Page 169 of Tiger's Voyage

“It’s nothing,” I whispered.

The mermaid disagreed. “Oh, I’d definitely say it’s something. I haven’t seen a connection that strong in millennia.”

“What do you mean by connection?” Kishan inquired politely but with an edge in the undertone.

“That light. It’s more powerful than she can make alone. He acts like … well, like a filament. She pours her energy into him, and he heats it. Then he sends it back into her just like a light bulb. They create a kind of vacuum between them; that is the connection I am referring to. It’s very special and rarely seen. When they’re touching, nothing else exists outside the two of them. All they are aware of is each other.”

My first reaction was shock.That explains a lot.The mermaid was dead-on accurate. There was only one problem with her theory. Ren didn’tneedto touch me to create a vacuum. I could feel him—all warm and powerful—all the time. All I needed to do was close my eyes, and he could wrap me in a bubble so strong I’d forget everyone and everything else. Ren was justthatpotent.

My connection to Ren wascosmic.Makes sense.We were destined to find each other to break the curse. That’s all. And if I just avoided touching him, I could probably do a better job at being Kishan’s girlfriend and, as a result, be less plagued by guilt. I might even be able to forgetwhat’s-his-nameand love Kishan completely with myfullheart, which was my goal.

Kishan looked at me with hurt and confusion, probably misunderstanding the emotions that were crossing my face. I took Kishan’s hand and downplayed the parts I didn’t want to think about.

“Well, I guess that explains why we can create the golden light together,ifyou can take an ice mermaid’s word on the whole light bulb analogy. As if she would know. Like she’s changed a lot of bulbs down here in the ocean.” I laughed though no one else did. Clearing my throat, I stammered on, “It’s definitely a handy tool though. Saved your life a little while ago, Kishan.”

I squeezed his hand, a silent message that we would talk later, and asked Kaeliora to continue with what she wassupposedto tell us. I also sent her a warning look not to mention other things that should remain unmentioned.

“Oh, yes … whatwasI talking about?”

“The hard part,” Ren furnished.

“Oh, right. The hard part is not getting in. It’s getting out. The Necklace will help you escape. Just ask it for a way to the surface. It can manipulate water, much as your other item manipulates cloth. But a great predator lurks outside the Seventh Pagoda. It doesn’t eat. It doesn’t hunt. It doesn’t sleep. Its only purpose is to prevent you from doing what you are going to do.”

“Will it be able to break through the ice tunnels?”

“It won’t have to. You cannot return through the tunnels.”

“Why not?”

“Because once you pass the threshold into the pagoda, the tunnels will melt to prevent any potential thieves from escaping. The only way to the surface is through the ocean.”

“But the pressure will kill us!”

“Not if you have the Necklace. It’s still very dangerous though. Understand that before you make your choice. You can still turn back if you don’t want to risk it.”

Both men looked at me.

I bit my lip. “We’ll go on. We’ve come this far.”

“Very well. Before you go, I have a gift for you, Keyfinder. You may fill your flask from my well,” she said with a grand flourish.

“My flask?” asked Kishan curiously.

“Yes. A flask. A container of some kind. Don’t you have one? Durga should have given you one.”

“Durga?”

“Yes, yes.”

“A container from Durga? It’s thekamandal,” I burst out excitedly. “Are you wearing it?”

He yanked on the thong around his neck and pulled the conch shell out of his shirt. “You mean this? But it doesn’t have a stopper.”

“That doesn’t matter,” the mermaid said. “Just dip it into my fountain. You won’t need a stopper. Not a drop will be spilled unless you wish to use it.”

He held the conch shell under a stream of milky water. “What am I supposed to do with it? Kill people?”

The mermaid laughed—a bubbly, happy sound. “No. Its properties change once it leaves this place. It won’t hurt you any longer. The nectar of immortality is to be used when you are the most desperate. Trust your instincts. To use it liberally is to change the course of destiny. Awiseman sees the path all must walk and embraces the free will of humankind, even if to watch it unfold causes him pain.”