Page 81 of Tiger's Destiny
“Your power doesn’t concern me. Ren and Kishan haveearnedmy respect. They’re better men than the two of you could ever be. I will never belong to either of you.”
The twin Lords thrust me away, and I fell back onto some pillows.
Shala shouted, “Bring the mirror! Now!”
Servants bustled in with the newly restored mirror. Each man took one of my arms and dragged me to face the looking glass.
Wyea ordered, “Look inside and tell me what you see.”
Having had just about enough, I smiled at my reflection, lifted my palm, and blasted the mirror. Sharp pieces of glass shot into every direction. I ducked but was still cut in several places. Nothing serious, but I sucked in a breath at the sting. The Lords dropped my hands and took a step back.
On the other side of the glass, Ren attacked the departing servant and pushed him through the wall face-first. The glass melted in front of him, allowing Ren and Kishan to tumble in after. They threw themselves between me and the Lords of the Flame.
Pulling the golden sword from his belt, Kishan whipped it to the side and when he brought it back in front of him, it was full length. With a twist, the sword separated, and he tossed one to Ren.
Kishan brandished his sword and asked, “Why don’t you two try bullying someone a little more your own size?”
The twin brothers eyed Kishan . . . and laughed.
“How entertaining,” Wyea remarked. “They wish to battle for their woman.”
“Perhaps we should indulge them,” the other said. “They remind me of what we were like many, many lifetimes ago.”
They sized up Ren and Kishan and seemed to come to a decision.
Shala clapped his hands. A servant appeared, and Shala issued instructions. “Have the battlefield prepared and bring our weapons.”
The servant hurried away, and a trumpet was sounded outside.
“We’ll allow you some time to prepare yourselves,” Wyea offered. He snapped his fingers and fire leapt around us.
“Wait! Listen!” I called out. “What we really came for is the—”
It was too late. The fire encompassed us, and I felt a rush of nausea and dizziness.
When the flames diminished, we were standing on a flat, rocky terrain high above the valley. It would be difficult if not impossible to get down. The temple twinkled beckoningly below. Across the valley expanse lay the black mountain.
Briefly exploring our new locale, I discovered the stones underfoot were black and crumbled to dust when stepped on.
“We’re on some kind of plateau on the edge of a mountaintop. The only way off is to leap across that chasm to the mountain or go down the cliff’s sheer face. It looks pretty far,” Kishan reported.
We were discussing using the Divine Scarf to make a rope bridge when the ground shook. Two pillars of fire rose from the temple far below and twisted in the air. They wove back and forth like burning tornados, then touched down on the black soil where we stood. Circling flames diminished until they disappeared altogether.
Standing before us were the Lords of the Flame. Shala’s long white hair was now a glossy black with deep red highlights, and it hung loose. He wore crimson armor and a coat of mail similar to the scales of the red dragon, Lóngjn. The devilish color seemed to suit his mood. Shala pursed his lips and twirled his weapon, a wicked double-bladed staff, menacingly. A pair of barbed whips hung from his belt as well. His eyes burned as he watched us.
Wyea’s long hair was dark as well, but it was tied back at the nape of his neck. His copper-colored cape billowed in the breeze as he strode toward us. He carried a long spear, and I couldn’t help but notice the glint of weapons attached to his belt. Wyea’s armor was black and copper and a fierce lion was carved onto his breastplate.
The Lords of the Flame bowed to me, Ren, and Kishan and held out their weapons.
“What is this?” Kishan asked cautiously.
“It is our custom to present our weapons to our opponents before we engage in battle,” Wyea explained.
I didn’t even have time to protest before Ren and Kishan took the offered weapons and bowed back, offering their golden swords, thechakram, and the trident for inspection.
I hissed, “Don’t trust them!” but my disapproval fell onto deaf ears.
Ren and Kishan bent their heads together, examining the weapons while the Lords of the Flame barely glanced at Durga’s gleaming arsenal. Instead, they spent their time inspecting me in a very disconcerting way. To get away from Wyea’s stripping-me-with-his-eyes and Shala’s wonder-what-you’d-be-like-as-my-concubine gazes, I moved behind Ren.
