Page 61 of Tiger's Destiny
I told Ren and Kishan about my new vision of Lokesh and that the queen’s piece of the amulet controlled water. In great detail, I explained what happened and caught Ren and Kishan glancing at each other, obviously worried that my connection to Lokesh was getting stronger. I didn’t blame them. I was worried, too.
Changing the subject, I asked the Scarf to make me new clothes underneath what I was wearing, because a golden dress didn’t fit my idea of hiking-through-a-scary-tunnel wear.
After ten minutes of walking, I started to feel claustrophobic and jittery. I knew we had to get through the tunnel without sleeping and that it would take two days at best. Ren and Kishan talked of their childhoods to pass the time and to distract me from hyperventilating.
We stopped to rest often because my new skin bruised easily, and I no longer had calluses protecting my feet or heels. At the end of the first day, I had so many blisters that Ren bandaged my feet, made me a pair of soft slippers, and he and Kishan took turns carrying me. While the royal treatment felt nice, my eyes soon started to droop.
I fought off sleep and tried to keep up an animated conversation with Kishan, but during the long evening, cradled in Kishan’s arms, I actually nodded off and quickly came to understand the Phoenix’s warning. As my eyes fluttered closed, something dark sucked at my consciousness. My head became heavy, and I could actually feel the flow of blood in my veins slow to a stop.
Alarmed, I tried to rouse myself but couldn’t. It was as if I was back with Sunrise and the topaz-colored egg, teetering on the edge of a cliff and had just lost my footing.
I drifted into another vision of Lokesh. My mind seemed to lock with his, and I knew he sought information about another piece of the amulet from a poor servant.
The man, who had been beaten severely, held out a fistful of crumpled papers and mumbled, “According to the records, two great warriors, Chandragupta and Seleucus, frequently met in battle prior to 305 BCE but then mysteriously, all war ceased, and they signed a peace treaty. Seleucus, who served under Alexander the Great, presented his daughter to the emperor to take as his wife, and the emperor sent him five hundred battle elephants in return. Seleucus took over his East Asian territories after the emperor died.”
“Continue,” Lokesh said to the frightened man after kicking him viciously. I felt Lokesh’s delight in the abuse, and I recoiled in horror.
The servant read Lokesh a letter. “Seleucus had offered Chandragupta lands that bordered the Indus River in exchange for goods and soldiers. Chandragupta replied, ‘I will consider your offer if you will agree to level the mountain that blocks the view from my palace. You have the power, after all.’”
“Stop!” Lokesh ordered and demanded to see the letters. When the servant handed them over, Lokesh used his magic, and wind swirled around him. Blue lightning crackled at his fingertips and shot into the unsuspecting man, who fell to the floor. Black lightning marks streaked his chest.
The vision shifted, and I was once again with Lokesh in a strange land. “You were hard to find, old man,” Lokesh smiled at the aged grandfather he had cornered in a hut. “Fortunately for me your ancestor Seleucus had a birthmark that was passed down to his sons and grandsons.”
Lokesh laughed derisively, “Do you know that Seleucus’s mother told him his real flather was the god Apollo and that his anchor-shaped birthmark was the sign of his favor?”
The frightened man shook his head.
“Seleucus thought he was destined for great things. Perhaps he was in his own small way.” Bending over the elderly man, Lokesh continued, “Between you and me, a great man makes himself great. Sadly, your chance to become great has long since passed. Perhaps you’d like to know how long I have been searching for you.”
Pulling a knife from his belt, a knife I recognized, Lokesh tested it with his thumb. “Five hundred years,” he said, “And that’s a long time. Even for me.”
The false smile Lokesh wore faded. “But, rest assured, Iwillpunish you for every year I’ve had to wait. Incidentally, the last two years were the most interesting of my search. I traced Apama, the wife of Seleucus, to her Persian hometown of Susa. Then, several months and many deaths led me to you. They all wanted to protect you—their ancient grandfather who claimed to be one hundred and twelve years old.”
Lokesh leaned forward and narrowed his eyes. “But between you and me, my friend, I believe that you are much, much older.”
The old man’s eyes gave him away. In a flash, he used the power of his amulet to shake the ground, but he was as feeble as he appeared. Lokesh froze the old man’s entire body in an instant and with his earthquake still rumbling; the man’s body slid from the chair and broke apart into scattered pieces.
Lokesh shoved aside the old man’s remains and pulled the amulet from his neck. Then he picked up a ring that had rolled away from the shattered hand. It had a smooth oval gem encased in a thick gold, molded edging. The stone’s flat blue surface had a marbled appearance that made it look slightly like a weathered map. Lokesh rubbed the Persian turquoise stone and slid it over the knuckle of his thumb.
Frowning, Lokesh kicked aside what was left of the old man’s body and mumbled, “I need to learn how to better control the water piece. They die entirely too quickly.”
He joined the new piece of the amulet to the others, and I felt the rush of power. The amulet invigorated Lokesh, and somehow I knew he’d found the earth piece. I watched as he tested its range and the scope of its power. With the old man’s piece of the amulet, Lokesh was able to bring precious gems to the surface, shift rock, and cause tremors. Together with his other two pieces of the Damon Amulet, Lokesh could call forth predators of the earth and sea to do his bidding.
The sharks! That was how he called them. It was also how he was able to use the bear, wolves, and snow leopards to distract Mr. Kadam during the swordfight.
Satisfied only momentarily with his new power, Lokesh set his sights on India and the remaining two pieces of the amulet.
My body jerked, and I snapped awake to find I was lying in the tunnel with my head pillowed on Kishan’s backpack. My connection to Lokesh was indeed getting stronger. It was becoming harder to remain at a distance, and I shook with revulsion at the thought.
Kishan leaned over me and asked, “Another dream?”
I nodded. My cheek stung, and I rubbed the tingling skin. The tips of my fingers were gray and had no feeling. “What happened?” I asked.
With a strange expression, Ren answered, “You fell asleep. We couldn’t wake you. I’m sorry, Kells.”
“Sorry for what?”
“I had to slap you to get you to wake up.”
