and there are dozens of Lokesh’s pirates to face. We saw them.”

Mr. Kadam tapped a lip. “I concur with Miss Kelsey. I believe if we are to win a fight without losses, we’ll have to hit them quickly and hard. I don’t believe that they will try to kill us. Most likely, they will use stun weapons again. We’ll use the framework of the boat as a shield and use your power from a distance first. Hand-to-hand fighting will be a last resort, and Miss Kelsey is a good distance weapon. I will come up with a specific plan of attack while the three of you sleep. Get as much rest as you can. We will hope to escape his notice but we will prepare for war. Tomorrow we need to be battle ready.”

Ren turned to face a dark window and asked, “Why did you keep this from us, Kelsey?”

Rubbing sweaty palms against my jeans, I answered, “I didn’t want to distract you. If we didn’t make it to the surface, it wouldn’t have mattered. I hoped there would be plenty of time to tell you later.”

He turned to face me. “Next time, just tell me. I can handle disturbing news better when everything’s out in the open, and you are honest with me.”

“Okay,” I agreed but broke eye contact uncomfortably.

With the meeting adjourned, I headed back to my room with Kishan at my elbow and Ren trailing along behind at a discreet distance.

“We have the Necklace. You two can be men for eighteen hours a day now. Only one more task to go.”

Kishan nodded distractedly, kissed my forehead, and stopped at my door. “Eighteen hours, huh? That sounds like a lifetime.” He smiled. “Ren and I need to talk.” He brushed a finger across my cheek. “I’ll see you in the morning, okay?”

Confused, I nodded and went to bed.

Kishan never returned to my room, and it was just as well because I woke repeatedly from nightmares. I ended up turning on a soft light so that I’d stop imagining I was under the black water again. When I opened the connecting door, I found Kishan lying on his stomach, sleeping deeply.

Softly, I closed the door and headed to breakfast. Mr. Kadam and Nilima had already eaten and told me to make a plate up for myself. I settled across from them at the table just as a freshly showered Ren turned the corner. He heaped a plate high with pancakes, spread peanut butter over the tops, sliced up a banana, and doused his whole plate in maple syrup.