Page 53 of Tiger's Curse
That didn’t sound good at all. “What do you mean fly?”
“Well, technically, they don’t really fly. They just glide to other trees, like the flying squirrel.”
I sank lower in my seat and frowned. “What an exceptional variety of poisonous reptiles you have here.”
Mr. Kadam laughed. “Yes, we do indeed. It’s something we’ve learned to live with, but, in this case, it sounds like the snake or snakes will be helpful.”
I read the line again:If serpents find forbidden fruit, and India’s hunger satisfy . . . lest all her people surely die.
“Do you think that what we do could somehow affect all of India?”
“I’m not sure. I hope not. Despite my centuries of study, I know very little about this curse or the Damon Amulet. It has great power, but as to how it could affect India, I haven’t figured that out yet.”
I had a slight headache, so I leaned my head back and closed my eyes. The next thing I knew, Mr. Kadam was nudging me awake.
“We’re here, Miss Kelsey.”
I rubbed my sleepy eyes. “Where?”
“We’re at the place where Ren wanted to stop.”
“Mr. Kadam, we’re in the middle of nowhere surrounded by jungle.”
“I know. Don’t be afraid. You’ll be safe. Ren will protect you.”
“Why do those words always precede me wandering in the jungle with a tiger?”
He laughed lightly, grabbed my bag, and walked around to my door to open it for me.
I stepped out and looked up at him. “I’ll have to sleep in the jungle again, won’t I? Are you sure I can’t go with you while he gets whatever it is he needs?”
“I’m sorry, Miss Kelsey, but in this case he will need you. It’s something he can’t do without you and may not even be able to do with you.”
I groaned, “Right. And, you, of course, can’t tell me what it is.”
“It’s not for me to tell. This is his story to share.”
I muttered, “Fine. And you’ll be back to pick us up when?”
“I will go into town and purchase a few items. Then I’ll meet you back here in about three or four days. I may end up having to wait for you. He might not be able to find what he is searching for on the first couple of nights.”
I sighed and glared at Ren. “Great. More jungle. Okay, let’s get on with it. Please lead the way.”
Mr. Kadam handed me a bottle of bug spray with sunscreen, placed some items in my backpack, and helped fit it onto my shoulders. I sighed deeply as I watched him pull away in the Jeep. Then I turned to follow Ren off into the jungle.
“Hey, Ren. How come I always have to follow you into a jungle? How about next time you follow me to a nice spa or maybe to the beach? How about that?”
He snuffed and kept on moving.
“Fine, but you owe me after this.”
We walked the rest of the afternoon.
Later, I heard a rumbling noise ahead of us but couldn’t figure out what it was. The farther we walked, the louder the noise grew. We walked through a grove of trees and into a small clearing. Finally, I saw the source of the sound. It was a beautiful waterfall.
A series of gray stones were spread out like steps onto a tall hill. The water foamed and flowed over each stone, plummeted down, and spread out like a fan falling to a wide turquoise pool below. Trees and small bushes with petite red flowers surrounded the pool. It was lovely.
As I approached one of the bushes, I noticed it looked like it was moving. At my next step, hundreds of butterflies took to the air. There were two varieties: one was brown with cream-colored stripes and the other was brownish-black with blue stripes and dots. I laughed and twirled around in a cloud of butterflies. When they settled again, several landed on my arms and my shirt.
