Page 133 of Tiger's Destiny
I squeezed the disk tightly between my thumb and forefinger and said, “The blood of Captain Dixon, Mr. Kadam, Ren, and countless others has been spilled by this . . . demon. He needs to be destroyed utterly.”
Without knowing exactly how or why, I knew what to do. Using the fire piece of the amulet, I cracked the Rope of Fire against the ground. A chasm opened, widened, and deepened to the molten core of Earth. Terrible flames leapt from the fissure. Lifting my hands, I commanded a gust of air to pick up Lokesh’s body, which rose and hovered in front of us.
I looked into the monster’s eyes one last time. I could almost hear his derisive laughter, and I wondered if this creature would haunt me for the rest of my days.
Kishan touched my arm, breaking my trance. I stepped back and sent the demon king into the flames. Lokesh plummeted through the chasm. When he was nothing but ash, I cracked the whip once more, and the earth closed over him.
“I am glad he is gone,” Durga said quietly as she walked slowly toward us, this time accompanied by her brother.
Sunil leaned heavily against his sister and watched us with a look of awe, but I wasn’t in the mood for introductions.
I turned away from the pair. “Can we go now, Kishan?”
“Just a minute, Kells.”
The goddess quickly handed Kishan thekamandal. It was then I saw the terrible wound in his side.
“Drink,” she commanded.
He took hold of her wrist and her eyes darted up to his. “Drink,” she said again, softer this time.
Kishan sipped the mermaid’s elixir and then she brought it to me. I pushed her hand away.
“You need to heal, Kelsey,” she said.
“The pain I feel isn’t going away.”
“Please, take some.”
After glaring at her and seeing she wasn’t going away, I took thekamandaland drank. Immediately the pain in my muscles started to diminish.
As I handed the shell back to her she asked, “Is there anything you can do . . . for them?” She indicated the troops that stood around us, frozen in stone and ice.
“I can try,” I replied.
I rubbed the amulet between my fingers and sensed through the pad of my thumb which piece represented water. The power of rivers, streams, oceans, and rain filled me, and at that moment, I felt as if I could dissolve my body and sink through the ground I stood on.
Though I stood still I felt the movement of rocking water as it swirled through me. Stretching out with my mind, I found the men who were frozen and slowly breathed warmth into their bodies. Water molecules quickened, and the men began to move.
My thumb shifted and I found the Earth piece. My body suddenly became heavy, unbreakable. Earth’s power grounded me, gave me a center. Earth does not despair or feel loss, I realized, for all living things come from it, and all living things return to it. Refocusing, I found the stone objects dotting the area around me and asked the stone to return life to these beings. The stone obeyed and melted back into the landscape. The men took a breath and lived.
Durga wove between each man and bid them drink from thekamandal. She was full of compassion, and they each dropped to their knees and gazed upon her with worshipful, trusting eyes. I folded my arms across my chest, determined not to be moved by her display.
When she had administered to every man, they gathered close and she turned to us. “These people need rest and food. We must lead them to camp and help them recover.” Then the humble goddess turned to Sunil in deference. “If that is acceptable to you.”
“No. You’re right, Mika. We should take care of them,” he replied, stepping back.
She nodded and gave instructions to return to the camp. Flanked by Durga and Sunil, the men set off immediately.
With a graceful sweep of his arms, Kishan lifted Ren’s tiger body, and we solemnly followed our troops. Ren’s white tail brushed the ground and his head lolled as it hung over Kishan’s arm. My breath caught and I had to swallow several times.
Back at camp, I used the Pearl Necklace and the Scarf to create a bucket of warm water and cloths and cleaned the blood from Ren’s fur. Kishan had left me alone for a time, saying he’d return to bury Ren after the camp was settled. There was something comforting about being alone with my tiger and preparing his body. It was a final act of service I could do for the man I loved and I spoke softly to him as I worked.
The light dimmed and I started when I heard a noise.
“How long have you been standing there?” I asked Kishan.
“Long enough,” he answered with a tight expression.
