Page 20 of Tiger's Trek
“Wait a minute,” Veru said quickly. “You’re not coming with us?”
“Not at all. This is your journey. Not mine.”
“But what about the others? Iriko? Stacia? Nik? Zakhar?”
“You’ll run across them eventually. The various paths all lead to the same place. Now then, I believe I have cheese, honeycomb, porridge, bread, some stoppered bottles with which you can draw and store water, some blankets, and a bit of soap. I’ve placed the knife you seem to like so much in this pocket.”
“Do you have a change of clothing in there?”
“Not as such, no. Your White Shaman didn’t seem to believe you’d need that.”
“Wonderful. Would you thank him for me?”
“Yes... well, sorry about that. He was rather insistent and gleeful regarding your attire. I’m afraid I couldn’t talk him out of it. Nor could I convince him to provide either of you with a decent weapon other than the small knife. Very confusing. There is a fire starter, though, so you should be warm enough.”
“Look, just give us the supplies and be on your way, then. I’m sure you did all you could. Tell him we think you’re an excellent guide. We couldn’t have asked for better,” Veru said, turning away from Kadam as if in dismissal.
“Now, see here, young lady. I understand you’re used to ordering others around—and I’d be a bit touchy myself, were I in your place—but vinegar never caught flies.”
Veru frowned. “Why would I want to catch flies?”
“Don’t they use that expression here?” Kadam asked. “Well, regardless, I will be monitoring your progress. Try to remember this is for your own good. You are to learn and be tested. Should you do well, I believe you will acquire various gifts.”
“Did this happen with your tigers?”
“Actually, yes. Miss Kelsey was given weapons by the goddess Durga, and she won prizes—the Golden Mango, the Divine Scarf, and so forth.”
“A scarf? What kind of a prize is that?”
“I’ll have you know that scarf saved our lives many times over. When we wrapped it around ourselves, it changed our appearance. We could look like anyone. When she was chased from the world tree and fell, it carried her to safety.”
Veru’s mouth fell open. “Tell me more about these weapons given by the goddess,” she demanded.
Kadam waved a hand. “I’ve already said too much about my world and my tigers. None of this applies to you anyway. Your tasks will be very different. Your gifts unique. Your challenges your own.”
Rising, he handed Danik one knapsack and placed the recently cleaned pot in the top, then fastened it and tossed a second one to Veru.
“Just remember,” Kadam said, parting a bush and indicating they should begin on the path near the stream, then placing his hands on each of their shoulders, “the strongest weapons you have will always be your minds and your friends. Learn to trust them.”
The pair stepped through, and the bush snapped back to shape behind them. Veru turned and parted it again, saying, “But what about...?”
When she looked past the greenery, she saw nothing there. The little camp where they’d been sitting a moment before had vanished. The fallen logs, campfire, collected firewood, and even their boot prints were missing. “Kadam?” she said.
The only reply was the wind rustling the leaves. A slight shiver went through her. Taking his hand, Veru said, “Come on, Danik. I guess we’re on our own now.”
Chapter6
BROTHERHOOD IS THE BEST TREASURE
“Let me make sure I’ve got all this down,” Zakhar said. “You want us to head out into this wilderness on our own, and you say that at some point we’ll run into Nik, Danik, and Veru?”
“That’s right,” the White Shaman answered.
“And we’re supposed to find, what, exactly?” Stacia asked.
“It will be different for each of you. But, like I said, you’ll know it when you find it.”
“Because it will speak to us... magically,” Zakhar read from his notes.
