Tiger Thief

by Michaela Clarke

  He stepped towards the table in front of Doctor Rookh and picked up the sword. A surge of pleasure filled him as he touched the metal. He felt so grateful to his master, for allowing him to feel this great power and joy. At last he could be all he had ever wanted to be, and more. He understood everything now. Of course he was the Prince of Jinnis. And now, with Rookh’s help, he would soon take the place of the Emperor and be a worthy ruler, both of the underworld, and of the human empire that waited on the surface.

  Lifting the sword, he saluted. Then, at last, Emira was released and they began circling the ring.

  As Sharat prepared to fight, he couldn’t help admiring the beauty of the tiger that prowled opposite him.

  She was a rare and spectacular beast, and he knew he had performed with her many times before, but today would be different. Today he was going to kill her. No emotions remained to spoil the fight he was about to undertake, only ruthless determination. He swung the sword to test its weight. It seemed as eager as he was, almost humming in his hand.

  Emira reared up, looking as though she would spring out of the ring towards Doctor Rookh, but Sharat was ready. He threw himself in front of her, and the sword sliced through the air. If Emira hadn’t moved, he would have cut off her head, but Emira was fast after her years of circus training. Sharat wouldn’t have expected any less. She dodged out of the way, and the sword just nicked her ear.

  “Ow!” Suddenly Sharat forgot he was the Prince of Jinnis. For a moment he was just a boy again. He reached up and touched his head. It was wet with blood.

  “How did that happen?” he muttered to himself, confused. Then he heard Rookh’s voice in his head.

  “Fight!”

  He sprang to attention. Emira was angry now. She had turned around and was coming for him. Again he lifted his sword. It was time for him to prove himself a worthy heir to Master Rookh.

  * * *

  Emira felt strong and fierce. She knew she should be happy. She had been let out of her cruel prison. Now, here she was again with her boy, surrounded by an audience. Even so, things weren’t back to normal. There was something wrong with Sharat. His movements were stiff, he was dressed all wrong, and where was his ring of fire? She growled and looked around. The audience wasn’t behaving properly either. Why were all of them so white? And why did they just sit there staring? Emira circled the ring, roaring at the top of her voice to try and wake them up, but they hardly moved at all. It was as if they were half dead.

  Then she saw the man in black and her fur bristled in recognition. She would have leapt out of the ring to attack him there and then, but suddenly Sharat was in front of her, a rod of metal in his hand.

  Emira could hardly believe her eyes. Sharat was getting in between her and the enemy! Had he not seen the tiny cage she’d been locked up in for so long?

  Just then the metal rod sliced through the air towards Emira’s face. She dodged to avoid it, but not fast enough – the tip nicked her ear. Hissing in pain she sprang back. Why was her boy trying to hit her? That wasn’t how they played the game!

  A drop of blood landed in Emira’s eye and, as the world around her turned red, her confusion turned to fury.

  For years Emira had done what she was told, staying obediently in her cage, performing night after night for nothing more but a leg of mutton and the occasional pleasure of the hunt. She had done this all for the love of her precious little brother, her boy, Sharat. It had always been the two of them against the world. Now he was taking sides against her with the man she hated the most.

  Emira spun to face the ring. She watched the boy there. It looked like Sharat, and smelled like him too, but she knew that the real Sharat would never hurt her. This wasn’t the Sharat that she had known and loved. This was some kind of a demon. That meant the rules had changed.

  Emira roared. The demon wanted to fight, did he? She would show him a fight!

  Aya felt sick. She had longed to see Sharat and Emira in the ring, but not like this.

  All around her, the ghuls sat watching silently from beneath their ghostly cowls. They didn’t react to the drama that was unfolding before them. The only creatures that were enjoying themselves were the demons. Scores of them were jeering and cheering at every move.

  Aya glanced over at Doctor Rookh and Mohini.

  Mohini was half raised off her throne, her eyes hungry, while Rookh leaned forward in concentration, his staff twitching at every blow.

  Suddenly Aya saw things clearly. Sharat wasn’t fighting of his own accord. Doctor Rookh was controlling him somehow. There was no time to waste. She had to get to him before he killed Emira. Gathering up her courage, she started pushing through the ghuls, desperately trying to reach the ring.

  Sharat was enjoying himself. It was almost like being back at the circus, only this time the fighting was for real! Feeling a surge of excitement, he watched Emira’s eyes blaze with fury as she charged towards him. With a flash of gleaming metal his sword sliced through the air, but the tiger was too quick for him, rolling away with a snarl of anger as she whipped out a paw to knock his legs from under his body.

  Sharat jumped and Emira missed. Then they both paused for a moment. There was no sign of the friendship they had shared, only the desire to fight and win.

  Sharat was just catching his breath when suddenly a sound cut through his concentration. He glanced up to see one of the ghuls waving at him from the audience. Then, as he watched, it pulled off its hood. All of a sudden he realised it was Aya.

  Confused, he forgot what he was doing and paused to look. Aya was shouting something. A word, what was it? A name? Sure that it must be important, he strained his ears to catch what she was saying, but just then Emira made her move, leaping towards him with a terrible roar.

  In a flash Rookh was on his feet.

  “Now!” he cried, thrusting his staff sharply forward.

  His body twisting, Sharat’s blade shot out and Emira landed on its point.

  Without emotion, Sharat watched as the sword in his hand pierced Emira’s flesh. For an instant, time seemed to stand still as she hung suspended above him, the silver metal buried up to the hilt in her chest. He braced himself, expecting to be crushed. But Emira didn’t fall. Instead, there was an almighty crack, as a bolt of lightning shot out of the sword and hit the ground, lighting up the glassy surface of the ring with an eerie glow.

  All at once, the light began to spin, opening up a swirling vortex beneath Sharat’s feet.

  Emira roared, and time resumed its course. Leaping past Sharat uninjured, she dived straight through the centre of the vortex and disappeared.

  As he stared up at the empty space where the tiger had been, Sharat felt a sense of déjà vu. But before he could wonder where she had gone, he felt a sharp pain in his heart and his body slowly crumpled as a fountain of blood erupted from his chest.

  “Yes!”

  A shriek of triumph rent the air as Mohini leapt down from her throne.

  “No!” gasped Aya as Sharat fell bleeding to the ground.

  In despair she collapsed on to the bench behind her. It was no use. It hadn’t worked!

  Clutching the broken Mazaria to her chest, she knew why. It was no good just saying a magic word. You had to sing it. Numbly, she watched as Mohini leapt into the ring, her face wild with jubilation.

  Just then there was a raucous cry from the golden bird that had been perched on top of Emira’s cage.

  Detaching itself, it shot towards the enchantress, its feathers turning from gold to green as it raked its claws across her throat.

  “Catch!” it cried, flying past Aya in a blur.

  Staring up at the bird, Aya felt a jolt of recognition. But before she could wonder where she’d seen him before, she felt something small and heavy drop into her lap. Looking down, she saw the familiar shape of the golden bee.

  All at once her heart leapt. “Alcherisma!” she exclaimed, seizing the amulet.

  Moments later a speck of gold flew out of the st
one and with a furious buzz the jinni appeared before her. Taking one look at the chaos around them, a look of panic crossed his face. “Are you crazy?” he hissed. “Why have you brought me here?”

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  KALKI

  As the boy collapsed, he felt a sharp pain in his chest. For a moment all his memories and fears returned with the roar of cheers all around him. Then there was a tugging sensation as though he was being pulled underwater, and all of a sudden the noise stopped.

  In wonder, he looked around. He was in a circular tunnel, whose walls were slowly revolving as they flickered with light. The tunnel was twisted, and the pathway ahead rose and fell. Catching his balance, he stepped forward. With a start, he noticed the figure of a woman running up ahead. She was dressed in green with long, black hair.

  The boy frowned. His mind was blank, but somehow he knew this woman’s name.

  “Mohini!” he called, running to catch up with her.

  The woman spun around, hair whirling. Her throat was scratched and bleeding, but her face was a picture of jubilation. With a quick glance she looked him up and down.

  “So,” she said, her mouth twisting. “You made it. I wasn’t sure if you would.”

  “How did I get here?” asked the boy, confused. Visions of fighting, of blood, of despair jostled in his mind.

  “You stabbed Emira with the Sword of Shiva, and opened a gateway back to the world of the jinnis,” said Mohini in triumph.

  “But I was wounded,” remembered the boy. “My body collapsed.”

  “That was just your human side,” Mohini told him. “Now you’re all jinni. You’ve left your body and its memories behind.”

  The boy stared at her. “Does that mean I’m dead?” he asked, suddenly feeling sick.

  Mohini shook her head. “Only your human side is dead,” she told him. “Let it go. It was worthless, and anyway, you won’t need it where we’re going.”

  She carried on down the twisting tunnel, with the boy on her heels.

  Just then they turned a corner and up ahead he saw a circle of dazzling light. In front of it, poised to spring, was a white tiger. His heart leapt.

  “Emira!” he called.

  With a questioning growl the tiger turned her head. Then, as she saw the boy, her growl turned into a purr. She bounded back towards him.

  The boy threw his arms around her. “You’re alive!” he cried.

  “Come on!” said Mohini sharply. “The gateway won’t stay open forever. If we don’t move now, we’ll be trapped between the worlds.”

  Just then the boy noticed that the circle of light up ahead was beginning to shrink.

  “Where are we going?” he asked.

  “We’re going to Aruanda,” Mohini told him. “But we have to go now or we’ll never get through!”

  “Aruanda!” The boy felt a thrill as the name conjured up visions of a beautiful garden. He hurried on, feeling a tugging sensation as he drew closer to the light, but just then a crystal-sweet voice broke the silence behind them.

  “Kalki! Kalki! Kalki!” it sang.

  The boy stopped in his tracks. Next to him, the tiger stopped too, her ears turned back.

  “What was that?” he asked.

  “It doesn’t matter,” Mohini told him. “It’s coming from the world of men. You’re a jinni. That place can only be a prison to you now.”

  The boy stepped forward.

  “Kalki! Kalki! Kalki!” The voice came again, pure and clear.

  A thrill of recognition passed through the boy’s body. He froze. “Wait a minute,” he said. “I know that voice. It’s a little girl.”

  “Leave it!” snapped Mohini, as the walls of the tunnel began to close in on them. “If we don’t go now, we may never get another chance.”

  Reluctantly, the boy stepped forward, but just then the voice pierced the air once more.

  “Kalki! Kalki! Kalki!”

  All at once, the boy felt a rush of unfamiliar power flooding his body. “That’s my name!” he exclaimed. “I’m Kalki, and that voice is calling me… It’s Aya!”

  Mohini’s eyes flashed. “Never mind Aya,” she hissed. “I’m the Queen of the Forest and I order you to come with me.” She seized his arm.

  Emira growled.

  Kalki stared at her. “You’re not the Queen of the Forest!” he exclaimed. “You’re Mohini, Mistress of Illusion. I’m not following you.”

  Giving her a shove, he pulled himself on to Emira’s back. Emira roared in approval.

  “You fool!” shrieked Mohini as she teetered at the edge of the light. “You have no idea what you’re doing. Rookh’s a monster. He’ll never let Aya go. If you knock him down he’ll only rise up twice as strong.”

  Kalki ignored her, clinging on tight as Emira spun around and flew back up the shrinking passageway. As the tunnel closed behind them, Mohini let out a cry of rage.

  Emira shot into the ring, bigger and more ferocious than ever before. Riding on her back, Kalki felt triumphant, alive, and full of power. He was the Prince of Jinnis! Then he caught sight of a familiar body lying on the ground. Sharat’s body. It lay in a pool of blood with Aya kneeling by its side.

  Kalki felt a thread tying him to this body and his sense of power vanished as he was sucked back into flesh.

  All at once, he couldn’t see and he could hardly breathe. For a moment, he thought he had come back simply to die. But then he heard Emira roar and felt a dark vein of strength fortifying his muscles and sealing the wound in his chest. He drew in one ragged breath, then another, and his eyes flew open. He sprang to his feet.

  Aya stepped back with tear-stained eyes.

  “You’re alive!” she gasped.

  Kalki’s eyes burned. An aura of power surrounded him. At a glance he saw Rookh striding towards him. Quickly, he reached down to snatch up his sword.

  “I’ll deal with Rookh,” he yelled at Aya over the din. “See if you can find a way out.”

  Aya spun around. To her dismay she was faced with a sea of ghuls. Just then something swooped down from above, landing on one of the ghuls’ shoulders with a shiver of ivory feathers. It was the bird from the cage.

  Aya stared up at him in recognition. “Ripiraja!” she exclaimed. “It’s you!”

  “Ripiraja to the rescue!” cawed the parrot as he began to whistle a jaunty tune.

  All at once, the ghuls began to follow him, their ghostly feet moving to some long-forgotten dance.

  Aya didn’t stop to ask how Uma’s parrot had found his way into the underworld. Throwing up her hood, she pushed her way through the crowd and stared out at the bridges that spanned the inferno below. Kalki wanted her to find a way out, but she had no idea where to begin.

  Emira and Kalki turned to face Doctor Rookh and his army of fiends. In a flash, feathers sprouted from the demons’ arms, and they turned into crows. With caws of triumph, they circled the tiger, attacking her eyes and raking their talons across her back, before flying out of reach with cackles of delight.

  “You take the crows, I’ll deal with Rookh!” Kalki yelled at Emira.

  With a roar of pleasure Emira leapt towards her tormentors.

  Rookh faced Kalki, his staff raised.

  “Let’s see what you can do, then, circus-rat,” he sneered.

  Kalki lifted the sword and swiped, but Rookh was gone.

  Just then Kalki heard a raucous caw from above. Throwing his head back, he saw a massive bird, as black as death, overhead. As it dived towards him he smelled the stench of decay.

  Without thinking, Kalki took a deep breath, and blew. All at once, the air flew into a gale that blasted the bird towards the side of the cavern, where it smashed with a crunch. Then it disappeared.

  Kalki’s head jerked in confusion. Had he done that? He didn’t have long to wonder. As he looked warily around the ring, he heard a blistering roar behind him and with lightning reflexes he spun around to find himself gazing into the jaws of a dragon. With a gasp he leapt aside as a j
et of flame nearly engulfed him. The monster lashed its tail and roared.

  Kalki stood his ground. He could feel his powers rising up strongly inside him now.

  With another roar the dragon lunged and prepared to unleash a second fiery blast. This time Kalki knew exactly what to do. Sucking in his cheeks, he took a deep breath and spat with all the strength he could muster.

  A cloud of steam swallowed up the beast and everything around it. For a moment Kalki felt a surge of triumph. But then he found himself slipping perilously on the glassy surface of the island. With a gurgle of revenge the billowing cloud turned into a wave that rose up and swept him right over the side.

  Kalki felt himself plummeting down, down and down, through the air and through flickering flames until he plunged into the lake below. As he sank to the bottom there was a shiver of movement in the water nearby. Moments later he caught a glimpse of evil eyes and the glimmer of teeth bared in a terrible deathly grin. Behamot! First there was one … then another … and then he was surrounded!

  “Aaaaaahhhhh!” he screamed, his voice escaping in a cloud of bubbles as he lashed out with his sword and plunged it into the mud beneath him, hitting rock.Suddenly the earth trembled and there was the sound of a great crack. Before he knew it the water all around him had drained away, leaving the monster fish flailing helplessly in the slime.

  Kalki scrambled to his feet. Rookh was nowhere to be seen, but just then he heard a roar and looked up to see Emira bounding towards him.

  Leaping on to her back, he thrust the sword into the belt around his waist.

  “Where’s Aya?” he gasped.

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  ESCAPE

  Aya pushed her way through the ghuls, desperate to find a way out, but before she could reach one of the bridges a girl with a ruby eye stepped in front of her, blocking her way.