Page 10 of Tiger's Voyage

A few days later, our tiger’s curse adventure started up again. We set off to visit the shaman Phet who had finally replied to Mr. Kadam’s courier and indicated that he wanted to see “Tigers, Kahl-see, and Durga’s special gifts.” He was adamant that just the three of us make the journey.

Although I didn’t voice the thought, I hoped Phet, with his odd, mystical ways and herbal potions, would be able to reverse Ren’s memory loss.

Even though Ren and I were on much better footing and both brothers seemed to get along since our last road trip, I still felt a bit uneasy about being trapped in a small space with two hot-headed tigers.Well, if they act up, I’ll just blast them with a little lightning burn. That’llteach them not to fight when I’m around, I thought with a grin and stepped into the morning sunshine.

The men were standing by the newly washed and gassed-up Jeep when I walked out the front door. Mr. Kadam placed the backpack full of weapons on the backseat, winked at me, and hugged me. I swung another bag containing my grandmother’s quilt, which had so far proven to be lucky, next to our weapons.

We were all wearing hiking boots and smooth seamless cargo pants that Ren had made with the Divine Scarf. He had looked up styles on the Internet and had the Scarf create them in multiple colors. He claimed my apple-green shirt would protect my body from UV rays and could wick moisture away and be breathable at the same time. I had to admit the shirt was comfortable, and to show him how much I liked it, I had twisted my hair into two long French braids and tied an apple-green ribbon to the bottom of both tails.

Kishan wore a brick-red shirt of the same fabric, but it had a pocket on the side seam, while Ren wore a seamless cerulean-blue shirt that clung to his muscular frame. He was still thin, but he’d started to gain weight back in the weeks he’d been home, and his daily workouts with Kishan were showing results. It obviously didn’t take long for his muscles to make a comeback.

“Can you even breathe in that shirt, Ren?” I teased lightheartedly. “You probably could have gone a size up.”

Ren replied, “The shirt is tight so it doesn’t inhibit movement.”

My snort turned to a giggle. Then, spurred on by Kishan, the giggle changed to loud peals of laughter.

“It’s not like there are any pretty waitresses out there in the jungle, Ren. There’s no reason for you to show off your muscles.”

Still laughing, Kishan claimed the driver’s seat.

As I grabbed the door handle, Ren leaned over and murmured in my ear. “In case you didn’t notice, your shirt is pretty tight too, Kelsey.”

My mouth dropped open.

“And there it is.”

I punched him on the arm and hissed, “Therewhatis?”

He winced and rubbed his arm, but grinned. “Your lovely blush.”

He hopped into the car and playfully shoved Kishan aside so he too could listen to Mr. Kadam’s driving instructions along with his plea that Kishan maneuver carefully and not crash the car.

I got in the back and clicked on my seatbelt, deciding to ignore the brothers’ antics. They tried to bring me into the conversation, but I paid no attention to them, burying my nose in a book instead.

They talked the entire way, and I was fascinated by their conversation. I’d never heard them speak to one another so …civillybefore. Ren told Kishan about the first time we’d visited Phet and politely asked me to fill in the blanks. He remembered a lot of it. He just somehow forgot anything that applied to me.

I spoke of the amulet around my neck, the henna hand tattoo that Phet had given me, and of how we figured out it gave me the power to access the mythical cities. Ren didn’t remember that at all and had no idea how he got into places with me out of the picture. He just drew a blank.

By the time we arrived at the Yawal Sanctuary, Ren was pretty desperate to get out of the car and away from me. He took off on foot, walking through the trees.

Kishan watched him go and reached around me to grab the big backpack with all the weapons. He slid it over his shoulders before he locked the Jeep.

“Shall we?”

“Sure.” I sighed. “He’s pretty far ahead now, isn’t he?”

“Yes. Not too far though. I can easily follow his trail.”

We walked silently for a few minutes. Teak trees loomed over us, which was nice, because they provided shade from the hot sun.

“We’ll hike to Suki Lake and then have lunch and rest during the hottest part of the day.”

“Sounds good.”

I listened to the crunch of my steps as I walked over the bracken covering the jungle floor. Kishan was a silent, steady presence beside me.

“I miss this,” he said.