Page 65 of Tiger's Destiny
Ren nodded. “They are much like the European version of vampires.”
Kishan snorted. “Kelsey convinced me to watch a vampire movie with her fairly recently, and I have to say that Rakshasas are about as much like the brooding American vampires as the Kraken is like an octopus. These vampires not only drink blood, but also consume flesh, especially rotting flesh.”
“Oh,” I stammered lamely. “And right now we smell particularly . . . fragrant.”
Ren dipped his head slightly in agreement, his concentration still focused on the forest. “It seems safe enough for now, but I suggest we take turns sleeping and travel through the forest as quickly as possible.”
We stepped through the cave opening into the fire forest, and it was like stepping from an igloo onto a balmy tropical island. I felt the warmth of the fire trees almost immediately. They stretched out long vines to brush against my arms and clothes as we passed.
I stopped underneath a large tree, and a leafy tendril wrapped around my finger.
As I examined a particularly beautiful fire flower, Ren cautioned, “We have to address our problem. We stink like the dead.”
Kishan sighed, “We’re leaving a trail.”
“I think I can help with that,” I said.
“What do you mean?” Ren asked.
“The trees can burn the smell off of us. It’s something the Phoenix mentioned when I asked how I healed from being so badly burned. They can’t do anything about our clothes but we can make more.”
“What do we do?”
“Put your hands on a tree and concentrate on its energy. The heat will be drawn from its roots. Allow it to cycle around you and cleanse your body. It will burn your clothes away and might sting a little, but the warmth will also heal you. You two go into the clearing over there and I’ll stay here.”
Kishan and Ren reluctantly left their weapons with me and headed to the clearing. The fact that they were willing to leave their weapons behind showed just how tired they were.We all are, I amended. I set Fanindra down next to their weapons and backpacks and placed my palms on the tree.
The limbs of the surrounding trees began to quiver and shake, and I heard a hum reverberate in the air. The glowing leaves grew brighter and brighter and the air sizzled. Then with a burst of light, the leaves turned so white hot I had to close my eyes. The blue ribbon I’d tied my hair with disintegrated, along with my clothing. A searing tickling vibration moved from my toes all the way up my body. Then a sudden wind blew my loose hair straight up into the air and caressed my bare skin as it whisked away the smell of death.
I heard a distant yelp and knew the boys were being cleansed in a similar manner and wondered briefly if it burned their skin. To me it felt like a tingle. Finally the strong wind disappeared, and I felt more than warm. I felt . . . flushed. I was relaxed and sleepy, as if I’d been languishing in a hot tub and then placed under a blow dryer while someone massaged my shoulders and brushed out my hair.
I picked up the Divine Scarf and lifted it to my nose. It was mimicking the glowing pattern on the leaves of the fire trees, which had faded again to orange and yellow. The Scarf smelled clean and fresh, retaining no odor from the caves. I wished for new clothes for myself and quickly dressed.
Ren and Kishan made an appearance soon after in the white and black clothing that always appeared after they became tigers. They debated the merits of hiking farther. Ren felt our previous smell was strong enough to be easily tracked, but Kishan argued that it would be just as easy to track our new smell when the old one disappeared. I figured we were safe since we no longer smelled like prey and sided with Kishan mostly because I wanted to sleep. We compromised by hiking just a bit farther before striking camp.
Kishan used the Scarf to create a tent and bedding while Ren replaced the backpacks that had been melted away with our clothing. With my white and black tigers positioned on either side of me, I was unconscious as soon as my head hit the pillow.
This time I dreamed about Lokesh as a young boy. An older man who I soon realized was his flather, the emperor, was tutoring him.
Shifting his hands in the air, Lokesh’s father instructed, “To control the movement of air, use your mind. Imagine the wind swirling between your fingers or around your body, and it will happen. Once you have practiced and have more control, you can summon something as powerful as a cyclone or simply lift a leaf on the wind.”
The emperor showed his young son how to manipulate the air to lift a kite into the sky. He flicked his fingers, and the kite bucked and wove in the air. When it was the boy’s turn, the emperor placed the amulet around his son’s neck, and the kite plummeted. With a determined expression, the boy lifted his hands, and at the last moment, the kite circled around the two of them and rose again.
“Good,” the father said. “Now try calling your falcon.”
The boy closed his eyes and soon a bird screeched high overhead.
His father explained, “All creatures of the air are subject to you but you must learn control.”
Soberly the boy nodded.
Someone touched my arm, and I jerked awake. “There’s movement in the trees,” Kishan hissed desperately.
Immediately alert, Ren and Kishan moved silently through the tent, collecting weapons. They gestured for me to remain quiet before the two of them crawled out of the tent and disappeared into the forest. It was completely dark outside, which meant the night comet had passed.
After waiting for what seemed like too long, I decided to risk looking for Ren and Kishan. Fanindra led me to them. They had backtracked and were crouched behind a rock, watching the opening to the cave.
As I approached, I accidentally stepped on a twig and both Ren and Kishan whipped around, saw me, and yanked me down next to them in a matter of seconds. At the same time, what looked like torches flared to life ahead of us in the forest. The flickering lights bobbed and converged in one spot. I heard hissing, clicking noises that moved closer to us.
