Leaning my head on Kishan’s shoulder, I said, “We made it. The Seventh Pagoda.”
At first, I was aware only of our breathing. Then I began to shiver. We stood and by mutual decision chose to change into warm clothes, eat, and sleep. Ren and Kishan had used all their energy. I remembered Ren’s circus trainer, Mr. Davis, had once told me that big cats sleep most of the day and use up their energy in quick bursts. These two had been running for quite some time, and Kishan had been swimming like a polar bear. I knew they were exhausted.
We explored the shrine a bit, looking for a place to camp, and found it smaller than the other two underwater castles. It wasn’t cold like Yínbáilóng’s palace. Instead, it was warm and dark.
I hastily dried off and set up a tent and sleeping bags while the Scarf created warm clothes. Everyone made their own dinner using the Fruit. Kishan ate three pizzas, I chose Grandma’s biscuits and gravy with hash browns and eggs, and Ren ordered stuffed pasta shells, breadsticks, and salad—the first meal I’d ever made for him. When I gave him a look, he raised an eyebrow and nonverbally dared me to do something about it. I decided ignoring him would be better, so I turned my back to him and scooted closer to Kishan, who was already on his second pizza.
“Want a slice?”
“Nah, I’ve got plenty, thanks.”
Nobody said much of anything else. It was awkward. We ate in silence and then prepared to sleep. I sipped my hot chocolate and wondered what I was going to do about sleeping in such close proximity to Ren as a man. Kishan didn’t seem to have a problem at all with our sleeping arrangements. He just crawled into his bedroll and began snoring.
Ren turned to me. “You coming?”
“I’ll … be another minute.”
He watched me thoughtfully for a moment, and then finally ducked inside the tent. When I couldn’t put it off any longer, I pulled open the flap and sighed at the very obvious empty place for me between Ren and Kishan. Hoping not to disturb them, I quietly picked up my sleeping bag and tugged it to the other side of Kishan. There was only a tiny space available so I asked the Scarf to widen the tent, crawled into my bag, and turned to face the tent wall.
“It’s not like I’m going to attack you in your sleep,” Ren said softly.
“I get too hot between the two of you,” I lied.
“I could have switched with you.”
“I wouldn’t want Kishan to get the wrong message.”
I heard a deep sigh. “Goodnight, Kelsey.”
“Goodnight.”
I stared at the tent wall for several hours, and, though he was quiet, I didn’t think Ren slept much either.
When we woke or, in my case, decided to move, we packed up and further explored the Seventh Pagoda. The structure was still dark, and the light Fanindra created worked only in a small area. We found rooms full of treasure. Gold, precious gems, and priceless statues littered the floors and shelves of each room.
We entered a cavernous area and paused as the sounds of our voices echoed in the space. I could hear a waterfall and smell the ocean, and I imagined the brothers smelled something else as well, because, at the same time, both brothers moved in front of me. We inched forward slowly and came to a large basin filled with sand. Boxes of long sticks rested on a side table.
“What is it?” I asked.
Ren picked up a stick and studied it. “Incense. They’re used in shrines.”
I gathered a few sticks, placed them in the sand the way Ren had done with his, and used my power to light them. Delicate smoke rose up, smelling of pine. Kishan opened a box of red sticks and began filling the basin with them. I lit them, and my nose twitched as I smelled sweet blossoms. As the incense burned, we noticed the room became brighter.
The pagoda was stunning! We hadn’t been able to fully appreciate its splendor before. We were in a room so huge hundreds of people could have fit in the area comfortably. Golden pillars three floors high supported the painted, domed roof overhead. Thick arched windows displayed the sea in such a way that I felt I was looking in on a series of exquisite aquariums. Detailed scrollwork and murals were framed on the walls, but otherwise the walls and ceiling were painted red with lacquered dragons spurting flame.
The floor was made of polished black tile. A small fountain trickled into a wide pool that took up most of the space. The water was white like the mermaid’s pool, impossible to see through. I made a mental note not to touch it no matter how beautiful it was. Kishan and I joined Ren, who was studying one of the murals.
“There it is. The Necklace. See how it rests in the oyster?” Ren said excitedly upon spotting a mural depicting Durga’s Necklace surrounded by hundreds of oysters.
“Hmm … yes, but we can’t see anything in the water. It’s too cloudy. How is Kishan supposed to find it? And what else is down there?”
“According to the mural, nothing. Only an oyster bed. He’ll have to open all the oysters to find it.” Ren patted Kishan on the shoulder. “Glad you drank the soma instead of me.”
“Thanks. Well, no time like the present. You two sit poolside, and I’ll toss them up.” He peeled off his shirt and kicked off his shoes.
As I turned back to the mural, Kishan wrapped his hands around my waist from behind. “Want to go for a swim, beautiful?”
“The water will kill her,” Ren said dryly.
I glared at Ren, turned around to hug the bare-chested Kishan, and smiled. “Maybe later.” I patted his chest and ran my hand down to his waist. Poking him in his rather fine abs, I said, “I really think you need to be working out more, Kishan. You’re getting all flabby in your old age.”
“Where?” he demanded, as he tried to pinch the skin at his waist.
Laughing, I said, “I’m being sarcastic. You could grate cheese on your abs. I’m just lucky there aren’t any other girls around. They’d all be swooning at your feet.”
He grinned. “One girl swooning is enough for me. Besides, a guy’s got to be strong enough to save his damsel in distress, doesn’t he?”
Ren frowned and interrupted. “What will you use for a knife?” he asked.
“I’ll use the chakram. How are you going to wedge them open?”
“We’ll think of something.” He gave Kishan a debatably friendly shove toward the milky pool. Kishan squeezed my hand and carefully slipped into the water. A few seconds later, we heard a wet thunk as a heavy oyster the size of a pancake hit the tile. I left Ren alone for a few minutes to figure out how we were going to pry it open and wandered around the outside of the pool.
The waterfall was lovely. The milky water fell over black tiles into the pool below. Steps led up to the top of the fountain, and I climbed them. At a level above the falls, I noticed an alcove with another fountain and some marble statues.
I peered down at Ren and heard him tell Kishan to keep the oysters coming. He was using his trident to open the oysters, and, not having a weapon of my own, I decided to take a minute to study the statues.
The marble and gold statues depicted three people: two men and a woman. The woman draped her arm over one of the men who offered her a beautifully detailed carving of a pearl necklace. The other man looked on jealously. A thick curved wall of marble stretched behind the fountain on either side.
“Ren? I think I found Parvati and Shiva! Indra’s here too!”
“I’ll come up and look in a minute,” he called out.
There was something else. Indra’s one hand was tightened into a threatening fist but the other was pointing behind the fountain where Shiva and Parvati stood. Maybe it meant something. Something else might be back there. Another statue maybe. I climbed down the fountain steps, walked all the way around the long wall, and then gasped in shock and horror. A giant shark lay dead on the floor.
“It can’t be,” I whispered.
Its pointed nose jutted into the air, and its mouth gaped open loosely. Though it was made of marble, I shivered, imagining it bearing down on me. Its mouth was big enough to bite through a
dragon, let alone a puny human such as me. Mesmerized, I reached out a finger to touch a sharp, serrated tooth, but pulled back at the last moment. Mumbling to myself, I said, “It’s impossible. I’ve never seen anything this big on Shark Week before.” Maybe it’s prehistoric.
I cleared my throat. “Ren?” No response. I called out a little louder, “Ren? Can you come up here? Please!”
“Just a minute, Kelsey. Almost got this one open.”
I slowly backed away from the nightmare creature until my backside bumped up against the alabaster railing. Freezing there, I stared at the length of a creature that frightened me more than anything I’d ever faced. The Kappa were kittens compared to this thing. The Stymphalian birds? Canaries. I started shaking as waves of fear poured over me, obscuring everything except the monster I couldn’t look away from.
I shook my head, and little mewling sounds spilled from my lips. Stumbling quickly down the steps, I stopped at the waterfall and froze again. All I could think was the word no. I chanted it over and over in my mind—no-no-no-no—and didn’t realize I was repeating the words out loud until I heard the word echoed in another’s voice.
Ren appeared in front of me as if by magic, put his arms around me, and held me close. He lightly massaged the back of my neck and asked, “No … what, Kelsey?”
“It’s impossible,” I whispered against his shirt like a zombie.
“Come on. Show me what you found.”
A part of my brain registered Kishan who shouted, “Hey! Where is everybody? Guess I have to do everything myself, then.” I heard him prying open the oysters. Knowing he was in no danger, I continued to bury my nose in Ren’s shirt.
“It’s alright,” Ren soothed. “Let’s go take a look. I’ll go with you.”
He stepped away from my clinging form and took my hand. I grabbed onto it with both of mine and pressed myself against him. He briefly touched his lips to my temple before climbing the stairs. We passed the waterfall. When I saw the first statue, I started shaking again.
He stopped at the top and studied the forms. “I don’t understand. What’s wrong, strimani?”
I lifted a shaking hand and pointed in the same direction as Indra. “It’s—” my voice shook, “it’s too big.”
Seeing I wouldn’t take another step, he let go of my hand and began the long walk around the marble wall by himself. I watched his face register shock and then grim determination. He crouched down by the beast’s head and studied it.
I grimaced thinking that, compared to the shark, Ren looked like a tasty cream puff dipped in chocolate. He’d be delicious, decadent even. But even he was just an appetizer. Me? Maybe a celery stick. Not the tastiest, so I might as well douse myself in ranch dressing to save the shark the trouble of spitting me back out. Kishan was perhaps a little meatier. He’d be more like a taquito or an egg roll. Even if the shark ate all three of us, it’s likely it would have to go back for seconds and thirds. It was just … that … immense.
Ren paused to study the statues briefly, and then turned to me.
“It’s going to be alright, Kelsey. Try not to worry.”
“Try not to worry? It’s a giant shark!”
“Yes, but—”
“Ren! Spider monkeys are to King Kong as great whites are to that thing!”
“I know, but—”
He was interrupted by an irate Kishan on the floor below us. “Where are you guys?”
I walked over to the railing and waved down to him. “We’re up here. Be down in a minute.”
“Fine.” He sulkily went back to opening oysters while I turned back to Ren.
“But what? Don’t you get it? That’s the great hunter who doesn’t sleep or eat—the thing the mermaid told us about. Its only purpose is to prevent us from reaching the surface!”
“We don’t know that this creature and the one she spoke of are the same.”
“It looks bloody likely to me!”
“That’s your fear talking. I know you’re scared, but there’s no use panicking about something that hasn’t happened yet and might not ever happen.”
“I don’t want to be eaten by a shark,” I whimpered softly.
Ren wrapped his arms around me, smiled, and said, “You are much more likely to be eaten by a tiger. Remember?”
I nodded weakly and sniffled as a tear dropped onto my nose. He kissed my forehead and pressed his hands against my cheeks. “We’re going to be alright. I promise. Okay?”
“Okay,” I replied quietly.
His thumbs traced my cheekbones lightly, and my breath hitched. Nervously, I stepped away from him before his comforting progressed to the next level, and I walked up to the statue of Parvati. Ren watched me quietly, not moving from the place where he’d embraced me.
Poor Parvati. You had to choose between two men who risked their lives for you too. You had to worry and wonder if either one of them would survive the monster. I wiped away a tear from my cheek and reached out to touch her hand. The statue shimmered and disappeared.
“Ren!”
“I saw it!”
The statues of Indra and Shiva shimmered and disappeared also, but what was worse was that the giant shark also began to shimmer. I cried out in horror as it disappeared. At the same time we heard a bark of triumph come from below us.
“Hey, guys!” Kishan hollered. “I found it! I have the Necklace!”
26
Surfacing
“Whoa! What’s happening?” Kishan shouted.
After the statues disappeared, a shimmering cloud descended around us. When it dissipated, both my clothes and Ren’s had changed. My mouth fell open. He looked like an Indian god.
The only piece of clothing on his body was a white wraparound dhoti that tied at his waist and ended just above his knees. He wore a golden headdress, armbands, and ankle and wrist cuffs. Around his neck hung an intricate golden necklace. His bronze muscled body glistened.
“Are you,” I swallowed thickly, “oiled?” I couldn’t help but stare incredulously at his broad chest.
Ren didn’t answer. He just gaped back at me with a very strange expression on his face.
“What? What is it?” I asked nervously.
“You … you’re the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”
“What?” I looked down at my costume and tentatively touched the thick golden belt that hung at my waist. “Wait here a second.”
I headed over to a sea-blackened window, hoping to catch my reflection. “Huh.” I was looking pretty goddesslike. A thick, heavily embroidered white skirt draped from my waist all the way to the floor. My hair was intricately braided and coiled at the nape of my neck, and loose curls tickled my bare skin. A dupatta scarf wrapped over my tight beaded top and draped in folds from the belt. The golden belt cinched tightly at my waist and hung over my hips, accentuating their curves.
I, too, wore golden jewelry—a sparkling tiara, many lengths of golden chains, heavy earrings, bracelets, and even anklets. Though the sheer, white dupatta hung down my back and covered the front of me, the top under it was very tiny. When I moved, I could feel the silky dupatta brushing my waist and back. I crossed my arms, trying unsuccessfully to cover my bare skin.
It didn’t help that when I turned around, Ren was still staring. To my utter amazement, he dropped down on one knee, took my hand, and touched his forehead to it. Nervously, I stammered, “Uh … Ren? What are you doing?”
“Kneeling before a goddess.”
“I’m not a goddess.”
“You are. A goddess, a princess, a queen. As a soldier, I pledge myself to your service. As a prince, I grant you any boon within my power. As a man, I ask to sit at your feet and worship you. Ask me to do anything for you, and I will do it.”
He raised his eyes and captured both my hands in his. “Sundari rajkumari, my heart quickens to see you adorned as a royal princess from my time. If I had met you then, if you had visited our palace, I would have immediately knelt at your feet just like this
and begged you to never leave me.”
I blushed and said, “I think you may be exaggerating or perhaps you’re suffering from narcosis.”
Ren smiled a brilliant knock-every-girl-off-her-feet-within-a-ten-mile-radius smile and added, “Your modesty makes you even more becoming. You are the loveliest of women, Kelsey.”
I stopped squirming and studied Ren’s expression. He was serious. Who knew I could bring a man to his knees? Not able to resist, I smiled at the beautiful man kneeling in front of me and smoothed his hair away from his face. He turned his head, kissed my palm, and held my hand to his lips.
Kishan approached and turned a stormy gaze on Ren. “I generally like to give you the benefit of the doubt because I know you lost your memory and all, but can you please step away from my girlfriend and tell me what’s going on? Why did our clothes change?”
Ren moved back to let Kishan approach me—but Kishan also stopped in his tracks.
“You are gorgeous!” Kishan exclaimed.
“Gorgeous is too crass a term to use to describe her,” Ren added quietly. “She is … divine, ethereal, stunning—”
I held up my hand. “Right. Okay, if we could all stop staring at Kelsey now, I’d feel a lot less self-conscious.”
Incredulously, Ren said, “Self-conscious? Why on Earth would you feel that way?”
“Because I’m uncomfortable displaying this much skin. Can we please turn our attention to other things?” I asked in an un-goddesslike way, which seemed to help snap them both back to reality.
Ren and Kishan blinked, and Ren reluctantly turned to tell his brother what we’d seen. I caught them both stopping from time to time to admire my exposed skin. A soft growl from one brother at the other usually brought their attention back to the discussion.
Kishan wore some kind of wraparound loincloth, had several lengths of beads around his neck, and armbands. Half of his hair was pulled back in a bun and wrapped with jewels, and the other half hung down, brushing the top of his massive shoulder. He wore a thin cord belt that hung from his waist, and an attached horn rested at his hip. Golden hoops in his ears clinked when his head moved, and a third eye was painted on his forehead.