“I don’t fall in love with every man I meet despite what you think, Mr. Exaggeration.” I poked him in the chest. “At least I don’t parade scantily clad suitors with artificial bosoms around. Besides, you pushed me away, not the other way around. It’s your own fault.”
“Well, I didn’t expect that you’d immediately settle down with someone else now, did I? It’s a small ship, I figured. But no, leave Kelsey alone for five minutes, and she suddenly has a line of boyfriends. Every man on board immediately moves in, don’t they?”
I glared at him. “You said Kishan and I should—”
He angrily ran a hand through his hair. “I know what I said. It made sense at the time. But even so, a part of me believed you’d never do it. I didn’t think I could actually convince you that I didn’t love you anymore. It was a bad decision with obviously negative ramifications. I made a mistake. A huge one. But now we’re even. You left me, and I left you. Now we’re done with that. We can set it aside and forget about it.”
“No, we can’t. We’re not the only ones involved this time.”
“There’s always someone else involved. I have to repeatedly bring our relationship, bring us, back from the brink, and frankly, I’m becoming an expert on yanking you away from moving on with other men. How many is it now? Ten? Twenty?”
“You’re exaggerating again.”
Ren was becoming irritated. “Maybe I am. But you know what? That’s okay. It’s fine. That’s right, F-I-N-E, fine. You just go ahead and keep on lining up your fan club because I am always going to be there to keep knocking them down.”
A tear trickled down my face, and after a quiet moment, I said, “Ren, you gave me away. You pushed me into another man’s arms. Did you really think you could just snap your fingers, and I’d come running back to you? That I could break his heart and not hurt my own in the process?”
“I know what I’ve done has hurt you, hurt us, and I also know it’s hurt Kishan. If I was a braver man, I’d leave things the way they are, but I can’t. You asked me why I’m a coward. I’m a coward because I refuse to be without you. I cannot fathom any kind of a happy existence if you’re not in it. I won’t even consider it. So you’d better get used to it, because I won’t stop trying to win you over. If it’s a battle for your heart, iadala, then I’m ready. Even if it turns out the one I’m fighting against is you.”
“Really, Ren. Can’t you just abide by my decision?”
“No! You’re just as in love with me as I am with you, and if I have to beat that into your thick head then so be it.”
“So much for the poetry, huh?”
He sighed, cupped my chin with his hand, and then turned my face to his. “I don’t need poetry, prema. I just need to get near enough to touch you.” He trailed his fingers lightly down my neck and over a shoulder.
My pulse pounded, and my lip quivered as I sucked in a breath.
“Your heart knows. Your soul remembers.” He leaned over and started kissing my neck, barely skimming the sensitive skin with his lips. “This is something you can’t deny. You belong with me. You’re mine.” He whispered softly against my throat, “‘I am he am born to tame you Kate, and bring you from a wild Kate to a Kate comfortable as other household Kates—’”
I froze and pushed him away. “Don’t. Ren, stop! Don’t you dare finish those lines!”
“Kelsey.”
“No.” I got up and walked away quickly, leaving my book on the deck by his feet.
I heard him threaten as I left, “The battle lines are drawn, priyatama. The more formidable the foe, the sweeter the victory.”
Over my shoulder, I said, “Take your victory and shove it up your muzzle, tiger nose!” I headed back to my room to the sound of his quiet laughter.
The next morning, Kishan knocked on my door. I’d been dreaming about Ren as a white tiger, hunting me. I sat straight up in bed as Kishan opened the door, and then I shouted, “I am not a gazelle!”
Kishan laughed. “I know you’re not a gazelle. Though your legs are almost as long. Hmm. It would be nice to chase you and stare at those legs.”
I threw a pillow at his head. “Why did you wake me up?”
“One—it’s already nine. Two—we’re at the green dragon’s island. So get up and get dressed, Kells.”
19
The Green Dragon’s Hunt
We were anchored near a big island. Warm sandy beaches stretched as far as the eye could see, but farther away from the shore, the island was thick with trees of all types. Colorful birds flew overhead. It was warm, much warmer than the blue dragon’s fog-covered island. This island was full of color and sound. We could clearly hear the screech of monkeys and the call of birds.
Ren soon joined us and set our weapons down on the table. He walked over to stand next to me.
Kishan said, “Listen. Can you hear them?”
“Hear what?” I asked.
Ren touched my arm. “Shh.” He cocked his head and closed his eyes.
I listened hard but could hear only the cries of various animals.
Ren finally opened his eyes. “Cats. Panthers, do you think? Leopards?”
Kishan shook his head. “No. Lions?”
“I don’t think so.”
I couldn’t hear anything except monkeys. “What does it sound like?” I asked.
“It’s more of a scream than a roar,” Ren explained. “I’ve heard it before … from the zoo.” He closed his eyes and listened again. “Jaguars. They’re jaguars.”
“What are they like?” Kishan asked.
“They look like spotted leopards, but they’re bigger, more aggressive. They’re smart. Calculating. They have a strong bite. They don’t go for the jugular, they bite through the skull.”
“I’ve never heard one before,” Kishan said.
“You wouldn’t have,” Ren continued. “They’re not native to India. They’re from South America.”
Nilima and Mr. Kadam joined us as we began to strap on our weapons.
Mr. Kadam questioned, “You’re thinking about heading through the jungle, then?”
“Yes,” Ren replied as he secured my quiver of golden arrows. “We’ll take the boat over and head through the jungle entering … there.” He pointed at a section of trees that looked identical to all the other trees to me but he insisted the terrain would be easier in that spot.
Mr. Kadam followed us as we made our way to the bottom of the ship. “If you need help, have Miss Kelsey send a flare with her power.”
“Right,” Kishan agreed as he leapt into the boat and held out his hand for me.
Mr. Kadam opened the wet garage and lowered the boat into the water. After it was in, Ren dropped off the side of the ship and landed agilely right next to me. Kishan started the motor, took the wheel, and spun us around to face the beach. I almost fell as the front of the boat rose out of the water. Ren reached out a hand to steady me, but I pushed it away and wrapped an arm around Kishan’s waist instead. When I looked back, he was glaring at me.
Ren leapt out when we reached the island and dragged the boat up onto the beach. Just as my feet touched sand, I heard a voice. It was rough, gravelly, and as it rumbled in my mind, the trees shook. It felt like a tiny earthquake.
Who sets foot on my island?
The noisy cacophony of the jungle suddenly stilled. We spun around in circles looking for the source of the voice but couldn’t find anything.
Who are you? the voice demanded.
I announced, “We are travelers seeking your aid. We need to find your brothers and the Seventh Pagoda, great dragon. We seek Durga’s Necklace.”
The dragon laughed with the sound of two large stones rubbing together, sending the birds flying to the far side of the island.
And what would you do to secure my help, young woman?
“What do you ask of us?” I ventured cautiously.
Oh, nothing … much. I just ask for entertainment. You see, I am often very lonely here on my island. Perhaps
you could provide some … diversion for me.
“Entertain you how?”
How about … a game?
Kishan questioned, “Where are you, dragon?”
Can you not see me? I am very close.
“We cannot,” Kishan replied.
The dragon mockingly snorted. Then you won’t be very good at my game. Perhaps I won’t play with you after all.
“He’s there,” Ren announced quietly. “Up in that tree.”
He pointed up, and my eyes focused on the canopy overhead. The leaves quivered, and when I peered closer I saw a golden eye blink.
Ah, good. You finally found me.
The tree rustled noisily as a large branch broke and drifted down to us. The dragon was perfectly camouflaged. Its head was brown and knobby like old driftwood, and its snout was long like a crocodile with pointed teeth. Two golden eyes blinked at me as it came lower. Large antlers sprung from the back of his head. Moss hung off the horns in sections as if it was being peeled away.
The dragon’s long snake-like body was similar to its brothers’, but it had golden taloned feet and scales resembling green leaves layered over each other. A brown beard and mane fell away from its head, looking like rich cocoa waves of corn silk. The silky hair grew in a thin patch down its back like a horse’s mane and ended at a long bushy tail. It was smaller than its brothers, but as it unwound from the tree its body seemed to grow. If stretched out, the dragon would probably be twice as long as the yacht. The green dragon’s voice startled me out of my visual inspection.
We should be formally introduced first. It is the proper way of doing things. I am Lsèlóng, Dragon of the Earth. I already know you’ve met two of my brothers, the Dragon of the Stars and the Dragon of the Waves. If I decide to help you, you will meet my other two brothers, but I warn you now, they are not as easy to get along with as I, nor are they as beautiful. It chuckled.
Curious, I took a step closer. “I thought you were the dragons of the five oceans.”
A golden eye blinked at me. How refreshingly bold you are. We were born of the five oceans. I was born in the warm Indian Ocean. Qnglóng was born in the Southern Ocean, Lóngjn in the Pacific. You’ve yet to meet Jnsèlóng or Yínbáilóng. The first was born in the Atlantic, and the second, in the freezing waters of the Arctic. Though I was born in the ocean, I reign over land, and I oversee all things that happen on land.
“Then who were your parents?”
The dragon blew a puff of warm air over me. Perhaps you are becoming too bold, my dear. Now shall we begin our game, or are you having thoughts of turning back?
“We will play your game,” Kishan said.
The dragon smacked its lips. Excellent. Now in any game there must be a prize for the winner.
Lsèlóng lifted its head to peer into Kishan’s eyes. It held his gaze steady for a moment, and then moved to Ren and did the same thing.
“What are you doing?” I asked.
Skimming their minds. Don’t worry, young lady, I’m just reading their thoughts. The dragon snorted and then raised its head in the air, nose pointed to the sky, and laughed uproariously. This will be the best game I will have created in millennia! A most magnificent sport! It continued to chuckle.
“What’s so funny?” I asked.
They both seek the same prize, you see.
“The same prize?”
The dragon shifted its body cutting me off from Ren and Kishan. Yes. Come along then, my dear.
“What? No!”
Oh, yes. Once the game has begun, it must be played to its conclusion.
It stretched forth a taloned claw and circled my waist. I struggled when it picked me up and prepared to leap into the air.
“Wait! What are you doing? You can’t do this! We don’t even know the rules of the game!”
Kishan and Ren both moved toward me until the green dragon blew a spurt of fire across the sand, halting their progress. I bucked against its claw, but its sharp talons cut into my waist.
Stop jostling, young lady. We don’t want our prize to be damaged after all.
“Prize? What do you mean?”
The dragon sighed and kicked into the air. It blew more fire down on Ren and Kishan, so they were totally encircled by it but remained unburned.
Kishan removed his chakram and yelled, “Put her down, dragon, or we will kill you.”
Lsèlóng scoffed. We dragons cannot be killed.
Ren pulled out his trident and twisted the handle so the prongs elongated to shoot spear darts. “We cannot be killed either, dragon. And we will hunt you until she is safe.”
The dragon bent its head toward Ren and hissed. That is exactly what I am counting on, tiger.
Kishan shouted as the dragon circled higher in the air, “Bring her back. Now!”
Ren leapt through the fire, threw down the trident, and switched to his tiger form. He scaled up a tall tree in great bounds and ran along a narrow branch. He was much closer to us now. He roared and swung a paw at the dragon.
Lsèlóng indulgently lowered its head close enough to face the white tiger but remained far enough away so as not to have its nose batted by a paw. Ren changed back to a man and clung to the branch. He looked at me. I could feel his desperation. I was out of his reach, and there was nothing he could do to save me.
His expression turned dark, dangerous, as he faced the Dragon of the Earth. “If she should be harmed in any way, I promise you that I will find a way to kill you. Take great care, dragon.”
The dragon narrowed its eyes and smiled malevolently. Yes, this game will be most diverting. Because you insist on knowing the rules ahead of time, I will tell you this … the game is you. I’m going to go on a safari, you see. I will take the form of a man and hunt you. Both of you. You will take your tiger forms. There will be traps and other creatures lying in wait for you as well. If you can make it to the castle hedge before I shoot or trap you, you will be able to move on to the second round. If not, I will have two very beautiful tiger-skin rugs to place before my fire.
“And if we make it to the second round?”
If you outwit me, which is highly unlikely, then the game will change. You will have to fight your way to the castle through a maze. Put down your flying disk, or I will eviscerate the girl.
I gasped and looked down at the base of the tree where Kishan had crept, chakram raised. He lowered his arm, and the dragon spun in a circle like a weather vane. I reeled dizzily from the movement. It
trained its eyes on both men as it continued, Your weapons will be given back to you before you enter the maze. This part of the game is older than the world. The players will be one white knight, one black knight, a dragon, and a princess. You must go through the maze and climb the castle walls. Then there is the dragon to slay, played by me. The winner gets the girl.
“I thought you were immortal,” Ren said.
Oh, I am, but if you can land what would normally be a killing blow for a dragon without being burned to a crisp, you win.
“And if you win?”
Why, of course, if I win, then I will get the girl. The dragon smiled evilly and squeezed me slightly.
I sucked in a breath of pain and heard menacing growls from both Ren and Kishan.
Ren spoke slowly, promise ringing in his voice. “We will play your game, dragon, but remember this, for every hurt you cause her, however minor, I will return that hurt to you a hundredfold.”
The dragon bobbed in the air, watching Ren, appraising him. It’s been a long time since I’ve had such brave opponents. I wish you luck. Let the game begin!
A rush of wind blew over us, and all the weapons shimmered and disappeared. Both men grunted in pain as they were forced to switch into their tiger forms. The black tiger looked at me, roared, and darted toward the jungle. The white tiger remained in the tree watching me until we could no longer see each other.
The dragon rose higher and entered the forest. It wove between the tall trees at a frightening speed. Occas
ionally, it’d reach out a claw and push off from a tree that was too close, leaving deep, jagged claw marks in the trunk. I shivered. It’s going to rip Ren and Kishan apart. It’ll tear through them like butter.
“Where are you taking me?”
To the castle, of course.
The green dragon shot higher into the air, and I could barely stop myself from throwing up from the fast rise, let alone ask him more questions. The island was much bigger than I thought it was. Its diameter was maybe five miles. Soon we left the trees, skimmed past the beach, and were over the ocean. Another smaller island came into view. It was also surrounded by trees, and rising up in the middle of it was a tall castle built of grayish seaweed-colored stone.
A huge maze of dark hedges at least twenty feet tall surrounded the outside. The castle rose high above the maze but was surrounded by mist. With dismay, I saw that there were no steps, no doors, no way to access the castle except from the top. The tigers would have to scale the outside, while I would be trapped like Rapunzel, without the hair.
A lone tower stood at the top, and this was where the dragon headed. It landed with a scrape of claws on the flat roof before finally setting me down. The air seemed to shift around it. It shimmered and popped, and suddenly, standing before me was the human version of Lsèlóng. White skinned and brown haired, he was handsome but in a dangerous way. His eyes seemed more hazel now than yellow. He was dressed in old-fashioned khaki hunting clothes, tall black boots that shone with polish, and there was even a pith helmet tucked under his arm.
“But it’s not fair,” I accused. “The hedge and the castle aren’t even on the same island. How are they supposed to know?”
“They will figure it out. Eventually.” He took my elbow. With a silky accent, he said, “Come, my dear. Allow me to show you to your accommodations.”
“Why do you sound Russian?”
He laughed. “Didn’t you know the world’s best big-game hunters are Slavic? We dragons can take whatever form we wish, and I choose to hunt in the most sporting manner. I will emulate the style of the great hunters of the past who went on safari, for that was when hunting was a sport. Those very few, very brave men who dared put themselves at as much risk as their prey, who relied more on skill and cleverness than on weapons are now a thing of the past. Today I will pay homage to them.”