‘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.
I stepped out and looked up at him. ‘I’ll have to sleep in the jungle again, won’t I? Are you sure I can’t go with you while he gets whatever it is he needs?’
‘I’m sorry, Miss Kelsey, but in this case he will need you. It’s some-thing he can’t do without you and may not even be able to do with you.’
I groaned, ‘Right. And, you, of course, can’t tell me what it is.’
‘It’s not for me to tell. This is his story to share.’
I muttered, ‘Fine. And you’ll be back to pick us up when?’
‘I will go into town and purchase a few items. Then I’ll meet you back here in about three or four days. I may end up having to wait for you. He might not be able to find what he is searching for on the first couple of nights.’
I sighed and glared at Ren. ‘Great. More jungle. Okay, let’s get on with it. Please lead the way.’
Mr. Kadam handed me a bottle of bug spray with sunscreen, placed some items in my backpack, and helped fit it onto my shoulders. I sighed deeply as I watched him pull away in the Jeep. Then I turned to follow Ren off into the jungle.
‘Hey, Ren. How come I always have to follow you into a jungle? How about next time you follow me to a nice spa or maybe to the beach? How about that?’
He snuffed and kept on moving.
‘Fine, but you owe me after this.’
We walked the rest of the afternoon.
Later, I heard a rumbling noise ahead of us but couldn’t figure out what it was. The farther we walked, the louder the noise grew. We walked through a grove of trees and into a small clearing. Finally, I saw the source of the sound. It was a beautiful waterfall.
A series of gray stones were spread out like steps onto a tall hill. The water foamed and flowed over each stone, plummeted down, and spread out like a fan falling to a wide turquoise pool below. Trees and small bushes with petite red flowers surrounded the pool. It was lovely.
As I approached one of the bushes, I noticed it looked like it was moving. At my next step, hundreds of butterflies took to the air. There were two varieties: one was brown with cream-colored stripes and the other was brownish-black with blue stripes and dots. I laughed and twirled around in a cloud of butterflies. When they settled again, several landed on my arms and my shirt.
I climbed a rock that looked out over the falls and studied a butterfly perched on my finger. When it flew off, I stood quietly watching the water tumble down. Then I heard a voice behind me.
‘It’s beautiful, isn’t it? It’s my favorite place in the entire world.’
‘It is. I’ve never seen anything like it.’
Ren came up to me and nudged a butterfly from my arm to his finger. ‘These are called crow butterflies, and the others are blue tigers. The blue tigers are brighter and easier to spot, so they live with the crows for camouflage.’
‘Camouflage? Why do they need it?’
‘The crows are inedible. In fact, they’re poisonous, so other butter-flies try to mimic them to fool predators.’
He took my hand and guided me a little way along a path by the falls. ‘We’ll make camp here. Go ahead and sit down. I have something I need to tell you.’
I found a flat place and set down the backpack. I pulled out a bottle of water and settled myself against a rock. ‘Okay, go ahead.’
Ren began pacing back and forth and started speaking. ‘The reason we’re here is because I need to find my brother.’
I choked on my mouthful of water. ‘Your brother? I assumed he was dead. You haven’t mentioned him at all, except that he was cursed with you. You mean he’s still alive and lives here?’
‘To be honest with you, I don’t know if he’s still alive or not. I assume he is because I am. Mr. Kadam believes that he still lives here in this jungle.’
He turned and looked at the waterfall, and then sat down next to me, stretched out his long legs, and picked up my hand. He toyed with my fingers as he spoke, ‘I believe he’s still alive. It’s just a feeling I have. My plan is to search the area in ever-widening circles. Eventually, one of us will cross the other’s scent. If he doesn’t show up or if I can’t catch his scent in a few days, we’ll go back, find Mr. Kadam, and continue our journey.’
‘What do you need me to do?’
‘Wait here. I’m hoping that if he won’t listen to me, meeting you might convince him. Also, I hope that—’
‘Hope what?’
He shook his head. ‘It’s not important now.’ He squeezed my hand distractedly and jumped up. ‘Let me help you set up camp quickly before I begin my search.’
Ren went off to look for firewood while I unrolled a small easy-to-set-up two-person tent strapped to the outside of the backpack. Thank you, Mr. Kadam! I zipped open the tent bag and spread it out on a patch of even ground. After a few minutes, Ren came over to help me. He already had a fire going and had a nice stack of wood to keep it ablaze.
‘That was fast,’ I muttered jealously as I stretched the tent fabric over a hook.
He popped his head over the other side and grinned. ‘I was trained extensively on how to live outdoors.’
‘I guess.’
He laughed. ‘Kells, there are many things that you know how to do that I don’t. Like setting up this tent apparently.’
I smiled. ‘Pull the fabric down over the hook on the stake.’
We finished up quickly, and he dusted off his hands.
‘We didn’t have tents like these three hundred years ago. They look similar, but these are much more complicated. We just used wooden poles.’
He walked up to me, tugged on my braid, and impulsively kissed my forehead. ‘Keep the fire going. It scares wild animals away. I’m going to circle the area a few times, but I’ll be back before it gets dark.’
Ren bounded off into the jungle as a tiger again. I tugged on my braid, thought about him for a minute, and smiled.