Tiger's Curse (21 page)

I started reading again. Every time I read something Ren didn’t like, he flicked his tail in annoyance.

“Quit twitching, Ren! You’re tickling my toes!”

That statement only inspired him to do it more. When I got to the end of the play, I closed the book and peeked at Ren to see if he was still awake. He was, and he’d changed back to a man again. He was still lying on his side at the foot of the bed with his head propped up on his arm.

I asked, “What did you think? Were you surprised at the ending?”

Ren considered his answer. “Yes and no. Romeo made some bad decisions throughout the entire play. He was more worried about himself than his wife. He didn’t deserve her.”

“Does the ending bother you that much? Most people focus on the romance of it, the tragedy that they could never be together. I’m sorry if you didn’t like it.”

Ren’s thoughtful faced brightened. “On the contrary, I quite enjoyed it. I haven’t had someone to talk with about plays or poetry in . . . well, since my parents died. I used to write poetry myself, in fact.”

I admitted softly, “Me too. I miss having someone to talk with.”

Ren’s handsome face lit up in a warm smile, and I suddenly became preoccupied with a string on my sleeve. He hopped off the bed, picked up my hand, and bowed deeply.

“Perhaps I will read some of my poetry to you next time.”

He flipped my hand over and pressed a soft, lingering kiss on my palm. His eyes twinkled with mischief. “I leave you with a holy palmer’s kiss. Goodnight, Kelsey.”

Ren quietly closed the door behind him, and I tugged the covers up to my chin. My palm still tingled where he’d kissed it. I smelled my rose again, smiled, and tucked it into the arrangement on my dresser.

Wiggling under my covers, I sighed dreamily and fell asleep.

t
he next morning I got up and found a half-full backpack by my door with a note from Mr. Kadam. It said that I should pack three or four days’ worth of clothes and to include my swimsuit.

The swimsuit, hung overnight, was dry now. I tossed it in my bag, included a towel for good measure, piled the rest of my things on top of that, and made my way downstairs.

Mr. Kadam and Ren were already in the Jeep when I hopped in. As soon as my seatbelt clicked, Mr. Kadam handed me a breakfast bar and a bottle of juice and sped off.

“What’s the hurry?” I asked.

He answered, “Ren has added a detour to our trip and would like to stop somewhere on the way. The plan is to drop the two of you off for a few days and then return to pick you up later. After that, we will proceed to Hampi.”

“What kind of a detour?”

“Ren would prefer to explain it to you himself.”

“Hmm.”

From the look on his face, I knew that no matter how I wheedled him, Mr. Kadam would not divulge any details. I decided to set aside my curiosity about the future and focus on the past instead.

“Since we’re in for a long drive, why don’t you tell me more about yourself, Mr. Kadam? What was your life like growing up?”

“Alright. Let me see. I was born twenty-two years before Ren in June 1635. I was an only child born to a military family of the Kshatriya caste. So, it was natural for me to be trained to enter the military.”

“What’s a Kshatriya caste?”

“India has four castes, or
varnas
, similar to different social classes: the Brahmins are teachers, priests, and scholars; the Kshatriyas are rulers and protectors; the Vaishyas are farmers and traders; and the Shudras are craft workers and servants. There are also different levels in each caste.

“People of different castes never mingled with one another during any part of their life. Their entire life was lived within their own group. Though officially outlawed for the last fifty years or so, the caste system is still practiced in several parts of the country.”

“Was your wife from the same caste as you?”

“It was easier for me to continue my role as a retired soldier who was highly favored by the king, so the answer is yes.”

“But was it an arranged marriage? I mean, you loved her, right?”

“Her parents arranged it, but we were happy together for the time allotted to us.”

I stared at the road ahead of us for a moment and then glanced at Ren, who was napping in the back.

“Mr. Kadam, does it bother you that I ask so many questions? Don’t feel like you have to answer all of them, especially if they’re too personal or painful for you.”

“I don’t mind, Miss Kelsey. I enjoy talking with you.” He smiled at me and changed lanes.

“Okay, then. Tell me a little bit about your military career. You must have fought some really interesting battles.”

He nodded. “I started training when I was very young. I think I must have started at age four. We never went to school. As future military men, our entire young lives were devoted to being good soldiers, and all of our studies were in the art of warfare. There were dozens, perhaps even a hundred different kingdoms in India at the time. I was fortunate to live in one of the most powerful ones under a good king.”

“What kinds of weapons did you use?”

“I was trained in all variety of weapons, but the first skill we were taught was hand-to-hand combat. Have you ever seen martial arts movies?”

“If you mean like Jet Li and Jackie Chan, then yes.”

He nodded. “Fighters who were skilled in hand-to-hand combat were highly sought after. As a young man, I rose in rank quickly because of my skill in this area. No one was able to best me in sparring matches. Well, almost no one. Ren has beaten me on occasion.”

I looked at him with surprise. “Mr. Kadam! Are you telling me you are a master of karate?”

“Something like that.” He smiled. “I was never as good as the celebrated masters who came to train us, but I picked up enough. I enjoy sparring, but my great skill is with the sword.”

“I’ve always wanted to learn karate.”

“During that time, we didn’t call it karate. The martial arts that we used during warfare was less visually exciting. It emphasized overcoming your opponent as quickly as possible which often meant killing or striking a blow that would knock someone out long enough for you to escape. It wasn’t as structured as you see it today.”

“Gotcha, no
Karate Kid I
, skip ahead to
Karate Kid II
. Fights to the death it is. So, you and Ren are both trained in martial arts.”

He smiled. “Yes, and he was very adept. As the future king, he studied the sciences, crafts, the arts, and philosophy, as well as many other branches of knowledge known as the sixty-four arts. He was also trained in all manner of warfare, including the martial arts.

“Ren’s mother was also well versed in the martial arts. She had been taught in Asia and insisted that her children be able to protect themselves. Experts were brought in, and our kingdom quickly became renowned for fighting in that medium.”

For a minute, I allowed myself to get lost in the visual image of Ren doing martial arts.
Fighting without his shirt on. Bronze skin. Taut muscles.
I shook my head and berated myself.
Snap out of it, girl!

I cleared my throat, “Umm, so what were you saying?”

“Chariots . . .” Mr. Kadam continued, not even noticing my brief lack of attention. “Most of the soldiers were in the infantry, and that’s the area in which I started. I was trained in the use of the sword, the spear, the mace, as well as many other weapons before I moved on to chariots. By the age of twenty-five, I was in charge of the king’s army. By the age of thirty-five, my job was to teach others, including Ren, and I was called to be the king’s special military advisor and war strategist, particularly in the use of battle elephants.”

“It’s hard to imagine elephants in war. They seem so gentle,” I reflected.

“Elephants were quite formidable in battle,” Mr. Kadam explained. “They were heavily armored and carried an enclosed structure on their backs to protect archers. Sometimes we secured long daggers dipped in poison to their tusks which proved very effective in a direct assault. Just imagine facing an army with twenty thousand armored elephants. I don’t believe we have that many elephants left in all of India now.”

I could almost feel the ground shaking underfoot as I visualized thousands of battle-ready elephants descending on an army.

“How awful for you to have to be a part of all that bloodshed and destruction, and to think that was your whole life. War is a terrible thing.”

Mr. Kadam shrugged. “War was different then than it is today. We followed a warrior’s code, similar to Europe’s code of chivalry. We had four rules. Rule One: You must fight with someone who has similar armor. We wouldn’t fight a man who did not have the same amount of protective gear. This is similar to the concept of not using a weapon against an unarmed man.”

He raised a second finger. “Rule Two: If your enemy can’t fight any longer, the battle is over. If you’ve disabled your opponent and rendered him helpless, you must stop fighting. You
don’t
finish him off.

“Rule Three: Soldiers do not kill women, children, the aged, or the infirm, and we do not injure those who surrender.

“And Rule Four: We do not destroy gardens, temples, or other places of worship.”

“Those sound like pretty good rules,” I commented.

“Our king followed Kshatriadharma, or the Law of Kings, which means that we could only fight in battles that were considered just, or righteous, and that had the approval of the people.”

We both fell silent for a while. Mr. Kadam seemed wrapped in thoughts about his past, and I tried to understand the time he lived in. As he smoothly switched lanes again, I was impressed with his ease at driving in heavy traffic while he was so quietly reflective. The streets were crowded, and the drivers were zipping past at frightening speeds, but that didn’t seem to leave any impression on Mr. Kadam.

Later, he turned to me and said, “I’ve made you sad, Miss Kelsey. I apologize. I didn’t mean to upset you.”

“I’m just sad that you had so much warfare in your life and that you missed out on so many other things.”

Mr. Kadam looked at me and smiled. “Don’t be sad. Remember that it was just one small part of my life. I have been able to see and experience more things than would normally have been possible for any man. I have seen the world change century after century. I have witnessed many terrible things, as well as many wonderful things. Also, remember that, even though I was a military man, we weren’t constantly at war. Our kingdom was large and reputable. Though we trained for battle, we engaged in serious warfare only perhaps a handful of times.”

“Sometimes I forget how long you and Ren have been alive. Not that I’m saying you’re old or anything.”

Mr. Kadam chuckled. “Indeed not.”

I nodded and picked up a book to study more about Hanuman. It was fascinating to read the stories surrounding the monkey god. I was so immersed in my study that I was surprised when Mr. Kadam pulled over.

We grabbed a quick lunch, during which Mr. Kadam encouraged me to try some different types of curry. I discovered that I was not much of a curry fan, and he chuckled as I made faces at the spicy ones. I loved the naan bread though.

As we settled back into the car, I pulled out a copy of Durga’s prophecy and began reading.
Snakes. That can’t be a good thing. I wonder what type of protection or blessing Durga would give us.

“Mr. Kadam, is there a temple of Durga near the ruins of Hampi?”

“Excellent question, Miss Kelsey. I had the same thought myself. Yes, there are temples to honor Durga in almost every city in India. She is a very popular goddess. I have found a temple near Hampi that we will visit. Hopefully, we’ll find our next clue to the puzzle there.”

“Hmm.”

I went back to my study of the prophecy.
Mr. Kadam had said a
gada
was like a mace, or a club, so that means it’s a weapon. Hanuman’s realm. That means the ruins of Hampi, or Kishkindha. And then hunt the branch that’s bound. Maybe it’s the branch that holds the fruit. Thorny dangers and dazzling dangers? The thorns could be rose bushes or thorny vines maybe.

“Mr. Kadam, any idea what dazzling dangers might be?”

“No. Sorry, Miss Kelsey, I can’t think of anything. I’ve also been pondering,
‘Lurid phantoms thwart your route.’
I’ve found no information on this, which makes me think we might have to interpret it literally. There might be spirits of some kind that try to stop you.”

I gulped. “And what about the uh, serpents?”

“There are many dangerous serpents in India—the cobra, the boa, the python, water snakes, vipers, king cobras, and even some that fly.”

That didn’t sound good at all. “What do you mean fly?”

“Well, technically, they don’t really fly. They just glide to other trees, like the flying squirrel.”

I sank lower in my seat and frowned. “What an exceptional variety of poisonous reptiles you have here.”

Mr. Kadam laughed. “Yes, we do indeed. It’s something we’ve learned to live with, but, in this case, it sounds like the snake or snakes will be helpful.”

I read the line again:
If serpents find forbidden fruit, and India’s hunger satisfy . . . lest all her people surely die.

“Do you think that what we do could somehow affect all of India?”

“I’m not sure. I hope not. Despite my centuries of study, I know very little about this curse or the Damon Amulet. It has great power, but as to how it could affect India, I haven’t figured that out yet.”

I had a slight headache, so I leaned my head back and closed my eyes. The next thing I knew, Mr. Kadam was nudging me awake.

“We’re here, Miss Kelsey.”

I rubbed my sleepy eyes. “Where?”

“We’re at the place where Ren wanted to stop.”

“Mr. Kadam, we’re in the middle of nowhere surrounded by jungle.”

“I know. Don’t be afraid. You’ll be safe. Ren will protect you.”

“Why do those words always precede me wandering in the jungle with a tiger?”

He laughed lightly, grabbed my bag, and walked around to my door to open it for me.