Rikki and Avíá entered Kalindo. They met no enemies. This obviously was a free and peaceful land, free of evil snakes, spiders, or lions. They spent the rest of the day exploring, looking at plants neither of them had ever seen before. They suddenly realized that though Tacróc had said the Herb would be here, he had never given a description of it. That night, the two mongooses, having not eaten anything that day, caught some mice and rested underneath some bushes.
"Where could this Magical Herb of Kalindo be?" asked Avíá, crunching on a mouse bone. "Think any enemies will follow us into Kalindo itself?" asked Rikki. "They all ran off when Krädós was killed. I don't think any know where we are. Anyway, perhaps they might believe enough about this herb to not risk fighting us where there are so many. I mean, really stupid of them to fight us where we could continually just east plants and avoid their venom." said Avíá. "Not sure if it works against spider venom. Tacróc never was sure on that." said Rikki.
As it was, Nagasta's crowd had indeed lost track of Rikki and Avíá, being beset by too many enemies the day of the overthrow of Krädós. They thought to hide near the Great River and wait for the pair to return, but lions from Bahaxur and tarantulas from Chalícává forced them to retreat back all the way to the Wet Lands. Upon hearing of this, Nagasta and Karistan were furious and had killed several of them. However, they soon decided to work on their plan to attack the people. In time, Nagasta's power, however reduced in the other parts of the land, was stronger than ever in her own territory due to the arrival of all of her new allies: the pythons, the Dark Lions, kraits, red-necked keelbacks, and the Dark Tarantulas.
"I think we should ask someone here where this Magical Herb is." said Avíá-tía-tárá. "Let's wait till morning." said Rikki-tikki-tavi, yawning. A chilly wind blew in, causing them to shiver. To warm up, the two pulled down branches from nearby tress and piled them up and, when they had made a large enough structure to fit in, stuffed the inside with grass and leaves and then lay down. Avíá laid her head on Rikki's shoulder and fell asleep. Rikki looked at her. Not only was she a knockout, but he admired her integrity, bravery, and selflessness. He fell asleep. Maybe the cold weather was still getting to him, for he had a very strange dream. He was in the garden. He felt that he needed to go down Nagaina's old snake hole, though he couldn't think of why he was doing this. She had been dead for over a year. However, he did go underground. He soon heard voices. "No sign of Rikki-tikki?" "That must be Nagasta." he said to himself. "No, we've lost him. He's really far southwest of here." said a Dark Tarantula. "So, he and his friend aren't anywhere near here?" said Nagasta. "Nope. We think they may have gone southwest." said a Dark Lion. "No Rikki-tikki here?" hissed Karistan. "No. Nothing to stop our plan." said a red-necked keelback. "Even if he were here, he only has Avíá to help him. He'll never be able to overpower us!" hissed Nagasta. "Oh no! I never thought of that!" said Rikki. "Yes. He will fall like leaves from a tree." hissed Nagasta. "What am I going to do?" cried Rikki-tikki. "After him!" hissed Nagasta. Her minions chased him. There were too many. He ran toward the exit. It was blocked in by rubble! He yelled and jumped up out of his sleep.
Avíá moaned. "Nightmares again, huh?" she said. "I just realized something." he said. "What?" said Avíá, yawning. "We fought Kikatili and Apakarmi with help and we fought Krädós with help too. However, we're going against the Cobra King and Queen with just the two of us. With the deaths of Kikatili, Apakarmi, and Krädós, now those who are still loyal to them and their anti-human ways will now seek out Nagasta. If they work for her, we will need more help than just us I'm afraid. I think I'll have to bring my family into this." he said. "But what if they die? Losing a family is awful!" said Avíá. "They know the risks by now I expect. I had Darzee talk to them about everything. I'm glad Darzee is fighting in this too. Maybe I can get tailorbirds to help. It would be nice to get birds on our side to fight. Nagasta already has the crows and some of the coppersmith barbets too." said Rikki. "However, if Tacróc turned against Nagasta, there has to be others like him." said Avíá.
The next morning, the two set out. They noticed several tropical birds roosting in some nearby coconut trees. "Pardon me, but do any of you know where the Magical Herb of Kalindo is?" Rikki called to them. "What?" said a parrot, who had been dozing. "The Magical Herb of Kalindo. Can fight snake venom." said Avíá. "As far southwest as you can go. At least another 70 miles or so." said the parrot. "Anything dangerous here?" asked Rikki. "No, though sometimes the terrain can be a bit steep. You can fall to your death if you're not careful." said another parrot. "Thanks." said Rikki-tikki.
They continued on, coming across more tropical birds and strange plants. Late in the afternoon, Avíá said to Rikki "Do you know what this Magical Herb of Kalindo looks like?" "No." "Hello up there." Avíá called to some bats. The bats, who had been asleep, waiting for the night to hunt, woke up with a start. "Yes ma'am." said a bat sleepily. 'Do you know what the Magical Herb of Kalindo looks like?" asked Avíá. "It's got yellow flowers and a red and green stem and is mostly underground." said the bat.
"Thanks." said Rikki-tikki. "What do you plan to use it for anyway?" inquired the bat. "To fight the Cobra Queen and King." said Avíá. "Use a plant to fight a snake. Dear me!" said the bat. "It cures a snakebite. If anyone can kill Nagasta, Rikki here can!" said Avíá. "Rikki-tikki-tavi?!" said the bat. "We've heard of you. Krädós never came here. Something about the land scared him." said the bat. "This place seems to be devoid of all evil things. It probably lacked the despair that tyrants so thrive upon." said Avíá. "Anyone, I've put an end to him." said Avíá. "You mean to say that it was you who killed him?!" said the bat in shock. "Beneath her lovely appurtenance, she's one heck of a fighter." said Rikki. "I've heard tales of the Cobra Queen. After Kikatili and Apakarmi died, all their supporters joined her. Now it's going around that all of Krädós old followers are with her now too." said the bat. "Say, what are you?" asked Rikki, who'd never seen a bat before. "No offense, but we have to be careful. Some of the birds we've met are friends with Nagasta." "I'm a bat. I eat insects and such. I am a night bird of a sort though I'm not actually a bird per se." said the bat. "And no, I hate the Cobra King and Queen." added the bat. "Well, have you seen any evil things here lately? Any snakes, lions, or spiders here?" asked Rikki. "No. In fact, the enemy almost thinks you two are dead. Dead or lost as nobody has heard word of you." said the bat. "That's not so good." said Avíá. "We've got to get going. We don't want Nagasta to start focusing on the people again." said Rikki. "Goodbye." "Farwell. I'd best be getting back to my sleep. Or else I shall wake up late and all the good moths will be taken." said the bat, falling back asleep.
The two traveled for several miles, exploring new plants. After a few days, they heard a roaring sound up ahead and wondered what it meant. After some more days, the finally came to the edge of the land, and found the Indian Ocean, more water than they'd ever seen in their lives. "It's so beautiful!" said Avíá. "The herb is here. The parrots said it was. Now we've got to start looking." said Rikki. After a day of fruitless efforts, they went to bed. Before they rested, Avíá brought up something she had been privately feeling. "Rikki." she said. "Yes. Something is troubling you." he said knowingly. "Yes. I had thought of something. We could just live here, in peace. The snakes think we're dead or lost. We could still die, even with this Magical Herb, and then Nagasta will wipe out all the people and your friends anyway. We could at least save our own lives this way." said Avíá. "What, are you frightened?" said Rikki. "A little bit. We have to go back into enemy territory. If we get overwhelmed by lions or tarantulas, this Magical Herb of Kalindo might not save us." said Avíá. Rikki-tikki thought. She's right. If we go back, there's still a large chance we'll die and that all will be lost. If we die, I can never marry Avíá. "I shall think about this. We'll discuss it in the morning." he said. They went and rested in an abandoned bungalow near a cliff overlooking the Indian Ocean. Rikki and Avíá found an old four-poster bed and climbed into it. It still had its hangings, a dusty blue cloth that had somehow suffered little wear, despite the fact that the house had been uninhabited, it being an old settler house and its owners having left it to settle a village several miles to the north. In the setting sun, Rikki noticed a beautiful looking yellow plant with red and green stems growing near the house. "Avíá, I found it!" he cried out. "The Magical Herb of Kalindo?" she asked excitedly. "The two ran outside and found it. They dug it up and pulled out two plants. "All our efforts. All of these months, spent toiling for this." said Rikki. "My family died so that we could find this. We couldn't have survived this trip alone." said Avíá. "Yes. So we must go on back very soon. For all those who have died opposing the tyrants we've brought down. We owe it to them. Also, it is what a mongoose ought to do. A proper mongoose anyway, not a Dark Mongoose." said Rikki-tikki. "I totally agree." nodded Avíá-tía. "Such a strange little thing." said Rikki, prodding the plant. "Yet it's the key to stopping Snake Empire." said Avíá. "I've been meaning to ask you something Rikki." said Avíá, heading back into the house. "What is it like living with people? I've never really done it before, except that time when we stayed in that house at the Great River." "It's great. They give you food that you don't have to hunt for. The boy, Teddy, simply adores me. He has me sleep on his pillow every night." said Rikki. "They let you stay in their bed?" said Avíá incredulously. "Yes, they like mongooses. I'm like family to them." he said. "What about me? What if they don't like me?" she said. "I'm sure they will. However, if they don't then I shall leave them." he said. "What? You'd abandon them?!" said Avíá in shock. "After Nagasta was dealt with, yes. I'm afraid I care for you more." he said. "Anyway, there are a few things you should do if you live in the house. First off, don't bite or claw if they pick you up, even the wrong way. Second, don't chew on the furniture, they don't like that. Third, don't relieve yourself inside the house. They hate that for some reason." said Rikki. "What about the garden creatures, what do they think of mongooses?" asked Avíá. "They love me. They will love you too. I know it." said Rikki. "I wonder what my family will think of me living with humans…." she said, suddenly pausing and crying onto Rikki's shoulders. "We're going to make them sorry they messed with you. My family will adopt you. It will be all right." he said. Avíá walked outside, still sad. "I really hope we aren't wasting their sacrifice by going back. They died to keep us safe." said Avíá. "They wanted the Jungle to be free. You know that." said Rikki. "Still," she said, gazing at the moon and stars on the horizon over the Indian Ocean, "I would like to have a family." she said. Avíá, you are so alone. You have nobody to turn to. Your family is dead and all of your friends have turned on you. Undelli has betrayed you. You're hurting. And there's nobody in the world that I care for more than you. You can always turn to me. I shall ask you to be my wife. It would give you a family again and also make us very happy. I'll ask you soon. Once I figure out if you're ready. I don't want to go too far too soon. I don't want to be brushed aside. he thought. "I'll be there for you." he said, putting his paws around her. "I do have Sadára." she added. "Sadára, the friend of my Mother?" asked Rikki-tikki. "Might be. She lives nearby to the northeast. She was a close friend of my family." said Avíá. "I wonder if she thinks I'm dead." "I can bring you to her when we get back. My Mother will be able to find her. I think we're talking about the same Sadára." said Rikki. "Thank you Rikki." she said. "Tomorrow morning, before we leave, I should like to go out a little bit into that ocean thing. I simply must see it." said Avíá. "I agree." said Rikki. "So, in the meantime, tell me more about people." said Avíá, heading down toward the shore below with Rikki. The two hopped down carefully to the beach below. They walked on the shore and found some crabs, which they ate. Rikki and Avíá each got stung by one, though they won in the end, not being used to hunting these creatures. "These taste good." said Avíá, munching on a crab leg. He told her more about humans for two hours and then they went back up into the house and slept on the four-poster bed. They awoke at morning. "So, it's settled. We go back and fight Nagasta." said Avíá. "Yes. I just hope we don't get there too late." said Rikki. "So, how many of these herbs should we bring with us?" asked Avíá. "Probably only one each." said Rikki. "Shouldn't we bring more to help others?" asked Avíá. "It might slow us down if we got attacked." said Rikki. "It might help against snakes." said Avíá. "But not against lions and we're not sure about spiders." said Rikki. "True." said Avíá. They pulled on the plants, and after much tugging, freed two plants.
The two mongooses headed down the cliff once more to explore the water. "What makes it wavy and moving in and out like that[1]?" asked Avíá. "I don't know." said Rikki. "Hold these plants for me while I go explore the water." said Avíá. "Sure thing." said Rikki. Avíá walked into the water. She got in a few feet and then was pushed back by the tide. "Hey!" she cried out. She moved out again, moving faster. As a wave came near her, she sped up. She brushed past the wave, feeling it slam into her as she ran through it. "Ow!" she said. She liked the feel of the ocean spray on her skin and got some of the water in her mouth. It tasted salty. However, the force of the wave was a little bit too strong for her. She jumped over the next several waves for a few minutes, moving further and further out. She swam when the water got over her head. She swam into a rip current and was suddenly pulled out to sea. "Help!" she cried. Rikki dropped the herbs and ran into the water, a little to the left of where she had entered, and hopped the waves madly, until he too was caught in the rip current. I'm not sure what good it'll do, having both of us drown, but it beats sitting here and watching you drown. thought Rikki as he struggled to keep his head above the water. He moved to the left. He noticed that the current became nearly nonexistent. "Swim left!" he cried. She did and was able, along with Rikki, to move out of the rip current. They swam back to shore. "I've had enough." said Avíá, lying down on the shore. "You are so brave. You could have died too if we didn't get out of there." she said. "So what? What good would it do to just watch you drown?" said Rikki. "Come on." she said, shaking off her fur like a wet dog that has gotten out of a bath-tub "let's go back, after resting for a bit." "Ok." said Rikki. They rested, and awoke and found, much to their annoyance, that they had been sunburned. After washing in the water, very near shore so as to avoid rip currents, Rikki said "Wait, we should do something." "What?" said Avíá. He gathered seashells on the beach, and Avíá imitated him, confused. Finally, they made a small structure of seashells, on the edge of the beach. "The water shouldn't get it here." said Rikki-tikki. "What's it for?" asked Avíá-tía. "To show that we got here, and as a monument to the help of my best friend, Avíá-tía-tárá, without whom I'd have died in the Wet Lands or even sooner, as well as in many other places." he said. "And to you, Rikki-tikki-tavi, my best friend, who saved my life countless times and gave me hope after my family died." she said. "And to all of those who helped us free much of the Jungle." they said together. "Though, we're not done yet." said Rikki. "Don't worry, we've come this far." said Avíá. The two left, and headed back up the cliff, carrying the herbs in their mouths.
They headed back through Kalindo. They needed to hurry before Nagasta could get bored of hunting Rikki and Avíá down and start to attack the people. At last, they reached the border of Kalindo. They hated to leave it, it being such a peaceful land, but they knew that if Nagasta were ever defeated, all lands might be just as free as it.