Page 158 of Tiger's Dream
“Do you need assistance?” Ana asked.
“I think not.” The air around us shimmered and the eggs disappeared. “Until we meet again,” he said and flapped his wings. Each lift of his wings created wind that grew fainter and fainter along with his body. Soon we were left standing alone in a dark cave.
Ana turned to me and clenched her fist, putting out the ball of fire. I reached for her automatically and drew her to me. In the dark it was easy to pretend there was nothing standing between us. I closed my eyes and was soothed just by being near her.Can you still hear me? I asked her silently. If she did, she didn’t reply.
We appeared next inside a temple next to a wax statue of the goddess.
“There’s no tiger,” Ana said.
“No. Not at this temple. Don’t you think we should get things back on track and head for the City of the Seven Pagodas first?” I asked.
She shook her head. “The shrines must be paired with the realm. We’ve finished the fire realm so we need to gift Kelsey with those weapons now.”
“You’re sure?” I asked doubtfully.
Softly, she replied, “I am.”
Lifting a hand, she touched a garland hanging around the neck of the statue and pressed her nose into the jasmine. “An old grandmother gave me this,” she said. “Her knuckles are large and twisted with disease and yet she strung these flowers for me.”
“How do you know that?” I asked.
Ana turned to me. “I hear her call. There is much work to do when this is over, Sohan.”
“Yeah? Well, I’m sure your new husband will want to help out as much as he can.”
I heard her soft sigh. “They are coming,” she said. Quickly, we placed our hands, mine over hers, on the stone near the statue, and a glowing handprint appeared.
Touching the amulet, I phased out of time and Ana disappeared altogether.
Kelsey, Kadam, Ren, and my old self entered the temple.
“She’s beautiful,” Kelsey said.
“She is,” I murmured softly at the same time my other self did. I watched as they laid out their offering and began taking turns to ask favor of the goddess. My old self and Ren were posturing over Kelsey and I was surprised to note I didn’t feel an ounce of jealousy.
When my past self said, “We ask for an opportunity for a new life…” I wondered what she was thinking about that. I’d certainly gotten what I asked for. I had a new life now, serving the goddess as a tiger. It was one I had come to enjoy. Could I really give it up? Walk away from her without telling her…telling her what? That I liked being around her? That watching her sleep made me smile? That kissing her in Shangri-La was all I could think about? That I couldn’t imagine existing without her? That I…loved her?
The fire started and my heart clenched as I watched the statue melt.Ana?
I’m fine, was her mental reply. The relief I felt at knowing we hadn’t lost our mental connection was overwhelming. I let out a shaky breath and inhaled cinders.
As the others began coughing, I summoned a wind to blow the smoke away and kept the fire banked enough not to hurt them. Kelsey touched the handprint, the signal for Ana to emerge. I watched in fascination as the wax melted away from her. Her glorious hair was aflame and she smoothed it away from her head, dousing the blaze. She looked more like herself with only two arms and yet she was still magnificent in her fiery gown. She smiled and I saw the others react to her tinkling voice with a kind of reverence I also felt, but she didn’t turn her lovely gaze on me.
“It is good to see you all again,” she said.
Fanindra came alive in Kelsey’s hands, and I looked down at my arm, surprised to see the snake missing. I hadn’t even felt her go.
My old self made a noise.
Without looking up, Ana sighed and said to him, “You must learn to be patient where women and goddesses are concerned, my ebony one.”
I sensed in that moment she wasn’t only talking to him but to me.
“Forgive me, Goddess,” he replied.
“Learn to love the moment you are in,” Ana said softly. “Treasure your experiences, for precious moments too quickly pass you by, and if you are always rushing toward the future”—she glanced over at me briefly—“or pining for the past, you will forget to enjoy and appreciate the present.”
We locked eyes for the briefest of moments, and yet a thousand words seemed to pass between us during that time.
