The tiger led the wizard into the thickest and darkest part of the jungle. They followed invisible trails that only the tiger could sense. They climbed up limbs of trees, down vines, through tunnels of ferns, and through the hollow log of an ancient giant tree.

Looking up, the wizard could no longer see the moon or the stars. They looked forward and realized they could no longer see the tiger.

The wizard froze, their heartbeat thumping violently within their chest. As if hearing this, the tiger returned to their side. It purred deep within its throat, calming the wizard. Hesitantly, the wizard reached out a hand toward the tiger. The tiger's purring grew louder. Their hand touched soft, warm fur, and the wizard smiled.

The tiger took a slow step forward, and the wizard did the same. They walked together; the tiger leading the wizard through the darkness. The wizard lost track of time. They could've walked by the Tiger's side forever. After some unknown amount of time, the vegetation lessened. In gaps in the canopy, the sky lightened, tinged with bright coral pink.

"I've never seen my knight let anyone but I touch her," came a deep voice from behind the wizard and the tiger.

The tiger stopped walking, switching its tail wildly about.

A man stepped around the other side of the tiger and scratched the tiger behind the ear. The tiger purred happily.

"She would only allow a powerful wizard to touch her," said the man in perfect English.

The wizard stroked the tiger's fur, in awe of this beautiful creature that led them through the forest.

"Who are you?" asked the wizard.

The man smiled and looked up as if thinking, then he looked the wizard in the eyes.

"Who am I?" he asked back. "That is a complicated question that I don't even have a full answer to. I am called Vendari in the jungle and in the city they call me Velan."

Vendari, a few feet taller than the wizard, leaned down. "And who are you?"

Justin flinched, removing his hand from the tiger. He did not know who he was.

"Justin," he responded.

Vendari nodded. He was a very striking man. His skin, the color of a rich coffee, contrasted with his pure white hair that fell across his forehead in a beautiful, wild tangle of curls. Though his hair was white, his face looked young and strong. He had piercing brown eyes, a square jaw that made him look very serious, a long, pointed nose, and full lips. Vendari wore khaki pants and a matching khaki shirt that read, Anamalai Tiger Reserve Park Ranger, in green lettering on the breast pocket.

"Why are you here, Justin?" Vendari asked.

"I'm looking for a beast. It took my friend and I have to stop it."

"I see. Usually, I don't get involved in other people's business but since Mari here," he looked down at the Tiger, "led you to me, I will help you once," he held up a pointer finger, "and only once."

Justin nodded eagerly. "I really appreciate it."

"There is a small village not too far from here. I will take you to it."

Vendari walked away, and the tiger followed one step behind him.

"To the village?" Justin asked out loud to himself. Then he hurried to catch up. "Is the beast in this village?"

"No," said Vendari and he offered no more of an explanation.

After walking for a minute, Justin finally asked, "Are we in the Anamalai Tiger Reserve?"

"No."

"Where are we?"

Vendari responded with more silence.

While they walked, Justin decided that he trusted this man. He had no reason to accept that Mari trusted him and he felt the tiger could only trust good people. Also, something about Vendari calmed Justin in a way he hadn't felt since he had stepped on the bus for the soccer game. For the first time in a long time, he felt safe.

"I'm from Cambria, California. I live with my parents. I have a brother but he went missing when I was five."

The words spilled out of Justin, the dam inside of him bursting open. He told Vendari and Mari everything. From finding the strange neighborhood in the forest to making his way to India to save Nitara and Niraj. All the while, Vendari listened. He nodded gravely every so often and laughed at the names of the streets in Naldo's neighborhood.

As they walked, their path sloped upwards. By the time Justin got to the parts of his story where Caroline and Omar kidnapped him and Satvi, the canopy of the jungle lessened, revealing buildings ahead on the slope.

"Caroline definitely knows how to dress," said Justin, "but she is crazy."

Vendari and Mari stopped walking, and Justin nearly ran into the tiger.

"That," said Vendari, pointing to the buildings, "is the village."

He kneeled and looked Justin in the eyes, a frown forming on his face. "I am so sorry about your brother, Justin."

Heat rose in Justin's face, and he shrugged. "Thank you, but as I said, Simon is out there somewhere. I am going to find him."

The frown on Vendari's face deepened. "I know of someone in the village who might help you. In exchange for helping them escape, they will find your beast. Ask for Kali."

"Great," said Justin. "Let's go help Kali."

Vendari shook his head. "No, Mari and I cannot go any farther. You must continue on your own."

Justin's chest tightened. "But I do not know this place."

A smile crept onto Vendari's face, and Justin noticed how it made the man's entire face radiate with light. It made Justin's muscles relax.

"You walked into an unknown jungle in the middle of the night and befriended a tiger. You will be fine."

The tiger stepped closer to Justin and nuzzled her giant forehead into his chest. He laughed and scratched behind her ear. She then stepped back next to Vendari, who placed a hand on her back.

"Goodbye, Justin," he said, a frown overtaking his smile.

"Goodbye," said Justin, and he watched as Vendari and Mari turned together, weaving their way back down the slope until they were out of sight.

Gazing back toward the village, Justin squared his shoulders. He could do this. He could go into the unknown alone.

The first few buildings Justin came to were single-room huts made of wood and thatched palm leaves. The huts, though small, looked well made and sturdy. Outside one of these huts sat an elderly woman on a carpet weaving a basket out of dried reeds. When the woman noticed Justin coming up the path, she dropped the basket and stared.

She stared open-mouthed as Justin approached her.

"Hello," said Justin. "I am looking for Kali."

The woman blinked but said nothing.

Justin sighed and then asked, "Kali? Do you know Kali?"

"Kali?" the woman repeated, and then her eyes widened. "Kali!" she exclaimed, nodding her head.

Justin smiled and nodded. "Yes! Kali!"

The woman pointed up the path that wound higher up the hill. "Kali," she directed.

Justin pointed in the same direction, and the woman nodded eagerly. "Kali."

"Thank you," said Justin, and he continued up the path.

Farther up the hill, two young children, a boy, and a girl raced across the path. The boy, who was clearly older than the girl, chased the girl, who clutched a small kite to her chest. The boy yelled at the girl as he ran. The girl giggled and jumped behind a small trough. Before the boy followed, his eyes fell on Justin and he froze. Seizing the opportunity, the girl wove through the foliage on the hillside and vanished behind a palm tree. The boy stared at Justin, and Justin stared back.

"Hello," said Justin.

The boy jumped in surprise at the word hello and a huge grin formed on his face, revealing two missing front teeth.

"You're American!" exclaimed the boy, and he ran up to Justin, stopping directly in front of him.

"Do you know Justin?" the boy asked.

"Um... I'm Justin, how do you..."

The boy laughed. "You're not Justin Bieber!"

"Oh! No, I am definitely not and I do not know him, or any celebrities."

The boy shrugged. "Too bad. I once helped Shah Rukh Khan find the bathroom."

Justin attempted to look shocked, even though he did not know who Shah Rukh Khan was.

The boy's face went serious. "I know.".

"I am looking for Kali," said Justin.

"Right, of course. I can take you to Kali!" The boy turned and dashed up the path. "Follow me Justin, not Bieber!"

Justin laughed and dashed after the boy. They wound farther and farther up the hillside. The farther up they went, the path widened, and the huts multiplied, broken up by the occasional brick or wood building.

Ahead, people streamed out of a bus parked on the path. The boy turned away from the bus and climbed a set of wooden stairs that led even farther up the hill. Justin followed.

"Mom!" shouted the voice of a girl, making Justin pause. A young girl with blond ringlets pointed into a tree. "I saw a monkey! A real monkey!"

She was clearly American.

A woman jumped out of the bus and stepped up next to the girl.

"Where Hannah? I don't see it."

"It ran away through the trees."

More people, obviously tourists, stepped off the bus and looked about.

"I think down this way we can watch villagers weave authentic baskets," said a heavyset pale British man who wore socks underneath a pair of thick leather sandals.

Justin watched as the mother and daughter stepped under the tree canopy, both pulling out a pair of binoculars. Something about them drew Justin's attention. Here were Americans with no strange accents, and it made him feel very close to home. He took a step towards the pair. Perhaps this was his ticket home.

He stepped back across the path.

"Is it a purple sunbird?" Justin heard the woman ask.

The daughter jumped up and down.

"No! No! Look at the male who just flew in!"

The woman gasped. "You're right, it's a purple-rumped sunbird, oh he is gorgeous!"

"We can add it to our list!"

"Justin!" the boy shouted from up the stairs.

The woman and girl spun around. The woman dropped her binoculars, and they swung from the strap she had around her neck. She looked Justin up and down, frowning.

"You weren't on the bus," she said. Justin shook his head.

"You look as if you have been crawling through the jungle all night."

He looked down at his robe and realized it was caked in so much mud he could hardly tell it was dark blue.

"Are you lost?" asked the girl.

Justin shrugged. It depends on your definition of lost, he thought.

The woman's frown deepened, and she crossed her arms in front of her. "Where are your parents?"

The girl stepped closer to Justin. "Did your bus leave you behind?"

Electricity shot through Justin. Hope rose in his chest, making him feel lighter.

"Yes," he nearly cried, but stopped himself. "Do you have a phone I can use?"

Immediately, the woman's face softened. She rushed to Justin's side and placed a hand on Justin's shoulder.

"Oh, I am so sorry! I am sure they have realized and are on their way back to get you."

She pulled a cell phone from her pocket and quickly typed in her password to unlock it. "Here, you can call them to make sure. Is it a US number?"

Before Justin could stop them, tears fell down his face. He nodded and quickly wiped the tears away.

The woman rubbed his back soothingly, and said, "It will be all right. Dial 00 before the area code, okay?"

Justin nodded as even more tears came. He had to suck through his nose to keep the snot from dripping down into his mouth.

"Come on Hannah," said the woman, "let's give him some privacy." She grabbed the girl's hand and walked farther into the trees, still within eyesight of Justin but not close enough to hear.

Justin quickly dialed his mom's cell phone number and brought the phone to his right ear. His heart skipped a beat as he heard the phone ring. The call was going through.

"Hello?" answered the most familiar voice Justin knew. His voice caught in his throat.

"Hello?" asked the voice again.

Justin let out a sound that was a mix between a sob and a gasp. On the other end of the phone, there was a sharp intake of breath.

"Justin?" his mom whispered.

Justin fell to the ground, crying as he clutched the phone with both hands. He could hear his mom crying as well.

"Honey, where are you?" she asked through her sobs.

"India," he replied.

The crying stopped on the other side of the phone.

"India?" his mom repeated in a confused voice. "How?"

Justin's mind flashed to the strange street of even stranger houses and then to the Hobbit hole room in Naldo's castle. He quickly stood up.

"Mom, I found a letter from Simon! He is alive!"

"What? Justin, whose phone is this?"

"A lady, she let me borrow it."

"Justin, can I... Can I talk to this lady? Put her on the phone."

"Wait mom, did you hear me? Simon is alive!"

"Your dad and I have been so worried. Let's just get you home and then we can talk about Simon. Put the lady on the phone."

Justin looked at the girl and woman. They were looking away from him into the trees.

He inhaled deeply. "Mom," he whispered, "I am going to find Simon and bring him home to you. I promise."

He pressed the red phone icon and disconnected the call. He turned the volume all the way down and then set the phone on the ground. He ran back across the path and climbed the wooden stairs.

At the top of the stairs, the boy stood waiting in front of a big purple tent. It was a tent Justin could imagine a circus being held in. While the tent had a canvas roof with spires painted red, the walls were made of wood. It seemed more permanent than a circus tent. Smaller wood buildings and fence enclosures of different sizes stood around the tent's perimeter.

The boy smiled and pointed at the tent. "Kali is in there!" he said, puffing out his chest proudly.

"In the tent?" Justin asked, looking up at a wooden archway above their heads. Beautiful curving painted red letters read:

The Magical Show of India

The boy nodded and said, "My name is Prakash. If you need anything else, just yell my name. I will come."

"Thank you," said Justin, and Prakash turned and dashed back down the stairs.

Justin turned back to the tent and the enclosures. In the nearest enclosure, a deer covered in white dots raised its head and stared at Justin. It looked like a baby deer from California, except that it had massive furry antlers.

"All right, into the tent I go," said Justin out loud and he made his way down a brick path that led to a flap in the tent.

Before he even reached the flap, a loud earth rumbling trumpet sounded from within. Justin immediately knew what made that sound, and he quickened his step. Reaching the flap, he pulled it open and slipped inside. Another loud trumpet greeted him as the wind rushed at his face. Only ten feet away stood the largest elephant he had ever seen. It towered over Justin, about triple his size and height.

Justin gaped at the gigantic creature and the gigantic creature stared back with large golden brown eyes protected by even larger swooping eyelashes. It flapped its wide flat ears back and forth, creating a wind that whooshed through the tent.

A woman stepped in between him and the elephant, startling Justin.

"Hey kid, the show doesn't start for another thirty minutes," she said in a British accent. The woman wore a light green and white striped linen crop shirt and matching loosely fitted pants. A darker green silk shawl hung from her left shoulder and wrapped around her right leg. On her right shoulder sewn into the shirt was a multicolored bird in flight. Justin was in love. The woman snapped her fingers at Justin, her thick, long brown fish braided hair swinging across her shoulder as she did.

"Hey, kid, do you hear me?"

Justin pointed at the woman's cream-colored flats with red flowers. "Your shoes are beautiful."

The woman blinked. "Um, thank you. Come back in a couple of hours and there will be even more dazzling outfits."

Finally, Justin looked the woman in the eyes. He couldn't guess her age. She looked young and old all at once. Somewhere between twenty and fifty was all he could guess. "I am looking for Kali."

The woman smiled and gestured to the elephant, who stood calmly behind her sniffing at something on the ground with its trunk.

"Well, you got a sneak peek at her," said the woman, "but you will have to wait for the show for more."

Justin's eyes widened. "That is Kali?"

A confused look crossed the woman's face. "Yeah, who did you think Kali was?"

"A person."

Suddenly, Kali the elephant kneeled on its front knees. A voice from somewhere beyond the elephant said, "Kali mēle hōgalu nanage sahāya māḍu."

A young girl wearing a sari similar to the woman's, except that hers was light blue, stepped into view. She kept one hand on Kali the elephant, and in the other, she held a long pointy carrot. A brilliant smile spread across her face as she looked into Kali's eyes.

When the girl smiled, Justin felt it. He hadn't recognized her at first as her face was painted with thick makeup and jewels were glued to her forehead, but as she smiled, he knew her.

Nitara turned from the elephant and her wide brown eyes met Justin's. She dropped the carrot.