Page 71 of Tiger's Quest
“Well, it sounds like you’ve got this pretty figured out, or at least as much as you can. It seems the next thing to do is go back to Durga’s temple. Do you think it will work without Ren?”
“It won’t hurt to try. You said that Ren had to be in tiger form before Durga accepted your offering. Is that correct?”
“Yes. She specifically noted the relationship between me and Ren.”
“Then it would be wise to have a tiger accompany you. We will use Kishan instead of Ren, if, of course, you are amenable, Kishan?”
The black tiger huffed in response, which we assumed meant yes. I glanced down and petted his head. “Let’s just hope she likes black.”
“Meanwhile, I’ll make some discreet calls to see if I can arrange to meet someone in Tibet or perhaps even with the Dalai Lama here in India.”
“Do you think that will work? Will he agree to meet with us?”
“I have no idea.”
“But shouldn’t we wait for Ren? Shouldn’t we find him first before we head off looking for the next item?”
“Miss Kelsey, I don’t think Ren would want us to wait. Honestly, I haven’t been successful in locating him, and I was hoping that when you discover the second item—”
“That we would be caught up in a vision again.”
“Exactly.”
“And that we might be able to figure out where Lokesh is, which could lead us to Ren.”
“Yes. I know it’s a long shot, but it may be the only clue we get.”
“Alright, I’ll go.”
Kishan growled and changed into a man. “And I’ll go with you.”
“Don’t feel obligated to chaperone me, Kishan.”
He hissed, “Of course, I’m obligated. Ren charged me with taking care of you, and that is exactly what I plan to do. I’m no coward.”
I put my hand over his. “Kishan, I’veneverconsidered you a coward.
Thank you. I’ll feel much safer with you around.”
His tight face relaxed and he said, “Good. Now that that’s settled, would you like to train for a few hours?”
“That’s probably a good idea.”
Mr. Kadam waved us off. “I’ll work with you a bit this afternoon, Miss Kelsey, perhaps after lunch.”
“Okay. We’ll see you later.”
I met Kishan in the dojo after changing clothes. He worked with me on throwing someone much larger than myself. I had to practice on him several times, and then he put me through a stretching and strengthening circuit. When he finally decided our session was complete, he chucked me under my chin and said he was proud of me.
Just as I was about to head upstairs to have lunch with Mr. Kadam, Kishan ran up behind me and tossed me over his shoulder. He took the stairs two at a time while I pounded on his back. He laughed.
“If you aren’t prepared to throw off your attacker, you will have to suffer the consequences.” He deposited me in the chair across from Mr. Kadam and grabbed some lunch for himself.
I was sore and tired. “I don’t think I’m going to have the energy for another workout in sword fighting today, Mr. Kadam. Kishan really put me through my paces this morning.”
“That’s okay, Miss Kelsey. We can try a different kind of workout instead. Let’s try practicing your lightning ability.”
I grimaced. “What if it was just a fluke? Maybe it was a one-time thing.”
