21
Kishkindha
We moved past the giant needle tree’s reach and stared at the city. It was actually more the size of a medieval castle than a city. The river ran down to its wall and split into two directions, circling it like a moat. The walls were built of light gray stone tinged with blue flecks of mica, giving it a sparkling smoky periwinkle color.
‘We’re losing our light, Kelsey. And it’s been a hard day. Why don’t we set up camp here, get some sleep, and enter the city tomorrow.’
‘Sounds good to me, I’m beat.’
Ren went off to collect some wood and came back, muttering, ‘Even the old dead branches can scratch you.’
He threw several branches into the stone ring I’d created and started a fire. I tossed him a bottle of water. Pulling out the little pot, he filled it with water and left it to boil.
He went off in search of more firewood while I bustled about setting up camp, which went rather quickly because I didn’t have the tent this time. All I could do was clear the space of rocks and branches.
After the water was hot, I poured some into both of our dinner packets and waited for the freeze-dried food to rehydrate and become edible. He soon returned, grumbling about the wood, and sat down next to me. I handed him a dinner, and he stirred it quietly.
Between bites of hot pasta, I asked, ‘Ren, do you think those Kappa things will come after us during the night?’
‘I don’t think so. They’ve stayed in the water this whole time and, if the story is accurate, they’re also afraid of fire. I’ll just make sure to keep the fire going all night.’
‘Well, maybe we should stand watch. Just in case.’
The corner of his mouth quirked up as he took another bite of his dinner. ‘Okay, who gets the first watch?’
‘I do.’
His eyes twinkled with mirth. ‘Ah, a brave volunteer?’
I glared at him and took another bite. ‘Are you making fun of me?’
He threw a hand over his heart, ‘No, ma’am! I already know you’re brave. You have nothing to prove to me.’
Ren finished his meal, and then hunkered down by the woodpile and threw more of the strange branches on. The fire was bright. The flames licking the wood started burning with a greenish hue at first, then sputtered and crackled like fireworks. The flame changed to a bright reddish-orange tinged with green around the burning kindling.
I set down my finished dinner packet and stared into the weird flames. He sat down beside me again and picked up my hand.
‘Kells, I appreciate you volunteering to stand watch, but I want you to rest. This journey is harder on you than it is on me.’
‘You’re the one getting all scratched up. I just follow along behind.’
‘Yes, but I heal fast. Besides, I really don’t think there’s anything to worry about. Tell you what, I’ll take the first watch, and if nothing happens, we’ll both sleep. Agreed?’
I frowned at him. He started playing with my fingers and turned my hand over so he could trace the lines of my palm. Firelight flickered across his handsome features. My eyes drifted to his lips.
‘Kelsey?’ He made eye contact, and I quickly looked away.
I wasn’t used to dealing with him when camping like this. I usually got to make all my own decisions, and he just followed me around. Er, or I guess I followed him most places. But, at least when he was a tiger he didn’t argue back. Or distract me with thoughts of being wrapped in his arms kissing him.
He smiled an amazingly white smile and stroked the inside of my arm. ‘Your skin here is so soft.’
He leaned over to nuzzle my ear. My blood started pounding thickly and fogged my brain. ‘Kells, tell me you agree with my plan.’
I shook myself free from the spellbinding fog and set my jaw stubbornly. ‘Fine, you win. I agree,’ I mumbled. ‘Even though you are coercing me.’
He laughed and moved to look at me. ‘And how exactly am I coercing you?’
‘Well, first of all, you can’t expect me to have coherent thoughts when you’re touching me. Second, you always know how to get your way with me.’
‘Is that right?’
‘Sure. All you have to do is bat your eyes, or in your case smile and ask nicely, throw in a distracting touch, and then, before I know it, you get whatever it is you want.’
‘Really?’ he teased quietly. ‘I had no idea I had that effect on you.’
Reaching out a hand, he turned my face toward him. He trailed his fingers lightly from my jaw, down to the pulse at my throat, and then across my neckline. My pulse hammered as he touched the cord tied around my neck and followed its path down to the amulet; then he skimmed his fingers lightly back up to my neck, studying my face as he touched me. I swallowed thickly.
He leaned in close and threatened playfully, ‘I’ll have to use it more to my advantage in the future.’
I sucked in a breath, my skin tingled, and I quivered slightly, which seemed to make him even more pleased with himself. He went off to walk the perimeter of our camp one last time while I drew my knees up to my chin, wrapped my arms around them, and let my mind drift.
My throat tingled where Ren had touched me. I lifted my hand to the hollow at the base of my neck and fingered the amulet. Briefly, I thought about Kishan and how formidable he appeared to be on the surface. Inside, he was as harmless as a kitten. The dangerous one was Ren. Innocent though the white tiger appeared to be, he was a compelling predator. Utterly irresistible – like a Venus flytrap. So alluring, so tempting, so deadly. Everything he did was seductive and quite possibly hazardous to my heart.
He seemed much more intimidating to me than Kishan with his flirty and blatant comments. Both brothers were gorgeous and charming. They had old-fashioned chivalrous manners that any girl would swoon over. But the way they talked, the things they said were straightforward. It wasn’t just a game to them. It wasn’t just a way to pick up women. They were serious.
Kishan was equal to Ren in many ways. In that regard, I could understand Yesubai’s choice, but what made Ren 100 per cent more dangerous for me was that I had feelings for him – strong ones. I already loved the tiger part of him before I even knew he was a man. That bond made caring for the man that much easier.
But being with the man was so much more complicated than being with the tiger. I had to constantly remind myself that they were two sides of the same coin – literally heads and tails. There were so many reasons I should let myself fall completely for Ren. There was a definite connection between us. I was undeniably attracted to him. We had a lot in common. I enjoyed my time with him. I liked talking to him and listening to his voice. And, I felt like I could tell him anything.
But, there were also many reasons for me to be cautious. Our relationship felt so complex. Everything had happened so fast. I felt overwhelmed by him. We were from different cultures. Different countries. Different centuries. Until now, we were even from different species for most of each day.
Falling for him would be like cliff diving. It would be either the most exhilarating thing that ever happened to me or the stupidest mistake I’d ever make. It would make my life worth living or it would crush me against stony rocks and break me utterly. Perhaps the wise thing to do would be to slow things down. Being friends would be so much simpler.
Ren came back, picked up my empty dinner packet, and stowed it in the backpack. Sitting down across from me, he asked, ‘What are you thinking about?’
I kept staring glassily at the fire. ‘Nothing much.’
He tilted his head and considered me for a moment. He didn’t press me, for which I was grateful – another characteristic I could add to the pro relationship side of my mental list.
Pressing his hands together palm to palm, he rubbed them slowly, mechanically, as if cleaning them of dust. I watched them move, mesmerized.
‘I’ll take the first watch, even though I really don’t think it’ll be necessary. I still have my tiger senses, you know. I’ll be able to hear or smell the Kappa if they decide to emerge from the water.’
‘Fine.’
‘Are you alright?’
I mentally shook myself. Sheesh! I needed a cold shower! He was like a drug, and what did you do with drugs? You pushed them as far away as possible.
‘I’m fine,’ I said brusquely, then got up to dig through the backpack. ‘You let me know when your spidey-senses start to tingle.’
‘What?’
I put my hand on my hip. ‘Can you also leap tall buildings in a single bound?’
‘Well, I still have my tiger strength, if that’s what you mean.’
I grunted, ‘Fabulous. I’ll add superhero to your list of pros.’
He frowned. ‘I’m no superhero, Kells. The most important consideration right now is that you get some rest. I’ll keep an eye out for a few hours. Then, if nothing happens,’ he said with a grin, ‘I’ll join you.’
I froze and suddenly became very nervous. Surely, he didn’t mean what that sounded like. I searched his face for a clue, but he didn’t seem to have any hidden agenda or be planning anything.
I fished out my quilt, purposefully moved to the other side of the fire, and tried to get comfortable on the grass. I rolled around, twisting in my quilt until I was mummy-wrapped to keep out the bugs. Tucking my arm under my head, I stared up at the starless black canopy.
Ren didn’t seem to mind my defection. He made himself comfortable on the other side of the fire and virtually disappeared into the darkness.
I murmured, ‘Ren? Where do you think we are? I don’t think that’s the sky up above us.’
He replied softly, ‘I think we’re deep underground somewhere.’
‘It feels almost like we’ve crossed over into another world.’ I shifted around, trying to find a soft piece of ground. After a restless half hour of wriggling, I sighed in frustration.
‘What’s wrong?’
Before I could stop myself, I mumbled, ‘I’m used to resting my head on a warm tiger-fur pillow is what’s wrong.’
He grunted, ‘Hmm, let me see what I can do.’
Panicky, I squeaked out, ‘No, really. I’m okay. Don’t bother.’
He ignored my protests, scooped up my mummy-wrapped self, and set me down again on his side of the fire. He turned me on my side so I faced the fire, lay down behind me, and slid an arm under my neck to cradle my head.
‘Is that more comfortable for you?’
‘Uh, yes and no. My head can definitely rest better in this position. Unfortunately, the rest of me is feeling the complete opposite of relaxed.’
‘What do you mean? Why can’t you relax?’ ‘Because you’re too close for me to relax.’
Bemused, he said, ‘Me being too close never bothered you when I was a tiger.’ ‘The tiger you and the man you are two completely different things.’
He put his arm around my waist and tugged me closer so we were spooned together. He sounded irritated and disappointed when he muttered, ‘It doesn’t feel different to me. Just close your eyes and imagine I’m still a tiger.’
‘It doesn’t exactly work like that.’ I lay stiffly in his arms, nervous, especially when he began nuzzling the back of my neck.
He said softly, ‘I like the smell of your hair.’ His chest rumbled against my back, sending massaging vibrations through my body as he purred.
‘Ren, can you not do that right now?’
He lifted his head. ‘You like it when I purr. It helps you sleep better.’
‘Yes, well, that only works with the tiger. How can you do that as a man anyway?’
He paused, said, ‘I don’t know. I just can,’ then buried his face in my hair again and stroked my arm.
‘Uh, Ren? Explain to me how you plan to keep watch like this.’
His lips grazed my neck. ‘I can hear and smell the Kappa, remember?’
I twitched and shivered, with nerves, or anticipation, or something else, and he noticed. He stopped kissing my neck and lifted his head to peer at my face in the flickering firelight. His voice was solemn and calm, ‘Kelsey, I hope you know that I would never hurt you. You don’t need to be afraid of me.’
Rolling toward him, I lifted my hand and touched his cheek. Looking into his blue eyes, I sighed. ‘I’m not afraid of you, Ren. I trust you with my life. I’ve just never been close to someone like this before.’
He kissed me softly and smiled. ‘I haven’t either.’
He shifted, lying down again. ‘Now, turn around and go to sleep. I’m warning you that I plan to sleep with you in my arms all night long. Who knows when, or if, I’ll ever get to do it again. So try to relax, and for heaven’s sake, don’t wiggle!’
He pulled me back against his warm chest, and I closed my eyes. I ended up sleeping better than I had in weeks.
When I woke, I was nestled on top of Ren’s chest. His arms were wrapped around me, and my legs were entwined with his. I was surprised I could breathe all night since my nose was smashed against his muscular torso. It had gotten cold, but my quilt covered both of us and his body, which maintained a warmer-than-average temperature, had kept me toasty all night.
Ren was still asleep, so I took the rare opportunity to study him. His powerful frame was relaxed and his face was softened by sleep. His lips were full, smooth, and utterly kissable, and for the first time, I noticed how long his sooty lashes were. His glossy dark hair fell softly over his brow and was mussed in a way that made him look even more irresistable.
So this is the real Ren. He doesn’t seem real. He looked like an archangel who fell to the earth. I’d been with Ren night and day for the past four weeks, but the time he was a man was such a small fraction of each day that he seemed almost like a dream guy, a real life Prince Charming.
I traced a black eyebrow, following its arch with my finger, and lightly brushed the silky dark hair away from his face. Hoping not to disturb him, I sighed, shifted slowly, and tried to move away, but his arms tensed, restraining me.
He sleepily mumbled, ‘Don’t even think about moving’ and pulled me back to snuggle me close again. I rested my cheek against his chest, felt his heartbeat, and contented myself with listening to its rhythm.
After a few minutes, he stretched and rolled to his side, pulling me with him. He kissed my forehead, blinked open his eyes, and smiled at me. It was like watching the sun come up. The handsome, sleeping man was potent enough, but when he turned his dazzling white smile on me and blinked open his cobalt blue eyes, I was dumbstruck.
I bit my lip. Alarm bells started going off in my head.
Ren’s eyes fluttered open, and he tucked some loose hair behind my ear. ‘Good morning, rajkumari. Sleep well?’
I stammered, ‘I . . . you . . . I . . . slept just fine, thank you.’
I closed my eyes, rolled away from him, and stood up. I could deal with him a lot better if I didn’t think about him much, or look at him, or talk to him, or hear him.
He wrapped his arms around me from behind, and I felt his smile as he pressed his lips to the soft spot behind my ear. ‘Best night of sleep I’ve had in about three hundred and fifty years.’
He nuzzled my neck, and an image came to my mind of him beckoning me to jump off a cliff and then laughing as my body broke on the wet rocks below.
I mumbled something akin to, ‘Good for you,’ and pulled away from him. I wandered off to get myself ready for the day and ignored his puzzled expression.
We broke camp and headed toward the city. We were both very quiet. He seemed to be mulling over something in his mind; and as for me, I was trying to stop nervous flutterings from overwhelming me every time I glanced in his direction.
What is wrong with me? We have a job to do. We have to find the Golden Fruit and I’m acting . . . twitterpated!
I was annoyed with myself. I had to keep reminding myself that this was just Ren, the tiger, and not some teenage crush. Being close to the man for this long was making me come to grips with reality and the first thing I had to do was to get a handle on my emotions. As we walked, I pondered the problem that was our relationship and chewed my lip as I thought.
He’d probably fall in love with any girl who was destined to save him. Plus, there’s just no way a guy like him would ever be attracted to a girl like me. Ren was like Superman, and I had to grudgingly admit that I was no Lois Lane. When the curse is broken, he’ll probably want to date supermodels. Also, I’m the first girl he’s been around in more than three hundred years, give or take – and, although the time line is a bit different, he’s the first man I’ve ever felt anything for. If I let myself dream about having forever with him when this is all over, I’m sure to be disappointed.
In truth, I had no idea what to do. I had never been in love with anyone before. I had never even had a boyfriend before, and these feelings were exciting and scary all at once. For the first time in my life, I felt out of control, and it was a feeling I wasn’t sure I completely liked.
The problem was, the more time I spent with him, the more I wanted to be with him. And I was a realist. My brief moments with him now, though exhilarating, wouldn’t guarantee me a happy ending. I knew from painful experience that happy endings weren’t real. Now that the end of the curse loomed in the near future, I had to face facts.
Fact one: Once Ren is free, he’ll want to explore the world and not settle down. Fact two: Love is risky. If he decides that he doesn’t love me, it would destroy me. It would be safer for me to head back to Oregon and my solitary, normal life there and forget all about him. Fact three: I just might not be ready for all of this.
Some of my reasoning was circular, but the circles all led to one thing: not being with Ren. I swallowed a wave of sadness and tightened my fists in determination. I decided that, to protect my heart, it would be better if I nipped this relationship in the bud right now and saved myself the pain and embarrassment of our eventual breakup.
I would just focus on the task ahead get to kishkindha. Then, when this was all over, he could go his way and I could go mine. I’d just do my part to help my friend and then let him go off and be happy.
For what seemed like the next several miles of hiking through the strange, mythical world, I formulated a plan and started sending subtle signals that put the romantic brakes on. Whenever he reached over to hold my hand, I found a reason to gently pull back. When he touched my arm or my shoulder, I stepped away. When he tried to put his arm around me, I shrugged it off or moved ahead. I didn’t say anything or offer any explanations because I couldn’t think of a way to broach the subject.
Ren tried to ask me what was wrong, but I just said, ‘Nothing,’ and he dropped it. At first, he was confused, then he was somber, then he started closing himself off and became angry. Clearly, I had hurt him. It didn’t take long for him to stop trying, and I felt a wall as big as the Great Wall of China go up between us.
We arrived at a moat and found a drawbridge. Unfortunately, it was pulled up, but it did hang down slightly on one side as if broken. Ren walked down the creek bed on both sides and stared hard into the water.
‘There are too many Kappa here. I wouldn’t recommend swimming across.’
‘What if we dragged a log over and crossed on that?’
Ren grunted, ‘That’s a good idea.’ He walked over to me and spun me around.
I mumbled nervously, ‘What are you doing?’
‘Just getting out the gada.’ He continued sarcastically, ‘Don’t worry, that’s all I’m doing.’
He took it out, zipped up the backpack quickly, and then he strode off stiffly toward the trees.
I winced. He was angry. I’d never seen him angry before except with Kishan. I didn’t like it, but it was a natural side effect of the whole yanking-out-the-seedling-of-love-and-avoiding-the-jagged-rocks-below plan. It couldn’t be helped.
I gave Fanindra a cursory glance to see if she approved of what I was doing, but her glittery eyes revealed nothing.
A minute later, a heavy boom sounded, and a tree quickly sucked in its branches. Another splintering boom, and the tree crashed through the canopy and fell to the ground with a hard crack. Ren began clubbing the branches off the trunk, and I walked over to help.
‘Is there something I can do?’
He kept his back turned toward me. ‘No. We only have one gada.’
Even though I already knew the answer, I asked, ‘Ren, why are you angry? Is something bothering you?’ I grimaced, knowing that it was me that was bothering him.
He stopped and turned to look at me. His vivid blue eyes searched my face. I quickly averted my gaze and looked down at a quivering branch flexing its needles. When I looked back at him, his face was set in an unreadable mask.
‘Nothing’s bothering me, Kelsey. I’m fine.’
He turned and continued whacking the branches off the tree. When he was finished, he handed me the gada, picked up one end of the heavy tree, and started dragging it toward the creek.
I hurried after him and bent down to pick up the other end.
He called back without even looking at me, ‘Don’t.’
When we got back to the creek, he dropped the trunk and started looking for a good place to set it. I was about to sit on the tree trunk when I noticed the needles. Even the trunk had thick, spiky needles that rose up to sink themselves into unsuspecting flesh. I walked up to the front end and saw Ren’s blood in great drops coating the shiny black needles.
When he came back, I demanded, ‘Ren, let me see your hands and chest.’
‘Leave it alone, Kelsey. I’ll heal.’
‘But, Ren—’
‘No. Now stand back.’
He moved to the back of the trunk and picked it up, cradling it against his chest. My mouth gaped open in amazement. Yep, he still has tiger strength. I winced as I imagined those hundreds of needles digging into the skin on his chest and arms. His biceps bulged as he walked the trunk to the edge of the creek.
A girl can still admire, can’t she? Even those who can’t afford to go in the store can still window-shop. Right?
It was like watching Hercules in action. I sucked in an appreciative breath and had to keep repeating the words, ‘He’s not for me, he’s not for me, he’s not for me,’ to strengthen my resolve.
The far end of the trunk butted against the stone wall. He moved down the creek bank several more steps until he found the spot he wanted and then dropped it into place with a soft thud.
The needles had ripped jagged, deep scratches down his chest and torn the front of his white shirt to ribbons. I walked over to him and reached out to touch his arm.
He turned his back to me and said, ‘Now stay here.’ Changing to a tiger, he vaulted up and across the log, then leapt up to the crack where the drawbridge was hanging slightly open. He clawed his way in and disappeared.
I heard a metallic clang and then a whoosh as the heavy stone drawbridge lowered. It fell across the creek, hit the water with a big splash, and then settled itself deeply in its pebbly bed. I walked quickly across, fearful of the Kappa I spied in the water below. Ren was still a tiger and seemed content to stay that way.
I entered the stone city of kishkindha. Most of the buildings were about two or three stories high. The smoky periwinkle stone of the outer walls was also used in the buildings. The hard stone was polished like granite and contained shiny pieces of mica that reflected the light. It was beautiful.
A giant statue of Hanuman stood in the center, and every nook and crevice of the city was covered with life-sized stone monkeys. Every building, every rooftop, and every balcony had monkey statues. Ornate carvings of monkeys even covered the walls of the buildings. The statues represented several different species of monkey and were often grouped together in twos and threes. In fact, the only kind of monkeys not included were the fictitious flying monkeys from The Wizard of Oz and King Kong.
When I passed the central fountain, I felt pressure on my arm. Fanindra came alive. I bent down to let her slide off my arm to the ground. She raised her head and tasted the air with her tongue several times. Then she started slithering through the ancient city. Ren and I followed her as she wove her slow path.
‘You don’t have to stay a tiger just because of me,’ I said.
He kept his eyes forward following the snake.
‘Ren, it’s a miracle that you can be a man at all. Don’t do this to yourself, please. Just because you’re ang—’
He switched back to a man and spun around to face me.
‘I am angry! Why shouldn’t I stay a tiger? You seem to be much more comfortable with him than you are with me!’ His blue eyes clouded with uncertainty and hurt.
‘I am more comfortable with him, but not because I like him more. It’s too complicated to discuss with you right now.’ I turned away from him, hiding my red face.
Frustrated, he ran a hand through his hair and asked anxiously, ‘Kelsey, why have you been avoiding me? Is it because I’ve been moving too fast? You aren’t ready to think of me in that way yet. Is that it?’
‘No. It’s not that. It’s just,’ I wrung my hands, ‘I don’t want to make a mistake or get involved in something that will lead to one or both of us getting hurt, and I don’t really think this is the best place to talk about this.’
I stared at his feet as I said these words. He was quiet for several minutes. I peeked at his face from under my lashes and found him assessing me. He continued to watch me patiently as I squirmed under his gaze. I looked at the stone pavers, Fanindra, my hands, anything except him. Finally, he gave up.
‘Fine.’
‘Fine?’
‘Yes, fine. Here, hand me the backpack. It’s my turn to carry it for a while.’
He helped me slip it off my back and then adjusted the straps to fit over his wide shoulders. Fanindra seemed ready to be on the move again, and she continued her journey, slinking through the monkey city.
We passed into dark shadows between buildings where Fanindra’s golden body gleamed in the darkness. She slipped through tiny cracks beneath unwieldy doors that Ren had to throw his body up against to open. She took us on an interesting obstacle course from a snake’s perspective, going under and through things that were impossible for Ren and me to navigate. She disappeared under cracks in the floor, and Ren had to sniff her out to find her. Often, we had to backtrack and meet her on the other side of walls or rooms. We always found her coiled and resting, patiently waiting for us to catch up.
Eventually, she led us to a rectangular reflecting pool brimming with sea-green algae-filled water. The pool was waist high, and on each corner stood a tall stone pedestal. On top of each pedestal was a carved monkey, each one looking out in the distance, one for each point of the compass.
The statues were crouched down with hands touching the ground. Teeth were bared, and I could visualize them hissing, as if ready to pounce. Their tails curled up over their bodies, fleshy levers to increase the range of their attack. Under the pedestals, groups of evil-looking stone monkeys stared out of the shadows with grimaces and hollowed black eyes. Their long arms were stretched out, as if to grab and claw at whoever passed by.
Stone steps led up to the reflecting pool. We climbed up and peered into the water. With relief, I saw that no Kappa were lurking in the murky depths. At the edge of the pool on the stone border was an inscription.
‘Can you read it?’ I asked.
‘It says Niyuj Kapi or “choose the monkey.”’
‘Hmm.’
We walked around the four corners examining each statue. One had ears pricked forward and another had ears flat against its head. All four were of different species.
‘Ren, Hanuman was half-man, half-monkey, right? What kind of monkey was the monkey half?’
‘I don’t know. Mr. Kadam would know. I can tell you that these two statues are not monkeys native to India. This one’s a spider monkey. They come from South America. This one is a chimpanzee, which is technically an ape, not a monkey. They’re often classified as monkeys because of their size.’
I gaped at him. ‘How do you know so much about monkeys?’
He crossed his arms over his chest. ‘Ah, so am I to assume that talking about monkeys is an approved topic of conversation? Perhaps if I were a monkey instead of a tiger you might clue me in as to why you’re avoiding me.’
‘I’m not avoiding you. I just need some space. It has nothing to do with your species. It has to do with other things.’
‘What other things?’
‘Nothing.’
‘It’s something.’
‘It can’t be anything.’
‘What can’t be anything?’
‘Can we just get back to the monkeys?’ I yelled.
‘Fine!’ he hollered back.
We stood there glaring at each other for a minute, both of us frustrated and angry. He went back to examining the various monkeys and ticking off a list of their traits.
Before I could stop myself, I shot off a sarcastic, ‘I had no idea that I was walking with a monkey expert, but, then again, you have eaten them right? So I guess that would be the difference between say, pork and chicken, to someone like me.’
Ren scowled at me. ‘I lived in zoos and circuses for centuries, remember? And I don’t . . . eat . . . monkeys!’
‘Hmm.’ I crossed my arms over my chest and glared back at him. He threw me a look and then stomped over and crouched in front of another statue.
Irritated, he spat out, ‘That one’s a macaque, which is native to India, and this hairy one is a baboon, also found here.’
‘So which one do I pick? It has to be one of the last two. The other two monkeys aren’t from around here, so I’d guess one of these is right.’
He ignored me, probably still offended, and he was looking at the monkey clusters under the pedestal when I declared, ‘Baboon.’
He stood up. ‘Why choose him?’
‘His face reminds me of the statue of Hanuman.’
‘Okay, so give it a try.’
‘Give what a try?’
He lost patience. ‘I don’t know! Do that thing you do, with your hand.’
‘I’m not sure it works that way.’
He gestured to the monkey. ‘Okay, then rub his head like a Buddha statue. We’ve got to figure out the next step.’
I frowned at Ren, who was definitely frustrated with me, and then walked up to the baboon statue and tentatively touched its head. Nothing happened. I patted its cheeks, rubbed its belly, and tugged on its arms, its tail . . . nothing. I was squeezing its shoulders when I felt the statue move a bit. I pushed on one of the shoulders, and the top of the pedestal moved aside to reveal a stone box with a lever. I reached in and pulled on the lever. At first, nothing moved. Then I felt my hand grow hot. The symbols drawn into my hand boldly resurfaced, and the lever shifted, rose up, twisted, and popped out.
Rumbling shook the ground, and the water in the pool started to drain. Ren grabbed my arms and quickly yanked me against his chest while swiftly backing us away from the pool. He rested his hands on my upper arms while we watched the shifting stone.
The rectangular pool cracked and divided in two. Both halves began moving in opposite directions. The water spilled out and fell below, splashing against rock and stone as it tumbled into a gaping hole that opened up where the pool used to be.
Something began to emerge. At first, I thought it was just a reflection of light on the shiny wet stone, but the light grew increasingly brighter until I saw a branch poke out of the hole. It was covered with sparkling golden leaves. More branches emerged and then a trunk. It kept rising until the entire tree was standing before us. The leaves were shimmering, radiating a soft yellow light as if thousands of golden Christmas tree bulbs were threaded through the branches. The golden leaves quivered, as if a slight breeze shook the tree.
The tree was about twelve feet tall and covered with small white flowers that released a sweet fragrance. The leaves were long and thin, attached to delicate branches that led to thick, stronger ones and from there to a sturdy, compact trunk. The trunk sat in a large stone box that had ascended on a solid stone base. It was the most beautiful tree I’d ever seen.
Ren took my hand and led me cautiously toward the tree. He stretched out a hand to finger a golden leaf.
‘It’s beautiful!’ I exclaimed.
He plucked a flower and smelled it. ‘It’s a mango tree.’
We both admired the tree. I was sure my face was as awestruck as his.
Ren’s expression softened. He took a step toward me and lifted his hand to tuck the flower in my hair. I turned away from him, pretending not to see, and fingered a golden leaf.
When I glanced at him a moment later, his expression was stony and the white flower lay crushed and broken. My heart throbbed painfully when I saw the beautiful petals lying torn and forsaken in the dirt.
We walked around the base of the tree, examining it from all angles. Ren shouted, ‘There! Do you see up at the top? It’s a golden fruit!’
‘Where?’
He pointed to the top of the tree and, sure enough, a golden orb swung softly from a branch.
‘A mango fruit,’ he mumbled. ‘of course. It makes sense.’
‘Why?’
‘Mangoes are one of the main exports of India. It’s a staple for our country. It’s possibly the most important natural resource we have. So the Golden Fruit of India is a mango. I should have guessed it before.’
I gazed up at the tall branches. ‘How are we going to reach it?’
‘What do you mean, “How are we going to reach it?” Climb up on my shoulders. We need to do this together.’
I laughed. ‘Uh, Ren, I think you’d better come up with another plan. Like maybe leap up as you super-tigers do and catch it in your mouth or something.’
He smiled at me malevolently. ‘No. You,’ he touched my nose with his finger, ‘are going to sit on my shoulders.’
I moaned, ‘Please stop saying that.’
‘Come here. I’ll talk you through it. It’s child’s play.’
He picked me up and set me on the stone edge of the reflecting pool. Then he spun around with his back to me. ‘Okay, climb on.’
He held out his hands. I tentatively grabbed them and swung one leg over his shoulder, complaining the entire time. I almost lifted my leg back off, but he anticipated that I would chicken out and reached back with his arm to grab my other leg and hoist me up before I could retreat.
After I yelled at him to no effect, he held my hands and, easily balancing my weight, walked back to the tree. He took his time looking for the right place and then began instructing me.
‘See that thick branch right above your head?’
‘Yes.’
‘Let go of one of my hands and reach up to grab it.’
I did and threatened, ‘Don’t drop me!’
He bragged, ‘Kelsey, there is absolutely no danger of me dropping you.’
I grabbed the branch and clung to it.
‘Good. Now reach up with your other hand and grab the same branch. I’ll be holding your legs, don’t worry.’
I reached up and got a good hold of the branch, but my palms were sweaty, and if he hadn’t been supporting me, I was sure I would have fallen.
‘Hey, Ren, this was a great idea and all, but I’m still a good foot or two away from the fruit. What do you expect me to do now?’
In response, he laughed and said, ‘Hold on a sec.’
‘What do you mean, “hold on a sec”?’
He yanked my tennis shoes off my feet and then said, ‘Hold on to the branch and stand up.’
Frightened, I yelped and strangled the branch for dear life. Ren was pushing me up above the branch even higher. I glanced down and saw he was cupping my feet in his hands, supporting my entire body weight with his arms alone.
I hissed, ‘Ren, are you crazy? I’m too heavy for you.’
He scoffed drolly, ‘Obviously not, Kelsey. Now pay attention. Keep your hold on the branch, and I want you to step from my hand to my shoulder, first one foot, and then the other.’
He lifted my right leg first, and I felt my heel bump against his upper arm. Carefully, I shifted my foot to rest it on his wide shoulder, and then did the same with the other one. I looked at the fruit, which was now hanging directly across from me and bouncing slightly up and down.
‘Okay, I’m going to try and grab the fruit now. Hold on.’
His hands had moved to the back of my calves, and he squeezed them tightly. I pushed off from the branch, which was now at my waist, and stretched my arm to reach the bobbing fruit. It was attached to a long, woody stem that shot off from the top of the tree.
My fingers grazed it, and it shifted away from me for a moment. When it swung back to me, I wrapped my hand around it and pulled gently.
It didn’t want to move. I tugged a bit harder, careful not to damage the golden fruit. Surprisingly, it felt like a real mango with leathery smooth skin, even though it twinkled with dazzling golden light. I braced my body on the branch again, yanked firmly, and was finally able to pluck it from the stem.
All at once, my body iced over and became rigid, and my mind was carried away in a black vision. A burning heat seared my chest, and I stood in complete darkness. A ghostly figure started making its way toward me. The misty features swirled around a shape and solidified into a form. It was Mr. Kadam! He was clutching at his chest. When he removed his hand, I saw the amulet he was wearing was glowing red hot. I looked down and saw mine too, glowing in the same manner. I tried to reach out to him, and I spoke, but he couldn’t seem to hear me or I him.
Another ghostly figure swirled up across from us and slowly took form. He was gripping a large amulet as well. When he became alert, he turned his eyes to Mr. Kadam. Immediately, he focused his attention on the amulet Mr. Kadam was wearing.
The man was dressed in expensive, modern clothing. His quick eyes showed intelligence, confidence, determination, and something else, something dark, something . . . evil. He tried to take a step forward, but a barrier of some kind prevented any of us from moving.
His expression tightened and twisted into a vile rage that, though quickly suppressed, continued to swirl like a stalking beast behind his eyes. Black, desperate fear congealed in my stomach as the man turned his attention to me. He clearly wanted something.
His eyes examined me carefully from head to toe and then settled on the glowing amulet around my neck. Gleaming malice and loathsome delight swept over his face. I looked at Mr. Kadam for support, but he was studying the man meticulously as well.
I was very afraid. I cried out for Ren, but even I couldn’t hear my own voice.
The man pulled something from his pocket and started muttering words to himself. I tried to read his lips, but he seemed to be speaking in another language. Mr. Kadam’s features were becoming transparent. He was becoming spectral again. I looked at my arm and gasped as the same thing started happening to me. My mind swirled dizzily. I felt like I was going to pass out. I couldn’t stand anymore. I fell down . . . down . . . down.