Chapter 27
Shrine of Earth
I didn’t struggle since I didn’t want Kadam to return. “What’s wrong?” I hissed softly as her body slowly phased back, becoming visible. Her green eyes flashed with anger and hurt. “Ana?” I queried as I lifted my hands to cover hers where she still clutched my shirt. When I saw they were Phet’s hands, I whispered the words that would change me back, and the scarf went to work.
She didn’t answer me and I touched her cheek, offering her easy access to my mind, but she shoved away from me and put up her old familiar barrier between us. “Did I say something wrong?” I asked. “Did I forget something?”
“No,” she answered over her shoulder. “You forget nothing. That is the problem.”
“Tell me what’s wrong,” I said. “I’ll fix whatever it is.”
Turning around, she thrust the list into my hands. “Some things you cannot fix, Sohan.” She strode toward the door, her boots quiet on the floor of the hut. “I’ll be outside when you’re ready to leave,” she said and ducked to exit the building, blurring her body in case Kadam was still near.
I lifted my eyes to the ceiling, supplicating the heavens in the way I imagined most men did who were absolutely baffled by the women they lived with, and then followed after her. When I caught up to her, she was closed off to me in a way I hadn’t experienced since we’d first become companions. Her whole demeanor was stiff and unapproachable. Gone was the camaraderie we’d built over the last few months. It had hung about us like a shared blanket, the two of us sitting beneath it together, enjoying the warmth it offered.
Sighing and wishing I had a list or at least an instruction manual that would help me understand Anamika, I perused the one Kadam had given us and said, “The next stop is Kishkindha and then the Shrine of Earth. I have no idea what that second one means.”
Ana took the list from my hands and said, “The amulet knows. You need simply tell it the destination on the list, and it takes us roughly to the place we need to be, or at least close enough for us to figure it out. But first we need to rest.”
We returned to our home, and to my surprise, I noticed that Ana had been adding children when I wasn’t paying attention. In fact, an entire wing of the house was practically overrun with kids.
“What’s this?” I asked her as a half dozen children clambered down the hall.
“It must be time for their studies,” she answered tiredly.
“We have teachers here?”
“A few. They come from different times and places. And some nursemaids. Enough to watch over them.”
Smirking, I said, “Are you trying to build up a new army?”
“No. They just needed a home.”
I sighed. “Just don’t expect me to be dad to half of humanity,” I said, trying to diffuse the tension between us.
In reply, Ana said softly, “I expect nothing from you. Good night, Kishan.”
“Good night.”
Ana trailed down the hall where the kids had disappeared. A hollow feeling in my gut drove me outside. Unwilling to stay in my empty room, I headed to the forest and slept. After a quick breakfast, I sought her out, finding her waiting for me, the list in hand.
Almost reluctantly, she stepped closer, and the two of us were whisked away, not to Kishkindha but to the ruins of Hampi. I recognized the Queen’s Bath and the Virupaksha Temple.
“Where are we?” Ana asked.
“This is the way Ren and Kelsey entered Kishkindha.”
“And how was this done?” Her mood was cold and businesslike. I didn’t like it. I wanted the warm Ana back. The one who ruffled my hair and teased me.
I held out my hand, and when she took it, I felt like I’d won something. “If I recall,” I said as we walked, “they went through the statue. We find it, we find our entrance.”
We wound through buildings until we came upon the right place. “There he is,” I said, pointing. “Anamika meet Ugra Narasimha.”
“Lovely.” She placed her hands on her hips. “Now what?”
I scratched my neck as I circled the statue. “Well, there was something about a bell and an offering.” Snapping my fingers, I said, “I’ve got it. We’ll just flash forward and watch how Ren and Kelsey get in.”
Ana just raised an eyebrow, which I took as acquiescence, and with a thought, I sped us up in time, not slowing until Ren and Kelsey appeared. We kept ourselves phased out just enough to be able to hear and see what was going on but not be seen by either of them. I hid my scent so Ren wouldn’t detect me. Together we watched Kelsey as she figured out Kadam’s clues, and after they disappeared down the opening, I shifted us back to our point of origin. We snapped back like one of Kadam’s rubber bands.
“Doesn’t seem too difficult,” I said. While Ana stood, arms folded, I headed over to the columns and tapped on one three times.
When I returned, she pointed to the statue. “There’s no fog. The mouth didn’t open and the snakes’ eyes aren’t red.”
I frowned. “Maybe those things don’t matter. We need a light.”
Ana opened her palm and a ball of flame grew in the center. “Is this good enough?” she asked.
“Yeah. It should be. Next is claws.”
Ana gave me a pointed look and held out her arm. I shifted to tiger form and drew my claws down her arm, hard enough to draw blood but not hard enough to seriously injure her.
“Sorry,” I said after shifting back.
She raised her shoulders in a shrug, but when I lifted her in my arms, she was silent and cold, her body as rigid as a fire poker.
“Relax,” I said, my lips brushing her ear. When I got to the doorway, I glanced down at her face. Her eyes were closed; the fringe of her lashes shadowed her beautiful face in the moonlight. Tell me what I did to hurt you, lady fair, I said directly to her mind. It was not my intention to stoke your ire.
“It does not matter,” she said out loud. After a long moment of silence, she wriggled in my arms. “This is not working. Please set me down.”
She was right, but I found I was reluctant to put her down. I liked the spill of her silky hair over my arm and the taut bend of her mouth as she frowned at me. Something about it made me feel happy. When she began to struggle, I set her on her feet, and she adjusted her dress, wrenching it into place with a tight-fisted fury she barely contained.
“Did you stop to think,” she said, “that we might possibly have created Kishkindha in the first place, much as we did the Cave of Kanheri?”
“No, I…I suppose I didn’t. It makes sense though. We’ve done most everything else. Why not create an entire underground city?”
She missed my sarcasm and nodded, lifting her arms. “Then let us begin.” Before we could even discuss anything, Ana began working her magic. The statue glowed and the snakes writhed. Even Fanindra came alive to watch the process. When we connected a handprint to the newly made entrance to the tunnel below Hampi, Ana sent her power down into the aperture. Light blossomed in the dark and we headed down steps that rose to meet her feet.
As we walked down the passageway, rock and dirt melted away before us, repositioning themselves or flying up and outside, and I wondered if a new mountain was being created from the ground we’d displaced. Finally, after we’d walked a good distance underground, she paused, pushing her hands forward, and mumbled a spell that shook the earth. A yawning chasm appeared before us. Rocks and dirt swirled in massive eddies, disappearing in cracks in the ceiling far above us or shooting down the tunnel behind.
When the dust settled, she turned to me and waited until I snapped my mouth shut. Her power, no, our power was…was unfathomable. “What is found in Kishkindha?” she asked.
I told her of the needle forest that could be beaten back by the gada. Next, I talked of the mysterious cavern full of tunnels housing malevolent spirits bent on tempting Ren and Kelsey from the path that led to the prize. Ana nodded and spread her fingers. Using the earth piece of the amulet and the bow and arrows, she combined their powers to fashion trees that were alive with sharp needles.
They rose from the newly razed soil and spread forth leafy branches. She next created a river running alongside that would water the trees. For light, she used fire power and the scarf and made a sort of pseudo-sun that rose and set. It provided light and warmth for the cavern, enough to support the ecosystem she’d built.
She stepped along the path that led through the forest, whispering to the trees as she went. They bowed to their goddess and vowed to honor her and her weapons should they ever return. We came upon a natural rise in the land, and within the span of a few moments, she’d created the maze of tunnels. Using the time piece of the amulet combined with the scarf and the truth stone, something I never would have thought of as part of our newfound powers, she placed pieces of Kelsey’s and Ren’s past into each tunnel.
Small animals that lived underground were commissioned to tempt and sway passersby, and the scarf transformed their bodies into ones Kelsey and Ren would recognize. Ana then promised them that as soon and Ren and Kelsey left, they would be returned to their natural forms.
As we proceeded, I was amazed at not only the sheer depths of her creativity but the ease with which she wielded her power. When we got to the river and she asked about the creatures that lived within it who hunted Ren and Kelsey, I just stood there mutely, staring at her.
“Are you well?” she asked, putting her hand on my arm and shaking me.
“You…you’re amazing,” I said, my words tripping over my tongue. Any time I saw her in goddess mode, it humbled me in a way I just couldn’t describe. “Kadam taught you well. I…I’m fortunate to be your companion,” I finished lamely.
She looked at me for a long time with a doubt-filled expression. “Is that how you truly feel?” she asked.
I took her hand and pressed it against my chest. “Look into my heart, Ana. You know I honor you. Truly.”
Despite my request, her thoughts remained blocked. She offered a small smile. “You honor me with your words,” she said. “But I think your mind and heart lie elsewhere.”
She turned back to the river and crouched down, dipping her hand in the water. I took a knee next to her but she didn’t look up. Our reflections bent and swayed in the river. Sensing the import of my next words, I thought carefully of what I wanted to say and then began. “Anamika, with everything in me, I vow that I am yours. I’m not looking back. This I promise you. I will serve the goddess faithfully all the remaining years of my life.”
Her hand stilled in the water and I noticed a liquid drop land on its shining surface. Ripples spread out from the center where the drop fell. When she looked up at me, I saw it wasn’t rain that caused it but tears. “I know you will serve the goddess,” she murmured quietly. “But there’s a woman in here as well.”
“Ana…I don’t…I don’t understand. Of course you’re a woman too. I know that.”
She dashed her hands across her cheeks and then cupped her hands, allowing river water to pool in them, and then washed her face. Using the scarf to dry her cheeks, she took a step back. I was about to approach her again to demand answers when I noticed the water churning. Sucking in a breath, I peered down.
“What is it?” she asked as she came up beside me.
Though they were still tiny, I knew from seeing them as adults what they were. “Kappa demons,” I answered softly. “Creatures born from the tears of a goddess.”
As we watched, the spawn of her sorrow grew. They’d matured inside the tears, which housed them like a flexible bubble. Their long tails pierced the translucent eggs and wrapped around underwater grasses, securing them like an umbilical cord as they bobbed gently.
When they reached adult size, which happened within the span of a few moments, they bit through the membrane housing them, and the jelly-like substance sloughed away in the stream. I counted at least a dozen and knew that there would be many more by the time Ren and Kelsey arrived. Did that mean Ana was going to cry again or was it just that easy for them to create offspring? The idea made me shiver.
Three of the newly made beings detached from their underwater plant and slowly strode ashore. They were as ugly as I remembered. As one, they knelt at Ana’s feet. She took a step back. Even she was fearful of them. I thought that didn’t bode well.
The eerie voice of the unctuous one in the middle rose from his peeled-back lips. His tongue darted unnaturally between teeth as sharp as a shark’s. “Goddess,” it said, “we have risen from the darkness like straying stars plucked from the heavens. To your enemies, we are an invidious scourge. We will descend upon them like the raging sea, slashing with gaping jaws and bared teeth until they are twice dead, their mouths foaming and their salt-caked eyes filled with shame.”
“And how will you distinguish those I consider an enemy?” Ana asked.
The creature turned its head at an impossible angle to look at me. His smile was full of menace. “Those who cause your tears are your enemies,” he said snidely, his voice sticky and wheezing, like a bubbling tar pit.
“I see,” Ana said.
Taking a step toward her, I was about to reach for her arm when the three creatures quickly rose and stepped between us. All of them bared their teeth and hissed. Goose bumps shot down my spine as I remembered what they’d done to Kelsey.
“This one is not stout-hearted regarding you,” the monster said to Ana. “He is as a tree without fruit. We will hew him down.”
“No. You will leave him,” Ana said. “He is mine as you are mine.”
“But he has caused you tears,” one of them whined.
“Yes. And he will no doubt cause me many more in my lifetime, but regardless, he is mine. You will not harm him. Not this moment and not ever. Go now,” she ordered. “Attend to your duty. Keep watch and protect this land from those who would seek to harm it.”
“Yes, Goddess,” they hissed in unison, glaring at me as they made their way back into the river.
After they were gone, I folded my arms and peered down into the water, disgust curving the edges of my mouth downward. “Nasty,” I said. “I’ve seen them in action too. Did you know they nearly killed Kelsey? If Fanindra hadn’t been there…”
Anamika pushed me hard on the back, and since I was already off-balance, I stumbled into the water, barely escaping before the things below caught me. I scrambled out as quickly and turned to her. It wasn’t that she’d pushed me; we’d tussled enough that I knew her full strength. What she’d done was not to hurt me but to send a message, and I had one of my own.
“What on earth is wrong with you?” I demanded, squeezing out my shirt. In my anger, I ripped it, and a second later, I yanked the sopping thing from my chest and threw it as hard as I could. It landed on the other side of the river. After tearing the scarf from her hands, I used it to dry my chest. Her eyes kept sliding down from my face to my chest. The reddish tinge to her cheeks told me she might now regret what she’d done, but I knew her. She’d never admit she’d gone too far.
While I used the scarf to create new clothes for myself, her eyes widened and she turned away, stomping to the river. Several demons lifted their heads from the water and blinked sideways with their inky black eyes. One with a pied coloration ran a tongue over his jagged teeth, eying me as if he was anticipating dinner.
With a flourish of her hand, Ana sent them away, and slowly, they once again sunk beneath the water. I picked up a rock and tossed it with a vengeance into the river. I’d aimed for the Kappa demons but ended up narrowly missing her. I regretted it when I saw her flinch and remembered the abuse she’d suffered as a young girl.
Letting out a long sigh, I said, “I’m sorry, Ana.” I headed over to where she stood and skipped another stone. As it sank, it transformed into a gemstone, and I stared at it, watching it fall to make sure it wasn’t just a trick of the light. Then I saw that all the rocks in the river had changed. The bed of the river was now lined with diamonds, rubies, emeralds, sapphires, and other precious stones.
Why did the rocks change in the water? Did the Kappa demons cause it? I glanced over at Ana and saw her tossing an emerald up and down in her hand as she stared thoughtfully at the water. “You did this?” I asked, pointing at the water.
“I did,” she answered quietly.
The gemstones would tempt anyone. The idea that Ana would purposely draw Kelsey toward those evil creatures didn’t sit right with me. “Why?” I sputtered.
She whirled on me. “Why not, Kishan?” Ana spat my name with an air of disgust, as if the very mention of me tasted wrong on her tongue.
Trying to keep my temper under control, I worked my jaw back and forth, grinding my teeth until I could trust that I would speak civilly to her. Turned out, it didn’t matter.
“Ana,” I began, raising my hands and speaking calmly, trying to soothe the irascible woman, “don’t you understand how this could be a problem?”
“It’s not,” she said haughtily, folding her arms across her chest after tossing the emerald into the water.
I ran a hand through my hair, tugging in frustration. “But Kelsey and Ren will—”
She cut me off. “I don’t want to hear another word about Kelsey.”
A hiss distracted me from our argument, and I turned to the river to see several creatures paying very close attention to everything we said. I lowered my voice, remembering how the demons had almost killed Kells. “Why won’t you listen to me?”
“Why should I? You clearly don’t listen to me! If you’d bother to ask nicely instead of making assumptions, I’d tell you why I did it. Not that it should matter. I would think I’d earned your trust by now.”
My dumbfounded expression should have said it all, but just in case, I said, “Of course I trust you. I trust you with anything, everything.”
“Not…everything. Not when it comes to Kelsey.”
Silence fell between us. Her chest was heaving with emotion, and other than the slap of the water on the riverbank, our breaths were all I could hear. There was more between us though. Things that weren’t being said. The invisible, intangible weight of what we weren’t saying flowed between us like smoke. It filled my lungs and demanded I acknowledge it.
“I…” I began, not knowing what I was going to say but letting the words rise like bubbles from somewhere deep inside, “I know you would never do anything to hurt Kelsey.”
Her eyes bored into me, searching desperately for something, and I could see the moment when she gave up looking for it. “Never mind,” she said, her whole body slumping in disappointment. “We should just finish the task.”
I didn’t like the finality in her voice or the way she trudged ahead of me down the path. In that moment, she looked every inch the young girl, cowering from the villain. There was no trace of the goddess, and I hated that I was the one who’d made her feel that way. Quietly, I described the crumbled fortress, the mango tree, the fountain, and the monkeys.
As we channeled the power of earth, mighty stone blocks rose from the soil, stacking one atop the other, until there was an ancient Indian citadel. The trees shook behind us and I recognized the hoot of monkeys. They’d responded to her call and the trees allowed them to pass so they might serve their goddess. She tasked them with guarding the precious Golden Fruit of India, and after they agreed to bow before both the goddess and her weapons, they took their places atop the fortress, turning to stone much as Fanindra now did to metal.
When we got to the fountain, she took the golden mango from her bag and placed it in a large planter that rose in the center. With a few murmured words from Ana, it sank beneath the soil, and within a matter of a few moments, a seedling sprouted. It grew before our eyes until it reached full height. Flowers bloomed and fruit grew. At the top, one special flower, shining brighter than the sun, blossomed and turned into the Golden Fruit.
“But won’t we need it?” I asked.
She shook her head. “Not if we have the amulet. With this,” she said, lifting the medallion that hung around her neck, “we can draw upon the power of the Golden Fruit no matter where we are.”
“But how? It never worked that way before.”
“The fruit is a gift of Durga, is it not?”
“Yes, but—”
“My…my body has absorbed the power of the gifts. I no longer need the scarf or the fruit to work their magic.”
“When did this happen?” I asked.
“I noticed it a short time after we returned from the past. Our teacher suggested that it could be the result of young Fanindra’s bite coupled with my merging with my past self. He surmised that in some species, a newborn snake’s venom is much more powerful than an adult’s. I don’t know if that is the case with Fanindra but my powers have grown ever since.”
Ana turned away from me and I saw the proud stiffness of her shoulders. Even though she refused to open her mind to me, I knew the expanded powers she now possessed bothered her. She hadn’t wanted to tell me and it hurt knowing that she still didn’t trust me.
Stepping away, she said, “Regardless, the fruit has served its purpose for us. Now it will serve again.” She murmured some more words and then said, “There. It is done. When Ren and Kelsey pluck the fruit from the tree, you will both gain back six hours as men.”
We created the handprint and the riddle. Ana only left her hand beneath mine long enough to create the lock that would raise the tree. Concerned about Ren and Kelsey, I mentioned the attacks on them I’d witnessed before and asked if she could limit her creations even further so they wouldn’t be hurt. She touched her hand to the stone baboon head and said softly, “They survived. Didn’t they?”
“Yes, I suppose,” I said, remembering how I had helped them before. “But a goddess could surely do more to—”
“And what of my creatures?” she asked. “Do you have more concern for Kelsey than for these beings who willingly serve me?”
Folding my arms across my chest, I answered, “Frankly? Yes.”
Ana gave me a sharp look. Her eyes went glassy and dull. We both jerked our heads when we heard a booming crash on the far side of the monkey city. Without speaking, we headed in that direction.
Sighing, I reached out to touch her shoulder but she shrugged me off. “Ana, come on. We need to talk about what’s really bothering you.”
“No,” she answered. “We do not. If you continue to feel anxious over the girl who walked away from you, then you can return to help her without making me watch.” I didn’t bother to tell her I already had. It felt like the wrong time to bring it up. We found the source of the noise and saw that the drawbridge had fallen halfway down. Since we’d just created it, we were surprised.
As I examined it, she spoke, turned away, and trailing her finger over a broken hinge, she said, “If you had bothered to ask me why I filled the river with gems, I would have told you.” Ana’s back was stiff, the epitome of the unapproachable goddess. “Despite your suspicions,” she continued, “I did not do it to tempt Kelsey. If you must know, the Kappa are like dragons with a hoard of gold. The gemstones lull them, keep them dormant and quiet.”
“You could have told me,” I said.
“I shouldn’t have to,” Ana replied, her eyes hot and distant.
Not knowing what to say, I asked if she was going to fix the drawbridge. It was a bad choice on my part. Ana clutched the amulet and shifted us in time and space without even touching me. She was right that her power had grown. My stomach wrenched as we arrived at the next stop—the Shrine of Earth.
Sparkling sunshine framed us in its light from the cracks in the ceiling. Turning, I examined the place in which we stood. I recognized it from pictures. “It’s the temple of Durga,” I said. “This is the first one.”
Ana strode through the space, examining the pillars. I noticed her footprints disappeared in the dust after she lifted her foot. Mine did as well. I wasn’t sure if she’d purposely arranged for that to happen or if it was a natural thing that came with her power. It reminded me of when the camel tracks disappeared in the past. She traced a hand over the smooth terra-cotta columns, purposely ignoring me.
“Wait,” I said. “Something’s wrong.” I spun around in a slow circle, trying to see what was missing. “The columns are blank. They should be filled with clues about the things that will happen on each of our journeys. The first quest should be here,” I said, pointing to a pillar. “The one with the shark over here. On that one is the City of Light and this one should have the Silvanae.” I slapped a hand on the back of my neck. “I supposed I can go get pictures from Kadam’s library. He took lots of photos…”
Ana shook her head. “That will not be necessary.”
Her body briefly phased as she closed her eyes, then, with a whoosh of her left hand, sand erupted from the pillar, and light glowed from within as the carvings I’d seen on photos materialized exactly as I remembered them, down to the last detail. She waved a hand over the second pillar, and I smelled the flowers that had been wound in Kelsey’s hair by the fairies.
At the third, I caught the scent of the sea, and the fourth quickly materialized into the Lords of the Flame and qilin. The tang of sulfur and a blast of heat assaulted me. I was studying a rakshasa demon on the recently completed fourth column when a brilliant light blasted a fifth pillar Ana had been working on. It was powerful enough to throw her across the room. I ran to her side quickly. “Are you okay?” I asked, kneeling at her side.
There was a gash on her arm and red powder covered her limbs and hair. “Bruised but not broken,” she said as her eyes took in the destruction.
“The fifth column,” I mused. “Kadam said I shouldn’t worry about how it was destroyed.” I bit my lip. “Did you…did you see anything?”
She glanced up at me. “Some. I recognized us as goddess and tiger with all the weapons. We were charging into a battle.” Ana touched a fingertip to the gleaming snake armband. “I saw the death and birth of Fanindra. Me talking with Nilima at the temple. The creation of the Cave of Kanheri and Kishkindha. Once it got to that point, a veil of darkness clouded my vision, and though I know I finished the carving, I was not allowed to see it. When it was complete, a power destroyed it. That’s all I know.”
“I wonder if we did that,” I said softly.
She shook her head. “It would be too dangerous. We would encounter ourselves.”
I nodded. Both of us knew there was only one other person with a motive and with the power to destroy the pillar. “It was him, wasn’t it?” I asked.
“It makes sense,” she said with a sigh.
Reaching out my hand, I offered to help her up, but she pointedly ignored me and got up on her own.
“Anything else?” she asked.
Rubbing my cheek, I frowned and glanced around. “I think that’s it. No. Wait. There was a hidden handprint exposed by an earthquake. There’s one in each temple.”
Approaching the statue, Ana touched her hand to the stone and looked my way, waiting for me to do the same. I slid my hand on top of hers and our eyes locked. Ana, I said in her mind. I don’t want to fight. Tell me what’s wrong. Let me share your pain, the way you shared mine. I stepped closer, pressing my body against hers. Ana didn’t answer me but she didn’t move away either. With our hands touching, she sped us through time. Centuries passed in a blur. I was transfixed by the light playing across her features until, too soon, the light slowed.
I was about to speak when, at that moment, we heard a cheerful, piping voice. It was unmistakably Kelsey. Ana stiffened and moved back abruptly, waving a hand to cover the print with stone. I thought she liked Kelsey. It didn’t make sense that she was so upset about seeing her again. But I could sense her resentment rising in waves. She hadn’t been that way at Kelsey’s wedding. As close as we were, I couldn’t understand what she was going through.
Ana mumbled some words, and the power of the wind lifted all the dust from her body and clothing and swept it away. Just before Kelsey entered the temple with Ren as a tiger at her feet, she shifted us in time so we phased out of view. Again, I took care to shield my scent and wipe it from the temple so Ren couldn’t detect my presence.
Kelsey came close and I was going to move but Ana took hold of my arm and shook her head. Kelsey walked right through us. She shivered but, other than that, took no notice. They made their way over to the statue of Durga and her tiger. It was old and had already been in the temple. We followed them quietly, our footsteps magically disappearing in the sand.
“I guess she had a tiger to protect her too, huh, Ren?” Kelsey said. “What do you think Mr. Kadam expects we will find here? More answers? How do we get her blessing?”
Kelsey walked around the statue, brushing off the grit, a futile gesture considering the dust resettled almost the instant her hand moved away. Ren just flicked his tail back and forth, oblivious to the dust clinging to his fur, his eyes fixed on Kelsey. She sat down and kept up the chatter as she thought through the situation out loud.
I sighed with impatience. Just look up, I thought. The answer is right there.
Finally, she stood, tracing the carving. “Hey, Ren,” Kelsey said, “what do you think that is in her hand?”
Ren changed into his human form. I leaned my shoulder against the statue, watching the play-by-play between them. That he was already in love with her at that point was obvious. He had it bad. They talked through how to make an offering, left to get food from Kadam, who waited somewhere outside, and then they finally began the process of invoking the blessing of the goddess.
It took them several moments to locate a bell, and I panicked for a moment, thinking we’d forgotten one, but Ana waved her hand and one appeared on a shelf. When they approached the statue again, I stepped back, giving them a wide berth. Ana watched the whole process with interest. There wasn’t a trace of the boredom I felt showing on her face.
“I think you should be the one to make the offering, Kells,” Ren said. “You are the favored one of Durga, after all.”
They went back and forth a bit about religion. I glanced at Ana when Ren admitted he didn’t worship Durga, but she didn’t seem to care about that one way or another. When Kelsey talked about her lack of faith since the death of her parents, I flinched. I’d been there. Could have saved them. I didn’t though. At the time, I’d thought I’d go back and fix it. Now I wasn’t so sure. If her parents lived, she probably never would have worked at the circus. Never would have met me or Ren.
I snorted when Ren waxed poetic about a good power in the universe. As far as I knew, the only power in the universe was us. I certainly didn’t feel worthy enough to be a god. Ana, though, Ana was different. Even now, she watched them with a beatific smile on her face. Almost like she was a pleased parent, all traces of her prior resentment gone. I shifted uncomfortably, thinking perhaps it was me she resented and not Kells.
They began cleaning the statue and when Ana stepped aside, I did too. She used the power of the wind to help keep the dust at bay. When they were done, they set down the offering and rang the bell. Ren said, “Durga, we come to ask your blessing on our quest. Our faith is weak and simple. Our task is complex and mystifying. Please help us find understanding and strength.”
Kelsey’s voice was shaking, like she was nervous. “Please help these two princes of India. Restore to them what was taken.”
Anamika glanced up at me. She gave me a small smile.
I returned it as Kelsey continued, hoping it meant our fight was over.
“Help me be strong enough and wise enough to do what’s necessary,” Kells said. “They both deserve a chance to have a life.”
We stood there, all four of us, two of us unseen and the other two holding hands. Nothing happened. Ana frowned and then lifted her eyebrows to me as if I would know what to do. I shook my head and shrugged. A few more minutes went by. The goddess and her tiger didn’t appear.
Ren changed back into a tiger again. Ana flicked her hand and time stopped. Ren and Kelsey stood there frozen. The dust particles that sparkled in the rays of sunlight didn’t move. “What happens next?” Ana asked.
“Well, the goddess and her tiger appear. She gives Kelsey Fanindra and the gada.”
Her brow furrowed as if she was in thought and then she nodded. “Very well. Follow my lead.”
She waved her hand and channeled the power of the earth and the scarf. Before I could ask what she was doing, the ground shook. The stone covering the print fell away. Kelsey touched her hand to it, and I felt my body lurch and reposition as I sunk down into my tiger form. I was stiff and frozen in place. Ana! I thought.
Patience, Damon, was her reply. At least try to trust me.
Kelsey placed her hand on the statue, and through a sort of film over my eyes, a bright light appeared. It was so dazzling I wanted to close my eyes, but I couldn’t, so I growled softly. Little by little, I felt my limbs coming alive again. Dust tickled my nose and instead of sneezing, I bared my teeth and growled softly.
Ren roared a challenge and I recognized he was getting ready to leap on me. A hand touched my shoulder, and I looked up to see Ana, dressed like the goddess, brandishing all of the weapons that I knew were just in a knapsack on my back. I was inches away from her bare midriff and her long, long legs. The skirt was slit high up her thigh and the tight bodice clung to her curves. She smelled of lotus and jasmine and her long hair hung down her back in gleaming waves. Two of her arms rested on me and she communicated with me silently. We’ll do this together.
Ana lifted a long, golden arm, her bracelets clinking softly. “Welcome to my temple, daughter,” Anamika said. “Your offering has been accepted.” The smile on her face was so sweet, her voice so melodious that I stared up at her as enraptured as Ren and Kelsey. You’re so beautiful, I thought, then swallowed, wondering if she’d heard my inner voice.
Ana hesitated, then one of her hands lifted to my head and she played with my ear. A golden sort of satisfaction swept through me, and I wasn’t certain if it was coming from her or if it was me or if it was our connection, but either way, I liked the feel of her fingertips brushing through my fur.
“I see you have your own tiger to aid you in times of battle,” Ana said.
“Umm, yes,” Kelsey answered, “this is Ren, but he is more than just a tiger.”
“Yes. I know who he is and that you love him almost as much as I love my own Damon. Yes?”
Wait. What? She loved me? Did you mean that? I asked mentally. How could she when she’d been so angry with me in Kishkindha just recently.
Hush, she answered, her second arm massaging my ruff. Can you not see I am busy?
Ana continued, “You have come to seek my blessing, and my blessing I will give. Come closer to me and accept it.”
Ren crept closer and I flinched as he sniffed. Did he recognize me? I remembered Ren saying that Durga’s tiger was orange. Glancing down, I saw that indeed, my paws were orange. I scratched at the stone thinking I preferred them black.
Ana told them where they were supposed to go and warned them of danger. I was too busy watching Ren, who was eying me much too closely for comfort to notice Ana holding the gada out to Kelsey.
Are you sure? I asked.
Yes. The weapons of Durga are now a part of me as well, she explained almost sadly. I can summon them from the ether at any time or place I wish. When we no longer have need of them, we simply relinquish our hold and they will return from whence they came.
I blew out a breath, which, on a tiger, looks like a chuff. It wouldn’t make sense to Ren at all but there was nothing I could do to take it back.
Kelsey tested out the gada and I was surprised to see that she had the strength of the goddess. I’d always assumed that Ana’s strength came from the earth portion of the amulet, but Kelsey had it even at that point. I wondered then if it was the connection to the tiger that gave the women the abilities they had. If so, the curse of the tiger wasn’t a punishment but a blessing. Without it, Ana and Kelsey would have died on the battlefield, assuming they had survived their other hardships first.
I closed my eyes and tilted my head. Ana reached over and scratched just beneath my jaw. Her hands were definitely distracting me. Enough so that I missed Fanindra coming alive and gliding over to Kelsey. What surprised me even more was that Fanindra had grown to full size. When had that happened? I wondered.
She feeds on time, Ana said, answering my question. During our recent time travels, she has matured rapidly.
That answered two questions. Not only did I now understand Fanindra’s rapid growth but I knew that Ana could also hear my secret thoughts. She’d heard me call her beautiful.
Kelsey trembled as Fanindra approached. The poor girl was obviously petrified.
Glancing up at Ana, I huffed. I’m sorry, I said. I know you’ll miss Fanindra. Ren and Kelsey were too preoccupied with the snake to notice the tears on Ana’s face. None of that now, I added. Who knows what demons you’ll create with those. Ana’s hand gripped my fur tightly. I rubbed my head against her very toned leg. We’ll see her again, won’t we? I asked.
I caught the slight nod. She will heed my call whenever I ask for her assistance. I have given her the ability to leave a metal duplicate with Kelsey when occasion permits. But Kelsey will have need of her at present.
That’s interesting. While Kelsey and Ren freaked out about Fanindra, I wondered just how many times on our journey we were carrying around a piece of jewelry instead of the real thing.
When Fanindra reached Kelsey’s arm, she lifted her head and flicked her tongue out as if saying good-bye to the goddess and then turned into an armband.
Ana explained, “She is called Fanindra, the Queen of the Serpents. She is a guide and will help you to find what you seek. She can conduct you on safe paths and will light your way through darkness. Do not be afraid of her, for she wishes you no harm.” She smiled and stroked Fanindra’s head. “She is sensitive to the emotions of others and longs to be loved for who she is. She has a purpose, as do all of her children, and we must learn to accept that all creatures, however fearsome they may be, are of divine origin.”
I sensed more to Ana’s words than just an attempt to counsel Kelsey. Was it possible Ana loved those horrible demons? The killer monkeys? When she said Kelsey and Ren should use their hearts to find one another, the truth stone hanging at my neck burned. Am I not using my heart to find my purpose? Ana had accused me of keeping my mind and heart from her. How could I prove that I was not?
Ren and Kelsey kept asking questions, desperate to learn more, but Ana used the scarf and the power of the earth to cover us once more in grit and stone. A veil crept over my eyes and I became immobile again. Kelsey stretched out a hand to my dusty head and touched my ear, where Ana’s hand had been. A cold feeling came over me, and though I was still stuck inside the tiger statue, I sensed Ana had gone.
Kelsey spun when she heard a sound, and I saw Ana standing close by, her hands on her hips. She was once again dressed in her typical attire, soft leather boots that came up to mid-thigh and her green dress. Her eyes flashed as she looked at me, but Kelsey couldn’t see her.
Ren followed Kelsey out of the temple, and after a few long moments, I heard the Jeep leave down the road.
Still Ana stood motionless, just staring me down.
Reaching out to her mind since I couldn’t talk, I nervously cried, Um, Ana? Little help?