Tiger’s Destiny by Colleen Houck Read Free Book Online Page B

moment and then she lay on her top coil and froze.
    A look through Mr. Kadam’s computer and security system told me that no one had entered the house or tried to contact us during our absence.
    “What’s our next move?” Kishan wondered aloud. He perched on the arm of the couch and pulled me back against his chest, much to the disappointment of Ren.
    As if in response, the air five feet away from us began to shimmer. Specks of light seemed to move, dancing and bouncing like scattered raindrops on a windshield. But then they coalesced toward the center and began to take form. The light became brighter, until two very real bodies materialized.
    A familiar, beloved voice called out, “Hello, Miss Kelsey. We have much to talk about.”
    “Mr. Kadam? Nilima!” I raced around the table and hugged both of them. “You’re all right? Where were you? Are you injured?”
    Nilima smiled but staggered a bit under my embrace.
    “Ren, Kishan, will one of you help Nilima to her room? She’s still weak from our journey and needs to sleep,” Mr. Kadam said.
    Coming immediately to her aid, Ren carried Nilima upstairs to her room, and Mr. Kadam continued, “Miss Kelsey, shall we sit? If you can afford the time, we should speak.” He chuckled at a thought he didn’t bother to share, which made me wonder what could possibly be in store for us next.
    Ren joined us on the couch, and I held Kishan’s hand, happy to have my little family reunited and hoping Durga’s fourth prophecy would be easier than what we had just gone through.
    “Mr. Kadam, please tell us what happened to you,” I asked.
    He leaned back, stroked his short beard, and briefly paused, as if undecided. “The amulet protected me on the ship. When I saw the harpoon heading toward Nilima, my only thought was to save her. I wrapped my arms around her and the next thing I knew, we were transported to another place.”
    “Where?” Ren asked.
    “I’m not sure it was a ‘where,’ for we were no longer on Earth.”
    “What do you mean?” I sputtered, shocked. “Was it like one of Durga’s other-worlds, like the City of the Seven Pagodas?”
    “No. We traveled to a time beyond time, a place beyond space. It’s an experience I fear I will have difficulty in describing. Suffice it to say we are safe and we are home.”
    I could sense that Mr. Kadam wasn’t telling us the whole truth. He was holding something back, but I had no idea what it could be or why.
    “I will be very busy in the next few weeks,” Mr. Kadam continued. “It is imperative that we begin our journey to find Durga’s fourth gift soon. If we leave too early or too late we will miss our window of opportunity and the success of our endeavor will be jeopardized.
    “Above all else, I must impress upon you the need to trust me. I will ask some difficult things of all of you in the near future, and you must heed my direction without question. There are certain things I have been made aware of that I cannot share with you.”
    Mr. Kadam looked at me kindly. “Your safety and your happiness is and has always been my priority. Please don’t question me on this, for I can say no more.”
    “Will you need help with the research?” I offered.
    “Not this time, Miss Kelsey, but thank you.”
    Something was wrong. Mr. Kadam had never closed himself off from us before. He seemed distracted, uncomfortable. To break the silence, I said, “Perhaps now would be a good time to share what I’ve learned.”
    Mr. Kadam nodded for me to begin describing my experiences with Lokesh. I told them about his history, of how he killed his brother and still wore his father’s and brother’s rings, and about the powers I’d observed him use.
    I explained, “He can make wind tunnels and blue static electricity at his fingertips. He freezes not only people but things, which makes me wonder if he has control over ice or water because he doused fire.”
    “It’s a reasonable assumption,” Mr. Kadam