My old self shrugged. “Maybe he’s just getting older.”
How callous I’d been. Kadam had literally made it possible for us to not only survive but to have an inheritance. It smacked of ingratitude. He would be dead and gone in a matter of weeks. He’d been through terrible things. Why hadn’t I ever taken the opportunity to tell him I appreciated him? That I loved him?
Immediately, I rose to do just that, taking our half-empty jar of peanut butter with us. Ana followed me as we ghosted through the house. When no one was looking, we opened Kadam’s door and quickly closed it behind us. His old clock ticked rhythmically and it made me think of how time was so very important. He wasn’t in his bed, and the stack of notes on his dresser was about the prophecy they were working on. But underneath it, I pulled out a last will and testament.
“What is it?” Ana asked.
“A paper that lists his final wishes upon the event of his death.”
“I see.”
Such a thing was not unheard of in armies such as Ana’s, but last letters were usually a farewell to loved ones more than distribution of property. There was a disturbance in the air behind us and Kadam materialized as Phet. He was phased out of time as we were and we both found it interesting that he could see us.
“Kishan, Anamika,” he said. “What brings you here?” He glanced nervously at the door and checked to make sure it was locked. Using the scarf, he changed back to his usual form.
“Teacher,” Ana said, “in my temper, I have done something wrong.”
Kadam raised an eyebrow. “I well remember your temper, my dear. Tell me what has happened.”
Ana launched into an explanation of summoning the Lords of the Flame and of creating Bodha before she created the world of the dragons. Her hands twisted and she hung her head. I knew she felt guilty and, more than anything else, wanted to please the man who’d taught her for so many years. I reached out and took hold of her hand. She stepped closer to me and continued.
Kadam noticed our clasped hands and glanced up at me briefly. A small smile played on his lips. When she was finished, he stood and cupped her shoulder. “Do not worry over this slight change. I knew it was one of the possibilities. As a result, you met Eventide, instead of Brightbill, but Eventide liked you, and he has smoothed over the rough patches in time. If you now proceed in the proper order with the rest of the list, you should be fine.”
“Thank you, teacher,” she said demurely.
There was a knock on the door. “Mr. Kadam? I’ve brought you some breakfast.”
“Thank you, Miss Kelsey,” he said through the door. “I think I’ll just have some tea. Will you join me in the library for tea in an hour?”
“Yes, of course,” she answered. I knew that tone. She was disappointed. Kelsey probably sensed something was wrong though she didn’t know what it was.
After she left, I said, “You should have spent more time with them. They’re heartbroken when you…” I couldn’t make myself say it.
“When I die?”
I nodded. “We were all heartbroken. You closed yourself off at the end. Nilima thought you were ill. You never gave us a chance to say good-bye. To figure out another way.”
“Ah, son,” he said, sitting down wearily. “There was no other way. I didn’t stay away because I wanted to. There was much to be done. There still is, in fact.”
“But could you not rest before you returned to your time?” Ana asked.
“Traveling in such a way is difficult for me. It’s different for you. The amulet is a part of you now, isn’t it?”
Ana nodded, wide-eyed.
“It’s a part of both of you. It will not damage you as it has done to me.”
“Damage?” I said, startled.
“Yes. Something happened to me when I was absorbed into my…my corpse. It was unnatural. Though you pulled me out, I was changed. I’ve felt the life draining from me ever since. Each leap I make in time leeches a little bit more. I fear that death would have found me soon regardless.”
He saw the bitterness in my face and said, “I know what you are thinking, Kishan. But you cannot blame yourself. Even if I had not had that very memorable experience, the amulet would have eventually caused my demise. It was never meant to be mine, you see? Lokesh went mad because of it. He carried too many pieces of it for too long. Now it is where it should be.”
Kneeling next to him, I peered into his normally clear eyes that were now dull and said, “Even so, wouldn’t it comfort you to be with your family at a time such as this?”
He clasped my arm in a familiar grip. “I am with my family,” he said. Moistening his dry lips, he added, “You have been the joy of my life. Both of you.” He cupped Ana’s face. “It is heartening to me to have had this extra time with you. I couldn’t have asked for a greater gift than to have been a part of your lives.”
A delicate tear rolled down Ana’s cheek. “Don’t cry for me, my dear. At least, not yet. There is still more to come and the two of you have many things to do.”
We stood and Ana waved her hand over his table. The scent of hot peppermint tea filled the room. “Thank you, dear one,” he said.
Before we left, I said, “I just want you to know—”
“There’s still time, son,” he said softly. “Hold your words close for now. I have much to say to you in the future as well.”
I looked into his rheumy eyes and nodded. “We’ll see you again.”
With that, we vanished and rematerialized in the golden temple in Mangalore.
We stared up at the statue of Durga seated on a golden throne. Ana assessed it from one side and the other. “Not a very flattering likeness,” she said.
“Nothing compares to the real thing,” I said with a smile.
“Is that flirting?” she asked.
“Maybe.”
“Hmm.” Turning back to the statue, she said, “I don’t like the hat. What warrior ever wears such a thing? Why do they always give me foolish caps instead of a helmet and armor?”
“I suppose they don’t remember you that way.” Outside we heard a car pull up. “I think it’s time,” I said.
Ana nodded and we quickly placed our hands on the wall, creating a handprint for Kelsey, then she disappeared while I phased out.
Noisily, the group entered the temple. Kelsey said, “Things could get a little bumpy, so be forewarned.”
They placed the offerings and each of them took a turn speaking. I took note of Kadam in particular as he asked, “Help me come to the aid of my princes and bring an end to their suffering.”
Poor, loyal Kadam. He’d gotten his wish, though it had cost him. I made a wish for him, in that moment. A wish that he’d be around till the end. It was foolish. I knew what had happened was already done and there was no changing it. But all the same, he was a father to me, a friend, as beloved as my brother and my parents. If I could do something for him half as meaningful as what he’d done for me, then it would be just a small step in repaying a great man.
Kelsey told Ren and my other self to transform, and they did, but the goddess didn’t show her power. When Ren held Kelsey’s hand, things began to happen. I wondered why Ana didn’t act before. Surely nothing held her back. Not with the might of the amulet at her disposal.
When the winds and water came, I rooted my legs to the floor, and when the flood poured over my head, I was wrapped in a protective bubble of air. A light wind circled around me and I breathed easily even as the others struggled. I felt bad, knowing they were scared and straining, but at the same time, I knew they’d be fine.