Page 117 of Tiger's Destiny
“There’s no way to know how I would have reacted.”
“Oh, there are ways to know, young lady. There are ways.”
“That still doesn’t explain why you’re here now.”
“I am here to ensure your victory.”
“Well, because you mysteriously came all this way and obviously are not the man I thought you were, why the heck not. So, Phet, if that’s even your real name, tell me, how do I defeat Lokes?”
“It’s simple. Do to him what I did to you.”
“What? Talk to him in broken English?”
“No. You must trick him into believing that you are something that you’re not.”
“And what would that be?” I queried hesitantly.
“A goddess,” Phet said in all seriousness.
I sputtered, “Perhaps you are unaware, but we already have one of those in stock.”
“Phet is aware of everything, young one, and things are not always as they seem.”
“Obviously.” I gave him a pointed look.
He bowed slightly as if acknowledging his own magical presence, took my hand between his, and patted it. “You have become a beautiful blossom, Kahl-see.”
He tilted his head considering me. “A stubborn one, perhaps, but on your different journeys, you needed that resolute strength. Your iron will and determination has kept you alive. That and the sacrifices of your tigers. Still, your experiences did not harden your heart. Your vulnerability, your softness, remain for all to see. I am very proud of you, my dear.”
“Phet, if you knew all along that we’d end up here, then why didn’t you send us here in the first place?”
He sighed deeply. “No victory is ever achieved without first making the decision to leave home. Each step that you’ve taken, each foe that you’ve overcome, each hardship that you’ve endured, has led you here, now, to this moment. It is the eve of your destiny, Kahl-see. It is meant to be, because it has always been so. Even I don’t have the power to protect you from providence—no matter how dear you are to me.”
A tear fell on his wrinkled cheek, and I squeezed his thin hand. Somehow Phet was suddenly here, advising me, and speaking of my destiny, and it didn’t stun me speechless. He’d set my feet on this journey years ago, or would, sometime in the distant future, and in a way it felt right to end this quest with him.
“You are dear to me too,” I said softly.
“Do you remember when I told you that you must choose between Ren and Kishan?”
I nodded and looked down at the two rings on my finger. “My love life has become a little . . . complicated. I’m afraid the choice has already been made for me.”
Phet studied me quietly. Rising, he said, “I see. Then shall we find the others and figure out how to help destiny along?”
Rising too, I put my hand on his shoulder and agreed, “Yes. And Phet, thank you for coming. You don’t know how much I need your guidance.”
He smiled toothily. “Guidance is my specialty. Guidance and herbs. I wanted to see you again too, Kahl-see.”
Phet used the log as a stepping stone to mount my horse, and together we set off through the moonlit landscape in search of the others.
When we reached the valley floor, we wove among injured stragglers making their way to a newly constructed camp farther back from the mountain. The air was heavy and thick with the tang of spilt blood and shattered hope. There didn’t seem to be many men left alive and those who were stumbled along in the dark by twos and threes, disfigured in spirit as much as they were in body.
When I tried to stop to offer aid, Phet put his hand over mine and said that the others needed me more than these poor souls did. The night was quiet, almost peaceful in the aftermath of battle. The stars shone crisply, vividly, as if the pale light could reach into our lost and despairing troops and heal their pain.
It wasn’t long before I heard aclump, clump, clumpthat grew louder. I reined in my horse and whipped my head back and forth in the dark, wishing that I had Fanindra’s eyes.Is it one of the equine demons? Is Lokesh after me?My heart leapt into my throat, and I lifted my hand to use the only weapon I had left—flame.
Phet held onto my waist and sat calmly, completely unafraid of whatever or whoever approached. His steady presence gave me some measure of courage. Out of the darkness a great beast materialized. Breath steamed from its nostrils as it pounded toward me. The thundering figure was a white stallion, and my heart told me who rode it before I could even make out his features. Ren.
He barreled toward me, and before I knew what was happening, Ren had pulled me off my horse and into his arms. Phet was soon left far behind.
