Page 68 of Tiger's Destiny
He hissed. “True Rakshasa hunters have no desire to heal. They sacrifce themselves for the clan. Their energy is absorbed and rechanneled.”
I swallowed thickly. “You mean . . . you ate him.”
He set down a painted skull and looked at me. “Do you not do this honor for your injured hunters?”
“Oh, we do, we do. It’s just that . . . my hunters have the power to regenerate. They’re never permanently injured, and they don’t age.”
He caught my arm and whispered conspiratorially, “I knew from your appearance that you were a special queen. You must grant me this power. Discard your weak hunters, and you and I could slip away and start a new clan, our own clan.”
He looked me up and down, smiled, and stepped closer. His sharp, pointed teeth glistened in the flickering light created by our hair. “Of all the hunters here, I am the most . . . gifted.” He stroked my arm with his long claws, not piercing my skin, but leaving wicked scratches along the length of it. “I assure you, I would be a most loyal companion.”
I gripped his forearm and allowed my claws to dig into his skin. He groaned as if I’d kissed him.
“I’ll consider it,” I promised suggestively. “Now . . . I’d like to see the rest of your clan’s relics.”
He showed me a crude painting of the first Rakshasa leader, which was a male, not a female.Interesting.
“He was a great magician and illusionist,” Lightning explained. “He could shape-shift into an owl, a monkey, a human, or even a great black cat.”
“Really?” I remarked, studying the painting with interest. “Can your queen still do this?”
“Our queen claims she has the ability, but I have not seen it. She can create illusion though. She is very powerful.”
“I see. Do all of you have this ability?”
“The people of our clan are all experts at cloaking our life force. Does your clan not have this power?”
“My clan has . . . a different kind of magic.” I placed my hand on his arm. “Perhaps I’ll be able to demonstrate some of my abilities later.”
His grin was frightening. “I look forward to it.”
He showed me other truly vile keepsakes—a dried wreath of entrails, a collection of scalps and furs, and several frightening masks, as if their own faces weren’t already vile enough. Their handsome façade no longer fooled me. Now that I knew how to look, if I squinted just right, I could see his skull peeping through his skin, but it was easier to pretend he was just a handsome demon.
When I’d had my fill of the place, he took me outside and showed me a sort of corral. He hooted softly and I heard the thunder of hooves as a large herd of animals approached. Dark shapes moved toward us and then, as if someone had clicked a switch, the animals blazed into color. They were the most beautiful creatures I’d ever seen.
“What are they?” I whispered as one of the animals approached me and stretched out its neck.
“They are Qilin. We captured them from the forest of the Phoenix.”
“Ah.”
The Qilin were the size and shape of a horse but had the face and teeth of a dragon. Smooth fish scales covered their bodies, but they still had flowing manes and tails. They came in a variety of colors—red, green, orange, gold, blue, and silver. And, like the Rakshasa, the hair of the animals glowed as if on fire.
My guide shouted a command, and the animals jumped in fear and galloped in a circle. Flickering flames spread out from their hooves, manes, and tails as they ran.
I climbed the fence and held out my hand. A bold, blue Qilin walked toward me. It flared its nostrils and blew out a hot breath into my hand when I touched its muzzle. When I patted its smooth cheek and ran my hand through its blue flaming mane, I could hear its thoughts:Fiery one, you are not of them. I can smell your humanity. We are of the other side of the mountain. They feed us on the flesh of our brothers. You must save us, princess!
I allowed my fire power to blaze into the Qilin’s side and it shuddered at the warmth. I sent a silent message.Iwillsave you. Watch for me and prepare your herd.
I will watch for you, fire princess.
“The morning comet approaches, my queen. You must rest so that you may be victorious in your battle.”
“Very well. Let’s return to the camp.”
The demon escorted me to my tent and tried to follow me in. I put my hands on his broad chest and stopped him. “The time for such things is not yet. First, I must defeat your queen.”
He growled in frustration. “I will leave you alone for now, so that you may prepare, but I will not be set aside so easily in the future.”
