Tiger's Quest by Colleen Houck
That night, I dreamed of Ren.
12
Of Prophecies and Practicing
It was the same horrible dream I’d had before. It was dark, and I was seeking something desperately. I entered a room and found Ren tied to an altar with a man in purple robes standing over him. It was Lokesh. He raised the knife and cut into Ren’s heart. I jumped on Lokesh and tried to take the knife away, but it was too late. Ren was dying.
Ren whispered to me, “Kelsey, run! Get out of here! I’m doing this for you!”
But I couldn’t run. I couldn’t do anything to save him. I could only crumple to the floor, knowing life without Ren was meaningless.
Then, the dream changed. Now it was dark, and he was sitting in a cage in his tiger form. Bloody lacerations ran down his back.
I knelt down. “Come on, Ren. Let’s get you out of here.”
He changed to a man and touched my face. “No, Kelsey. I can’t leave. If I do, he’ll catch you, and I can’t let that happen. You can’t be here. Please go.”
He kissed me briefly. “Go!” He thrust me away from him and disappeared.
I turned in circles, calling out for him, “Ren? Ren!”
I saw a figure through the fog. It was Ren. He was healthy, strong, and unhurt. He was laughing as he talked with someone.
I touched his arm. “Ren?”
He didn’t hear me. I stood in front of him and waved. He couldn’t see me. He laughed and put his arm around a pretty girl’s shoulder. I grabbed his lapel and shook him, but he couldn’t feel my touch.
“Ren!”
He walked away with the girl and pushed me aside as if I was just a useless obstacle. I started crying.
A bird singing outside woke me up. I’d slept deeply, but I didn’t feel rested. I’d dreamed of Ren all night, captured, a prisoner. And, whatever situation we were in, he always pushed me away, either to protect me or to get rid of me.
Five weeks. Five short, blissful weeks was all we had together. Even if I counted the time he was there but avoided me except for dates, our time in Oregon was only about two months. It was not enough. Not when you’re in love with somebody. Somehow I always seemed to lose the people I loved. How would I live without him?
And yet . . . he was here. My parents were too. I could feel them so close I could almost touch them sometimes. It was the same with Ren only . . . stronger. So many weird things had happened to me. I had a pet snake that also functioned as a fashion accessory; I was almost eaten by a sea-horse vampire monkey; I had a boyfriend who was a tiger most of the time; and apparently I could shoot lightning from my hand.
I was so overcome by Ren’s capture that I couldn’t even begin to process my Thor-like power. What else could possibly happen to me? I didn’t want to think about it because whatever I imagined, the reality would be much worse.
I got dressed and went downstairs to help Mr. Kadam. He was busy working on the computer.
“Ah, Miss Kelsey. Good morning. If you’re ready, I have some maps I’d like you to check for me.”
“Sure.”
He set out a giant map of India and slid over a paper with the translation of Durga’s second prophecy. A sable-furred head bumped against my leg, and I leaned over to pet him. I was happy Kishan was here, but I couldn’t help wishing it was a white tiger sitting next to me.
“Good morning, Kishan. Already eat breakfast? I’ll make you some cookies later if Mr. Kadam has all the ingredients.”
He huffed and settled at our feet. I picked up the prophecy and read it through.
Seek her gifts before all else
For Durga’s blessing waits anew.
The place of gods begins your quest
’Neath Noe’s glacial mountain blue.
Let Ocean Teacher ’noint your eyes;
Unfold the hoary sacred scrolls.
Teach arrant wisdom and advise
Gates of Spirit he controls.
Paradise awaits; remain steadfast
And find the navel stone
Which leads you to the heart of all
Ancient history’s leafy throne.
Atop the world-tree is your airy prize.
Grasp bow and arrow, let fly true.
Discus routs and ‘chief’s disguise
Can stave off those who would pursue.
Four houses shall your spirit test
Of birds , bats , gourds , and siren’s nest.
And last of all look to the sky
As iron guardians round you fly.
India’s masses shall be robed
And rise in strength across the globe.
“Hmm,” I pondered aloud. “Well, the first two lines are obvious. We have to go to a temple of Durga again. We’d already guessed that much. This time, we’ll make sure to bring the proper offering.”
“Yes. I have compiled a list of Durga’s temples all over India, and some that are in nearby countries as well.”
“Kishan, please remind me to wear my bell anklet.”
Mr. Kadam nodded and bent over his notes. I bit my lip and thought about when Ren had given me the anklet. He’d begged me to stay with him, but I’d left.
What a waste. We could have shared all those months together if I just hadn’t been so stubborn. I would have given anything to turn back time. Now, he was gone, taken prisoner, and there was a good possibility that I’d never set eyes on him again.
Trying to snap out of my sad thoughts, I focused on Durga’s prophecy again.
“Noe’s mountain? That’s the Himalayan mountain range? How do you figure?”
“Noe is short for Noah.”
“As in Noah’s ark?”
“Yes.”
“Umm, wasn’t Noah’s ark supposed to have landed on Mount Ararat?”
“You have a good memory. That’s what I thought at first, but Mount Ararat is in modern Turkey, not India. The location of the ark has been hotly debated regardless.”
“Okay, but what led you to the Himalayas?”
“A couple of things led me to that assumption. First, I don’t believe the next item would be hidden in a location that far off the Indian continent. The prophecy mentions that the item would help the people of India, so it doesn’t make sense that it would be so distant.
“The second reason has to do with the tale of Noe, or Noah. The Bible story is not the only one that describes a great flood. In fact, many dozens of cultures have stories of a great flood that covered Earth. I researched and cross-referenced all of the flood myths. There’s Deucalion and Pyrrha of Greece, the Epic Flood story of Gilgamesh, Tapi of the Aztecs, and so on. One similarity among all of them is that, when the rains abated, the people were led to dry ground.
“In India, there is a myth that Manu saved the life of a fish who, in turn, told him the flood was coming. He built a boat, and the fish pulled him to the mountains. Several locations have been suggested as a landing site, but I omitted many of them for not being ‘of glacial mountain blue.’ The mountain that makes the most sense to me is—”
“Mount Everest.”
“Yes. If you take the account literally and assume the entire Earth was flooded, then the land that would appear first would be the Himalayan Mountains. Because the Himalayas ‘touch the sky,’ one could make the assumption that the second quest we will embark on will be related to air. Birds and other flying creatures are featured heavily in the prophecy as well, and the object we are seeking is called an ‘airy prize.’”
“Mount Everest? You don’t think Kishan and I would have to—”
“No, no. Climbing Mount Everest is something only a brave handful of people have ever done. I wouldn’t think of having you attempt that. No, what we are searching for is a city at its base, a city with a wise teacher. I’m hoping that you might be able to make a list of possible cities for me and perhaps think of a place I haven’t yet.”
“It sounds like you’ve already given this a lot of thought.”
“I have. But, as you mentioned bef
Mr. Kadam handed me a list that I went through city by city, checking each one off the map. Sure enough, he had already crossed off every city within a several-hundred-mile radius of Everest. The only site on the map not crossed off was north of Everest and written in Chinese.
“Mr. Kadam? What’s this city?” I asked, pointing to the spot.
“That’s called Lhasa. It’s in Tibet, not India.”
“Well, maybe the teacher lives there on the other side of the Himalayas, but the item we’re seeking is still hidden in India.”
Mr. Kadam froze and then ran to get a book on Tibet. “Wait just a moment . . . a place of the gods.” He flipped open the book and looked in the index. Fingering through pages quickly, he began muttering to himself. “Ocean Teacher . . . spirit gates . . . yes . . . yes!”
He slammed the book shut and grabbed me in a brief hug, eyes twinkling. “That’s it! You’ve done it, Miss Kelsey!”
“What did I do?”
“Lhasa is the city ‘’neath Noe’s mountain’! Its name translated means ‘city of the gods’!”
“What about the teacher who is supposed to show us things?”
“That’s the best part! The Ocean Teacher is probably one of the lamas. Possibly even the Dalai Lama himself!”
“What? Lhasa is nowhere near the ocean.”
“Ah. The verse doesn’t have to mean the ocean literally. It may mean his wisdom is as deep as the ocean or perhaps his influence is as vast as the sea.”
“Okay, so we go to Lhasa and ask to meet with the Dalai Lama.” I chucked the black tiger on the shoulder. “Sounds pretty easy to me, right, Kishan?”
He huffed and stretched his head.
Mr. Kadam mumbled, “Yes. That might be a problem.”
“You don’t happen to have a good relationship with the current Dalai Lama, right? Kind of like Ren’s grandfather did?”
“No. And the current Dalai Lama isn’t in Tibet. He’s living in exile in India. The prophecy clearly indicates we need to go to the city ‘’neath Noah’s mountain’ and begin our quest there. It says here that the Ocean Teacher will anoint your eyes, unfold sacred scrolls, teach wisdom, and possibly lead you to the spirit gates.”
“What are those?”
“Spirit gates mark entryways into shrines in Japan. They are said to be the doorways between the secular world and the spiritual world. When people pass underneath them, they cleanse themselves and prepare for the spiritual journey that will take place beyond.”
“Are there any spirit gates in Tibet?”
“None that I’m familiar with. Perhaps there is a different meaning in the prophecy.”
“Okay, what about this navel stone?”
“Ah, I do know what the navel stone is. I believe it means that you are seeking an omphalos stone. They are stones to represent the center, or the navel, of the world, and several were placed in the area of the Mediterranean, the most famous of which is housed at the oracle of Delphi. Some scholars have submitted that gaseous fumes were directed up through the opening of the stone, and when a seer stood over it and breathed in the gas, he or she would have a vision.
“It was supposed to be a way for humankind to communicate with the gods. It’s also said that when you hold the stone, you can see into the future. There’s a stone in Thailand, one in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, and one is the foundation stone for the Jewish temple in the Dome of the Rock.”
“What does it look like?”
“It’s shaped somewhat like an egg standing on end with a hole in the top and carved webbing along the outside.”
“So we find this omphalos stone and sniff its fumes or hold it, and it will show us to a world tree?”
“Correct.”
“And the tree?”
“A world tree is another very common theme in many cultures and myths. There is a wish-fulfilling tree that took care of the needs of the people of India called the Kalpavriksha. It flourished when the people were wise and good, but, when the nature of humankind changed, the tree dimmed.
“In my studies of the Golden Fruit, I found a record of a special tree at the Kamakshi temple in southern India. It’s a mango tree that bears four kinds of mangoes believed to represent the four Vedas or castes. In Norse mythology, there is a tale of a world tree named Yggdrasil. In Slavic and Finnish mythology, they selected an oak tree to represent the sacred world tree. In Hindu culture, it’s a fig tree called Ashvastha. You might think of it as the Tree of Life. There are such trees mentioned in the cultures of Korea, Mesoamerica, Mongolia, Lithuania, Siberia, Hungary, Greece . . . you get the idea.”
“Hmm, yes. I get the idea. So we’re looking for a special tree. Do we at least know what type?”
“No. The stories all use examples of trees common to their lands, but most of the myths refer to something very large, with birds resting in the branches. These tests that are mentioned seem like they would fit that theme.”
“Gotcha. Bottom line, we don’t eat the fruit, right?”
He laughed. “Not all of the myths have fruit, but you are absolutely right. There is a test associated with most of them. Some even mention a giant serpent at the base. The leaves tie Earth to heaven, and the roots are supposed to sink into the underworld.”
“Now as for these . . . tests. Do you think there’s anything scary that will try to eat me like the Kappa?”
He sobered instantly. “I sincerely hope not, Miss Kelsey. In fact, I’m encouraged by the word paradise. I hope these tests will be more mental exercise than physical.”
“Right. I’ll just need to keep an eye out for the iron guardians. So, it says we have to ascend to the top to find the prize and pass four tests. I wonder what it means that India’s masses shall be robed. Do you think it means clothes?”
“It could be a symbol for royalty, I suppose.”
“Well, it sounds like you’ve got this pretty figured out, or at least as much as you can. It seems the next thing to do is go back to Durga’s temple. Do you think it will work without Ren?”
“It won’t hurt to try. You said that Ren had to be in tiger form before Durga accepted your offering. Is that correct?”
“Yes. She specifically noted the relationship between me and Ren.”
“Then it would be wise to have a tiger accompany you. We will use Kishan instead of Ren, if, of course, you are amenable, Kishan?”
The black tiger huffed in response, which we assumed meant yes. I glanced down and petted his head. “Let’s just hope she likes black.”
“Meanwhile, I’ll make some discreet calls to see if I can arrange to meet someone in Tibet or perhaps even with the Dalai Lama here in India.”
“Do you think that will work? Will he agree to meet with us?”
“I have no idea.”
“But shouldn’t we wait for Ren? Shouldn’t we find him first before we head off looking for the next item?”
“Miss Kelsey, I don’t think Ren would want us to wait. Honestly, I haven’t been successful in locating him, and I was hoping that when you discover the second item—”
“That we would be caught up in a vision again.”
“Exactly.”
“And that we might be able to figure out where Lokesh is, which could lead us to Ren.”
“Yes. I know it’s a long shot, but it may be the only clue we get.”
“Alright, I’ll go.”
Kishan growled and changed into a man. “And I’ll go with you.”
“Don’t feel obligated to chaperone me, Kishan.”
He hissed, “Of course, I’m obligated. Ren charged me with taking care of you, and that is exactly what I plan to do. I’m no coward.”
I put my hand over his. “Kishan, I’ve never considered you a coward.
Thank you. I’ll feel much safer with you around.”
His tight face relaxed and he said, “Good. Now that that’s settled, would you like to train for a few hour
“That’s probably a good idea.”
Mr. Kadam waved us off. “I’ll work with you a bit this afternoon, Miss Kelsey, perhaps after lunch.”
“Okay. We’ll see you later.”
I met Kishan in the dojo after changing clothes. He worked with me on throwing someone much larger than myself. I had to practice on him several times, and then he put me through a stretching and strengthening circuit. When he finally decided our session was complete, he chucked me under my chin and said he was proud of me.
Just as I was about to head upstairs to have lunch with Mr. Kadam, Kishan ran up behind me and tossed me over his shoulder. He took the stairs two at a time while I pounded on his back. He laughed.
“If you aren’t prepared to throw off your attacker, you will have to suffer the consequences.” He deposited me in the chair across from Mr. Kadam and grabbed some lunch for himself.
I was sore and tired. “I don’t think I’m going to have the energy for another workout in sword fighting today, Mr. Kadam. Kishan really put me through my paces this morning.”
“That’s okay, Miss Kelsey. We can try a different kind of workout instead. Let’s try practicing your lightning ability.”
I grimaced. “What if it was just a fluke? Maybe it was a one-time thing.”
He countered, “Maybe you’ve had the power all along and just never had the motive to use it.”
“Okay, I’ll try. I just hope I don’t end up zapping you.”
“Yes. Do try to avoid that.”
We finished lunch and headed outside. I’d never been out on the grounds before. Patio steps led down to a cleared open area the size of a football field that was surrounded on all sides by jungle. Mr. Kadam had set up bales of hay with target boards at different distances, like the kind in archery tournaments.
“I want to try stationary targets first, and if that is successful, I’d also like to attempt moving targets. Now, you had said that you were angry and needed to protect Ren. It felt like a burning fire that started in your stomach and moved out to your hand, correct? I want you to think back and try to capture that feeling again.”
I closed my eyes and pictured myself in front of Ren as he faltered behind me. I let the feelings rush over me again and created a mental image of his captors approaching me. A hot spark nibbled at my stomach. I focused on it and encouraged it to expand.