Mr. Kadam patted my arm and said, “He hasn’t changed back yet, Miss Kelsey. Perhaps he’d been a man for too long.”
“Okay. It’s alright. The important thing is that he’s here now.”
I watched my white tiger. He’d looked up briefly when I came in the room and then set his head back on his paws and closed his eyes. I couldn’t help feeling disappointed that he wasn’t sitting near me. Just touching his fur would have been reassuring, but then I berated myself. I should be more worried about him than about myself. I’m not the one who’s been tortured for months. The least I could do is not pressure him.
Nilima wanted to know everything that had happened, and Mr. Kadam felt it would be a good idea for all of us to share our stories so we could hear the different parts of our adventure. Nilima agreed to prepare food and asked for my assistance. Kishan wanted to stay with Ren, who appeared to be sleeping. He said that it was best to let sleeping tigers lie for the time being.
He carried me to the kitchen and set me on a stool before returning to the other room. Nilima pulled out ingredients to make omelets and French toast and set me about the task of grating cheese and chopping onions and green peppers. We worked quietly for a while, but I noticed her watching me.
“I’m okay, Nilima, really. You don’t have to worry about me. I’m not as fragile as Kishan makes me out to be.”
“Oh, it’s not that. I don’t think you’re fragile at all. In fact, I think you are a very courageous person.”
“Then why are you watching me so closely?”
“You are . . . special, Miss Kelsey.”
I laughed as well as my sore jaw allowed. “What do you mean?”
“You really are the center. You are what holds this family together. Grandfather was in such . . . despair before you came. You have saved him.”
“I think Mr. Kadam is much more in the habit of saving me.”
“No. We became a family when you became part of our lives. Though there is danger, he’s never been as fulfilled or as happy as when you are around. He loves you. They all love you.”
Embarrassed, I said, “What about you, Nilima? Is this crazy life what you want for yourself? Do you ever wish for a life free of espionage and intrigue?”
She smiled as she buttered the skillet and set four pieces of French toast to cook. “Grandfather needs me. How can I abandon him? I couldn’t leave him alone and companionless. I have my family too, of course. My parents wonder why I haven’t married yet and why I’m so focused on my career. I tell them I am happy to serve. They don’t really understand it, but they accept it. They are able to live comfortably because of Grandfather’s assistance.”
“Do they know they’re related to him?”
“No. I have kept that from them. It took him a long time to trust me with his secret. I wouldn’t share it without his knowledge.”
She scrambled the eggs, added cream, and began making the first omelet. There was something comforting and homey about being in the kitchen with another woman while cooking.
Nilima said, “Now that you are here, I see that he might find his rest at last. He may be able to finally set aside his worry, his great responsibility for the princes. I’m very proud to have such a selfless ancestor, and I feel humbled that I have the opportunity to know him.”
“He’s a very noble person. I never knew either of my grandfathers. I would have been proud to have him as mine too.”
We became quiet as we finished preparing our repast. I summoned honeyed flower nectar for our beverage and sliced the melon. Nilima finished preparing the plates, placed them on a large tray, and carried it to the peacock room. Kishan returned to retrieve me, and Mr. Kadam joined us a moment later. The white tiger lifted his head and sniffed.
I set a giant plate of eggs on the floor in front of him. He began licking the plate immediately, pushing the eggs back and forth until they somehow made it into his mouth. I took a chance and patted his head, scratching him behind his ears. He didn’t growl this time and leaned into it. Then I must’ve hit a sore spot because his chest rumbled softly.
I tried to reassure him, “It’s okay, Ren. I just wanted to say hello and give you your breakfast. I’m sorry if I hurt you.”
Kishan leaned forward and said, “Kells, please. Move back.”
“I’ll be all right. He won’t harm me.”
My white tiger got up and moved closer to Kishan. It hurt. I couldn’t help but feel betrayed, as if he was a family pet that had turned on me and snapped at my hand. I knew I was being irrational, but his actions stung. He set a paw on either side of the plate and stared at me until I lowered my eyes. Then he turned back to his breakfast.
Mr. Kadam patted my hand and said, “Perhaps we should enjoy our meal and share what happened with Nilima. I’m sure Ren would like to know as well.”
I nodded and pushed my food back and forth on my plate. I suddenly didn’t feel very hungry.
Kishan began. “We parachuted into a clearing a few kilometers from the Baiga camp and hiked in. An old pilot who used to work for Mr. Kadam at Flying Tiger Airlines agreed to drop us off. He flew us in on one of those old World War II troop planes that he keeps in good condition.”
Nilima nodded, sipping her nectar.
Kishan rubbed his jaw. “The guy must’ve been at least ninety years old. I was doubtful at first that the old man still had the ability to fly, but he definitely proved his skill. The drop was smooth and effortless despite the fact that Kelsey almost didn’t jump.”
“It wasn’t the same as in training,” I interjected, defending myself.
“You jumped three times during practice and also with me in Shangri-la, and you were always fine.”
“That was different. It was daytime then, and I didn’t have to . . . to drive.”
He explained, “During practice, we’d jumped in tandem.” Frustrated, he raised his voice. “You knew all you had to do was ask. I would’ve jumped with you, but you stubbornly insisted you needed to do it by yourself.”
“Well, if you weren’t so . . . hands on in tandem—”
“And if you weren’t so paranoid about me touching you—”
“It would’ve been fine!” We both spat at the same time.
My voice squeaked in panicked alarm as I glared at Kishan. “Can we please move on?”
Kishan narrowed his eyes in a look that said he’d continue the discussion later. “As I said, Kelsey almost didn’t jump in time. Kadam went first, and then I had to force Kelsey out before we missed our jump window.”
I muttered, “Forcing me is about right. You dragged me behind you.”
He pointedly stared at me. “You gave me no other option.”
He’d offered me another option alright. The option to drop the whole thing, forget about Ren, and run away with him instead. It was either that or leap out of an airplane by myself.
I wasn’t sure if he was serious or just trying to get me to jump. I’d just opened my mouth to lecture him on maintaining an appropriate distance, when he growled angrily, grabbed my hand, and jumped out of the hatch.
He continued, “After we made it to the clearing, we assumed our disguises and went our separate ways. I took the form of Kelsey, wearing a replica of her amulet.”
“I took the form of the Baiga servant,” I added. It was very uncomfortable watching you be me, by the way, Kishan.”
“It was equally uncomfortable being you. My job was to seek Lokesh and keep him busy, so I hid behind a building until I heard the signal: a tiger’s roar.”
Mr. Kadam interrupted, “That would have been me. I disguised myself as a tiger and ran off into the jungle to spring a few traps and draw off some of the soldiers.”
“Right,” Kishan said. “Kelsey began blowing stuff up, which drew off any stragglers, so I met virtually no resistance getting into the camp. Finding Lokesh was another matter. I had to take out his highly trained ring of guards. I disabled several of them with the chakram and took out the lights before
they even noticed me. After that, I used my appearance to my advantage.”
Suspiciously, I inquired, “How exactly did you use my appearance to your advantage?”
Kishan smiled widely. “I acted female. I stumbled into the room, feigned shock and fear, and asked all the big, strong men to protect me, saying that there was a crazy guy trying to kill me with a golden disc. You know, I batted my eyes and flirted. Women stuff.”
I crossed my arms and stared Kishan down. “Uh-huh. Please go on.”
Kishan sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “Before you get all huffy, which is your standard reaction to me, just stop, because I know what you’re thinking.”
I folded my arms across my chest. “Oh, really? And what am I thinking?”
“You’re thinking that I’m trying to stereotype women and you in particular.” He threw up his hands in exasperation. “You’re not like that, Kells. I was just playing the hand I was given and trying to use all my assets!”
“That’s fine when you’re using your own assets, but not when you’re using mine!”
“Fine! Next time I’ll go as Nilima!”
Nilima said, “Hey! Nobody’s using my assets either.”
Mr. Kadam interrupted, “Perhaps we should continue the story?”
Kishan glowered and began muttering about women in a military operation and that next time he’d go by himself.
“I heard that. You would have been carved up by Lokesh without me.” I smirked.
“Indeed. Every person was vital to our success,” Mr. Kadam said. “I will move on to my part, and you can finish later, Kishan.”
He sat back and folded his arms across his chest. “Fine by me.”
Mr. Kadam started by telling Nilima how liberating it was to be a tiger. “The power of the tiger is beyond anything I’d imagined. We weren’t sure if the Divine Scarf worked only with human disguises, so we’d tested changing into an animal. It seems we can change to either Kishan’s or Ren’s tiger forms, but no other animals. When we arrived, I assumed the form of Kishan’s black tiger. Then Miss Kelsey wrapped the Scarf around my neck right before we parted.
“I ran through the jungle and found several baited traps. I sprung two of them, which set off alarms, and soon heard the tread of soldiers’ feet chasing me. Shots were fired, but I was faster than they were. At one point, a group of them thought they had cornered me. They were about to fire when I changed to a man, the sight of which shocked them, and gave me a moment to spring the trap. I pulled on a rope attached to a haunch of meat, and the soldiers were lifted into the air in a large net. I left them dangling from the treetops and ran back to the camp for phase two of my plan.
“By the time I reached the camp, Miss Kelsey had already destroyed one of the two watchtowers. The villagers were running in every direction, frightened for their families. I stood behind a tree and changed my appearance again.”
Nilima leaned forward. “What did you become this time?”
“I took on the form of a local Baiga god named Dulha Dao, who they believe helps to avert disease and accident. I rallied the people to me and told them I was here to help them overcome the stranger. They were more than happy to help me tear down the house of the evil one. Miss Kelsey left the gada in a discreet location for me to use. It’s normally heavy for me, but when I wielded it as Dulha Dao, it felt light. With the villagers’ help, I knocked down the wall and the people helped me to incapacitate Lokesh’s men.”
Nilima asked, “What did you look like?”
He blushed, so I interrupted, “Oh, Mr. Kadam as Dulha Dao was definitely nice-looking. He looked similar to the tribesmen, except taller with a much larger frame and he was handsome. His hair was long and heavy, and part of it was wrapped in a jura at the top of his head with the other part flowing down his back.
“He was muscular, and his rather nice torso and face were covered in tattoos. He was bare-chested, covered with heavy beaded necklaces, and barefoot, and he wore a wrap-around skirt. He looked very alarming, but in a good way, especially, I imagine, when he was wielding the gada.”
When I finished my description, everyone was staring at me, and Nilima was laughing.
“What?” I asked, embarrassed. “Okay. So, apparently I find burly Indian men attractive. What’s wrong with that?”
Kishan was frowning, Mr. Kadam seemed . . . pleased, and Nilima giggled.
“Nothing at all, Miss Kelsey. I’m sure I would have thought the same thing,” she said.
Mr. Kadam cleared his throat. “Yes . . . well . . . I appreciate the flattering description, regardless. It’s been a long time since a woman found me . . . burly.”
I started giggling, and Nilima soon joined me.
Mr. Kadam asked, “Are you ready to continue?”
“Yes,” we voiced in unison.
“As I was saying, the people rallied to me, and we tied up all the guards. Then we moved in on the command center. The doors were heavily fortified and locked. We searched the men for a key but couldn’t find one. It was easier for me to knock a hole through the wall than to take down those doors. I finally broke into the complex to find Kelsey and Kishan prostrate on the floor and Lokesh nowhere in sight. The room was full of some kind of candy.”
“Jawbreakers,” I added.
“How did that come about?” Nilima asked.
“I had to do something, and the Golden Fruit was the only weapon I could access, so I wished for a hailstorm of jawbreakers.”
“That was very clever. We never practiced that one. It seemed to work well,” Mr. Kadam commented.
“It wouldn’t have worked for long. Lokesh bounces back quickly. The only thing that drove him off was you. You and the Baiga saved the day.”
“So Lokesh had the power to freeze you?”
“Yes.”
“Did you note any of his other powers?”
“Yes.”
“Good. We will discuss them later.”
“Okay. I’ll write down everything that happened while it’s fresh.”
“Very good. Continuing on, after Kishan and Kelsey found Ren, the Baiga wanted to move away from the camp as quickly as possible. They loaded everything they could carry, and filed into the jungle. We accompanied them partly because I felt responsible to get them as far away from Lokesh as I could and partly because it was in the direction we needed to go anyway. Just before we left, Ren picked up a knife and pierced the skin of his arm.”
I leaned forward. “What was he doing?”
“Removing a tracking device Lokesh had put in.”
I looked down at my white tiger with sympathy. His eyes were closed, but his ears were flicking back and forth. He was listening.
“We journeyed with the Baiga, had a feast with them, and left right after I signaled you, Nilima.”
“You play a deity very well,” I teased.
“Yes. Well, it seems they believed all four of us were deities. If I’d seen the things they had, I would believe we were deities too.”
I asked, “Did they really use magic to hold Ren there?”
“When I spoke to them about it, the gunia claimed he did have power over tigers and used his magic to hold Ren there. He can create a barrier of sorts around the encampment to protect his village from tiger attacks. However, he said that about a week ago the spell was switched to attract tigers to the village instead. It seems the soldiers have been plagued by tiger attacks all week.”
“Ah, so that’s why Kishan could get in?”
“Apparently.”
“Does that mean Ren could have gotten out?”
“Possibly, but Lokesh does seem to have powers of his own as well. I presume that using the Baiga to contain Ren was just a back-up plan in case Lokesh was too distracted to incapacitate Ren himself.”
I spoke softly, “He’s horrible. Ren was his ultimate prize, his trophy. The one he’s waited for and hunted for centuries. He wouldn’t have let Ren escape.”
Kishan interjected, “I think h
e’s lost interest in Ren. He’s after someone else now.”
Mr. Kadam shook his head discreetly.
“Who?” I asked.
He said nothing.
“It’s me, isn’t it?” I stated flatly.
Finally, Kishan spoke, addressing Mr. Kadam. “It’s better that she knows so she can be prepared.” Turning to me, he said, “Yes. He’s determined to go after you, Kells.”
“Why? I mean, why is he after me?”
“Because he knows how important you are to us. And because . . . you beat him.”
“That wasn’t me. That was you.”
“But he doesn’t know that.” Kishan shot me a meaningful look.
I groaned softly and only half listened as Kishan began describing our fight with Lokesh. I offered comments only when Kishan forgot something.
Ren was watching us now and listening intently to what we were saying. I set my uneaten plate of food on the floor, hoping he might be interested. He watched me curiously, and then stood up and came a few steps closer.
He ate the eggs but pushed the pieces of French toast back and forth, unable to get them in his mouth. Cautiously, I used my fork to pick up a thick slice. He delicately pulled it off the fork, and swallowed it in one gulp. I did the same with the other one. After he licked the plate clean, he lay down near Kishan and began licking sticky syrup from his paws.
Kishan had fallen quiet, and when I looked up, I saw him watching me. His eyes crinkled at the corners with just a touch of sadness. I looked away. He frowned and started speaking again. When he got to the part where Lokesh threatened to kill me and stop my heart, I interrupted him and clarified.
“Lokesh wasn’t talking about me.”
“Yes, he was, Kells. He must have known who you were. He said I’ll kill him, stop his heart.”
“Yes, but why would you, disguised as Kelsey, be concerned about me in my Baiga servant disguise? He said kill him, not kill her. He merely thought I was betraying him.”
“But Lokesh threatening to kill you was why I stopped.”
“That may be why you let him go, but he wasn’t threatening me.”
“Then who was he threatening?”
I looked down at the white tiger and felt my face flame red.