Tiger's Curse (The Tiger Saga #1)(2)

Lokesh tore a wooden talisman from around his neck and placed it beneath the prisoner’s arm. Blood dripped from the knife onto the charm, and the engraved symbol glowed a fiery red before pulsing an unnatural white light.

The light shot toward the prince with groping fingers that pierced his chest and clawed its way through his body. Though strong, he wasn’t prepared for the pain. The captive screamed as his body suddenly became inflamed with a prickly heat and he fell to the floor.

He reached out with his hands to brace himself, but he managed only to scratch feebly on the cold, white tile of the floor. The prince watched helplessly as both Yesubai and his brother attacked Lokesh, who shoved both back viciously. Yesubai fell to the ground, hitting her head hard on the dais. The prince was aware that his brother was near, overtaken by grief as the life drained from Yesubai’s limp body. Then he was aware of nothing except the pain.





1





Kelsey

I was standing on a precipice. Technically, I was just standing in line at a temp job office in Oregon, but it felt like a precipice. Childhood, high school, and the illusion that life was good and times were easy were behind me. Ahead loomed the future: college, a variety of summer jobs to help pay for tuition, and the probability of a lonely adulthood.

The line inched forward. I’d been waiting for what seemed like hours trying to get a lead on a summer job. When it was finally my turn, I approached the desk of a bored, tired job placement worker who was on the phone. The woman gestured me closer and indicated that I should sit down. After she hung up, I handed her some forms and she mechanically began the interview.

‘Name, please.’

‘Kelsey. Kelsey Hayes.’

‘Age?’

‘Seventeen, almost eighteen. My birthday’s coming soon.’

She stamped the forms. ‘Are you a high school graduate?’

‘Yes. I graduated just a couple of weeks ago. I plan on attending Chemeketa this fall.’

‘Parents’ names?’

‘Madison and Joshua Hayes, but my guardians are Sarah and Michael Neilson.’

‘Guardians?’ Here we go again, I thought. Somehow explaining my life never got easier. ‘Yes. My parents are . . . deceased. They died in a car accident when I was a freshman.’

She bent over some paperwork and scribbled for a long time. I grimaced, wondering what she could be writing that was taking so long.

‘Miss Hayes, do you like animals?’

‘Sure. Umm, I know how to feed them . . .’ Is anyone lamer than me? Way to talk myself out of being hired. I cleared my throat. ‘I mean, sure, I love animals.’

The woman didn’t really seem to care about my response, and she handed me a posting for a job.



NEEDED:

A TEMPORARY WORKER FOR TWO WEEKS ONLY

DUTIES INCLUDE: TICKET SALES,

FEEDING THE ANIMALS, AND

CLEANING UP AFTER PERFORMANCES.

Note: Because the tiger and dogs

need to be cared for 24/7, room and board

are provided.



The job was for the Circus Maurizio, a small family-run circus at the fairgrounds. I remembered getting a coupon for it at the grocery store and I’d even considered offering to take my foster parents’ kids, Rebecca, who is six years old, and Samuel, who is four, so that Sarah and Mike could have some time to themselves. But then I lost the coupon and forgot all about it.

‘So, do you want the job or what?’ the woman asked impatiently.

‘A tiger, huh? Sounds interesting! Are there elephants, too? Because I have to draw the line at scooping up elephant droppings.’ I giggled quietly at my own joke, but the woman didn’t so much as crack a smile. Since I had no other options, I told her that I would do it. She gave me a card with an address and she instructed me to be there the next day by 6:00 a.m.

I wrinkled my nose. ‘They need me at six in the morning?’

The worker just gave me a look and shouted ‘Next!’ at the line shuffling behind me.

What had I gotten myself into? I thought as I climbed into Sarah’s borrowed hybrid and headed home. I sighed. It could be worse. I could be flipping burgers tomorrow. Circuses are fun. I just hope there are no elephants.



Living with Sarah and Mike was okay for the most part. They gave me a lot more freedom than most other kids’ parents, and I think we have a healthy respect for each other – well, as least as much as adults can respect a seventeen-year-old anyway. I helped babysit their kids and never got into trouble. It wasn’t the same as being with my parents, but we were still a family of sorts.

I parked the car carefully in the garage and headed into the house to find Sarah attacking a mixing bowl with a wooden spoon. I dropped my bag on a chair and went to get a glass of water.

‘Making vegan cookies again, I see. What’s the special occasion?’ I asked.

Sarah jammed the wooden spoon into the dense dough several times as if the spoon were an icepick. ‘It’s Sammy’s turn to bring treats for his playdate.’

I stifled a snigger by coughing.

She narrowed her eyes at me shrewdly. ‘Kelsey Hayes, just because your mother was the best cookie baker in the world doesn’t mean I can’t make a decent treat.’

‘It’s not your skills I doubt, it’s your ingredients,’ I said, picking up a jar. ‘Substitute nut butter, flax, protein powder, and agave. I’m surprised you don’t put recycled paper in those things. Where’s the chocolate?’