Page 153 of Tiger's Voyage

Ren growled in frustration, but I turned toward Mr. Kadam and pointedly ignored him. “So do you have any gold?”

“Yes. Let me get dressed, and we’ll go through the safe.”

An hour later, Kishan, Ren, and I stood at the opening to the wet garage. Kishan held a gold pen, Ren a letter opener, and I held a golden brooch that belonged to Nilima. Ren had brought his trident, Kishan thechakramand thekamandal, and I brought Fanindra. The Fruit and the Scarf were placed in a diving bag, along with precious stones, Nilima’s most expensive jewels, and a golden statue of Durga.

I wasn’t very optimistic about the dragon accepting these things when he’d said that even the Golden Fruit wouldn’t be enough. I worried he’d want Fanindra or thechakram, and Mr. Kadam insisted we hide all of Durga’s gifts in the bag as well. I insisted on keeping Fanindra with me, and Ren slung the bag over his shoulder and chest.

Just before we jumped, Nilima rushed in with Durga’s lotus-flower lei. She placed it around my neck and told me she’d had a dream I would need it. I hugged her and then Mr. Kadam.

“If this doesn’t work we’ll be back in a second—wetter, but safe.”

Mr. Kadam patted my back and told me to be careful. He reminded me that golden dragons are greedy, that they would do anything to protect their hoard, and that they are notoriously devious and tricky. He also cautioned me not to take anything, not even so much as a pebble, from the dragon’s lair.

I nodded and warned the brothers not to drop their gold baubles, or else they’d run out of oxygen. Kishan smiled and slipped into the water. I turned to Ren. “Are you ready?”

He smiled. “Robert Browning said, ‘There are two moments in a diver’s life: One, when a beggar, he prepares to plunge; then, when a prince, he rises with his prize.’” He ran a finger down my jaw lightly. “I ammorethan ready,hridaya patni. And I intend to come back with myprize.”

I shivered as he turned and slipped into the water after Kishan.Howcould he cause a system overload with just one little touch? Actually, his voicealone could do it.I rubbed my tingling jaw, tightened my fist around the brooch, and jumped into the water feet first.

My head broke the surface. I sucked in a deep breath and dove under. Kicking hard, I searched frantically for a sign of Ren or Kishan. They were gone. Just when I was ready to turn around and head back to the surface for another breath, my hand holding the brooch shot straight out, and the golden brooch almost jumped out of my grasp. As I tightened my hold on it, my body surged forward underwater as if I was holding onto a ski rope.

I held my breath even though my lungs were bursting. I squeezed my eyes shut as I was yanked at superspeed downward into the black ocean depths. Fanindra’s eyes began to glow, and in her light, I saw a flash of white ahead of me. Ren had been wearing a white shirt. My vision was going dark. I knew if I passed out, I’d drop the brooch and die here. There was no way I was going to get to the surface. I was too deep. The last of my air bubbles rose above me. One grew. It became larger and touched my mouth and nose; it expanded and draped over my face like a mask.

I blinked several times and gasped. Cool air rushed into my lungs, and I breathed deeply, panting hard while trying not to hyperventilate. I began to relax and, now that I could see, studied my surroundings. The rubber band holding back my hair swept away, and the long locks streamed out behind me in the water. I imagined I looked like a mermaid.

We continued deeper and deeper. Fanindra remained inanimate except for her glowing eyes. Flashing fish swam quickly away as I passed. I saw a shark feeding on something big resting on the ocean floor. I shivered and sent a mental thank-you to the universe that he was too busy to pay attention to me.

I was tugged along at a fast pace about ten feet above the ocean floor and watched crabs scurry as we passed. Sea anemones twisted in the current, and a giant lobster made its way slowly across a rocky outcropping. A stingray shook the sand off its back and swam away, its hiding place disturbed by our presence. A dim light ahead grew brighter. I gasped in wonder as we passed a bed of oysters, rose up over a forest of seaweed, and headed toward an underwater castle made of gleaming gold.

It shone with an incandescent light—enough that the ocean was brightened in a large perimeter surrounding it. The outside grounds had been carefully nurtured to look landscaped. Giant corals and anemones grew as tall as trees and colorful fish and ocean plants thrived in the area. I was sped toward the front gates, which opened automatically, and zipped through the courtyard. The brooch slowed me down as I approached the front door, which was open. Lights blazed inside, and I could see Ren standing on the other side of the door looking for me.

I hovered in the water for a moment until he saw me. He stretched out a hand through an invisible barrier. Grasping mine, he slowly pulled me forward and through. He wrapped an arm around my waist until my feet found the floor. He smiled as I touched his arm. “You’re …dry!” I

exclaimed. I grabbed my shirt and pulled a lock of hair over my shoulder. “I’mdry!”

“Yes. Come. They’re waiting for us. Kishan’s with the dragon now. We need to cover up Fanindra. You’ll see why.”

Quickly, he created a sweater with the Scarf and wrapped it around my shoulders. The sleeve was wide enough to cover Fanindra. Satisfied, Ren guided me into the opulent castle. The walls were painted in metallic hues depicting scenes of sunken ships and pirate treasure. Farther down was a portrayal of rich cities that had crumbled into the sea.

Gleaming statues stood in every corner made of marble, onyx, and jade. Hand-painted Greek vases stood on ornamental pedestals. Chests full of silver, gold, and gems overflowed and spilled onto thick Persian rugs piled one on top of the other. One wall was adorned with hundreds of bejeweled masks and precious art from perhaps every country in the world.

Ren had to pull me along, because I would often stop to gape, admiring one treasure after another. We entered a spacious, comfortable room and found the golden dragon in his human form seated across from Kishan, laughing.

“I win,” the dragon exclaimed. Kishan frowned. “It’s very hard to best me, you know. Don’t take it to heart,” Jnsèlóng taunted.

“What did you lose?” Ren asked.

“Nilima’s earrings.”

“What’s going on?” I asked, puzzled.

“There you are,” the dragon said. “It took you long enough, my dear. Now if you would hand over the Fruit—”

“Don’t move,” Ren warned. “He’s a crafty devil, and he means to take everything he can get.”

The dragon frowned. “Spoilsport. Very well. Just give me the brooch, and we’ll call it even.”

Ren held up a hand. “You get nothing. If you like the brooch, we will barter for it.” Ren continued thoughtfully, “Perhaps, if you would provide some refreshment for the young lady, I will let you look at it. It’s quite valuable.”