The next morning, I got up early, washed my face, and plaited my hair, tying the end with a red ribbon. I put on jeans, a T-shirt, and my tennis shoes, and I packed my things into a large bag. Reaching out a hand to touch the sharara dress, I decided that it held too many memories to bring with me, so I left it in the closet. I wrote a note for Mr. Kadam, which told him where the gada and the Fruit were and asked him to store them in the family vault and to let Nilima have my sharara dress. I decided to take Fanindra with me. She felt like a friend to me now. Carefully placing her on top of my quilt, I picked up the delicate golden anklet that Ren had given me. The little bells tinkled as I brushed my finger across them. I had intended to leave it on the dresser, but I changed my mind at the last minute. It was probably a selfish thing to do, but I wanted it. I wanted to have something from him, a keepsake. I dropped it in my bag and zipped the bag closed.
The house was quiet. Silently, I walked down the stairs and passed the peacock room where I found Mr. Kadam sitting and waiting for me. He took my bag and walked with me out to the car, then he opened my door, and I slid in to the seat and buckled my seatbelt. Starting the car, he circled the stone driveway slowly. I turned to take one last look at the beautiful place that felt like home. As we started down the tree-lined road, I watched the house until the trees blocked my view.
Just then, a deafening, heartrending roar shook the trees. I turned in my seat and faced the desolate road ahead.
Epilogue
Shadow
The immaculately dressed man stood at his penthouse office window. He gazed upon the city lights far below and clenched his fist.
He lived in a city of twenty-nine million people, the most densely populated city in the world, but the generations rose and fell like so many waves upon the beach, and he stood alone, a rocky, unmovable sentinel, letting the waves of humanity pass him by, hardly noticing them at all.
How do you find one small person in a city of millions, let alone a world of billions?
After all these centuries, the other pieces of the Damon Amulet had resurfaced – and with it, a girl. He hadn’t felt this surge of energy in a long, long time.
A quiet chime announced his returning assistant who entered and bowed. He stood and said only three words, the words his employer had been longing to hear from the moment he had seen the vision and caught a glimpse of an old foe and a mysterious girl.
‘We found her.’
Acknowledgments
I’d like to thank my early reading group. My family – Kathy, Bill, Wendy, Jerry, Heidi, Linda, Shara, Tonnie, Megan, Jared, and Suki. And my friends – Rachelle, Cindy, Josh, Nancy, and Linda.
Hand claps for Jared and Suki who helped me brainstorm cover designs for the Tiger series books and for also organizing my author photos and the website.
Special thanks for my editor from India, Sudha Seshadri. Her enthu-siasm and guidance in the language and culture of India was invaluable. She patiently and kindly advised me, going above and beyond the duties of an editor. I’m sure I would have offended many people without her. If there are any discrepancies, cultural or linguistic, they are entirely my own, and I apologize in advance for anything aberrant. Rest assured, it was not my intention. My hope is that I’ve shown India’s people and culture respect, and have depicted the beauty of their land and the rich mythology of their people in an appropriate way.
I am always appreciative of my husband, who went through count-less edits. He waded through pages of meager novice scribbling and helped shape my first book into what it is today. His enthusiasm kept me writing. Even though he’s lived on sandwiches and leftovers for a year he’s never complained and brags about his author wife to anyone willing to lend an ear and even to some who won’t.
Thanks to my friend Linda who gave me great feedback on every chapter. Many of the paragraphs in Tiger’s Curse are thanks to her requests for more detailed information. Her tireless support and excite-ment kept me motivated to write every day and I always look forward to talking about my tigers with her.
Thanks to my sister Linda who is my confidant, hair stylist, personal chef, housekeeper, and cookie baker. Without her, there would be no double chocolate chip peanut butter cookies. She kept my household running so I could write my first book. When she moved away I was crushed and overwhelmed. There’s no replacement for her. Everyone should have such a sister . . . such a friend.
I would also like to express my gratitude to Tina Anderson, the Manager of the Polk County Fairgrounds and to my editors – Rhada-manthus, Gail Cato, Mary Hern, and especially Cindy Loh. Cheers for my agent Alex Glass, who gently coaxed me through my post-traumatic--rejection-letter syndrome as well as patiently explained all the business parts of the writing industry, and thanks for all the help from his team at Trident Media.
Thank you to all the people at Booksurge who got my self-published version on the market. I’d like to give my un---dying gratitude to Judi Powers and all the people at Sterling who joined Team Tiger with a level of excitement that was entirely unexpected. I feel extremely humbled and grateful that they were willing to give my tigers and this new author a chance.
Thanks to Raffi Kryszek who was the first in the mainstream world of books and movies to embrace my story. He’s a fellow Trekkie with a wide grin that never leaves his face, whose energy for my series, and tigers in general, matches and perhaps surpasses my own. And thanks to his eleven-year-old niece who gave him the book in the first place.
Extra special hugs for my nieces and nephews who lent me their names – Michael, Matthew, Sarah, Rebecca, Sammy, Joshua, M. Cathleen, D. Andrew, and Madison. I promise I’ll work the rest of you in later.
About the author
Formerly a student at the University of Arizona, Colleen Houck has worked as a nationally certified American Sign Language interpreter for seventeen years. Tiger’s Curse is her first book, which has already received literary praise and digital success. Her self-published eBook claimed the no.1 spot on Kindle’s children’s bestseller list for seven weeks. She lives in Salem, Oregon, with her husband and a white stuffed tiger.