Startled, I paused, but only for a split second. “And what makes you think they’re coming?”
“Come now, my dear Kelsey. I’ve seen how they look at you. You’ve captivated them even more effectively than my daughter Yesubai did. You are not as beautiful as Yesubai, but there is daring and defiance in your eyes. I suspect the only reason that Dhiren survived my interrogation techniques is because he wanted to return to you. Both princelings are crippled by their love for you. It makes them weak and stupid.”
Here goes nothing. I gave Lokesh a simpering smile. “Perhaps you will fall into the same trap they did,” I threatened.
“Are you saying that you tricked the princes into falling for you? For if you did, my estimation of you has risen.”
While terrifying at first, the playacting actually strengthened my spirit. My fear melted down to a little nub in the pit of my stomach, becoming just small enough to ignore. I licked my lips in a deliberately slow attempt to distract him.
“A smart woman uses all the tools at her disposal to obtain what she desires.”
Lokesh narrowed his eyes, meeting my verbal volley. “And what is it that you desire, Kelsey?”
Channeling a brazen Scarlett O’Hara, I laughed throatily. “Surely you don’t expect me to give away all my secrets during our first meeting. I’m not that naive. But . . . if you wish to put our cards on the table now, tell me. What do you want from me?”
“Ally yourself with me instead of the tigers.”
“How?” I asked, trying desperately not to shudder at the thought.
Suddenly, I felt a tingling sensation creep over my skin. It didn’t hurt, but it was intimate, invasive. A slight breeze lingered over my bare arms and circled my throat. Invisible fingers slid up my neck and into my hair and then trailed down to my collarbone. Although he hadn’t moved a muscle, I was sure Lokesh was to blame. I did my best to ignore it.
The sorcerer leaned forward and chuckled portentously. “My purpose here is twofold: It gives me pleasure to steal you away from the princes. Imagining their distress is gratifying. But the real reason is to combine our powers in every way possible . . . with a son.”
“A son,” I replied smoothly, despite the fact that my stomach was doing flip-flops. “Why me? I mean, why after all these years? I suppose I’m just shocked that you haven’t already found the Bonnie to your Clyde, the Morticia to your Gomez. Wasn’t hooking up with Yesubai’s mother enough?”
Lokesh hissed, “Yesubai’s mother was a simpering idiot. She was beautiful but she cowered before me. She was not my equal.”
“It probably didn’t help that you killed her either.”
This time he didn’t bother to hide the angry blue crackles at his fingertips.
“Careful,” I warned, “If you show me yours, I’ll have to show you mine, and we would spoil this lovely conversation we’re having.”
He closed his eyes and got himself under control.
“Suppose I agree to your proposal, give you an heir, and share my power with you. I want something in return. You once said that if I stayed with you willingly, you would allow the tigers to live. Will you keep your word?”
“Whether or not you agree is immaterial.”
Time for Act Two: Mysterious girl shows off her powers. I pulled the Scarf out from my sleeve. Holding it in my palm, I asked it to change colors. It obliged, changing first to red and then to blue when I pressed it to my cheek. Lokesh stared at the Scarf with fascination. I raised an eyebrow, and the Scarf shot threads across the room, creating a large web. Then it shrank back down into a white handkerchief, which I folded and set next to my plate.
“What if I shared this power with you?” I asked nonchalantly.
If he was impressed, it was only for a moment. Lokesh narrowed his eyes, tossed his napkin onto his plate, and approached my side of the table. Roughly, he took my arm to yank me to my feet, smiling when he saw the look of terror on my face.
“I will consider allowing the tigers to live if you do what I ask willingly.”
As if to seal the deal, Lokesh stroked my cheek and leaned close to whisper in my ear. “Tell me, Kelsey, what amuses you? What,” he breathed heavily, “frightens you?”
When I didn’t answer, he chuckled—then yanked me closer and viciously kissed me, biting my lip hard. As he finally let me go, I wiped my bruised lip with a thumb and glared at him.
Lokesh laughed happily. “And still you are defiant. You will give me much pleasure, Kelsey.”
“Glad you think so,” I spat, now more angry than afraid.
“You see, my dear, I care nothing for the tigers except to get their amulets. If you give me a son and help me gain the power I seek, I will leave the tigers alone. Now that the terms have been settled, I will show you back to your room so you might reflect on your decision. I look forward to getting to know you better,” he declared with a leer that made me shiver.
Taking a deep breath, I snatched up the Scarf, gingerly placed one hand on my pocket, and let Lokesh escort me back to my prison.
“We shall talk more of alliances tomorrow, my pet,” he whispered breathily in my ear. “And do return the knife you took from the table.”
The comment took me by surprise, but I tried to maintain an even expression. Smiling, I took the butter knife from my pocket and pressed the tip lightly against his chest. “You can’t blame a girl for trying.”
Delighted, he wrapped his fingers around mine and tugged the knife out of my hand, harshly scraping the blade against my palm. Seeing that he drew blood, Lokesh brought my stinging palm to his mouth. I watched vile ecstasy overtake him as he kissed my palm and licked the red droplets from his lips.
At last he let me go with a final threat. “I’ll be watching your every move, my dear. I look forward to our . . . exchanges in the future.”
The door closed behind me, and I heard the click of a heavy lock, happy for a change to be separated from him by dozens of thick, metal bars.
Curtain falls, I thought and collapsed onto my bed, completely drained, and wondering how on earth I was going to get myself out of this latest mess.
2
ascension
The next day, Lokesh became even bolder, and I was mentally exhausted from the constant high-stakes verbal dance. I suffered no delusions. Even if he let me live long enough to bear a child, I knew I wouldn’t be around to raise it.
I was released from my room throughout the day but never without a guard or Lokesh himself by my side. The place was a fortress, its decorations sparse. There were no pictures, and the minimal furniture was heavy and expensive looking. Most importantly, there didn’t seem to be any doors leading outside.
As we walked, he limited himself to bruising squeezes and pinches. Every time Lokesh grabbed my arm or pulled me too close, I closed my eyes, thought of how Lokesh tortured Ren and broke his fingers in the Baiga camp, and told myself I was lucky.
To distract him, I showed off more of my “powers.” I made a replica of the amulet with the Scarf, refilled a glass with water with the Pearl Necklace, and produced a magnificent, gold-trimmed coat. Lokesh was gleeful at first, but soon tired of the display. It was clear he was growing impatient.
As we dined that evening, I thought longingly of the Golden Fruit and wished Lokesh hadn’t taken it from me. Mr. Kadam’s delicious crêpes sprung to mind . . . and to my surprise, a plateful of berried crepes with whipped cream appeared before us.
I scanned the sitting room quickly, looking for possible hiding places. The Golden Fruit must be close by!
Lokesh jumped from his seat. “This is another one of your powers?”
“Yes,” I replied, looking up to meet his gaze. “I can create any food or drink you wish.”
It happened so fast; I was completely unprepared for it. Lokesh slapped me hard across the face and jerked my chin toward him, wrenching my neck painfully in the process.
“You should have told me of this before. Never lie to me again,” he threatene
d.
A tear dropped onto my cheek. I grit my teeth and shook with rage. I thought of all the things I could do to him, but none of them would be lethal. They would only anger him further.
My cheek burned and itched where he’d slapped it, but I refused to rub it or acknowledge the pain. I tried to change the subject, to distract him from his anger. Thinking that a man such as Lokesh would love nothing more than to talk about himself, I relaxed back in my chair, sipped my water, and said, “Tell me about your past. If we are to have a son, I’d like him to know his heritage. I already know he’d be half American.”
“A fact I’d prefer to eradicate from my mind.”
“Then tell me more about your background. Aren’t you proud enough of your own history to pass it on?”
His face became mottled red again and he spoke between clenched teeth. “No one will judge me or my progeny and find them lacking.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Alright. Then tell me.”
Lokesh considered me for a moment and then sat back in his chair and began. “I was born the eldest illegitimate son of the Shu emperor during the time of the Three Kingdoms. My mother was an Indian slave girl who was captured in a caravan in the year 250 CE. She was beautiful so the emperor took her for himself. She died by her own hand a year after my birth.”
“An emperor?”
“Yes.” Lokesh smiled naughtily. “Our son will have royal blood.”
“What was it like? Growing up the son of an emperor, I mean?”
He snorted, “My father, in an uncharacteristic act of human kindness, took me under his wing and taught me what it meant to have power. He said that a truly powerful man listens only to himself because he can trust no other, takes what he wants because no one will hand it to him freely, and uses weapons others fear to wield. I watched his example carefully over the years and learned his lessons very well. He carried a piece of the amulet and taught me of the power it had.”
I blinked and lowered my fork, the delicious crêpes forgotten, as Lokesh continued.
“He told me I would only be able to wield its power if he died without a proper heir. From the moment I learned of the amulet’s existence, I lusted after it and thought of nothing else.
“When I was just a boy, war came to our empire and for the first time we were on the losing end. Desperate, my father tried some last minute bargaining and offered to take a barbarian leader’s teenage daughter as his bride. He hoped that this would save his empire. I was disgusted by this. He’d become weak, fearful. He was not the man who inspired fear in others any longer.
“His barbarian bride bore him a son and as the boy grew, I was dismissed from my father’s side. No longer did he confide in me. No longer did I have a claim to the empire. I vowed then that I would take the lives of my half brother and father. I was ten.
“When my brother was seven and I seventeen, I took him out hunting. Dismissing the guards, we rode out following the tracks of a stag. It was an easy thing to push him from his horse. I rode back and forth over his body using his own horse until he was quite dead. Then I killed his horse, and took his broken body back to my father.
“I told the emperor that the horse had thrown my younger brother and then went wild, trampling him until he was dead. Reassuring him, I said that the beast was now dead by my own hand. The fact that he believed my lies was a testament to how weak he’d become.
“A few months later, I slipped a knife between my father’s ribs while he was sleeping and took the amulet. He didn’t even wake. When I ascended the throne, I immediately had my father’s barbarian wife killed and took the rings of the empire. My father had worn one and the barbarian princess wore the other one, the one he’d given to my half brother upon his birth. It was a symbol that he was to be the next emperor.”
Lokesh twisted a ring on his right index finger. “This is the emblem of the Shu Empire and this,” he wiggled his pinky finger, “is the ring of the crown prince. The ring my half brother wore.”
I swallowed my revulsion and asked, “How long were you the emperor?”
“Not long. My father’s weakness had become an excuse for other warlords to constantly try us in battle. I had no interest in ruling from my father’s seat of power, and when my armies fled in cowardice, I escaped. By then I was only interested in obtaining the other pieces of the amulet.”
“So the amulet has kept you alive all this time?”
“That coupled with some black magic I’ve learned over the years.”
“I see. But how do you—”
Lokesh interrupted, “Enough questions. It’s my turn. I wish to see you demonstrate the use of your weapon.”
“My weapon?” I queried hesitantly.
“Your golden bow and arrows.”
Slowly, I scrunched my napkin between my suddenly sweaty palms. Durga’s bow and arrows were here somewhere too!
“Alright,” I agreed.
He rubbed his jaw and summoned a guard. I counted how long it took the guard to bring in the bow. Sixty seconds.
When the weapon was back in my hands, I nocked an arrow—just as Lokesh warned, “Don’t even attempt to use them against me. I deflected your arrows before and I can easily do so again.”
Figuring that he was probably right, I turned my aim to a statue on the other side of the room and watched the arrow sink into the marble.
“These were a gift from the goddess Durga,” I explained. “The arrows magically refill and also disappear from the target so they can’t be tracked.”
“Interesting.” Lokesh indicated the target and asked for a repeat performance.
This time, I tried to imbue the second arrow with lightning power to make the effect more impressive. My hand began to glow but sparked out quickly. Still no fire power.
Lokesh stared at my glowing hand, fascinated.
I made up a lie as quickly as possible. “When I shoot an arrow, my hand glows. I believe it is to help me aim better.”
“Most interesting. So tell me how you found this,” he said as he placed the Golden Fruit down on the table.
I set the bow and arrows aside and told him about the lost city of Kishkindha. I explained that Durga asked us to locate four items, each with magical properties, and, in exchange, the tigers would be men again. I didn’t tell the whole truth or go into too much detail, figuring it was better that Lokesh not know everything.
“Why do you care if the men are tigers or not?”
“When I discovered the gifts Durga shared with me, I wanted more,” I lied smoothly, playing to Lokesh’s thirst for power.
He nodded thoughtfully and rolled the Golden Fruit between his palms. “Perhaps we will finish your quest together and offer Durga her prizes. In exchange we will both gain the power you seek.”
I smiled. This crazy plan just might be working. . . . “I would be . . . privileged to share her powers with you.”
Lokesh summoned a servant to remove the Fruit and the bow and arrows. Impulsively, I instructed the Scarf to attach an invisible thread to the bow and told it to follow the bow to its hiding place. I had it attach the other end to the statue and asked the thread to bury itself in the carpet and blend in.
Taking a risk, I heightened the challenge. “Now that I have shared some of my powers with you, perhaps you will return the fav—”
Before I could finish the sentence, an icy chill swept over me, and I was frozen in place, not able to move, talk, or fight back.
Lokesh touched my cheek, smiled evilly, and came closer.
“You so generously shared some of your talents with me. I thought I should reciprocate.”
He ripped the shoulder of my gown and then groaned and trailed bruising kisses from my bare shoulder to my frozen lips. He ran his hands roughly up and down my back and pulled at my hair. I wanted to vomit but couldn’t. His warm, spicy breath became all I breathed in.
Panting, he straightened. His eyes gleamed with feral pleasure. Lokesh trailed his fingers lightly over my collarbone
and played with the torn fabric by my shoulder. He murmured, “You please me greatly, Kelsey.” He pressed a final kiss on my bare shoulder and then backed away, smiling.
“If I wanted to, I could kill you by freezing you in an instant,” Lokesh gloated. “The only reason you can breathe is because I haven’t frozen your lungs or cardiovascular system.” He cupped my chin almost lovingly. “There now, wasn’t that an effective demonstration?”
Lokesh released me, and I blinked and realized I could move again. My shoulder hurt. I clasped the torn piece of my dress to my shoulder and nodded, swallowing thickly. “Very effective.”
“Do you have any other questions?” he asked.
“I’ll let you know,” I muttered, as I desperately tried to control my shaking limbs. I was hoping to get him to show his hand and figure out an Achilles’ heel, but I wasn’t prepared for that.
While I pulled myself together, Lokesh strode toward the mantle and stoked the fire. The flames crackled and danced. I was grateful that he was at a further distance.
I told him about Durga’s other quests without divulging the actual prizes to give myself time to recover from his disturbing assault. He was most interested in the golden dragon’s hoard. I told him Mr. Kadam’s theory was that these prizes had been stolen from Durga and that she wanted them back.
“How old is your Mr. Kadam? I know he wears the other piece of the amulet,” Lokesh said.
“A few years older than Ren and Kishan.” Hoping to learn more about the amulet, I pushed on. “How is it that you can look like a young man? Is it the amulet?”
“Partially. Shortly after I’d found the second piece, I realized that my life was prolonged. Though my natural state is to look fifty, I can alter my form to appear to be a young man at will. Often I choose the age that will help me to accomplish my aim.”
“I know the amulet has kept Mr. Kadam from aging, but he doesn’t have the ability to make himself look younger like you do,” I commented, circling back to the amulet.
“He only has one piece of the amulet and his ancestors never wore it.”