“Alright! That’s it!” I spat.
I’d had enough. The Lords of the Flame were cheating, which meant I had every right to intervene. I stroked the Pearl Necklace at my throat and felt a cooling rush of water hiss through my limbs. My anger calmed and my head cleared. I felt waves pulsing, almost lapping gently at my fingertips. Raising my hand, I struck the giant scorpion next to me with a burst of water. It emitted a high pitched screech as it fell over the side of the pillar.
Spreading my fingers, I let the waves of water rush down my arms, and I blasted two creatures that slid away to the dark ground below. One by one, I pounded the scorpions, making my way closer and closer to the fighting men. Ren and Kishan had been able to kick the monster arthropods off the posts, but the scorpions just turned around and climbed back up again. I manipulated the water, taking out almost all of the scorpions.
“Call off your creatures,” I shouted to the Lords. “This fight is over.”
The men stopped and looked at me.
Shala smiled. “The fight isn’t over until someone wins.”
“It’s over . . . because I win.” I narrowed my eyes at the fire Lord.
“Prove it,” Wyea taunted.
He launched a fireball at me. I lifted my hand and caught it, bounced it up and down a few times and then threw it back, aiming for his head. I missed, but the action caused the Lords of the Flame to stare in shock.
“You have the power of the flame?” Shala murmured in wonder.
“It’s her!” Wyea declared. “It must be! Lawala has returned.” He waved his hand and all the remaining scorpions disappeared.
The Lords of the Flame leapt across pillars to reach me but were intercepted by Ren and Kishan, who knocked them over. The twin Lords’ skin began to glow, and fire and light swirled around Ren and Kishan in a cyclone. Ren and Kishan were lifted into the air and set on fire. They writhed in pain and screamed.
“Stop it! Put them down! Now!” I yelled.
“They are of no consequence. We must complete the ritual. You will come with us.” Shala threatened.
“I will not.” I summoned the water within and threatened, “I’m warning you. Let them go, or you will suffer greatly.”
Shala and Wyea smiled haughtily and moved closer. With a mighty push, I sent a huge wave of water toward them. A great hissing cloud of vapor rose around them when it hit their chests. They seemed unharmed but confused, as if they’d never seen water before.
I dropped my hands. “Let them go.”
Wyea straightened, tilted his head, and twirled his finger. Fire exploded around Ren and Kishan until they were completely enveloped. Desperate, I turned my power toward Ren and Kishan, trying to douse the flames.
The Lords of the Flame laughed. “Your power is not as strong as ours.”
“Oh yeah?”
I turned my inner valve on full blast. Water circled around the men I loved, but Ren and Kishan were still suffering. Every second that ticked by was agony. I needed to stop the Lords of the Flame before it was too late. The strength of my emotions turned the water ice cold. I couldn’t overcome the flames surrounding my tigers, so I turned my icy focus on the twins. They screamed when the freezing water hit them. The fire cyclone twirling around Ren and Kishan subsided, dropping them slowly to the tops of the pillars. Immediately, they switched into tigers to accelerate their healing process.
I could see that the fur was burned off their bodies. Pushing every drop of energy I could muster, I encased the fire Lords in ice and hurried as fast as I could to Ren and Kishan’s side. My tigers were panting in short bursts as they tried to breathe. I touched Kishan gently, and burned skin peeled away and clung to my fingertips. Crying, I gingerly took the kamandal from his neck and poured a few drops onto his tongue. Kishan licked his chops weakly, and I turned to Ren.
His fur was sloughing off in clumps too, but his black stripes were still prominent against the white of his skin. His whiskers and eyelashes were gone, and the sensitive hairs in his ears were missing as well.
“My poor tigers,” I gasped with a sob.
I gave Ren a few drops of the mermaid’s elixir as well and prayed it would lessen their pain. I sat with them, stroking their heads as their labored breathing eased. It wasn’t long before I touched soft fur again.
Mussing Ren’s head, I whispered, “Next time I fight with you.” I kissed Kishan’s head and said, “You got that?”
I heard a quiet huff from both brothers and then a mocking voice interrupted us. “Hiding behind a woman’s skirt, are we?”
I turned. Shala! He was standing a short distance away. He looked a bit blue, but he’d still had enough power to melt the ice I’d encased him in.
“Are you back for more?” I challenged.
Shala rubbed his jaw, and I saw little flames burst in his eyes. “Of you? No. We want no more of you. Lawala would never damage us like you did.”
“No kidding.”
“Unfortunately, we are the jealous type, and if we can’t be happy with our woman, nobody can.”
He raised his hands and pointed them at Ren and Kishan. Fire flew down his arms. I flung my hands at Shala, and a wall of water met his fire in a terrible hiss. Vapor billowed around us in waves.
A nagging thought invaded by mind. Where was Wyea?
Just then, I heard running footsteps and heard Ren shout, “Kelsey! No!”
Before I knew what was happening, Ren threw himself between me and Shala, who laughed gleefully. Ren fell heavily against me. I clutched him desperately as we collapsed in Kishan’s outstretched arms.
Kishan pulled Ren off me, and I cried out as Ren’s blood trickled over my hands. Quivering rigidly, deeply imbedded in the middle of Ren’s chest, was the Gáe Bolga.
23
chimera
I could hear the sound of the horrible weapon as the spear discharged in Ren’s chest. Sharp barbs sunk deep, ripping him apart from the inside. He screamed as blood gushed from his wound and trickled from his mouth. The soft mocking laugh of the twins behind me became mere background noise as I stared at the protruding weapon in shock. For a brief moment, I flashed back to the loss of Mr. Kadam. The grief and suffering flowed into me anew, and I was crippled, unable to move.
I thought of my parents and the burning of the Phoenix. Only the gentle touch of Kishan’s hand brought me back to the present. Though it was one of the hardest things I ever had to do, I left the care of Ren to Kishan.
Steeling my resolve, I turned to the twins. Wyea was worse off than his brother; he could barely stand. Acting purely on impulse and with the heaviness of loss and guilt still flowing through my veins, I attacked. But this time I concentrated all of my efforts on Wyea.
Icy water hit the fire Lord and knocked him off the column. Determined to finish what I’d started, I made my way over the pillars until I found him on the ground, his limbs twisted around the obsidian pillars. I lifted my hands and allowed the cold emptiness I felt inside to become a weapon. It was only a few moments later that I realized the water coming from my hands had turned to sleet. Frosty air swirled around me and with a twitch of my fingers, the sleet turned to icy daggers.
Shala had come after me, of course, but this time his attacks were no match for me. When his plumes of fire came close, my wintry wind blew them out. When Wyea was no longer moving, I lifted my arms up to the sky, turned to Shala, and shouted, “You will not take Ren from me. If I have to use my power against everyone and everything in your realm, even to the point of destroying your world, I will.”
My mind twitched briefly with sadness at the thought of destroying the fire trees but the pain of losing Ren overwhelmed me enough that I was able to push the guilt aside. In all honesty I didn’t even know if I had the power to carry through with my threat, but at that moment I felt as if I could. If I were a Jedi, I had definitely turned to the dark side of the Force, for in truth my thoughts and feelings dwelled on pain, wrath, and vengeance. But I didn’t care.
See
ing his brother so severely injured, Shala stared at me bitterly, and then nodded his head. “Your life is your own. You are free to go. I concede the battle.”
He crouched down to peer at his brother. Stretching out his hands, he gave his twin some of his own waning heat.
“There’s something else,” I added, high on my victory. “I demand a boon for winning.”
Shala sighed heavily and pivoted on the balls of his feet to look at me. “What is it you wish?”
“I want the Rope of Fire.”
“How do you know of such things?” Shala sputtered, shocked by my request.
“It doesn’t matter. I just do. We need the Rope of Fire to complete a task.”
The Lord of the Flame stood, raised his hands into the air, and lowered them slowly. The poles shifted slightly, then began to descend back into the ground. I balanced myself carefully.
“The Rope was given to us by an Ancient. We were told that only when we were defeated in battle could the Rope leave our realm. Take it.”
He dismissed me with a wave of his hand and leapt down to assist his injured twin.
“How do we get it?” I asked, grateful to step firmly back on the black soil.
As he leaned over Wyea, Shala replied, “It’s wound around a fire tree at the base of this mountain. I can send you there, but you will have to get past the guardian who protects it.”
“Fine.”
“And . . . Kelsey, you are a formidable opponent, but I’d suggest you leave for the above world before we are fully recovered.”
Shala smiled slightly and nodded before both twins disappeared in a swirl of flame.
I ran over to Ren and knelt next to Kishan. “How is he?”
“His body is trying to heal, but I’ve been unable to remove the weapon.”
My hands shook as I gingerly touched Ren’s quivering stomach. “It has to be cut out. Remember? Can he heal from that?” I asked.
“It will have to be done quickly, carefully, and we should have the elixir ready.”
My eyes filled with tears at the thought of the pain Ren would continue to suffer. Kishan went to gather all our weapons so he could choose which one would be best for removing the Gáe Bolga. I put Ren’s head in my lap and stroked his hair. A tear dropped from my cheek to his forehead.
“Please don’t die,” I whispered.
He moaned and shifted.
“Shh. Try not to move.”
I used the Necklace to make a cup of water and pressed the rim to his lips. He drank but his chest bled again.
“It’s okay. This will all be okay,” I crooned, as much for myself as for him. I touched my lips to his forehead. “There’s so much I need to tell you. Please don’t leave me.”
He mumbled something but I didn’t understand. He whispered the word again.
Asambhava.
The translation came to my mind quickly—impossible.
I laughed wetly and said, “Good. Because I plan to keep you around for a while.”
Kishan returned with the trident and the swords. Pressing the golden blades together until they clicked, he twisted the handle and shrank the weapons down to the size of a knife. He knelt beside Ren and warned, “This is going to be difficult. The darts are in his lungs and heart.”
“Lokesh stabbed him in the heart before and drained all his blood, and he still came back,” I said hopefully.
“I’ve never been injured this badly before,” Kishan said frankly. “I don’t know how long this will take to heal. Give him a few drops of the elixir right after I remove the spear.”
I nodded mutely as I watched Kishan bring the knife to Ren’s chest. He plunged the blade in swiftly and began sawing. I couldn’t watch. I closed my eyes and kept stroking his hair, but I felt Ren’s twitching and then the jerk of his body as Kishan finally lifted the spear from his chest.
Immediately, I attempted to give him the elixir but he was gasping for breath and thrashing due to the damage in his lungs. Kishan grabbed his head and held him steady while I got some drops in his mouth. I couldn’t help but see the gaping hole in his chest. Crying, I used the Scarf to cover his exposed wound.
How can anyone recover from something like that?
Ren stopped thrashing and lay still as if dead. Fresh tears slid down my cheeks.
“Kishan . . . ?”
I couldn’t finish the question. I couldn’t ask if he was still alive or not.
Kishan cocked his head and listened. “He’s not breathing and his heart isn’t beating.”
“No. No.”
I cried and rocked back and forth, cradling his head in my arms.
“Please come back to me, Ren. Come back.”
I said this over and over until Kishan whispered, “Kelsey, shh. Wait.” Kishan touched Ren’s arm briefly. “I feel a faint pulse.”
It was several long, agonizing moments later when Ren first took a breath. Wetness rattled in his chest, and his body barely moved.
“He’s been a long time without oxygen,” I whispered, more to myself than to Kishan.
Kishan rubbed my back and inspected Ren’s chest. “All we can do is wait, Kells. He’s still a mess, but he’s starting to heal.”
I held onto Ren, clutching him desperately as if to physically keep death at bay and didn’t realize that I was pouring fire power into him until I saw a twinkle through my tears. I blinked to clear my vision and gasped when I saw that the two of us were bathed in a golden light. The special magic that happened when we touched was helping him to heal.
After I realized what was happening, I concentrated my efforts and kept pushing the energy back into his weakened frame as it circled between us. Before long, his breathing settled and deepened as if he were asleep. Kishan announced that Ren’s heart had a stronger beat and that the hole in his chest had closed.
My eyes grew heavy. I was so tired. I shifted to a more comfortable position and lay my head on Ren’s shoulder. I almost blacked out, but then a hand caught my wrist.
A warm voice said softly, “Priya, you must stop.”
“Can’t stop,” I mumbled. “Ren needs me.”
“I will always need you.”
The body I’d been lying against moved, and I moaned in protest. Suddenly I was weightless. Someone had picked me up. I felt a soft kiss against my cheek and heard quiet voices.
“She wore herself out trying to save you,” Kishan said.
I felt the rumbling of a chest against my arm.
“She needs time to recover, to rest.”
Ren. Ren was holding me. But how? He was injured.
“I can take her. You’re still weak.”
“I’m strong enough.”
Ren had said it in a way that brooked no argument, but Kishan tried to protest anyway. Finally, Ren said quietly, “She’ll be yours for the rest of your life, brother. Let me hold her for now.”
There was no response from Kishan, and the quiet lulled me into a deeper sleep. I felt a brief burning sensation in my stomach, and then I was aware of nothing.
When I woke, I was ravenous. Ren and Kishan were sleeping on either side of me, and we were no longer atop the mountain. Instead, fire trees surrounded us.
Ren stirred first and touched my arm. “Kelsey? How do you feel?”
“Hungry,” I whispered. “And thirsty too. Where are we?”
“We called to the Lords of the Flame, and they set us down here, along with our weapons. Your bow and arrows were returned, and we have the Scarf and the Fruit as well.”
“Are you . . . healed?”
“I am well. And you?”
“I’m just really hungry.”
“Will you two be quiet?” a sleepy Kishan grumbled.
I patted his back and kissed his cheek. “I’m sorry. Go back to sleep.”
Kishan was soon dreaming again, but Ren watched me through cobalt blue eyes. We spent a long time just looking at each other. Neither of us spoke. I felt safe. We weren’t touching at all, but it felt as if he wa
s cradling me in his arms. My hunger diminished, twisting into something else, a different need entirely and all I could do was return the gaze of my blue-eyed tiger.
Too soon, Kishan opened his eyes and decided it was time to break camp.
I was sore and stiff all over my body. Even my pinkies hurt. I tried to stretch out. “Ugh. I’m not at my best this morning,” I announced.
Ren started walking over to me but he hesitated when Kishan approached me instead.
Kishan hugged me close. “Are you strong enough to continue on today? There’s still a guardian to fight.”
Ren intervened. “There’s no rush. She expended a lot of energy yesterday. She may need more time.”
I grimaced. “There is sort of a reason to rush. The Lords of the Flame made it pretty clear that we should vacate the premises before they get back to full strength.”
Kishan reassured, “We’ll take it slow. We’ll keep Kelsey on the sidelines while we battle the creature.”
Ren gave me a long look; then he turned and gathered our belongings.
I nodded to Kishan and wandered over to a fire tree. I felt guilty as I greedily lapped up whatever energy the trees were willing to share. If I’d had to choose between destroying them and saving Ren, there was no contest, but I would have grieved for the friendly trees later. The warm vines slithered around my arms and stroked me gently. It wasn’t long before I felt renewed and refreshed, but my mind was still tired.
I was exhausted from the constant battle, the stress of being in danger, and the monsters and villains who waited for us around every corner. I thought of my little home in Oregon. How content and happy I was. A deep longing for a lost dream swept through me. All I wanted was to be surrounded by those I loved. To know they were safe and nearby. One by one, the people who were the most important to me had been taken away.
I thought of the Phoenix again and the lessons it taught me. Sunrise had promised that I’d see my parents and Mr. Kadam again. It also said that I needed to follow the truths and the love in my heart. I stood up, brushed the dust from my jeans, and made my way back to camp.