Tiger's Destiny

  He breathed hotly, almost panting, as he said, “You won’t escape me again, my sweet.”

  Lokesh yanked me against him and mashed his lips to mine. I tried to kick and bite, but he only laughed and hurt me more. He was too powerful. I screamed as he raked his fingers down my back. His nails dug into my flesh, and I felt the wet trickle of blood. The press of his body against mine was unbearable. He was smothering me. Wrenching away from him, I struggled to escape.

  “Please, someone help me,” I sobbed.

  Soon, I felt lighter than air. Though I was still in Lokesh’s clutches, I could no longer feel his touch.

  He bellowed in frustration as his hand suddenly passed through my now intangible body.

  Relieved, I wiped tears from my hot, abused face and stepped away. He could no longer hold me in his grip, and he violently swung his arms at my ghost-like form. I moved farther away from him, putting as much distance between us as I could. Soon, Lokesh’s body began to fade as well. When he was almost gone, he narrowed his eyes and lowered his head. With a mighty roar, he charged toward me at full speed, like a bull at a matador. Froth foamed at his mouth, and there was a crazed look in his eyes.

  The ground shook as he thunderously charged. I raised my arms to protect myself when the points of his horns made contact. A horrible roar echoed in my mind as his dark wind passed through my body. I screamed and fainted.

  When the vision was over, I opened my eyes to see Ren and Kishan leaning over me. Kishan was using the Scarf to bandage my elbow, and Ren was examining my throat. Both had stony expressions but asked no questions. My back stung until Kishan applied a salve from the Golden Fruit.

  I gulped the life-saving elixir from the kamandal, and within a few minutes, I began to feel better.

  “She’s starting to heal,” Kishan remarked.

  Ren nodded.

  “Where’s—” I tried to clear my raspy throat, but it hurt too much. “Chimera,” I whispered.

  “I used the Rope to whip her,” Ren said, stroking my bruised throat. “She ran off and hasn’t returned yet.”

  I saw regret in his eyes, but then he touched my arm and the steely determination returned. I knew how much it pained him to abuse an animal, even one that would have killed us. But I couldn’t help but feel grateful that the Chimera wasn’t around.

  “She’ll come back soon,” Kishan said. “We need to leave.”

  I nodded my agreement. Ren gently lifted my arms to help me put on a new T-shirt. After he slipped it over my old torn one, he asked the Scarf to reabsorb the ripped and bloody shirt underneath. Threads flew out from under the hem and sleeves, and soon the Scarf was quiet.

  Kishan and Ren helped me stand, and then Kishan picked up the Rope of Fire. I took hold of the Rope in one hand and placed the other on top of Kishan’s.

  “Try it now, Kishan,” I encouraged, my voice just a bit stronger.

  He whipped the Rope in a wide circle in front of him. I channeled my fire power into the Rope, and the entire length caught on fire. I sent in more energy, and he whipped faster and faster until the inner circle became a black vortex. Flames danced along the edges.

  “Tell it where you want to go,” Kishan said.

  I whispered, “Take us to the past. To the place where we are to meet our destiny.”

  The blackness flickered and a green forest materialized.

  Ren put on the backpack, picked me up, and ran toward the vortex just as the Chimera shot out from the trees. As he and Kishan leapt through the circle of flame, Ren twisted in the air to shield me from her. The Chimera’s jaws snapped, but her teeth missed us, and we fell backward into the void. I was wrenched away from Ren, and then the three of us tumbled around one another in the vortex.

  At first, I felt nothing. Then gravity took over, and my stomach heaved as I plummeted downward into an abyss. I screamed, terrified, as my body tumbled into blackness. The echoes of voices calling my name swirled around me.

  I closed my eyes as a wave of dizziness overtook me. I heard a snarl, a roar. Then I felt heat and flame rush over my skin. Just as quickly, all motion ceased, and I felt my consciousness start to slip away until it disappeared altogether.

  a new world

  Get up!” shouted a woman’s no-nonsense voice.

  I opened my eyes to see a lovely leg in a mile-long, thigh-high boot connect with my stomach. I curled into a protective ball, blinking and groaning at the aches and pains in my body. Who is kicking me? And why won’t she stop?

  The woman kicked me again and hissed, “Get up!”

  Twisting into a sitting position, I looked up and saw a tall, striking woman in front of me. A helmet covered most of her face, but her eyes were a brilliant green, and her skin was an exotic buttery-brown of sugar caramel. Her long black hair fell well past her waist. I also noticed the sharp tip of her spear hovering dangerously close to my nose.

  I shuffled slowly to my feet, trying to get a grip on my current situation. Once again, I was in a forest. I was surrounded by armored warriors who had confiscated our backpack and weapons and were pointing various spears directly at me. Ren and Kishan were bound with coarse ropes and still unconscious. The Rope of Fire lay idly on the ground.

  “Who are you?” I asked the beautiful Amazon who could have doubled as a swimsuit cover-model. “What do you want with us?”

  The men spoke to her in a foreign language until she silenced them with a signal.

  “I am called Anamika.”

  I shifted carefully around her spear. “Nice to meet you,” I said, surprised at her fluency in English.

  Anamika kept her eyes trained on me. As I moved, I noticed her tiny waist was cinched in by the armored dress’s heavy belt where several other weapons dangled.

  “Do you mind pointing that thing somewhere else?” I asked.

  She narrowed her eyes and then planted the blunt end of her spear on the ground, whipping her long hair back as if annoyed with it.

  “What is your name?” she asked.

  “Kelsey,” I answered. “And you can call your warriors off. We won’t hurt you.”

  Anamika translated my statement to her men, and I heard several snickers and a rumble of comments from the soldiers. Then she clipped off a command, and the warriors picked up Ren and Kishan.

  Alarmed, I demanded, “Where are you taking them?”

  “Come, Kelsey. There is much to do.”

  Because Ren and Kishan were still unconscious, and we didn’t seem to be in any immediate danger, I followed her through the forest.

  “Where are we headed?” I asked again.

  “Back to my camp. It is not far,” she smirked. “Though it may seem far to one as soft as you.”

  Did the Amazon just insult me?

  “I may not be wearing armor on the outside, but I’ve seen my share of battle.”

  Anamika rubbed her fingers together and then moodily shifted her spear to the other hand. Her green eyes glittered.

  “Really?” she said in a mocking tone. “It’s hard to imagine you engaged in warfare with anything more substantial than a cooking pot.” She boldly gave me the once-over, looking down at me from her freakishly tall Amazonian height.

  I stuck my chin in the air and clenched my fists, deliberately tamping down the fire that raged through my blood. This woman was ticking me off.

  “Please,” she laughed insultingly, “tell me of your battles.”

  Tight lipped, I hissed, “Maybe later.”

  Determined to keep up with her though she covered twice as much distance per stride, I followed along and tried my best to take note of my whereabouts and study my captors. The forest was cold, especially after spending the last few weeks in the heat of lava falls and fire trees. Rubbing my arms, I wished that I could figure out a way to make warmer clothes using the Scarf without being noticed.

  The leggy warrior-woman saw my twitching and smirked, so I ramped up my speed, determined to tough out the nippy temperature. Thinking quickly, I used the
power of the amulet to warm me. A pocket of heat swirled around my body, and I smiled secretly as I moved along.

  The going became rough as we descended a stony face. When the afternoon sun broke through the trees and my forehead broke out into a sweat, I turned off the heat and let the still, cooler air envelop me. Toward the bottom, the trees parted, and I looked up to find a very familiar sight. Towering snowcapped mountains loomed on all sides.

  “We’re in the Himalayas?” I gasped.

  “We are near the great mountains,” Anamika corrected.

  “That’s just fantastic,” I mumbled. “It was bad enough the first time.”

  “You have been to this place before?” warrior Barbie asked.

  “Not this place exactly, but close enough.”

  She made no further comment, and I concentrated on getting to the bottom of the incline without breaking my neck while still keeping an eye on the men jostling Ren and Kishan. They’d been unconscious for a long time. I mused on their condition, thinking that maybe I’d recovered faster because of the mermaid’s elixir.

  Anamika must have read my thoughts. She pointed to Ren and Kishan. “Your men are weak. I found no injuries on their bodies, but still they sleep.”

  “You don’t know what they’ve been through,” I responded.

  “Perhaps they are soft like you.”

  “I’d really appreciate it if you’d stop using that word.”

  “Very well. Then I will use the word slow or perhaps wilting.”

  I gaped at her. “You’re pretty quick to judge, aren’t you?”

  “I must make quick assessments of my warriors, yes.”

  “Have you heard the phrase, ‘Don’t judge a book by its cover’?”

  “I do not spend my time judging books.”

  I snorted and tripped on a rock. Anamika helped me to right myself, but I shoved her away, pointed my finger, and threatened, “Don’t you dare call me soft.”

  She bowed her head slightly and continued on with a small grin on her face.

  Looking around, I noticed that several of her warriors had fresh injuries. One man had a bandage-wrapped leg, another sported a nasty cut across his brow, and a third limped painfully.

  “Have you been in recent battle?” I asked.

  Anamika frowned. “Yes, we have been engaged in war. There have been many casualties.”

  I bit my lip. “Have you heard of a man called Lokesh? Is that the man you fought?”

  She shook her head. “We are fighting the demon Mahishasur.”

  “Mahishasur?”

  The name sounded familiar, but I couldn’t remember what it meant. I’d have to consult Mr. Kadam’s research—that is, after I ditched the bossy Barbie in calf-hugging boots.

  At sundown, we wound our way through a narrow passage to a valley surrounded by towering mountains. Ahead was the camp. Tents dotted the valley as far as I could see.

  Surprised at the numbers, I remarked, “You have a lot of men.”

  “Not as many as I came with,” she said softly.

  Anamika led us to the largest tent somewhere in the middle of the camp. After having her men untie Ren and Kishan and depositing them onto a soft rug, she dismissed all but one and conferred briefly with him before sending him out too. With a weariness she didn’t show in front of her men, she sank onto a chair, removed her boots, and massaged her feet. They were cracked and crusted with blood.

  I knelt on the straw rug between Ren and Kishan and casually commented, “You are indeed tough if you can maneuver long distances with feet as injured as yours.”

  She set her feet on the floor as if embarrassed. “Do you expect the commander of the last of the Vedic Aryans to coddle herself, bathe her skin in milk, and anoint her hair with fragrant soaps like you?”

  “I’ll have you know that I’ve never bathed in milk. Who are the Vedic Aryans?”

  Anamika sighed heavily. “We are the last of our people. Once we were one of sixteen Mahājanapadas. Our republic flourished under the rule of my grandfather, but one by one each of the sixteen kingdoms was conquered. Now we serve the Maurya Empire and answer to its head, Chandragupta Maurya. I was the captain’s advisor, but he has been . . . lost. Now his duties have fallen onto me.”

  I berated myself for not studying Indian history more. If I had, I could at least figure out what time we were in. Ren and Kishan might know. Still the name Chandragupta sounded familiar. I’d read about him or heard of him somewhere before. But where?

  Anamika turned her back to remove her armor. I heard the thump of her helmet as it hit the floor and ignored her while I tried to awaken Ren and Kishan. They were breathing and their hearts were beating, but Ren’s pulse was very slow. When I found I couldn’t rouse them on my own, I took the kamandal from Kishan’s neck and wet their lips with a few drops.

  After splashing water on her face and arms, the long-legged warrior returned and stood behind me, watching my efforts as she brushed out her long hair. I bristled under her scrutiny but wouldn’t give her the satisfaction of making eye contact. When she caught her brush on a snarl, I leaned over Ren and Kishan, hoping she wasn’t paying attention, and took the opportunity to pour a little fire power into both brothers. Color returned to their faces, and they stirred.

  Cobalt blue eyes blinked, and Ren sat up.

  “Are you okay, Kells?”

  “I’m fine.”

  Kishan rolled his upper body and leaned onto one arm while he rubbed his eyes. “Is the Rope still here?” he mumbled sleepily.

  “Yes, I’ve got it.”

  “Good.”

  He opened his eyes and froze. Ren wasn’t moving either. Both men were staring at Anamika, who’d gone suddenly quiet as well. I rolled my eyes and got to my feet.

  “Ren and Kishan, I’d like to introduce you to, Ana . . .” The breath flew from my lips. “. . . mika.”

  The woman standing behind me clutching her brush was the same fiery green-eyed Barbie that I’d been talking with for the last few hours, but without her helmet I realized something that should have been obvious before. I knew her. I stared at her dumbly while she narrowed her eyes and pursed her lips.

  “Why do you all stare at me like large-eyed puppies waiting for a bone?” she hissed.

  Kishan was the first to react. He twisted around and prostrated himself before her. He bowed his head, and said, “How may I serve you?”

  “Durga?” I whispered.

  She looked exactly like the goddess we’d visited four times. Only this version had two arms instead of eight.

  “What is a Durga?” she spat sharply, “and why is that one putting his face onto the floor? Has he lost control of his faculties? Perhaps his mind is as feeble as his body.” She leaned over and addressed Kishan in a loud voice as if he were hard of hearing. “You may stand up now. You have mistaken me for someone else.”

  Kishan raised his bowed head and narrowed his gaze at the woman. Growling, he rolled quickly to his feet.

  “What’s going on?” Ren whispered.

  Anamika answered. “What’s going on is that we are at war, and I don’t have time to coddle weaklings.”

  “Weaklings?” Kishan spat. He took a step toward the woman, but she only raised an eyebrow and looked him up and down with a disdainful expression.

  I squeezed Kishan’s arm, and he stopped moving but continued his stare-down with our hostess. “Anamika, this is Dhiren Rajaram, and this is his brother, Kishan.”

  “Anamika?” Kishan said. “Is that what she’s calling herself?” he mumbled hotly.

  The goddess-like woman put her hand onto a dagger strapped to her waist. “Are you suggesting I am not who I say I am? I am Anamika Kalinga, advisor to Chandragupta, the most esteemed female champion in the history of my people, and the daughter of great kings.” She fixed a stormy gaze on Kishan. “I have bested men larger and smarter than you. You would be wise to treat me with respect, durbala.”

  “Durbala?”

  Whatever that wo
rd meant caused Kishan to lose it. He strode toward Anamika and seized her wrist before she could pull her knife. Even though he was a few inches taller, she still managed to look down at him. If steam could have billowed out from his nose and his ears, it would have. I’d never seen him so angry before.

  “Kishan,” I said softly and held out my hand.

  Settling down, he let go of Anamika’s wrist and returned to my side.

  Ren deftly inserted himself between Kishan and Anamika. He bowed slightly and said, “Forgive us. We have traveled far from our homeland, and despite appearances,” he turned and gave Kishan a warning look, “we are grateful for the hospitality you’ve shown to us.”

  He then launched into Hindi and introduced himself and Kishan more formally. I caught the names but that was about it. Anamika switched languages easily, and words flowed silkily between Ren and the leggy woman. The ease with which she talked with Ren and the change in her demeanor irked me. She lowered her guard with Ren, and soon she was all smiles and laughs.

  Kishan and I watched and listened, and I honestly didn’t know whether to trust her. Frowning, I shifted, uneasily wishing I could understand what was being said.

  At one point, Kishan interrupted, changing back to English. “My fiancée is weary. Might I ask for some food and a place where she may rest?”

  Ren turned to look at me. I flushed under his scrutiny. I couldn’t help but feel like he was comparing me with Anamika—and I fell short. Through tight lips I protested, “I’m fine. I don’t need to rest.”

  “Perhaps that would be for the best,” Ren argued quietly.

  With a smirk, Anamika replied, “I’ll have my men prepare the softest bedding they can find.”

  I bristled again while Kishan added, “I’m sure Kelsey would find that most welcome.”

  As soon as Anamika stepped outside the tent, I folded my arms across my chest and turned to Ren and Kishan. “Let’s get one thing straight right now. I don’t care what century we’re in or even what planet we’re on. You two don’t speak for me. If either of you has got it into your heads to make me play the role of the little fiancée who needs a big strong man to think for me, you’d be wise to reassess your position! You are not going to send me off to my room so that I miss out on all the important discussions.”