He combed his fingers through his hair in frustration. “Is there anything I can say to fix this?”
“Probably not.” I put my hands on my hips. “I just can’t understand why you would do this. If you really loved me, then why would you choose this? The most logical conclusion is that you didn’t really love me. I knew you were too good to be true.”
“What do you mean?”
“You said it yourself to Kishan. You couldn’t imagine loving someone like me. See? Even you knew we didn’t fit together. You’re Mr. Perfection and I’m Miss Average. Anyone can see that, and those were your true feelings right after we rescued you.”
He laughed bitterly. “Believe me, I am far from perfect, Kelsey, and you are no more average than Durga is. I barely knew you when I said those things, and you’re misinterpreting my words anyway!”
“How so?”
“I … what I meant was … what I said was … look! You’re not the same person I thought you were then.”
“I’m exactly the same person!”
“No. I was avoiding you. I wasn’t getting to know you. I was—”
I ripped out another page.
“Kelsey!” Ren ran over and yanked the journal from my hands, groaning with the effort of being so close to me. “Cut it out! Don’t even think about burning another page!”
I grabbed the journal and tugged. “They’re mine to do with as I please.”
He yanked back. “You need to stop judging me based on things I said right after I got back! I was still traumatized, and I wasn’t thinking coherently. I’ve had time to get to know you, and … I like you!” he yelled. “I like you enough that I think I even understand why I loved you, despite how frustrating you are!”
I pulled on my book. “You like me … enough? Enough! Well, enough’s not good enough for me.”
He wrenched the journal again. “Kelsey, what else do you want from me?”
I tugged again. “I want my old Ren back!”
He stiffened and growled, “Well, I don’t know what to tell you. The old Ren may be gone forever. And … this new Ren doesn’t want to lose you.” He glowered at me sullenly, moved his hand up to my wrist, and tugged me closer this time instead of the book. Then he said, “Besides, you said we could start over.”
“I don’t think that’s really possible.” I gave a final tug as he let go and moved away a few steps.
Ren dropped his hands to his sides and clenched his fists. In a dangerously low voice he said, “Then make it possible.”
“You expect too much.”
“No. You expect too much.” He took a step closer. “You’re not being reasonable. You need to give me time, Kelsey.”
I looked up, and we locked eyes. “I would have given you all the time in the world until Phet said you did this to yourself.”
“‘How poor are they that have not patience! What wound did ever heal but by degrees?’”
“Shakespeare isn’t going to save you this time, Superman. Your time’s run out.”
He scowled. “Perhaps I should have been studying The Taming of the Shrew!”
“Okay, then here’s your first lesson: ‘My tongue will tell the anger of my heart. The door is open, sir; there lies your way.’”
“I don’t need a lesson. I already know how it ends. The guy wins. ‘Think you a little din can daunt mine ears?’” He crooked his finger and beckoned me closer. “In fact, come on over here and kiss me, Kate.”
I narrowed my eyes. “You botched the line, and you’ll find I’m not as easily won over as Katherine.”
Ren’s face tightened, and he threw up his hands in disgust. “Fine. You win. If you insist on giving back all my poetry then do it. But don’t burn it.”
“Fine! I’ll agree not to burn it, if you agree to leave me alone for the rest of this trip.”
“Fine! And incidentally, I don’t understand how I could have believed you were a warm, affectionate, and tenderhearted person! You’re obviously as prickly as a porcupine. Any man who comes close to you will end up with a face full of quills!”
“That’s right! A girl needs to have some defenses from the men who want to devour her for lunch. Especially when those men are wild tigers on the prowl looking for trouble.”
He narrowed his eyes, grabbed my hand, and nipped the inside of my wrist lightly before kissing it, though I could tell it caused him pain.
“You haven’t seen just how wild I can be, subhaga jadugarni.”
I rubbed his kiss off dramatically. “What does that mean?”
“It means … ‘lovely witch.’”
“Flattery gets you nowhere, and a backhanded compliment gets you less than nowhere. I’m well versed in your verbal tricks.”
He smiled mischievously, snickered, and dropped his gaze deliberately to my lips. “They must get me somewhere, or you wouldn’t have a journal full of poems.”
“Don’t you have something to chase?”
“Sure. I’ll give you a head start.”
I glared at him. “Not in this lifetime, pal.”
He folded his arms across his chest and grinned at me.
“Don’t do that. It just makes me angrier.”
I’d lied. Ren’s smile didn’t make me angrier. In fact, it was the opposite. It made me miss him. I felt sadness creep in around the edges, cooling my wrath down to a simmer.
“You never called me that one before.”
“What? Subhaga? Did I have other nicknames for you?”
I paused and answered slowly, “Yes.”
“What did I call you?” He tilted his head and appraised me in a mocking way. “I probably called you stubborn, close-minded, irritable, impatient—”
The unquenchable rage returned in a mighty blaze and burned so hot it bubbled over. I wanted to hurt him. “That’s it!” I pressed my hands against his chest and shoved as hard as I could but he was immovable and just laughed at my puny efforts, so I gave him a little zap.
“Ow! Alright, kitten, you show me your claws, and I’ll show you mine.” He pressed both of my hands against my hips, trapping them. I was mashed up against his chest, and his arms moved to become iron bands around my body. He kissed my neck and murmured softly, “I knew you couldn’t wait to get your hands on me.”
I gasped in outrage. “You … you … deserter!”
“If by deserter, you’re asking if I’ll have you for dessert, I’d consider it. Of course, I’d have to sweeten you up a bit first.” He laughed as he kissed my neck again.
I pushed myself away from him, quivering with frustration—at least, I think it was frustration. I was seriously considering shooting enough voltage through his body to make his hair stand on end and wipe the infuriatingly smug smile off his face when Kishan crashed through the trees.
“What’s all the yelling about?” Kishan asked.
“Would you please tell your sorry excuse for a brother that I’m not talking to him anymore?”
Kishan grinned. “No problem. She’s not talking to you anymore.” He laughed. “I’d been worried you two were getting along too well. I should have known better.”
Ren’s smile faltered. He frowned at his brother and narrowed his eyes at me. “Not talking to you is fine because at least that means I won’t have to listen.” With a sarcastic bow he added, “And with nothing else to say, I’ll gladly accept your terms of surrender.”
“I’m not surrendering anything, oh, Prince of the Battle of the Five Horses. And it’s fine with me, because I don’t expect you to listen to me anyway!”
“That was Champion at the Battle of the Hundred Horses!”
“Fine! Then why don’t you gallop on back to the Jeep, Champion?”
“Fine! Then I will!”
I spat with barely controlled rage. “Good! And don’t let the jungle hit you on the way out!”
He stared into my eyes as he stalked past me. He was breathless with anger and frustration, and, heaven help me, all I could think of was grabbing him and kissing him.
> He spoke softly as I glared back at him. “I pity poor Kishan, who has to walk the rest of the way back with you.”
“I’m sure he’ll survive,” I replied acerbically.
He glanced at Kishan, and looked his brother up and down coldly. “No doubt. I’ll meet you back at the Jeep.”
Kishan nodded, and Ren hesitated.
I folded my arms. “Well? What are you waiting for? A good-bye kiss?”
His eyes darted to my lips. “Careful what you wish for, mohini stri.”
For a brief second, I panicked thinking he’d accept that challenge, but he tilted his head, smiled an infuriatingly knowing smile, leapt over the fire, and was gone.
Kishan stared at the hole in the forest where Ren had disappeared. Then he turned to me and put his hands on my shoulders.
“I’ve never seen you so angry before.”
“What can I say? He brings out the best in me.”
Kishan frowned. “It would appear he does.”
“What did those words mean?”
“Mohini stri? They mean ‘siren,’ or ‘fascinating woman.’”
I grunted. “Figures he’d take the opportunity to mock me further.”
Kishan gave me a puzzled look. “I don’t think he’s mocking you.”
“Of course he is. And I’m warning you right now: I’m not in the mood to start another tiger fight, so if you want to take off after him, then by all means feel free.”
“Kelsey, I have no intention of leaving you alone. And I don’t want to fight with you.”
“Well, at least one of you is a gentleman,” I muttered as I started gathering my things to leave. I picked up the crumpled poem and smoothed the paper regretfully as I slipped my abused journal carefully into the backpack.
“Kelsey, despite what you think, Ren wouldn’t have left you alone either. If I wasn’t here, he would have stayed.”
“Yeah. Right. I could walk off the side of a cliff for all he cares. Why are you defending him anyway? I thought you wanted him out of the picture!”
“That’s not … exactly true.”
“Oh! I see. So Kelsey is the one at fault. Kelsey misunderstands everyone’s intentions. Then let me make sure I understand your motives. Do you still want to be with me, or don’t you?”
He scowled. “You know the answer to that.”
“Fine. Then now’s your chance! Kiss me.”
Kishan studied my face carefully and shook his head. “No.”
“No? Don’t you want to?”
“Yes, but I promised that I wouldn’t kiss you until I knew you and Ren were over. And I don’t think you are.”
“Ha! Oh, I think we are.”
“No. In fact, your little tirade proves that you’re not.”
I stood up on my toes as high as I could, getting as close to being nose to nose with Kishan as was possible. “Fine. Then neither one of you needs to walk me back.”
I grabbed my backpack and left him standing in shock. I stomped through the jungle, letting my anger guide me for several moments before I slipped my phone out of my pocket and searched for Ren’s dot on the map. I could see Kishan’s dot following me at a distance. He was far enough back that I couldn’t see or hear him, but he was near enough to close the distance if I needed him.
Walking through the jungle relatively alone was good for me. It gave me time to cool down. I was still angry and muttered to myself the entire way, but at least my blood pressure normalized, so I didn’t have to worry about having a stroke. And when I realized that I had possession of the Golden Fruit and the Scarf, I grinned wickedly thinking about the two of them starving or having to hunt. In fact, I made myself a big ice cream cone and soothed my temper with chocolate brownie and mudslide as I walked.
Several hours later, I found Ren leaning against the Jeep, which was parked in the shade of a tree. He watched me as I tromped through the undergrowth. He’d probably heard me coming for the last ten minutes. He looked behind me, surprised that I was alone, then glared, changed into the white tiger, and walked between some bushes so he wasn’t in view anymore.
I studiously ignored him, sank down to the dirt with my back against the Jeep, and took a long drink of sugar-free lemonade from my canteen. I would have preferred water, but we’d run out and the Golden Fruit couldn’t make plain old H2O.
Kishan emerged from the jungle and briefly stared at me with a fathomless expression before unlocking and opening the Jeep doors. Ren emerged from the bushes and silently leapt into the backseat. I wasn’t about to cozy up next to Ren so I chose the passenger seat, cranked up the air conditioning, made a pillow, and leaned my chair back. It was a very quiet ride home.
The second the Jeep stopped in front of the house, I leapt out of the car, slammed the door, and stomped inside.
“We’re home, Mr. Kadam! I’m taking a shower!” I yelled and disappeared into my room.
Finally feeling refreshed and almost human again a few hours later, I whipped up a bowl of mixed fruit and a chicken salad sandwich and looked for Mr. Kadam in the peacock room.
“Mr. Kadam? I can’t tell you how much I missed being around a gentlema—” I said, stopping abruptly when I saw he was with a freshly showered Ren.
“Miss Kelsey, come in,” Mr. Kadam beckoned, approaching me with open arms.
I took an awkward step forward, hugged Mr. Kadam, and glared at Ren. His hair was wet and slicked back, and he was wearing a fitted V-neck shirt in dragonfly blue over a pair of straight-legged gray herringbone designer pants. He was barefoot, and he was the most gorgeous thing I’d ever seen. He folded his arms across his chest, which made his arm muscles bulge. I scowled at him.
“I’ll leave you two alone,” Ren said with a mocking flourish and left, deliberately brushing his arm against mine as he passed.
“I hope that hurt,” I muttered quietly and heard his soft laugh as he went into the kitchen.
Mr. Kadam seemed completely oblivious of our exchange. “Miss Kelsey! Come and sit with me. I have something to show you!”
“What is it?”
“I’ve finally finished decoding the third prophecy, and I’d like to hear what you think,” Mr. Kadam said and slid his translation across his desk.
The words were written in beautiful calligraphy. I read:
Lustrous gems of blazon black
Once graced her satin’d skin.
A ruthless knave her neck ransack’d;
The strand sank deep within.
Now beads hide buried in the sea;
A brave one brings them out.
Deadly monsters bite and sting—
Too horrible to rout.
But trident wield, kamandal imbibe,
And the lady who weaves the silk
Will guide and guarantee you lay
The wreath on sea of milk.
Seek dragon kings of oceans five
From cardinal compass as you dive:
Red Dragon’s stars move in astral time;
Blue Dragon’s range points the way;
Green Dragon helps see through the clime;
Gold Dragon’s town lies ’neath the waves;
White Dragon unlocks the door to icy lights.
Take her arms and wield them well
Her unblemish’d prize to win.
Capture the string with fluid power;
Head homeward once again.
Cool India’s lands with precious dew;
River, stream, the rain will fill.
The dry land and the heart renew,
Else healing pow’r is latent still
I let the page fall gently to my lap and looked at Mr. Kadam with a newfound horror. “Dragons?” was all I could mutter.
5
Preparation
“Dragons?” I repeated.
Mr. Kadam chuckled sympathetically. “I believe the dragons will be helpful. I don’t think you have to fight them.”
“I sincerely hope you’re right about that. So, I assume you’ve looked
into what some of these things are?”
“You assume correctly. Some I know, and some will need a bit more research. Would you like to assist me?”
“Definitely. It will be a good distraction for me.”
“Excellent! But first tell me what Phet said.”
We talked for a couple of hours. Kishan approached, saw me, and quickly departed again.
Mr. Kadam finally noticed the obvious tension. “Did the brothers do something to upset you?”
“Don’t they always?” I asked dryly.
“What happened?”
I shifted nervously in my seat. “They didn’t do anything, really. It’s just that Ren and I argued about his amnesia. It was a really intense fight, and Kishan heard at least part of it. Phet said they were both pillows, which is true, but that doesn’t make it easier.”
Mr. Kadam drummed his fingers on his thigh. He should have been “ frustrated with my vague babblings, but he picked through my disjointed thoughts and asked, “What did Phet mean? How are they both pillows?”
“Basically, he said they were both pillows in a world of rocks, which I think means they are both good guys, and I would be happy no matter which one I choose.”
“I see. It’s been obvious to me that Kishan has developed feelings for you. Is this what you were fighting with Ren about?”
“No. Kishan was just … a convenient target. I was mad at Ren for blocking me out. For forgetting me.”
“We still don’t know why that happened.”
“I know.” I picked at the hem of my sleeve and sighed. “But my old insecurities surfaced, and I just got mad. He pushed the right buttons, which he seems to have a knack for, memory loss or not. He makes me so angry sometimes that I could just shake him.”
“If he stirs that much emotion in you, then it should be obvious which one you should pick.”
“Right.” I sighed. “That means I should pick Kishan. I’d have a much more peaceful life with him.”
Mr. Kadam leaned forward. “That’s not what I meant, but that decision I will leave entirely up to you. Phet seems to believe that you cannot make a wrong choice?”
I nodded glumly.
“Hmm. That’s interesting. A stress-filled visit indeed. If I might be so bold, I would encourage you to try to set aside your differences and learn to trust both of them. It will be much easier to focus on the task ahead if we all work in harmony. We are already halfway to breaking the curse. Finding Durga’s third gift will be our biggest challenge yet.”