Page 77 of Tiger's Destiny
“To hope!” the crowd shouted, and then everyone sipped the golden drink.
Kishan took a glass and tasted it. “It’s good,” he assured us quietly. “Kind of like a cross between firefruit and apples.”
“Do you feel it, brother? She is coming,” one of the Lords said as the pair descended into the crowd.
Guards flanked the men as they walked among the Bodha along the black sand beach. Approaching the fiery lava lake, they stepped to the edge and watched the surface intently.
I winced seeing how close their toes came to burning off and had a flashback of my own body burning and the agony I felt. I grasped Ren’s arm. He looked at me with concern but I took a deep breath and whispered, “Come on. Let’s move closer.”
We found an unobstructed view. It wasn’t long before I noticed some bubbles rising to the surface and then a ripple. The ripple grew larger, and the crowd pointed excitedly as a young girl emerged from the lava. I gasped. She was shivering and clearly afraid. As she strode toward the shore, she wiped the lava from her arms, and I saw that her skin was bright red.
The Lords strode into the lava river to greet her, totally unaffected by the heat and flame. One wrapped a beautiful robe around the girl and the other placed a circlet of fire flowers onto her hair. Gently, they guided her to the black sand.
One of the brothers spoke: “Welcome to the City of Light, little one. Here we will take care of you. Your every need will be attended to. Come with us.”
As the two men led her to the temple, the Bodha cheered and threw flowers at her feet. When she reached the edifice, she flashed a tiny smile before disappearing inside with the brothers. The guards moved back to their original positions on the staircase.
As soon as the ceremony was over, the celebration began in earnest. Music started up again, food was brought out, and the crowd reveled near the temple. We mingled as best we could and discovered the food to be delicious but spicy. I happily learned that the drink they passed around diminished the fire on my tongue.
Ren, Kishan, and I eavesdropped some more and learned that the party would continue for most of night. The Bodha hoped the Lords would reappear with the happy news that this girl was the one they’d been waiting for. I couldn’t help but empathize with her and found the entire situation a little familiar.
To our left, a group of people began to chant, “Tell us the tale!”
I wanted to listen and figure out what was going on, so I edged in closer. My silent protectors Kishan and Ren vigilantly took up spots next to me and watched the crowd.
After fending off the repeated shouts, an elderly man eventually held up his hands and spoke. “Above us are the smoking mountains— doorways from the world above to our world here below.”
The people murmured and nodded their heads.
“The Ancients knew our people suffered, that we could no longer care for the sacred flame on our own. This is when the Lords of the Flame, Shala and Wyea, came to govern us.”
A young girl added, “But they left someone behind.”
“That’s correct, Dormida. The beautiful girl, Lawala, did not come with them. Lawala was loved by both brothers, and she was to choose between them. Before each Lord departed through a different smoking mountain, she was asked to choose and follow the brother she wanted. They waited for her to come but she never came. Distraught, Shala and Wyea left their posts and sought her in the world above, but the lovely Lawala was not to be found.
“Soon it became apparent that the brothers were neglecting their duties so the Ancients promised that if the Lords would return to our world to tend the eternal flames at the center of creation, they would seek Lawala themselves and send her to the two brothers through the smoking mountains.”
Fascinated, I asked a question. “Why don’t the brothers recognize her when they see her?”
The man smiled at me. “The Ancients only know to look for a young and virtuous girl. She may have been reborn into another form, but the brothers insist they will know her regardless of what form she takes.”
“What happens to the girl if she is not the one they seek?” I asked.
“She becomes one of us and adds to our numbers.” The old man looked up at the dark night. “Tonight the smoking mountains will be still, for the brothers are content, but if this girl is not their lady, their anger will shake the sky and the lake of fire will explode into the world above.”
I grabbed Ren’s hand and motioned to Kishan that we should go. We made our way to the fire forest and set up camp.
After a brief discussion about what we’d seen, I proposed, “I think he was talking about volcanoes. When the brothers are upset, a volcano erupts aboveground . . . and I also think the girls get here by being sacrificed to a volcano god.”
“Why do you think that?” Ren asked.
“Because the man said they sought young, virtuous women and in myths, books, and movies, virgins are sacrificed to volcanoes. Also each Lord traveled here through a smoking mountain. It makes sense. Somehow, instead of burning up, the girls emerge safely in the lava pool near the temple.”
Kishan replied, “It’s a plausible explanation. Tell me what Durga’s prophecy says about the Lords of the Flame.”
I leafed through a notebook until I found what I was looking for. “Mr. Kadam’s translation says, ‘The Lords of the Fire intend to conspire to keep you from what you need.’ And don’t forget the Phoenix said we’d need to defeat them to get the Rope of Fire.”
“So it doesn’t sound like they’re going to be very cooperative,” Ren murmured.
