Page 16 of Tiger's Destiny
“Lokesh also talked about the night you two became tigers,” I added. “You mentioned that the amulet protected you. I have a theory.” I turned to Ren and said, “Tell me exactly how Lokesh cursed you and changed you into tigers.”
Ren answered, “He took a wooden medallion from around his neck, cut me, dripped my blood onto it, then began chanting. Kishan was affected too. All I remember was the white light, intense pain, and the feeling of my body being reshaped.”
“Don’t forget the burning,” Kishan added. “The amulet burned my skin where it rested.”
“Really? The amulet didn’t burn me,” Ren contradicted.
“Hmm.” I drummed my fingers on my knee. “Lokesh said the amuletspunishedyou by changing you to tigers, and he confessed that he wasn’t trying to do that. He wanted to turn you into zombies or something.”
“Why did he use an elaborate and slow blood ritual? Why not freeze us? What did he hope to gain?” Ren asked.
“First, he likes to torture people, especially you two. The amulets were in his grasp. He said he wanted to draw out the process. Enjoy it for as long as he could. He probably hadn’t yet figured out how to partially freeze like he does now. Also, he wanted a son-in-law who had the support of the people and who would do as he asked.”
“Alright, so Lokesh didn’t change us into tigers. What doyouthink happened, Kelsey?” Kishan asked.
“I think the amulet protected you, just like it did with Mr. Kadam.”
“Then why didn’t it protect Lokesh’s father or brother?” Ren asked.
“Well, this may be a little far-fetched, but Lokesh feels it is his destiny to reunite the amulet. What if the Damon Amuletissupposed to be put back together again, but it’s nothisdestiny but yours?”
Kishan laughed. “You’re right. That is far-fetched.”
“Think about it,” I argued. “It’s called the Damon Amulet, and it changed you into tigers. Damon is Durga’s tiger, the Durga who sent us on these quests. The Ocean Teacher said that this happenedtoyou, as in, for a reason. What if you’re supposed to save the amulet?”
Ren rubbed his hands together as he mused, “Perhaps Kelsey’s right. If Lokesh didn’t curse us, then maybe itwasthe amulet that did it.”
I nodded enthusiastically. “We should go back to Lokesh and take the amulet from him.”
“No!” Mr. Kadam said definitively, startling us with his sudden outburst. Seeing our dismay, he sat back in his chair, but his fingers dug into the leather. “You cannot go back. There is no time. When the fourth gift is recovered, that is the time to pursue Lokesh.”
“But wouldn’t it be better to do it now while the boys can still heal?” I suggested.
He shook his head. “This is one of the times I will ask you to trust me.”
I nodded glumly and shared a tense moment of eye contact with Ren and Kishan. Mr. Kadam had a very strange expression on his face. He watched the three of us with a mixture of fondness and sadness and he didn’t write down any notes. That wasn’t like him at all.
“Are you alright, Mr. Kadam?” I asked.
The Indian businessman blinked, and a tear fell down his cheek. He sucked in a quick breath and cleared his throat. “Yes, of course. I’m just so sorry, Miss Kelsey, that you were held prisoner. It would be hard to find a more cruel and vicious man than the one who abducted you. You were very clever in manipulating him, and I applaud your creativity in such a dire situation. Such a brave girl. I’m very proud of you. All of you.”
Another tear fell, and he wiped it away. “I believe I could use some rest as well. If you three will excuse me . . .” Mr. Kadam stood and with a dignified mien, walked to his room and closed the door softly behind him.
We had never seen Mr. Kadam look so old, so tired, so . . . world-weary. Ren, Kishan, and I speculated quietly but decided to let him and Nilima sleep as long as they needed to. I checked on both of them from time to time, and though they seemed peaceful, I couldn’t shake the feeling that our respite would be short-lived.
When Nilima finally awoke eighteen hours later, she seemed back to her cheery, matter-of-fact self.
“Well, hello, Miss Kelsey. Aren’t you a sight for sore eyes,” she said, smiling over a bowl of yogurt.
“Nilima,” I asked, “what happened to the two of you?”
“I don’t really know,” she admitted. “One minute we were on the ship, and the next we ended up here. It was magic, I suppose, or maybe Durga helped us.”
I smiled and nodded but I wondered how she and Mr. Kadam could have such different memories of the same experience.
While Mr. Kadam still slept, Nilima wasted no time plunging with gusto back into the family business dealings. She spent many hours on the phone and the computer with Ren and Kishan at her side, watching and learning how she ran things.
Unlike Nilima, Mr. Kadam was still somber, contemplative, and mysterious when he awoke. Though he insisted everything was fine, his behavior worried me.
