Page 104 of Tiger's Voyage

Kishan nodded and disappeared inside. Ren and I followed him and watched the game. The dragon took the black diamond pieces while Kishan took the clear ones. Kishan began. After several moves, I began to fear that Kishan was going to lose. The dragon sat back smiling and patiently waited for Kishan’s next move. I panicked and elbowed Ren.

He followed me outside, and I told him I wanted to try one more thing. I asked for his trident. He handed it over, and I used the Divine Scarf to make hundreds of meters of stiff rope and tied one end to the balcony. I also asked it to weave the other end tightly around the trident.

Next, I handed Ren the trident.

He looked at me, puzzled. “What do you want me to do with it?”

“I want you to shoot the trident into the star and pull it toward us.”

“You think it will go that far?”

“I’m hoping the momentum of space will help carry it. The Scarf can create more rope as it travels and if we miss we can pull it back. I’d do it myself, but you have more power in your arm.”

Ren nodded and stepped forward. Aiming carefully, he shot the trident into space like a giant arrow. It soon became obvious that he’d missed.

I had the Divine Scarf pull the trident and rope back, and he was soon ready to try again. We heard the dragon yell “Check” gleefully from the other room and knew we were running out of time.

“Aim higher this time. The light from the star is reflecting off the palace. Maybe it’s throwing off your aim.”

This time his aim was true, and when the trident shot into space with a twang, it continued on a direct path toward the star. It impacted with a distant boom. Now came the hard part. I picked up the silky rope the Divine Scarf had made and asked it to retreat while Ren and I pulled. We strained for a minute and then were gratified to feel the rope coming back. We pulled until the star came loose and quickly began gravitating toward the palace. When it neared, Ren stood on the balcony and braced against the wall to catch it.

I knew everything that had just happened was physically impossible. First of all, stars don’t move, and even if they did, they would have burned up anything that came close. I decided it would be better if I didn’t try to make sense of what just occurred.

Ren wrenched the trident from the star and told the Divine Scarf to take back all the rope, and then turned to me. “Now what?”

“Now we use fire.”

I lifted my hand toward the star as the familiar feeling of hot molten lava burned in my middle and shot up my arm. My hand glowed and my white light shot into the star. I pumped all my energy into it and though the star flickered more brightly, it soon dimmed again.

Ren stepped forward. “What’s wrong?”

“I don’t know.”

“Try again.”

I lifted my hand and white light burst from my palm again, brightening the star. I stayed there for several minutes but soon felt exhausted. My energy waned. Ren put his hand on my arm to stop me, and during that brief touch, golden fiery hot light shot out from my hand. The star brightened threefold. I stopped and looked at Ren.

“Stand behind me and touch my arms.”

He looked at me for a brief moment, but I lowered my gaze and focused ahead. I was acutely aware of him as he slowly moved behind me. I raised my hand to fire again. White light surged forward. Ren pressed his cheek against mine and slid his hands down my arms. It burned. He twined his fingers through mine and the light turned gold and then white again. It blazed with an intensity ten times more fierce than it had been before. The star pulsed, then expanded and brightened with a golden inner core that turned white hot.

I held the blaze for several minutes. Ren started shaking with the effort. His fingers tightened, and his arms trembled. I felt like I was burning with him. My limbs quaked, and it was all I could do to remain standing. I heard him groan with pain. The heat coming off of our entwined limbs was terrible and brilliant.

Soon I couldn’t stand upright anymore. I collapsed back against Ren’s chest, and the fire died. My blood pumped through my body in time with the pulsing star, quickening down my arms where Ren’s skin still touched mine. Despite the agony I was sure he was feeling, he held me gently and then led me to the wall. We rested against it for a few moments.

Ren moved several feet away and leaned over, clutching his stomach and panting. The skin of his cheek where he’d pressed it against mine and the inside of his arms were glowing with the same golden color as the star. Surprised, I looked down at my own arms and found them shining in the same way. I lifted a tired limb and watched the radiance slowly fade and then disappear altogether.

Leaning my head back against the wall, I watched Ren, though I could barely keep my eyes open. He climbed the balcony rail, braced his feet, and pressed his palms against the pulsing star. With a Herculean shove, he launched the star back into space. Eventually it settled itself into its former position.

Ren climbed down and collapsed to a sitting position against the railing. He leaned his head back and closed his eyes. I closed mine too, and we both sat there for several minutes, exhausted. A voice whispered my name. I knew that voice. I’d heard it in my dreams. I kept my eyes shut tight. If I opened them, he would be gone.

“Kelsey.”

I shook my head in silent denial and groaned softly.

“Kelsey.”

I twisted uncomfortably and realized I was sitting up.Why would Isleep sitting up?He called me again.