12
Durga’s Prophecy
I got up slowly, dusted off my arms, and found my flashlight. I felt Ren’s hand grasp my shoulder as he spun me around and looked me over.
‘Kelsey, are you alright? Did you get hurt?’
‘No. I’m fine. So, are we done here? The Cave of Kanheri was fun and all, but I’d like to go home now.’
‘Yes,’ Ren agreed. ‘Let’s head back to the car. Stay very close to me. Animals that were sleeping when we came into the jungle are awake and hunting now. We must be careful.’ He squeezed my shoulder, morphed into tiger form again, and headed into the trees.
It appeared that we were on the far side of the cave, maybe a half mile behind it at the bottom of a steep hill. Ren led me around the hill to the stone steps where we had started so many hours ago.
I was actually happier walking through the jungle at night because I couldn’t see all of the scary creatures that I was sure were watching us, but after about an hour and a half, I didn’t even care if animals were watching me or not. I was so tired. I could barely keep my eyes open and my feet moving.
Yawning for about the hundredth time, I asked Ren again, ‘Are we there yet?’
He rumbled softly in a response, and then suddenly stopped, lowered his head, and peered into the darkness.
With eyes fixed on the jungle, Ren turned into a man and whispered, ‘We’re being hunted. When I say run, go that way and don’t look back . . . run!’
He pointed to my left and dashed into the dark jungle as a tiger. I soon heard an impressive, menacing roar shake the trees. Rousing my tired body, I began to sprint. I had no idea where I was or where I was going, but I tried to keep myself going in the direction he’d pointed. I moved quickly through the jungle for about fifteen minutes before slowing down. Breathing heavily, I stopped and listened to the sounds in the dark.
I heard cats, big cats, fighting. They were about a mile off, but they were loud. Other animals were quiet. They must have been listening to the fight too.
Heavy growls and roars echoed through the jungle. It sounded like more than two animals, and I started worrying about Ren. I walked for another fifteen minutes and listened carefully, trying to pick out Ren’s sound from the other animals. All of a sudden, it became deathly quiet.
Did he drive them off? Is he safe? Should I go back and try to help him?
Bats fluttered overhead in the moonlight as I quickly backtracked my steps. I’d gone about a quarter mile in what I hoped was the right direction when I heard a popping, rustling noise in the bushes and saw a pair of yellow eyes stare at me from the darkness.
‘Ren? Is that you?’
A shape emerged from the bushes and crouched down, watching me.
It wasn’t Ren.
A black panther was staring at me boldly, assessing my ability to fight back. I didn’t move. I was sure that if I had, he would have sprung immediately. I stood up as tall as I could and tried to look too big to eat.
We watched each other for another minute. Then, the panther sprung. One moment he was crouching, tail flicking back and forth, and the next he was quickly accelerating toward my face.
The panther’s sharp claws were extended and glistened in the moonlight. Transfixed, I stood and watched the snarling cat’s claws and gaping maw full of teeth draw closer to my face and neck. I screamed, drew my hands up to protect my head, and waited for claws and teeth to rip my throat out.
I heard a roar and felt a rush of air brush past my face and then . . . nothing. I cracked open my eyes and spun around looking for the panther.
What happened? How could he have missed me?
A flash of white and black rolled through the trees. It was Ren! He’d attacked the panther in mid-flight and pushed him out of my path. The panther growled at Ren and circled him for a moment, but Ren roared back and batted the panther across the face. The panther, not wanting to face a cat more than twice his size, growled again and ran off quickly into the jungle.
Ren’s white-and-black shadowy form hobbled through the trees to me. There were bloody scratches all over his back, and his right paw was hurt, maybe broken, causing him to walk with a limp. For just a moment, he turned into a man and fell at my feet, panting. He reached for my hand.
‘Are you hurt?’ he asked.
I crouched down next to him and hugged his neck tightly, relieved we had both survived.
‘I’m fine. Thank you for saving me. I’m so glad you’re safe. Will you be able to walk?’
Ren nodded, gave me a weak smile, and returned to his white tiger form. With a lick of his paw, he snuffed and started walking.
‘Okay. Then let’s go. I’m right behind you.’
Another hour of walking and we were back to the Jeep. Too tired to do anything else, we drank about a gallon of water each, folded the back seat down, and climbed in. I fell into a deep sleep with my arm draped over Ren.
The sun rose too quickly and the car started to get hot. I woke up drenched in sweat. My entire body was sore and filthy. Ren was exhausted too, and still drowsy, but his scratches didn’t look bad. In fact, they were surprisingly almost healed. My tongue was thick and fuzzy, and I had a terrible headache.
I groaned as I sat up. ‘Ugh, I feel terrible, and I didn’t even have to fight panthers. A shower and a soft bed are calling my name. Let’s go home.’
Reaching into the backpack, I checked each of the cameras and the charcoal rubbings and secured them before I pulled the Jeep out into the morning traffic.
Upon our arrival, Mr. Kadam rushed out the door and began peppering me with questions. I handed him the backpack and walked zombie-like toward the house, mumbling, ‘Shower. Sleep.’
I made my way up the stairs, peeled off my dirty clothes, and stepped into the shower. I almost fell asleep standing under the tepid water as it pounded my back, massaged my aches and pains, and washed away all the dried sweat and mud. Rousing myself to rinse my hair, I somehow managed to get out and blot myself dry. I slipped on my pajamas and fell into bed.
About twelve hours later, I woke up to a covered tray of food and realized I was starving. Mr. Kadam had outdone himself. A stack of fluffy crepes sat next to a plate of sliced bananas, strawberries, and blueberries. Strawberry syrup, a bowl of yogurt, and a mug of hot chocolate accompanied it. I pounced on my midnight snack. I ate every delicious crepe and then took my cocoa onto the balcony. I made a mental note to thank Mr. Kadam for being so wonderful.
It was the middle of the night and cool outside, so I snuggled into a cozy deck chair, wrapped my quilt around me, and sipped the hot chocolate. A breeze blew my hair into my face and when I reached up to push it aside, I realized with dismay that I had been so tired, I’d forgotten to comb it out after my shower. After finding my brush, I headed back to my comfy chair.
Brushing through my hair was usually bad enough after a shower. Letting it dry without brushing it was a terrible mistake. It was full of painful tangles, and I hadn’t made much progress when the door at the end of the veranda opened and Ren walked out. I squeaked in alarm and hid behind my hair. Perfect, Kells.
He was still barefoot, but had on khaki pants and a sky-blue button-down shirt that matched his eyes. The effect was magnetic, and here I was in flannel pajamas with giant tumbleweed hair.
He sat across from me and said, ‘Good evening, Kelsey. Did you sleep well?’
‘Uh, yes. Did you?’
He grinned a dazzling white smile and nodded his head slightly. ‘Are you having trouble?’ he asked and watched my detangling progress with an amused expression.
‘Nope. I’ve got it all under control.’
I wanted to divert his attention away from my hair, so I said, ‘How’s your back and your, um, arm, I guess it would be?’
He smiled. ‘They’re completely fine. Thank you for asking.’
‘Ren, why aren’t you wearing white? That’s all I’ve ever seen you wear. Is it because your white shirt was torn?’
He responded, ‘No, I just wanted to wear something different. Actually, when I change to a tiger and back, my white clothes reappear. If I changed to a tiger now and then switched back to a man again, my current clothes would be replaced with my old white ones.’
‘Would they still be torn and bloody?’
‘No. When I reappear, they’re clean and whole again.’
‘Hah. Lucky for you. It would be pretty awkward if you ended up naked every time you changed.’
I bit my tongue as soon as the words came out and blushed a brilliant shade of red. Nice, Kells. Way to go. I covered up my verbal blunder by tugging my hair in front of my face and yanking through the tangles.
He grinned. ‘Yes. Lucky for me.’
I tugged the brush through my hair and winced. ‘That brings up another question.’
Ren rose and took the brush out of my hand.
‘What . . . what are you doing?’ I stammered.
‘Relax. You’re too edgy.’
He had no idea.
Moving behind me, Ren picked up a section of my hair and started gently brushing through it. I was nervous at first, but his hands in my hair were so warm and soothing that I soon relaxed in the chair, closed my eyes, and leaned my head back.
After a minute of brushing, he pulled a lock away from my neck, leaned down by my ear, and whispered, ‘What was it you wanted to ask me?’
I jumped.
‘Umm . . . what?’ I mumbled disconcerted.
‘You wanted to ask me a question.’
‘Oh, right. It was, uh – that feels nice.’
Did I say that out loud?
Ren laughed softly. ‘That’s not a question.’
Apparently, I did.
‘Was it something about me changing into a tiger?’
‘Oh, yes. I remember now. You can change back and forth several times per day, right? Is there a limit?’
‘No. There’s no limit as long as I don’t change for more than a total of twenty-four minutes in a twenty-four-hour day.’ He moved on to another section of hair. ‘Do you have any more questions, sundari?’
‘Yes . . . about the maze. You were following a scent, but all I could smell was a nasty sulfur. Was that what you were following?’
‘No. I was actually following a lotus flower scent. It’s Durga’s favorite flower, the same flower that’s on the Seal. I figured that was the right way to go.’
Ren finished with my hair, set the brush down, and then began lightly massaging my shoulders. I tensed again, but his hands were so warm and the massage felt so good, I sat back in my seat and started to slowly melt into a puddle.
From a place of utter tranquility, I slurred thickly, saying, ‘A lotus scent? How could you smell that with all the other noxious odors in there?’
He touched my nose with the tip of his finger. ‘It’s my tiger nose. I can smell lots of things people can’t.’ He squeezed my shoulders one last time and said, ‘Come on, Kelsey. Get dressed. We have work to do.’
Ren circled around to the front of the chair and offered me his hand. I put mine in his and felt tingly, electric sparks shoot down my arm. He grinned and kissed my fingers.
Shocked, I asked, ‘Did you feel that too?’
The Indian prince winked at me. ‘Definitely.’
Something about the way he said ‘definitely’ made me wonder if we were talking about the same thing.
After I got dressed, I went downstairs to the peacock room, and found Mr. Kadam hunched over a large table stacked with various tomes. Ren, the tiger, was perched beside him on an ottoman.
I dragged another chair over to the table and shoved aside a large stack of books so I could see what Mr. Kadam was working on.
Mr. Kadam rubbed his tired, red eyes.
‘Have you been working on this since we got home, Mr. Kadam?’
‘Yes. This is fascinating! I’ve already translated the writing on the paper rubbing that you did, and I am now working on the pictures you took of the monolith.’ He handed me his notes.
‘Wow, you’ve been very busy!’ I commented admiringly. ‘What do you think “four gifts” and “five sacrifices” means?’
‘I am not completely sure,’ Mr. Kadam replied. ‘But, I think it might mean that your quest isn’t over just yet. There may be more tasks that you and Ren need to complete before the spell can be broken. For example, I have finished translating one side of the monolith, and it indicates that you need to go somewhere else to obtain an object, a gift, that you’ll give to Durga. You will need to find four gifts. My guess is that there’s a different gift mentioned on each wall. I’m afraid you’re only at the first step of this journey.’
‘Okay, so what does the first wall say?’
Mr. Kadam pushed a piece of paper toward me.
For protection, seek her temple
And take hold of Durga’s blessing.
Travel west and search Kishkindha
Where simians rule the ground.
Gada strike in Hanuman’s realm;
And hunt the branch that’s bound.
Thorny dangers grasp above;
Dazzling dangers lie below,
Strangle, ensnare, the ones you love –
And trap in brackish undertow.
Lurid phantoms thwart your route
And guardians wait to bar your way.
Beware once they begin pursuit
Or embrace their moldering decay.
But all of this you can refute
If serpents find forbidden fruit
And India’s hunger satisfy . . .
Lest all her people surely die.
‘Mr. Kadam, what’s Hanuman’s realm?’
‘I’ve been researching that,’ he replied. ‘Hanuman is the monkey god. His realm is said to be Kishkindha, or the Monkey Kingdom. There is great debate as to where Kishkindha was located, but the current thought is that the ruins of Hampi are most likely to be on, or near, ancient Kishkindha.’
From the stack on the table, I pulled out a book that had detailed maps, found Hampi in the index, and thumbed through the pages. It was located in the bottom half of India in the southwestern region.
‘Does that mean we have to go to kishkindha, deal with a monkey god, and find a branch of some sort?’
Mr. Kadam answered, ‘I believe what you will be seeking is actually the forbidden fruit.’
‘As in Adam and Eve? Is that the forbidden fruit you’re talking about?’
Mr. Kadam considered, ‘I don’t think so. Fruit is a common enough mythological prize, symbolic of life. People need to eat, and we depend upon the fruits of the ground for sustenance. Often, different cultures of the earth celebrate fruit or the harvest in a variety of ways.’
‘Yes!’ I responded. ‘Americans celebrate the harvest at Thanksgiving and display a cornucopia. Are there any stories in India regarding famous fruits?’
‘I’m not sure, Miss Kelsey. The pomegranate is important to many Indian cultures, as well as to the Persians and Romans. I’ll have to look more into that, but offhand, there’s nothing else I can think of.’
Mr. Kadam smiled and put his nose back into his translations.
Picking up a few books on Indian culture and history, I made my way over to a cozy chair and sat down with a lap-pillow to read. Ren hopped off the stool and curled up at my feet, actually, on top of my feet, keeping them toasty while Mr. Kadam continued to research at his desk.
I felt like I was back in my parents’ library again. It felt natural to sit relaxing with these two, even though they were affected by unnatural elements. I reached down to scratch Ren behind his ear. He purred contentedly but didn’t open his eyes. Then I shot a smile over at Mr. Kadam, even though he didn’t see it. I felt happy and complete, as if I belonged. Setting aside my musings, I found a chapter about Hanuman and began to read.
‘He is a Hindu god, who is the personification of devotion and great physical strength. He served his lord Rama by going to Lanka to find Rama’s wife Sita.’
Phew . . . too many names.
‘He found that she had been captured by the Lanka king named Ravana. There was a great battle between Rama and Ravana, and, during that time, Rama’s brother fell ill. Hanuman went to the Himalayan Mountains to seek an herb to help heal Rama’s brother, but he couldn’t identify the herb, so, instead, he brought back the entire mountain.’
I wonder how he moved the mountain exactly. I hope we don’t have to do that.
‘Hanuman was made immortal and invincible. He is half-human and half-ape and is faster, quicker, and mightier than all other apes. The son of a wind god, Hanuman is still worshiped today by many Hindus who sing his hymns and celebrate his birth every year.’
‘Strong ape-man, mountain moving, and singing. Got it,’ I mumbled sleepily.
It was still the middle of the night, and I was feeling warm and tired despite my long rest earlier. I set my book down and, with Ren still curled at my toes, dozed for a while.
I left Mr. Kadam alone most of the next day, encouraging him to get some sleep. He’d stayed up all night, so I tried to move through the house quietly.
Later that afternoon, he visited me on the terrace. He smiled as we sat down.
‘Miss Kelsey, how are you faring? These burdens you’re facing must weigh very heavily on you, especially now that we know we have more journeys to take.’
‘I’m okay, really. What’s a little bug juice between friends?’
He smiled, but then his expression became serious again. ‘If you ever feel pushed too far . . . I just . . . don’t want to endanger you. You have become very important to me.’
‘It’s alright, Mr. Kadam. Don’t worry. This is what I was born to do, right? Besides, Ren needs my help. If I don’t help him, he’ll be stuck as a tiger forever.’
Mr. Kadam smiled and patted my hand. ‘You’re a very brave and courageous young lady. A finer lady I haven’t met in a long, long time. I hope Ren sees how lucky he is.’
I blushed and looked out at the pool.
He continued, ‘From what I have gathered so far, we need to go to Hampi next. That distance is entirely too far for the two of you to go alone. I will accompany you on the journey. We’ll leave at first light tomorrow. I want you to rest as much as you can today. You still have a few hours of daylight left. You should relax. Perhaps take a swim. Do something for yourself.’
After Mr. Kadam left, I thought about what he’d said. A swim would be relaxing.
Changing into a swimsuit, I slathered sunscreen over me as best I could and dove into the cool water.
I swam several laps and then flipped over on my back and looked up at the palm trees. They towered over the pool, and I lazily floated in and out of their shade. The sun had dipped down to tree level, but the air was still warm and pleasant. I heard a noise from the side of the pool and saw Ren lying at the edge watching me swim.
I ducked under the surface, swam up close to where he was, and then popped out of the water.
‘Hey, Ren.’ I splashed him and laughed.
The white tiger just harrumphed at me, blowing out some air.
‘Come on. Don’t want to play, huh? Okay, suit yourself.’
I swam several more laps and finally decided I’d better go in because my fingers had turned into wrinkled prunes. Wrapping a towel around my body and hair, I made my way up the steps to shower. I emerged from the bathroom to see Ren lying on the rug. There was a silvery blue rose on my pillow.
‘Is this for me?’
Ren made a tiger noise that seemed to mean yes.
Crushing the flower to my nose, I inhaled the sweet fragrance deeply and flipped over on my stomach to look at the tiger at the side of my bed.
‘Thank you, Ren. It’s beautiful!’ I kissed him on the top of his furry head, scratched him behind the ears, and laughed as he leaned into the scratch. ‘Would you like me to read you some more Romeo and Juliet?’
He lifted a paw and placed it on my leg.
‘I guess that means yes. Okay, let’s see. Where were we? Ah, Act II, Scene III. Enter Friar Lawrence and then Romeo.’
We had just finished the scene when Romeo kills Tybalt when Ren interrupted.
‘Romeo was a fool,’ Ren said, suddenly back in human form. ‘His big mistake was not announcing the marriage. He should have told both families. Keeping the marriage a secret will ruin Romeo. Secrets like that can be the downfall of any man. They’re often more destructive than the sword.’
Ren sat there quietly, wrapped in his own thoughts.
I asked softly, ‘Should I continue?’
He shook off his momentary melancholy and smiled. ‘Please.’
I repositioned myself to sit up against the headboard and pulled a pillow on my lap. He changed back into a tiger and leapt up onto the foot of the bed. He stretched out on his side at the bottom of the huge mattress.
I started reading again. Every time I read something Ren didn’t like, he flicked his tail in annoyance.
‘Quit twitching, Ren! You’re tickling my toes!’
That statement only inspired him to do it more. When I got to the end of the play, I closed the book and peeked at Ren to see if he was still awake. He was, and he’d changed back to a man again. He was still lying on his side at the foot of the bed with his head propped up on his arm.
I asked, ‘What did you think? Were you surprised at the ending?’
Ren considered his answer. ‘Yes and no. Romeo made some bad decisions throughout the entire play. He was more worried about himself than his wife. He didn’t deserve her.’
‘Does the ending bother you that much? Most people focus on the romance of it, the tragedy that they could never be together. I’m sorry if you didn’t like it.’
Ren’s thoughtful faced brightened. ‘On the contrary, I quite enjoyed it. I haven’t had someone to talk with about plays or poetry in . . . well, since my parents died. I used to write poetry myself, in fact.’
I admitted softly, ‘Me too. I miss having someone to talk with.’
Ren’s handsome face lit up in a warm smile, and I suddenly became preoccupied with a string on my sleeve. He hopped off the bed, picked up my hand, and bowed deeply.
‘Perhaps I will read some of my poetry to you next time.’
He flipped my hand over and pressed a soft, lingering kiss on my palm. His eyes twinkled with mischief. ‘I leave you with a holy palmer’s kiss. Goodnight, Kelsey.’
Ren quietly closed the door behind him, and I tugged the covers up to my chin. My palm still tingled where he’d kissed it. I smelled my rose again, smiled, and tucked it into the arrangement on my dresser.
Wiggling under my covers, I sighed dreamily and fell asleep.