A/N: I'm baaaaack! I know I said I would try to post one or two chapters before I left, but I realized that was pretty much physically impossible when it was the morning before I left and I was barely halfway done with the first chapter that was supposed to be posted... oops :) Does anyone have any information about general release dates for Tiger's Dream and The Movie? More specific than the year? And yes, "The Movie" is capitalized on purpose :) I had to add a few more chapters between Phet's house and the actual quest, but I have the chapters in between written, and am literally working on the next chapter as you read :) R&R!
The next morning I wake up to the smell of something cooking, and I open my eyes sleepily. Nik's face is inches away from mine, and Ren is on the floor beneath me. I kiss Nik's forehead gently, and slide silently out of the cot. I gently sidestep Ren's sleeping form, and pad over to Phet.
"Good morning, Phet," I greet him. "Where did Kishan go?" I ask when I notice that he isn't in the hut.
"He go talk to goddess. He have special way of talking to her," he says as he scoops something into a dish.
"That makes sense," I say thoughtfully. "I mean, he is married to her…"
Ren stirs on the dirt floor. "Who's married to who?" he mumbles as he sits up sleepily.
"Good morning sleepyhead," I say with a smile. "I was talking about Kishan and Durga. Phet said that Kishan is talking to her."
Ren looks confused for a moment, and I smirk. "Ren, we are about to retrieve a magical book for a goddess, who happens to be your three hundred year old brother's wife. I don't really think we get to be shocked that he can talk to her."
Ren glances around the room, and then he sees Nik on the bed. "Should we let him sleep or wake him up?" he asks me with a furrowed brow.
I think for a moment. "Well, do we want to be able to put him down for a nap and to bed at a normal time? If it doesn't matter, then let him sleep," I answer.
"Phet?" Ren asks, looking at the man. "Are we going to do anything today, or are we just talking?"
Phet tilts his head in thought. "Just talk. Many things to say, and not much time."
"Okay," Ren says. He then looks up at me. "Wake him up?"
I nod. "You or me?"
He smiles. "Well, he's probably going to cry, so would you rather me deal with it?"
"That sounds so cruel. 'Would you like me to deal with it?' Oh yeah, our only kid is screaming. Do you want me to deal with it, or you?" I comment, in a poor impression of Ren's voice.
"What was that?" Kishan asks, coming through the short door.
"Nothing," I say with a grin. "Ren and I are just deciding who is going to wake Nik up."
"Oh. I'm staying out of this one," Kishan says as he leans back in the open chair.
"Okay," I laugh. "Ren, how about I get him and you can get dressed, and then I can give him to you and get dressed?" I suggest.
Ren considers my idea, and then nods. I cross the room and take one last look at my son's peaceful face before it is twisted in tears of anger. I take a deep breath, and pick him up gently.
"Nik, it's time to wake up, sweetheart," I coo as I walk outside. "I know you want to sleep, but you need to get up."
He stirs, and then wails. I sigh as I adjusted position, and hold him against my shoulder to rub his back.
"Shh, Nik. It's okay, mommy's here. It's alright. Shh, shh," I soothe him, bouncing up and down as I pace back and forth away from the door.
After a few minutes his wails subside into hiccups, and the only tears present on his angelic face are ones already shed.
I place Nik on my hip and tap his nose with my index finger.
"Hello, little man. And how are you this morning?" I say as I hear his giggles of mirth.
"Are you happy, little guy?" I ask rhetorically, and spin around just fast enough to get him to laugh again. I lean my forehead against his and smile softly.
I carry him back inside and hand him off to Ren. I grab a pair of jeans, a T-shirt, some cleaning necessities, clean underwear, and a sports bra as I head out side to the jungle.
I come back ten minutes later feeling much better. I washed my face in the creek nearby and slightly rinsed my hair to get some of the dirt out. After braiding my near-waist length hair down my back and tying it with a light blue ribbon that matched my T-shirt, I had gotten dressed quickly and trotted back to Phet's to get started.
~TR~
When all of us are situated around the table with a bowl of steamy food in our hands, Phet begins.
"Durga need Book, hmm?" Phet says happily. "Not easy task."
"We know," Ren says, tightening one of his arms around my shoulders and the other around Nik, who is perched on his lap.
"But not impossible," Phet reminds him. "Have done harder things, Kahl-see has."
"Hey!" Kishan says indignantly. "Ren or I, or both of us, was with her when she did those things," he protests.
"But Kahl-see deal with you two," Phet says. "Very hard thing to do."
I can't stop laughing. "Thank you!" I tell Phet, with tears streaming out of my eyes. As I try to control myself, I can see Phet chuckling softly, which makes it that much harder to concentrate. I compose myself and tell Phet to continue.
As Phet resumes talking, I look at Ren's face. It is hard and cold and I don't think that it's because Phet said that he's hard to deal with.
"I prepare for this many years ago," Phet says. "Much harder than before."
I wasn't really worried before. I mean, the other tasks were hard, no doubt about it, but we all survived fairly easily, save for a few instances. Ren with the brothers and their gáe bolga, me with the Kappa and the bear and the Shark, and then we were all close to dying in the Battle at Mount Kailash. But we all survived, and I never let myself doubt that we might not all survive. But now I am scared. Very, very, scared.
"What do we need to do?" I ask softly.
"Two tasks this time," Phet says seriously. "One for Key and one for Book."
I gasp. "Two? We have to go through that two more times?"
Phet nods. "Key in the home of the Monkeys and Book in the home of the Fey."
"Ooh!" I say. "Will we get to stay with the Silvanae for a while again?"
Kishan's eyes glitter and Ren looks confused.
"Shangri-La," I explain. "When you were...captured."
"Oh," Ren says morosely. "So, we have to essentially do the first two tasks over again?" he clarifies.
"Yes," Phet says sadly. "But after their help, task much harder."
I lay my head on the table. "Wonderful," I mutter.
"Not impossible," Phet says again. "Very possible."
"I know," I say slowly. "But still. I very nearly died on both of those quests. So did Ren and Kishan.
Ren tightens his grip on me even further, and I lean my head on his shoulder.
"I don't want to put any of my family in danger again," Ren says. "It's not worth it to put my wife and brother in danger just to help a woman I haven't seen in three years."
"Helps all of you," Phet says. "Just not clear what will happen yet."
"Phet," Kishan interrupts. "What exactly could come of this? It's not like there is a practical use for the Book."
"I help goddess hide objects. She tell me many things. I cannot tell you these things. Would be searching for self, not others."
Ren narrows his eyes in thought, and then gives up trying to make sense of Phet's sentences.
"What exactly is the plan?" I ask. "What do we need to do?"
"Find Key in Land of Monkeys. Book in Land of Fey," Phet says again.
"Is that all we are going to get?" Ren asks.
"All you need," Phet says cryptically.
"Okay, fine. We didn't really have that much more to go on before. Do we get a prophecy again? Or are we going in completely blind?" I ask.
"Seek Durga's first temple. Make sacrifice like before. Find what you need."
"Ugh," I say. "Hey. There was a missing Pylon in the Cave of Kanheri. Mr. Kadam thought that it would be a spiritual Pylon... Could we go back and try to find it?"
Phet's eyes twinkle. "Was hoping would remember. Fifth Pylon restored after Cave collapse."
I groan as I lean my head back in my chair. "Beautiful. Do we have to go through the bugs and the oil and the water again?"
Phet looks apologetic. "Yes. Kahl-see. Must test worth again."
"But we already went through four quests and killed a demon... Hasn't our worth been tested enough?" I moan.
"Kahl-see," Phet says gently. "Durga not sue if Chosen One still you. Restored Cave and traps for maybe other woman."
"Okay, I can understand that," I say. "Can we leave Nik with Nilima while we are gone?"
"Ask goddess. She know."
"Thank you, Phet," I say sincerely. "I'm glad that we know a little bit more of what we are doing now. I feel a little bit better now."
"Give me your hand," Phet says suddenly.
"Sorry, Phet. You're cute and all, but I'm already married," I grin.
"Need henna," Phet says with a grin. "Not marry."
I laugh. "That's good. I wouldn't want it to get awkward," I crack. "Plus, I kind of missed it. Can it stay when we are done with this quest?" I say as I move closer to Phet and place my right hand on the table in front of him.
"Ren, you might want to start entertaining Nik about now," I say, looking at my son's face. He was starting to look very bored, and I could sense tears on the way.
"Okay," he says, and hands Nik to Kishan.
As Phet gets out the things he needs for my tattoo, Ren spreads a blanket out on the floor, and Gets out a few toys. Kishan then moves to be next to Ren, and lays Nik on the blanket. They make faces and coo at Anik, and I smile gently at my little family. Of course, then I think about the other baby, thinking that I don't even know if it was a boy or a girl. I turn my head to Phet before Ren can see my tears, and smile weakly at Phet's questioning eyes.
"I'm alright," I say softly. "I just... I'm fine."
"Kahl-see, many good things in future," Phet says gently, swirling the stripped twig over my palm. "Be sad, but not much. Do not be sad always. Mourn, do not grieve."
"I think I understand," I say, wiping my tears. "I should be sad for my baby, but I shouldn't only be sad; I should be happy with what I do have."
"Yes!" Phet says, nodding his head emphatically. "Not many people do what you do. You special woman. Was girl when we meet. Now woman."
"Thank you, Phet."
We sit in companionable silence while he finishes the tattoo on my hand as we listen to Ren and Kishan play with Nik. Ever since he first laughed in the Jeep, Nik has been laughing very often. The high-pitched giggles mixed with the low timber of Ren and Kishan's chuckles make for a very melodic sound, and I nearly drift off several times, but jolt myself awake.
"All done," Phet announces. I look at my hand, and smile at the familiar geometrical design covering my right hand.
"Do I have fire power again?" I ask Phet excitedly.
"Yes. Not as big as before. Amulet intensifies powers. But still there," Phet nods.
I step outside the hut quickly and aim my hand at the ground. The white-hot stream of fire burns a small hole in the ground, but peters out quickly. I frown at my hand, and then shrug.
As I step back into the hut, Ren looks up.
"Something wrong, rajkumari?" he asks sweetly.
"I don't think so," I say unsurely. "Phet, you said that my power was more... powerful because of the Amulet, right?" I ask.
"Yes, Kahl-see. Much bigger power."
"Okay. That makes sense," I say thoughtfully. "My fire wasn't very powerful at all. Do you think Durga will give us the Amulet?"
"Not be knowing, Kahl-see. Something else to ask goddess," Phet says.
"So I need to ask her about the Amulet and if we need to bring Nik. Anything else?" I ask curiously.
"No, Kahl-see. Is all. Ask soon; faster means happier," Phet says cryptically.
"O... kay?" I say quizzically as Phet nods his confidence.
"Tonight here and leave when sun rises. Goddess tell me guardian follow you at distance. No worry about enemies," Phet plans for us.
"Well, then," I say briskly. "Since it's only about noon, how do you guys feel about going to the waterfall for a lunch picnic? Phet, you could come with us," I suggest.
"I've been wanting to take Nik to Kadam's and my parents graves..." Ren says sadly, but oddly happily.
"Yeah...," I say sadly. "Me too. Kishan?"
"Yeah, a picnic sounds fun," he says nonchalantly.
"Phet? Do you want to go with us?"
"Thank you for asking, but no," Phet says, smiling and showing us how few teeth he has. "Must clean home."
I look around the room, and it seems spotless to me, but I shrug.
"Okay. I'll pack a basket, and we can leave. Ren, will you change Nik? I think I can smell him." I wrinkle my nose for emphasis, and Ren immediately checks Nik's diaper.
"How did I not smell that?" Ren asks rhetorically, but I answer him anyway.
"Losing your sense of smell now, are you?" I laugh. "It must be your old age."
"Ideologically, Kells, you're only a year younger than me," Ren reminds me while handing Nik a toy to keep him busy.
I reach into the backpack with the food and pack some into a basket. "Yes, but technically, you are more than fifteen times my age."
"Then technically, Kishan is somewhere around five hundred hundred years old. He stayed back with Durga, and, bodily, he was twenty," Ren reminds me.
"Okay," I concede. "Kishan, you are officially the most screwed up, age wise, at least."
"Hey!" he says, looking up from packing up our bags. "I've also done the most good in the world," he says as we walk out the hut door.
"'Bye, Phet!" I call behind me. His wiry frame comes out and waves to us, but I am the only one who sees, and I elbow the boys in the ribs.
"Be nice!" I hiss.
"Yes, mother," they say in unison. They wave, but Phet is gone.
"How rude!" I sniff, pointing my nose in the air. I trot up ahead of the boys cradling Nik tightly, and slow to a walk when I can hear them talking behind me.
"Did we ditch Daddy and Uncle Kishan," I coo at Nik. "Yes, we did! Yes, we did!" I rest my cheek against Nik's head, and stop until Ren and Kishan get back, because I have no idea where I'm going.
~TR~
About an hour later, I'm cleaning up our lunch of turkey sandwiches, salad, and chocolate chip cookies while Ren and Kishan get ready to go swimming.
Once I have my suit on, I pick up a sleeping Nik and gently get him ready for the water. I walk over to my sun rock and sit down, careful not to jostle Nik too much. Of course, as soon as I sit down and sigh with relief that I got here without waking his up, Ren cannonballs into the pond right in front of us.
"Ren!" I shriek. Nik starts whimpering, and I quickly shush him. After I calm Nik down, and he is back to his normal smiling self, I turn on Ren.
But he is using his eyes on me, and I can't say anything but, "Of all the idiotic things to do."
"But you love me," he says with a grin.
"Unfortunately," I say, grinning as well. I give him a quick kiss, and follow him into the water.
~TR~
After we've been swimming for about two hours, though I've taken breaks, I tell Ren that we need to go.
"Aww, but Kells...," he begs. "Just a little longer?"
"Kelsey, we just got here," Kishan says, pouting. "Five more minutes?"
I laugh. "You guys sound like five year olds. Get out, dry off, and we'll go to your old house."
They both get out of the water, albeit grumbling. After they are dressed and I've gotten Nik and myself ready, we hike for another thirty minutes and soon reach my husband's old home.
It's as dilapidated as ever. I hate using that word, because I love the house, and we left it like this on purpose, but it is... shabby. It's beautiful, but in a destroyed kind of way.
We walk slowly over to the three graves.
Ren and Kishan go to their parents but I go to Mr. Kadam's.
"I miss you, Mr. Kadam. A lot. There are so many times that I find a question and think about you, and I miss you so much that it hurts," I say softly, starting to choke up. "I wish that you knew Nik. He's so sweet and funny. You would've loved him and he would've loved you.
"You would have been able to help us with this quest, and I wouldn't feel so bad about leaving Nik behind if you were here. It's not that I don't trust Nilima and Sunil, but they will be planning their wedding, and Nik will distract them from that. I wouldn't have wanted a baby when I was trying to plan my wedding, and I wasn't even really planning it."
I wipe a tear from my eye, and look over at Kishan and Ren. They are both crying as well, and I walk over to Ren and put a hand on his shoulder.
He and Kishan aren't saying anything, so I start.
"Mr. and Mrs. Rajaram, I'm Kelsey. I want to thank you for all that you did in raising your sons. I know that without you, they wouldn't be the same. And since they wouldn't be the same, my life would be completely different. I might be dead," at this Ren flinches, "or I might be Lokesh's wife. No, I probably would just be his concubine," I say thoughtfully. "I wouldn't have had the courage to stand up to him if your sons hadn't been an example for me.
"Sure, they made mistakes," here I nudge Ren, "but that was what made them my heroes. When they made mistakes, they did everything they could to fix them. I know that I wouldn't have married Ren if you hadn't taught them the way you did. So I thank you. Because you were wonderful parents, I know have a wonderful family."
After I wipe my tears away, I kneel down between the two Rajaram gravestones and stand Nik up between my legs.
"Look, Nik," I say softly. I know what I'm about to say will make me sob. "It's Grandma and Grandpa."
Nik squeals and tries to jump. I sniffle and stand up. With Nik balanced on my hip, I run my hand through Ren's hair.
I wipe more tears from my eyes and try to compose myself. "Ren, we need to go if we want to get back by nightfall."
Ren nods, still not looking at me. He takes my hand and turns his watery eyes to me. "Kelsey."
"I know, Ren," I say, hugging him tightly with my free arm. "Come on, let's go."
Kishan gets up from Mr. Kadam's grave, and comes over to clap Ren on the shoulder. "They would be proud of you, brother."
"And you," Ren says. "There was a time when I would have gladly mortally injured you, but that was my problem. I thought... you were being just like before, with Yesubai, but... you really did love her, didn't you?" Ren asks, and I can tell that he doesn't want to hear the answer.
Kishan thinks his answer over for a moment as we start walking back to Phet's.
"Yes, I did," he says slowly. "Not as... thoroughly is the wrong word... not as... bad, I suppose, as I am now, and worse than Yesubai. No offense Kelsey," he says as an aside.
I smile. "None taken."
"But, yes, I did love Kelsey as more than a sister. I don't think I ever loved her as much as you do, because I was always afraid that she would leave me for you, and I wouldn't let myself completely love her," he continues.
"Ha!" I laugh. "I was trying to force myself to love you completely."
Kishan shakes his head. "I was such an idiot then. Even after you told 'Saachi' how you felt, I still managed to convince myself that you loved me as much as Ren. Or at least that you would in time." Kishan sighs, and stops moving for a moment. He continues moving, and Ren asks who Saachi is.
I sigh, and force myself to answer. "When we were staying in Port Blair, right after Kishan proposed, I was taking a walk, trying to find you, actually, I came across an old woman sitting on a log. I figured that since I had no idea who she was, she would have no idea who I was talking about, and I could hash things out with her.
"Of course, I told her that I was still in love with you, but ever since that incident on the yacht, I couldn't be with you. And as soon as I turned around, it turned out that it had been Kishan in disguise using the Scarf. I felt like a total idiot."
Kishan grins. "I'm sorry, Kells. I didn't mean to make you feel stupid."
I laugh. "Wow, Kishan, being a god really has changed you."
"How so?" he asks, confused.
"Before you stayed, you would have teased me about feeling like an idiot, you wouldn't have apologized."
"Yeah," Kishan says thoughtfully. "You're right, bilauta."
I laugh again. "Kishan, three years isn't that long."
"Why do you say that? And for me, it has been about four hundred."
"You should still remember that I'm always right. Except when it comes to dealing with my love life. And I even got that straightened out."
Ren mumbles something, but I don't catch it.
"What was that?" I ask him.
"Nothing," he says. "Just thinking out loud."
"Okay," I say doubtfully.
Just then, the clearing with Phet's home comes into view, and we quickly walk over to relax and chat with the shaman.
~TR~
"Okay, I love going to see Phet, but I really love coming home and taking a shower," I tell Ren as he lays Nik on our bed and I turn the hot water on.
"I know," Ren says with a smile. "I'm really glad that we have a good water heater, otherwise we would never have any hot water after you're done."
"That's the only reason I let myself take long showers," I quip.
"I'd hate for me to get into gambling and lose everything. You wouldn't be able to take thirty minute showers," Ren jokes.
I stick my tongue out at him. "You would never get into gambling."
Ren erupts in laughter. "I was sure that you would be irritated at the thirty minute shower part. But no, you tell me I would never get into gambling."
"Would you?" I point out.
"I might," he argues. "If," he pretends to think for a moment, "you ever ditched me for Kishan I might..."
I whip around, shocked. "Alagan Dhiren Rajaram, don't you ever even think that. In no alternate universe would I leave you. There is absolutely nothing that could happen to make me leave for Kishan or anyone. Ever," I say vehemently.
"I was kidding, iadala," Ren says with my favorite crinkly-eyed smile. "I know that much at least."
I walk over to him and sit on his lap. I give him a soft kiss, and rest my head on his chest. "Good."
"Rajkumari?" Ren says softly.
"Mm?" I mumble.
"I think your shower is ready."
"Is it?" I yawn. "Maybe I'll take a shower tomorrow morning..."
"Kells, I'm not sleeping in the same bed with you until you take a shower."
"Why?" I mumble, my eyes closing in spite of m desire to stay awake.
"Because you smell like dirt," he says gently.
"Not peaches and cream?"
"Maybe after you take a shower."
"Fine. But we are taking it together," I compromise.
"I can do that," Ren says, the smile obvious in his voice.
Just as we open the door to take Nik into his room, Nilima comes running through the hall.
"Miss Kelsey! Come quick!" she shouts.
"Nilima?" I ask, baffled. "What's going on?"
Nik wakes up in Ren's arms and begins to cry. Ren jiggles him and looks at Nilima with the same look that I am sure is plastered on my face.
"I found it on the front porch just now," she sobs, holding a letter out to us. "I can't... just read it.
I take the letter from her, and look directly to the signature.
"Ren..." I look up at him, completely floored. "It's signed Mr. Kadam."