Page 87 of Tiger's Destiny
Icould hear the sound of the horrible weapon as the spear discharged in Ren’s chest. Sharp barbs sunk deep, ripping him apart from the inside. He screamed as blood gushed from his wound and trickled from his mouth. The soft mocking laugh of the twins behind me became mere background noise as I stared at the protruding weapon in shock. For a brief moment, I flashed back to the loss of Mr. Kadam. The grief and suffering flowed into me anew, and I was crippled, unable to move.
I thought of my parents and the burning of the Phoenix. Only the gentle touch of Kishan’s hand brought me back to the present. Though it was one of the hardest things I ever had to do, I left the care of Ren to Kishan.
Steeling my resolve, I turned to the twins. Wyea was worse off than his brother; he could barely stand. Acting purely on impulse and with the heaviness of loss and guilt still flowing through my veins, I attacked. But this time I concentrated all of my efforts on Wyea.
Icy water hit the fire Lord and knocked him off the column. Determined to finish what I’d started, I made my way over the pillars until I found him on the ground, his limbs twisted around the obsidian pillars. I lifted my hands and allowed the cold emptiness I felt inside to become a weapon. It was only a few moments later that I realized the water coming from my hands had turned to sleet. Frosty air swirled around me and with a twitch of my fingers, the sleet turned to icy daggers.
Shala had come after me, of course, but this time his attacks were no match for me. When his plumes of fire came close, my wintry wind blew them out. When Wyea was no longer moving, I lifted my arms up to the sky, turned to Shala, and shouted, “You will not take Ren from me. If I have to use my power against everyone and everything in your realm, even to the point of destroying your world, I will.”
My mind twitched briefly with sadness at the thought of destroying the fire trees but the pain of losing Ren overwhelmed me enough that I was able to push the guilt aside. In all honesty I didn’t even know if I had the power to carry through with my threat, but at that moment I felt as if I could. If I were a Jedi, I had definitely turned to the dark side of the Force, for in truth my thoughts and feelings dwelled on pain, wrath, and vengeance. But I didn’t care.
Seeing his brother so severely injured, Shala stared at me bitterly, and then nodded his head. “Your life is your own. You are free to go. I concede the battle.”
He crouched down to peer at his brother. Stretching out his hands, he gave his twin some of his own waning heat.
“There’s something else,” I added, high on my victory. “I demand a boon for winning.”
Shala sighed heavily and pivoted on the balls of his feet to look at me. “What is it you wish?”
“I want the Rope of Fire.”
“How do you know of such things?” Shala sputtered, shocked by my request.
“It doesn’t matter. I just do. We need the Rope of Fire to complete a task.”
The Lord of the Flame stood, raised his hands into the air, and lowered them slowly. The poles shifted slightly, then began to descend back into the ground. I balanced myself carefully.
“The Rope was given to us by an Ancient. We were told that only when we were defeated in battle could the Rope leave our realm. Take it.”
He dismissed me with a wave of his hand and leapt down to assist his injured twin.
“How do we get it?” I asked, grateful to step firmly back on the black soil.
As he leaned over Wyea, Shala replied, “It’s wound around a fire tree at the base of this mountain. I can send you there, but you will have to get past the guardian who protects it.”
“Fine.”
“And . . . Kelsey, you are a formidable opponent, but I’d suggest you leave for the above world before we are fully recovered.”
Shala smiled slightly and nodded before both twins disappeared in a swirl of flame.
I ran over to Ren and knelt next to Kishan. “How is he?”
“His body is trying to heal, but I’ve been unable to remove the weapon.”
My hands shook as I gingerly touched Ren’s quivering stomach. “It has to be cut out. Remember? Can he heal from that?” I asked.
“It will have to be done quickly, carefully, and we should have the elixir ready.”
My eyes filled with tears at the thought of the pain Ren would continue to suffer. Kishan went to gather all our weapons so he could choose which one would be best for removing theGáe Bolga. I put Ren’s head in my lap and stroked his hair. A tear dropped from my cheek to his forehead.
“Please don’t die,” I whispered.
He moaned and shifted.
“Shh. Try not to move.”
I used the Necklace to make a cup of water and pressed the rim to his lips. He drank but his chest bled again.
