When night came and they could no longer see Satvi's smoke, they stopped at a large hotel. A man in a red uniform opened the door for Justin and Justin stepped out, feeling very important. Satvi, on the other hand, when the red uniformed man opened her door, glared at the man until he shuffled away.

Omar paid for three rooms, one each for Omar and Caroline, and one with two double beds for Justin and Satvi. This surprised Justin, as he thought they would have been worried that he and Satvi would try to run away.

The moment Justin and Satvi were alone in their room, Justin turned to Satvi. "Okay, why are you not trying to run away?" he asked.

Satvi's mouth fell open as if to respond, but then she quickly shut it again, stepped past Justin into the bathroom, and slammed the door shut.

While Satvi took the longest shower Justin ever witnessed, a hotel employee brought them new clothes paid for by Omar. He bought Justin plain tan slacks and a blue button-up shirt, clothing he would not have chosen for himself. He ran his hands enviously over Satvi's loose-fitted blue silk pants, matching cropped blue silk shirt and blue silk wrap. Her outfit came complete with tan ballet flats.

When Satvi finally emerged from the shower wrapped in a large white bathrobe, she gasped and ran straight over to the silk pants Justin had laid out on her bed. A smile fell across her face as she caressed the fabric.

"Satvi," said Justin, "we should talk. How is your arm?"

"You," said Satvi, "should take a shower. You stink. And we have dinner reservations in thirty minutes."

"Satvi..."

Using only her good hand, Satvi untied the bathrobe and frowned at Justin. Immediately, he looked away and made for the shower.

The hotel restaurant was situated outside on a huge balcony that overlooked the jungle. Throughout the overhanging trees, wound twinkle lights and giant chandeliers hung above each table.

A woman in all black showed Satvi and Justin to their seats. Omar and Caroline were already sitting at the table at the very edge of the balcony. Upon noticing their arrival, Omar stood and a smile spread across his face as he gazed at Satvi. Tonight he wore tan slacks like Justin's and a dark purple button-up shirt.

When his gaze fell on Justin, Omar frowned. "Couldn't leave the robe in your room?"

Justin shrugged and Omar turned away, pulling out a chair for Satvi to sit in. To Justin's surprise, Satvi sat in the chair properly and held her head high.

Caroline leaned across the table to Satvi. "You clean up well."

Satvi frowned.

Caroline wore a stunning emerald nineteen-twenties-style dress complete with black sequins and tassels that swung just past the knees. She had pinned her hair up to make it look as if she had a wavy bob.

Once they were all seated, Omar said, "Order whatever you like."

At those words, Justin's stomach growled, and he realized he had eaten nothing all day. Not knowing what most of the dishes on the menu were, he ordered a couple of things at random. The server brought him a heaping bowl of chicken curry soup, very aromatic lamb curry and so much naan bread he could never eat all of it himself.

"Calls were made Satvi," said Omar, between bites of a chicken thigh, "you no longer belong to Yuktvaa, you officially work for Stringfellow Corporation." He held up his glass of bourbon and Caroline raised her glass of red wine.

"Congratulations," said Caroline.

"Welcome to the family," said Omar.

Satvi nodded. "Thank you."

Justin looked at Satvi. "So, you work for them now?"

"As a reward for helping us," said Omar, "we have freed Satvi from her bondage to Yuktvaa. She now works of her own free will for the company Caroline and I work for."

"What about the blood bond?" asked Justin.

"Oh, that?" Caroline waved her hand dismissively. "I can take care of that once we are back in the United States and I have the proper tools."

"I thought...," started Justin, but Satvi slammed her foot onto his, stopping him from continuing.

"Is this what you want?" Justin asked.

Satvi nodded but did not look him in the eyes.

"Anyone in the business of magic knows Stringfellow Corporation," said Caroline. "We make the finest magical artifacts in the world. Anyone would kill to work for us."

Omar leaned over to Justin. "Help us capture this beast and an offer may come your way to work for us, too. We can get you home safely, Justin, but I can't promise you will be safe there. There is a target on your back now. Stringfellow Corp. can protect you."

Before Justin could respond, the server arrived with small orange bars covered in a puffy white sauce and coconut flakes. "Coconut Burfi with a mishti doi sauce," said the server, explaining the food. "A spin on two classic Indian desserts."

As everyone ate the sweet coconut treats, the mood turned lighthearted. Omar told jokes to Satvi, who laughed genuinely at them, although Justin could see she was still taking a great effort to hide her ghost arm from the adults. It rested in her lap and she ate using only her good hand. Caroline spoke of dressmaking to Justin. She made her own outfits, including the twenties-inspired one she wore now.

"You know, I can show you how to make your own dresses. When we are back in the states, I can teach you."

"I would like that."

Reaching out a hand, Caroline squeezed Justin's shoulder and smiled affectionately. Justin returned the smile.

Tears fell freely down her cheeks, leaving black mascara trails as they went. She lay alone on the bottom bunk with only the beanie babies for company. She reached out and grabbed the nearest beanie baby. It was a beautiful multicolored octopus. She clutched it to her chest and a full sob escaped her mouth. She put the beanie baby to her mouth, trying to stifle her crying.

The octopus had been his favorite one.

"Justin!" she shouted.

"Justin," a voice whispered, and Justin's eyes fluttered open.

"Wake up. Come on, Justin."

He turned his head on his fluffy, luxurious Egyptian cotton pillow to see Satvi standing next to his bed. Her eyes were wide, and she looked frightened.

"You need to get up, now!" she glanced at the front door to their room as if she expected someone to enter.

Pushing himself up to a sitting position, it was then Justin realized she held his magic robe.

"What time is it?" he asked.

Satvi leaned forward, trying Justin by the arm, but her hand went straight through him. She gritted her teeth, grabbed him with her good hand, and pulled him out of the bed.

"It's early enough that Caroline and Omar will still be sleeping. Go, now, get away from here!"

Sleep still hung in Justin's eyes, and he shook his head violently. "I don't understand. Go where?"

"To save your friends."

She flung the robe over his shoulders and pushed Justin towards the windowsill, speaking as she did. "I know we are three stories up, but there is a palm tree next to the balcony. You can make it down."

Justin spun around out of Satvi's grip to look her in the eyes. "Satvi, why are we leaving? I thought they were going to help both of us."

"No," said Satvi, shaking her head and glancing back at the door again. "They won't help you, Justin. They will take your magic. They will also take your friends. I will try to steer them in the wrong direction for as long as I can, and you need to find the beast."

"Wait, you are not coming?"

"No, I can't."

Justin grabbed Satvi's good hand and squeezed it. "I need you, please. I will stay. We can figure this out."

"No!" Satvi shouted, yanking her hand free. "You don't understand. You don't belong here." She pushed Justin through the open balcony door. "I don't want you here."

Justin could feel her words hit his chest. It was as if his heart constricted. He didn't belong anywhere, and he never felt wanted. He stumbled out onto the balcony and properly put his arms into the robe sleeves.

"How... How? How will I find the beast without you?" he asked.

"You're a wizard, Justin. You will find it. Go, now!"

She looked over her shoulder and made to shut the door, but Justin shouted, "Wait!" stopping her.

He fished inside his left pocket and grab the bundle of herbs.

"This is for you, from Rupali. She said it would keep your... umm... your problem from spreading."

Thunder sounded in the distance, making Satvi jump. She quickly stepped forward, grabbed the herbs, and then stepped back to the door.

"Go! Hurry!" she urged as she stepped inside. Before Justin could even say goodbye, she slammed the door shut, the clicking noise letting him know he was locked out.

When Justin's feet hit the soft green lawn, he exhaled loudly. About halfway down the tree, it started to rain making the trunk slippery. Justin more fell than slid the rest of the way down.

The rain came down in thick drops that splattered across Justin's face. Above, one large black cloud blanketed the sky, hiding the moon from view.

Not knowing what else to do, Justin walked to the front of the hotel. He kept to the shadows of the trees as he did, not wanting to get the attention of any hotel employee. He followed the roundabout driveway to the main road. Although it was very early, many cars charged through the rain in both directions.

"Where do I go now?" he asked out loud.

You're a wizard. Figure it out. Satvi's voice echoed inside his head.

He looked down the road, first one way to find only darkness, headlights, and pavement, and then he looked the other way. A large sign lit by lamps read in English, Gateway to the jungle. Book your excursions from Sathyamangalam! Only 5 km away.

A city, thought Justin. Maybe I could get someone there to help me find Ramya. I wish I had his number.

He crossed the road. The large droplets of rain hit the ground and sprayed back up, making Justin even wetter. He tried waving a car down, but no one stopped. A couple of vehicles honked at him as if he were some sort of nighttime demon they were trying to ward off. As a last-ditch effort, Justin tried to stick out his thumb to the oncoming traffic. He felt stupid and after a few more cars honked at him; he stopped.

A noise, deep like thunder, echoed from within the darkened jungle behind Justin. He jumped and spun to gaze through the dense foliage, but he could see nothing. Perhaps it was just the thunder, but the sound reminded Justin of being back in the tree roots as the beast loomed over him.

He gulped. What if the beast is here? Right in this jungle?

Lightning flashed overhead and a monkey screeched from deeper in the jungle.

The subjects of this jungle were completely foreign to him. He couldn't just wander into the jungle and hope to find the beast, could he? And if he found the beast, what would he do then? He no longer had the jack-in-the-box. Slay it?

The road sloped upwards, leaving the jungle below down a muddy ravine.

His robe, completely soaked through, weighed heavily on his shoulders, but he still felt warm.

A car honked frantically behind him. When the car didn't pass him, he turned just in time to see bright lights growing larger by the second. Instinctively, Justin flung himself off the road. For a moment, it felt as if he was flying and then he fell chest first into thick mud. Immediately he began to slide, the mud around him going with him. He cried out as he picked up momentum. He could see nothing. A bump in the mud threw him into the air, his stomach somersaulting as he fell.

This is how I die, he thought.

Splash! He landed softly in muddy water. All went quiet, even the drops of rain slowed to near silence.

Justin stood, the water coming up to his knees. Small orbs of yellow light floated in the air near the edge of the jungle. Are they fireflies? Justin couldn't tell. They hovered in a mass around a particularly dark spot in the trees.

He took a step toward the dark spot. Could it be? A trail into the jungle right where I fell? He took another squelching step through the mud. Sure enough, a small pebbled trail opened up in the dense foliage and wound its way into the jungle until it disappeared out of the light of the orbs.

A bright white light suddenly flashed on to Justin, silhouetting him against the looming trees. He spun quickly; his eyes blinded by the light of a flashlight shining down from the road above.

A man's voice shouted down to Justin, saying something he could not understand.

"What?" he shouted up the ravine.

There was a pause and then a woman's voice shouted down. "Are you okay?"

"Yes!" Justin shouted back.

"Thank God. We are so sorry we pushed you off the road. Our car slipped in the rain. Can we help you? Do you need a ride?"

A face appeared in Justin's mind. A sad face with tears streaking down her cheeks. It was the face of home. It was his mom.

He took a step into the light. He could get a ride to the nearest city, go to the police, and call home. By tomorrow, he could be on a plane to California. He took another step towards the light.

One of the golden orbs floated into view. It pulsed with soft light and hung in the air at eye level. Justin could see that it was not a firefly. It was simply light. A faint humming noise came from the light as if it was trying to communicate to him. He immediately understood it. He didn't know how, but he knew what it wanted.

"You want me to follow you," he said to the Golden orb.

The orb seemed to get brighter and the humming louder.

"Do you need help getting back up the ravine?" The woman's voice asked from the road.

"Show me," said the wizard to the light. "Show me your kingdom."