Page 4 of Tiger's Dream
Marveling that I had the strength to do it, I put my hand on my brother’s arm and said, “You won’t have to, brother. Just let me…let me say good-bye,” I murmured.
Ren turned surprised eyes on me, then gripped my arm as well. He nodded, with an expression of relief and gratitude.
The pain eased a fraction. It still crushed me unbearably, but I was finally able to look my brother in the eye. After centuries of guilt and distrust, I felt the sweet relief of forgiveness and sensed my sacrifice had mended the gulf that I’d caused between us—a divide that should never have been. Suddenly, I felt as if I were the wiser, older brother.
As I moved through the trees to say good-bye to the one I loved, a part of me hoped that she’d deny it, that she’d insist on me returning with her. When she erupted into hysterical sobs upon seeing me and I realized she was crying not for me but for him, I knew that my cause was lost. That her love for him was, and would always be, stronger. She claimed she couldn’t let me go but the fact was…shedid.
I’d regretted my choice ever since. I’d been an idiot for allowing it to happen. For allowing my need to mend broken fences with my brother to influence my decision about Kelsey. I rationalized that Kelsey was distraught because she thought Ren was staying behind and that if she had had a few minutes longer to consider my staying in the past, she would have been just as upset.
Now, here Phet stood before me, six months later, and said that Kelsey needed me. Inwardly, I thrilled at the idea. Perhaps all was not lost. Perhaps she’d realized that she did love me after all.
I let out a pent-up breath and asked, “Is she in danger?” when what I really wanted to ask was, “Does she miss me?”
“She is. Kelsey is in grave danger. But not the kind you’re thinking of.”
“What do you mean?” I asked, confused. Then another thought rose to the surface. “Wait a minute. You called her Kelsey, not Kahl-see.” I folded my arms across my chest. “What exactly is going on here?”
Phet exhaled slowly and said, “Perhaps it is best if you know everything.”
He clutched a necklace emblem hidden beneath his robes, and the familiar gesture confused me. A sense of foreboding trickled through my veins and I took a step back. “What…what are you doing?”
The little man straightened to his full height and smiled as he said, “Divine Scarf, please return me to my normal form.”
Brown robes shifted as threads wound around his body. What I was seeing made no sense. I knew the Divine Scarf was, right now, in Durga’s care, and even if he’d gotten ahold of the scarf somehow, then why was he changing to a different form?
The magic swirled around him, obscuring his face, and then, when the threads finally settled, I fell to my knees and tears blurred my vision.
“It’s not…not possible,” I whispered, unable to believe my own eyes.
“You know that it is,” he answered gently.
“How did you—?” I swallowed thickly, overcome by emotion. “When?”
“Ah…thewhenis a bit complicated. ThehowI will show you.”
He took hold of my arm and helped me to stand. His eyes crinkled at the corners as he smiled and said, “It is good to see you, Kishan.”
“Words cannot express how it feels to seeyouonce again,Kadam.”
“Yes,” he murmured somewhat distractedly. “Now, let’s see what we can do about saving Miss Kelsey, shall we?”
I nodded, completely overwhelmed that my mentor, friend, and surrogate father had somehow returned from the dead.
Chapter 2
Saving Kelsey
“Shall we?” He found an overturned log and took a seat.
I still couldn’t believe that he was here. That he was alive.
“How have you returned?” I asked.
“I haven’t. Not exactly. When you witnessed my death, Ididpass from this world. But you need to understand that this event, though it has already occurred in your timeline, has not yet happened in mine.”
“Not yet happened? I don’t understand.”
Kadam smiled patiently and asked, “Do you remember when I appeared with Nilima after you rescued Miss Kelsey from Lokesh?”
