Tiger's Dream (Tiger's Curse Book 5)

by Colleen Houck

  Durga summoned those who’d survived and raised her arms to the sky to bring down soothing rain. Sweet, plump droplets fell on the war-ridden land. When the fires were finally contained, we assessed the damage. Out of a community of hundreds, only dozens remained. Most of them were women. The fire had strafed the village and taken down most of the buildings. The protective wall that had surrounded the homes was broken and burnt.

  We stayed long enough to dispose of the dead, burning them to ash using the fire portion of the amulet, and we used the kamandal to heal the wounded. Ana accessed the power of the Golden Fruit to provide nourishment that would last several years, and when she touched it to the ground and linked it to the amulet, new crops grew where the old ones had burnt away.

  When we were satisfied that we’d done the best we could for the people, we left them and leapt through the ring of fire once more, seeking the next place that needed us, and then another. It took the better part of three days until we reached the last location.

  Having been summoned to a land east of India, I set my feet down upon ground so dry that dust blossomed around us, coating both her skin and my coat. Though I’d spent most of my life in a sweltering jungle, the sun beating down on us was merciless and hotter than anything I’d ever experienced before. I wasn’t sure how long we could last.

  “Where are we?” she asked. There were no people nearby and I couldn’t even make out a village. The heat was unbearable, so Ana sent away our armor and used the amulet to rain down on us from time to time to cool us off. Even Fanindra shuddered and changed into her metal form. It was as if she’d done her duty in protecting her mistress and we’d now be fine on our own. I took it as a good sign.

  When Fanindra was inanimate, she required no food or water. I hadn’t realized she was ever thirsty or hungry before. Not until she spent a lot of time as a real snake living among us. I murmured a silent thanks to the snake for protecting us before. I might have imagined it but I thought her eyes sparkled as if she’d heard me. I’d gained a real appreciation for Fanindra, especially after seeing how she’d saved both Kelsey and Anamika countless times. If it hadn’t been for her, we would never have survived let alone defeated Lokesh.

  The few trees we passed were stunted and dry. The leaves that clung stubbornly to the trees had curled up and hung blowing in the hot wind like thin brown ribbons. It reminded me a bit of the wishing trees at the star festivals except this one belonged at a festival in hell. We soon came upon furrows of dirt in long rows but nothing grew there. Not even weeds.

  Finally, we found an abandoned village. Strewn bits of refuse and straw littered the ground. I lifted my nose to the air. It was so dry I barely caught a scent, but I traced through the town, poking my nose into each dark building until I came upon a small temple with a mound of desiccated offerings.

  This is where they prayed to you, I said.

  “Can you find them?” she asked.

  I’ll try.

  It took the better part of two hours before I found a group of starving villagers. They sat near a dried-up river at least a half hour away from the village. I could tell the river had been wide and full at one time. The banks stretched far and the bed was deep. The river rocks at the bottom were covered with fish bones. It wasn’t natural.

  I shivered. From what I could tell, the fish had been killed quickly. It was almost as if someone had poisoned the water. On the banks we’d passed the dried remains of hundreds of animals who had come to the river and stayed, hoping there would be water soon. A river that large should have never dried up. The mountains in the distance would feed it year round.

  As a tiger, I’d instinctively migrated to steady waterways in the summers. The waterfall where I’d first met Kelsey had dried up once in three hundred years, and that had only been for a month or so. The pool had lowered considerably that summer and many animals came to drink at the edge, but when the rains came, it quickly refilled.

  I had never worried much about water before, but those days had been difficult. I can’t imagine what these animals and the villagers had gone through. Even now, the people could barely rouse themselves to acknowledge our arrival. Women cried but the tears dried instantly in the heat. Men laughed but their happiness soon turned to fits of coughing.

  A child sat up. I hadn’t even seen her among the press of bodies. Her poor lips were chapped and bleeding, and her limbs were so thin I was surprised they could support her weight. Other children peeped out from beneath hastily constructed tents and sheets that had been draped between trees to give them respite from the hot sun.

  “What has happened here?” Anamika asked. Her voice was picked up by the wind and amplified so all the people could hear her.

  “Drought,” a woman said. “The land is cursed. An evil man has set his power against us. Half of our village is dead and the other half dying.”

  “Who is the man who did this to you?” Anamika demanded.

  “It does not matter. He is gone now.”

  “I will find him,” she promised. “He will be punished for what he has done.”

  The woman laughed. “You will never find Lokesh.”

  I froze and Ana jerked in the saddle. After saying his name, the woman spat into the dirt. I noticed there was no wet spot. If I were in human form, I would have spat too, just to show support.

  “He is as a wolf in the night,” she added. “Not even a goddess can roust him from his den.”

  Is it possible? Can he be here? Ana asked me, an edge of panic in her words.

  No. Lokesh is dead, I said with certainty.

  Then how? How has he done this?

  I pondered for a moment and then said, We must have come to a time when he was a young man searching for the pieces of the amulet. Have you sensed the differences in the places we’ve been? We’ve moved across lands but we’ve also journeyed through time. The twisting of your stomach tells you this. The greater the pull in your belly, the farther we’ve traveled.

  Are you certain? she asked.

  I twitched and bit on a thorn irritating my paw. It makes sense. Even Lokesh had heard rumors of the goddess Durga. These people, as far away from India as they are, might have heard your story too. Perhaps these are the very people who told him of you. Lokesh didn’t know he was to become the demon Durga destroyed in battle. We heard their pleas, their prayers. Now we need to fix what he has done to them.

  But if he is here, let us destroy him here, now, while he is weak.

  Kadam tried to do that. He said the only way to defeat Lokesh was the way we did it, with you. He said it was our destiny. He died for that belief, Ana.

  I understood her wanting to kill him. I’d thought many times about going back and destroying him before he killed Yesubai. It wasn’t so much that I was still in love with her, but no one deserved death at the hands of her own father. Kadam was insistent that the curse needed to happen and that Durga and her tiger needed to rise. Seeing the work we were doing cemented that idea for me, at least a bit.

  Was it the future I’d imagined for myself back when I was a prince living in my father’s kingdom? No. But I’d wanted to leave my mark on the world. I shifted slightly and glanced down at my pugmark. The deep curves where the pads of my paws dug into the dirt and the grooves left by my claws were certainly a mark. Maybe this print wouldn’t last, but I absolutely knew the story of Durga and her tiger would.

  We’ll speak more of this after we help these people, Kishan, Anamika said.

  Ana raised her arms in the air and channeled the power of the water piece of the amulet. Overhead, the bright blue sky shimmering with heat slowly changed. At first, only wisps of white clouds gathered on the horizon. But then, they pillowed together, growing larger and darker. The wind whipped up the dry dust in clouds, bringing with it the smell of rain.

  As the drops began to fall, the villagers lifted their faces, letting the cool shower stream down their cheeks, refreshing them. Ana had some kind of natural instinct about combining the po
wers of our various weapons, and she used them in creative ways to rebuild what had been destroyed. Not only did she refill the river but she used the Golden Fruit combined with the kamandal to heal the land and bring life back to the river.

  Trees grew around the banks and spread wide canopies. She placed the trident in the river and stirred the waters. They hissed and bubbled, and fish of all kinds burst from the trident and swam away in all directions. She found a broken eggshell, and when she blew on it, a bird appeared. It flew up into a tree and then hundreds of birds erupted from it and flew away.

  Taking a bone and some mud from the river, she touched the tip of an arrow to it and it became a deer. She dragged the arrow in a long furrow, and the ground opened up as dozens, no, hundreds and hundreds of creatures leapt from the breach. Lastly, she took the gada and beat a mound of dirt. The hill melted into insects of every kind, and from the center rose reptiles of every description.

  I fell hard onto my haunches, amazed at what she had done. Even with all the powers of Durga at our disposal, Ren, Kelsey, and I had never even tried the things she’d accomplished. We didn’t know they were possible. I stepped away as a particularly deadly snake wound his way around me and headed away from the people.

  Did you have to create biting gnats and poisonous reptiles? I asked.

  All creatures deserve a space in the world, she replied.

  When everything was settled, she approached me. Her eyes were weary and her shoulders hung low. How? I asked her. How did you know to do that?

  She shrugged, exhaustion obvious in every single one of her arms. “My teacher,” she answered.

  Kadam? I asked incredulously, absolutely floored by the idea that he had taught her. Wh…when?

  Phet came to me when you were in the jungle all those months. I didn’t know he was your Kadam then. Out loud, Ana said to the people, “Will you take us to your well?”

  A few of them attempted to rise and heed her request, but it became quickly obvious that they needed sustenance first. She stepped back and filled the space before them with food and flagons of nourishing broth, including the firefruit juice that Kelsey had introduced her to, then waited patiently for them to eat and drink their fill and watched carefully to see if there was anything else they needed. Exhausted, she sat down, resting her head against my back, and fell asleep.

  While she slept, I pondered what she’d revealed to me. I’d sat pining away in the forest while she’d been honing her skills, practicing. It was ridiculous the things I didn’t know. I’d been feeling all superior, like I had the edge when it came to the weapons or the amulet. Turns out I was sorely mistaken. Some companion I turned out to be.

  I hated to wake her but I knew she’d rest better at home. The villagers were ready to show us the well, so I mentally called to her. Ana. Ana, wake up.

  “No, Sohan. Let me sleep,” she mumbled and turned on her side, cushioning her head on one of her many arms.

  Sohan? I don’t think I’d ever told her my full name. Only my mother called me Sohan. Everyone else used Kishan. Even Kadam. It took me by surprise but I found that I didn’t mind that she called me by that name.

  Wake up, Ana. The people need you.

  Instantly, she opened her eyes. It was unusual for Anamika, who enjoyed sleeping in and was rather cranky about being woken up. But when she was Durga and people relied on her, she responded quickly. We made our way back to the village, and with her magic, Ana filled the well to brimming with sweet water. I was happy to drink from the bucket that a little girl placed in front of me while Ana remade the village into a bustling little place full of trees and her signature flowers.

  The greenery spread out around us in a wide arc and flowed all the way up to the mountain and beyond. When she was satisfied with her work, she slumped against my side and lifted a ladle full of water to her lips. After saying our good-byes, we headed out of the village, and when we were a good distance away, she used the scarf to change herself back into her normal green hunting dress.

  Tilting my tiger head, I followed suit and changed back into human form. She gripped the Rope of Fire in one hand and the scarf in the other. The scarf transformed into a bag not unlike Kelsey’s old backpack. She placed all the weapons inside except for the bow, which she slung across her back. I took the bag from her and asked, “Aren’t we going home?”

  She shook her head. “Not yet. There’s one more person who needs our help.”

  I groaned. “Can’t it wait until tomorrow? I’m exhausted and I know you are too.”

  “This one won’t be physically demanding. There’s a woman from your time. She’s fasting.”

  “Yeah? Lots of women do that. What’s the emergency?” I’d had to teach her that word and it had become one of her favorites. She liked asking me, Do you have an emergency, Kishan? every time I couldn’t find a fork or was in a hurry.

  She smiled tiredly at my use of the word. “The emergency is that the woman who needs to speak with me is your Nilima.”

  Chapter 10

  Beach Party

  “Wait a minute. Nilima? Are you sure?”

  “I am. She is supplicating the goddess Durga even as we speak. She is very intent about it.”

  I rubbed a hand across the back of my neck. “Can you tell why? When?”

  Ana cocked her head, closing her eyes. After a moment, she said, “She prays for the safety and happiness of Kelsey. I cannot be certain of when this prayer was said, but I think it is important for us to attend to her request immediately.”

  My breath caught at the mention of Kelsey. “Yes,” I replied quickly. “I agree.”

  Her luscious lips quirked downward in a frown. “Then again, perhaps we should wait,” she said hesitantly.

  “No.” I shook my head. “Kelsey might need us.”

  Ana gave me a long look. I squirmed under her gaze, feeling guilty, but held my ground.

  “Very well,” she finally said and took the Rope of Fire, twirling it until a vortex appeared.

  My gut wrenched hard when we leapt through, indicating that we were traveling far into the future indeed. When we landed, I could immediately tell we were in India, but where and when we were, I had no idea.

  It was daytime, and I shielded my eyes from the glaring sun, trying to see if I recognized the city. With me being barefoot and Ana in her green hunting dress with boots and a bow strapped across her back, we were conspicuous in the modern world. As she looped the Rope of Fire and slung it around her waist, attaching it like a belt, I used the scarf to make myself some shoes and her a pair of leggings that formed beneath her dress.

  Ana fussed about that, saying I had no right to dress her without her consent. She wasn’t wrong, so I grumbled a sorry. She still stood out. There was nothing I could do about the bow, so I stashed it behind a dumpster, a terrible thing to do with such a beautiful weapon, and, after asking permission, laid the scarf over her head, covering her long, shiny hair. The Divine Scarf lengthened and matched the color of her dress.

  “Where are we?” Ana asked as I adjusted the scarf, tucking her hair beneath it.

  When I was satisfied, I realized just how close our faces were. Her lips looked incredibly soft and I froze in place. Our eyes locked and I swallowed. Her hands pressed against my chest, and my heartbeat kicked into overdrive, but apparently her thoughts were not in alignment with mine because she pushed me away. “Are you finished?” she asked.

  I blinked. Then turned aside. What is wrong with me? Am I missing Kelsey so much that any female will do? My tiger nose alone should have been deterrent enough, what with the scent of battle and death that still hung on me. Switching to a man had helped, but I needed a long shower to get rid of the stench of blood and sweat. Ana should have smelled just as bad but she didn’t. Every time I was close to her, it was like stepping into her garden. Roses and jasmine wafted around her and clung to her hair. Had she somehow bathed when I wasn’t looking?

  My mind suddenly shifted to Ana languishing in her
bubble bath, and I shook my head to get the image out of my mind. She was like a sister. Wasn’t she? Sure, she was beautiful, powerful, striking even. Especially in battle. My response was most likely the result of being on my own for too long. I backed away several feet, which was way too obvious and probably confused her. The thing was, even from a distance, I could still smell the jasmine.

  Closing my eyes, I gritted my teeth. Without answering her question, which hung in the air awkwardly between us, I turned around and walked into a nearby shop. She followed me and entered just after I did, marveling at the wares while I asked the shopkeeper the date and time and if he had a business card. He did.

  When he handed it to me, I read the card and sucked in a breath. Mangalore. What was Nilima doing in Mangalore?

  All at once, I knew.

  “Come on,” I said and held out my hand, knowing she’d hate it if I grabbed her. She took it slowly, placing her hand in mine consciously, deliberately. It meant something to her. To me, too, but I didn’t want to think about it at that moment. “Which way’s the ocean?” I asked the man.

  “West,” he replied and I headed outside.

  After a quick glance at the sun, we darted between stores and down streets at a quick enough pace that people moved aside so we wouldn’t trample them. When the ocean finally came in view, I heard Ana gasp in wonder. I scanned the coastline, and when I found what I was looking for, I blew out a breath, my heart thudding in my chest as if I’d just run five miles.

  “They’re here,” I said.

  “Who?” Ana asked, glancing warily up and down the street.

  Lifting my arm, I pointed out to the ocean toward the object that had caught my attention.

  “What am I supposed to be seeing?” she asked.