Nadirah shrugged just Johan turned to them with a stern expression. “You come with us.”
Relief flooded Phoenix. “Okay.”
“Eyes covered. No see where go. You do as say.”
“We won’t be any trouble. Promise.”
“If you lie…” Johan didn’t finish the sentence, but the woman did by sliding a finger over her throat.
Fuck them over, and they wouldn’t survive.
Chapter Thirteen
Nadirah had never been soscared and excited in her life. It had been one thing to meet Phoenix and realize he could change into a tiger. He could have been written off as an anomaly, but now she’d encountered two more harimau. How astonishing to realize the legends she’d heard had been fact, not fiction.
Tempering her curiosity and eagerness was the sobering reality that her knowledge of their existence could end up getting her killed. While Johan had agreed to at least talk with them further, he’d not promised they would walk away alive. His granddaughter, introduced as Zafira, had made it clear what she thought. She saw them as a threat to their existence. She might not be wrong.
The ATV ride out of the jungle—which they embarked upon after the pair dressed in the clothing they’d left in knapsacks in the woods—took only a few hours compared to their trek of a few days. During that time, not much was said due to the loud rumble of the engine. Once they arrived at an area with several parked cars, before even leading them to one, Zafira was tearing apart a shirt to create blindfolds before seating them in the backseat.
Losing her sense of sight caused Nadirah to clasp Phoenix’s hand tight, a tether to sanity and a sense of protection. He’d made it clear a few times when he leaned close to murmur, “I will protect you.”
She didn’t doubt he’d try, but he was one tiger against two, and possibly many more once they reached their destination, a trip that took hours.
They stopped periodically with Zafira standing guard over Nadirah while she relieved herself on the side of the road—utterly embarrassing. They were also given food and drink, but few answers. Phoenix periodically tried to talk, but Johan kept repeating, “You tell story when arrive. All hear.” An indication they only wanted Phoenix orating his experience once for an audience. How would they react? Johan had seemed skeptical of Phoenix’s claim. Would he be considered an aberration? She knew how savagely wild creatures could react to imperfect versions of themselves. In the jungle, only the strong survived.
After an eternity in the car, they arrived, or so she assumed since they parked the car and Johan had her and Phoenix exit the backseat. They weren’t allowed to remove the blindfolds, not until they’d walked a certain distance with Zafira guiding Nadirah—not very nicely. She practically dragged the stumbling Nadirah. When the fabric finally peeled away from her eyes, Nadirah blinked, not because of the brightness but the surprise at finding herself in a lush jungle, much like the one they’d left. Green and moist, the trees tall, the many branches forming a canopy that filtered sunlight.
“Where are we?” Phoenix asked, his nostrils flaring as he took in scents.
Zafira snorted. “Somewhere.”
A non-answer and kind of expected. They walked, which, after the long ride, Nadirah’s stiff legs didn’t mind, although shedid stay close to Phoenix. Blame the rustling of branches and the fleeting glimpse of movement as if they were shadowed.
When a tiny furry face popped out from a bush, she recoiled and almost fell. Phoenix steadied her, murmuring, “It’s just a curious cub.”
A tiger baby with human eyes. For some reason, she found it startling. It had been one thing to encounter adults with that quirk, but a child who could shift? It hadn’t occurred to her and led to her blurting out, “Do the harimau have the ability to change from birth?”
“Some,” Johan answered in English before flipping into Malaysian. “The ability varies among our kind, with some able to control the change from the moment they utter their first mewling cry. Others require a catalyst.”
“Like injury?” Nadirah interjected.
“Yes. Fasting and meditation can also work.”
“Is the process of shifting magic?” Might as well see how much she could learn before Johan clammed up again.
He shrugged. “Some call it magic. Others claim our gift comes from the gods.”
“And what do you say?”
“I am a man of science and believe we evolved differently than others. We found a way to access our primal self.”
“You think everyone has an animal they can change into?”
Johan glanced at her. “I didn’t use to, before encountering your friend.”
“I guess you’ve never heard of that happening before? Someone being transformed into a harimau?”
“The stories only mention the gods being able to pass on that gift, so expect there to be an outcry when your friend relates his story.”
