Page 124 of Tiger's Destiny
“What do I wish to be?” I asked.
“You are to be Durga as well.”
Setting aside my confusion, I wrapped the Scarf around my body. I grimaced beneath it, thinking about all the arms soon to be waving at my side but obeyed the instructions and told the Divine Scarf I wanted to be Durga. What happened next was amazing.
At first, I didn’t feel any different, but as the Scarf did its work, I felt my clothes shift. Little electric fingers ran through my hair, giving me goose bumps, and then I realized I had goose bumps on more than one set of arms. The Scarf tickled, and I pulled it off with a hand I’d never used before. Blood surged through my body, and I clenched my fists, all of them, as I felt power move through me.
I looked at the new goddess Durga standing across from me with several sets of arms folded and she smiled. I grinned back and felt full of confidence and control. It wasn’t until I looked at Ren and Kishan that I felt self-conscious. They both stared.
“What?” I asked them. “What is it? Is one of my arms doing something wrong?”
“It’s you . . . you’re—” Kishan began and swallowed.
“Breathtaking,” Ren finished.
He offered his hand, and I placed one of mine in his. He brought it up to his lips and kissed it warmly then rubbed his fingers over the ring on my finger and smiled. I drew my hand up to look at the ring and saw it was Ren’s.
Automatically, I rubbed eight thumbs over thirty-two fingers and found another ring on my right hand. I looked at it and let out a pent-up breath seeing Kishan’s ruby ring safe on my finger. Kishan stepped forward and took my hand, boldly placing my palm against his cheek. He kissed it and stood to the side.
Phet announced, “Now use your power to draw your weapons to you.”
Both of us lifted our arms, and the golden weapons rose into the air. We opened our hands, and weapons flew into them. Thechakram, a brooch, thekamandal, and, to my dismay, Fanindra, few to Durga’s outstretched hands, as did the Golden Fruit and the Divine Scarf.
The Pearl Necklace and the Rope of Fire stayed with me, and I also got a brooch, thegada, the trident, and my bow and arrows. The golden sword rose into the air and split into two. One sword flew to Durga and the other to me. I caught it in my topmost right hand. As I caught the weapons in my grip they shifted color from gold to silver while Durga’s weapons still gleamed in the familiar gold.
“Now, you are ready for battle.” Phet clapped Ren on the shoulder and continued, “Dhiren and Kishan will enter battle with the goddesses and will fight alongside them in the way destiny has chosen for you. Ladies, if you would activate your brooches.”
I touched the trinket and said, “Armor and shield.”
Thin plates of silver encased my limbs and a shield grew in one of my left hands. The armor traveled down my torso, over my hips, and down my legs, and I was surprised how easily I could move in it.
I turned to look at Anamika and saw that golden armor had encased her upper body like a corset, leaving her neck bare, but then rounded out over her shoulders. Golden cuffs protected her forearms.
She wore a black cloth skirt lined with golden plates and black boots covered in strips of golden metal. A golden crown took shape over her head.
I snickered at the sight of Durga’s golden tiara, but then I reacheddownwith one of my upper arms and patted the top of my head. Sure enough, I wore a silver crown too.
To my dismay, I looked down and found I also had a breastplate and that my outfit was identical to Anamika’s, except for the coloring. My skin almost sparkled with inner light. My brown hair was golden and was as thick and as long as Anamika’s. My dress was similar in shape to Anamika’s but was white. Ren stood there gaping, and my face turned red under his scrutiny.
When the process was completed, Ren and Kishan doubled over and groaned painfully. Alarmed, I took a step toward Ren just as he shifted into tiger form. He roared loudly and shook himself. Kishan changed into the black tiger.
“What’s happening?” I asked Phet.
“The time has come, Kahl-see. They are fulfilling their purpose,” he said.
I touched Ren, and silver plates covered his muzzle and made their way over his head. Soon his body was encased in silver armor. A double-rigged cinch circled his torso and formed a white saddle on his back, complete with two metal handgrips by his shoulder blades. Kishan was outfitted identically in golden armor and a black saddle.
Anamika-as-Durga stepped between Ren and Kishan. She patted Kishan’s head.
“Interesting,” she said.
Kishan growled lightly in response and walked over to me, putting his head under my hand. I folded two sets of arms, resting a hand on Kishan.
“You’re kidding, right, Phet? This isn’t what I think it is.”
“It’s exactly that, Kahl-see. The goddess Durga is supposed to ride her tiger into battle.”
29
