Page 61 of Tiger's Dream
Once, as a gift, I’d given her a key. In my dreams, I’d imagined building a home in my old jungle and living a simple life with her. But would she have embraced that life or despised me for it? Would our children have abandoned us and grown to hate me for holding them back, away from the modern world and all it offered? The idea left a caustic taste in my mouth. I’d never asked her how she felt or what she envisioned for our future.
I thought getting Kelsey to commit to me would be the hardest part, but perhaps the difficulties would have been more than I expected. A life in Kelsey’s time might not have been easy for either of us. I ground my jaw, not wanting to accept that I had any limitations, that I might not have been successful according to the standards of Kelsey’s world. Love was supposed to be enough. To consider what might have happened next made me feel dispirited.
Ana’s arm brushed mine and I felt the soothing tingle of our connection. Her stride matched mine. She walked confidently with her head high and her shoulders back, though we were in a place and a time unknown to either of us. Her hair was tangled and she had a smudge of dirt on her face, but she was still unmistakably beautiful. Even without the airs of a goddess, Anamika was the type of woman who could crook her finger and any man with any sense would come running. The strange thing was, she didn’t seem aware of this power.
There was no doubt in my mind that she would be even more out of place in the future than I was, and yet I could still envision crowds parting for her as she strode boldly through them. They’d fall back in awe of her as if she was as magnificent and rare as a unicorn in the center of a city. The glittering dust of magic would trail behind her, and all would follow in her footsteps, hoping that just a little of her radiance would rub off on them.
We’d fought in many battles together, and when I thought of my role as her tiger, of carrying her into combat, the overwhelming feeling I had was one of pride. We’d passed through mud, fleas, death, and fields of fallen soldiers and she never flinched. Not once. She was firm in her resolve to fulfil her role as goddess. No one deserved it more than she did. She was pretty much the perfect choice. Ana was just perfect all around.
“I believe that is the city wall up ahead,” Ana said with an authoritative voice.
Squinting, I shaded my eyes. “I think you’re right. What’s the plan?”
“Do we need to change our appearance?” she asked, trusting my opinion.
“I don’t think anyone would recognize us. We might need to update our wardrobe, however.”
“Wardrobe?”
“Clothing.”
“Ah. Then we will be ready to do so.” She nodded curtly and we strode together through the city gates.
The city was bustling. We followed the bulk of the travelers and ended up at a central market. The cloying smells of cooking meat were coupled with the bitter tang from the offal of pack animals. Yards and yards of silk whipped in the morning breeze. I guided Anamika in that direction, hoping to ask the vendor some questions about silk makers and the seamstress who lived in the emperor’s house.
A snarling dog beneath the table leapt at us and kept barking until I growled softly deep in my throat. He whined and tucked his tail before slinking off. The vendor finally turned to us, his eyes widening when he saw Anamika.
“Some pretty silks for a pretty lady?” he asked. “I have the finest the city has to offer.”
“We’re looking for a certain silk maker, one who might have recently fallen out of favor with the emperor?”
I saw the shutter fall over his eyes. This was a man who liked possessing secrets.
“Perhaps a small token of our sincerity might help you remember?” I suggested.
He held out a plate and Anamika dropped a gold nugget inside. It bumped around loudly, and the man quickly snatched it up and rolled it between long, dirty fingers. His nails were overgrown but filed smoothly. Probably so as to not ravel the silk. He peered at us keenly, then said, “You must be very confident in your woman to allow her to hold your purse strings.”
I leaned forward. “Who said they’re my purse strings?”
The man deftly pocketed the gold nugget and turned his attention fully on Anamika. The corner of his mouth was lifted in a sly grin. He drew out a lovely roll of blue silk and held it up to her face.
“Not the blue,” I murmured. “She should wear gold.”
Anamika lifted her eyes to mine and gave me a small smile. “It is lovely,” she said to the vendor dismissively. “Tell me, have you remembered anything about the silk maker?”
The man moved away and clucked his tongue before bringing back a gorgeous embroidered scarf. “Ah,” he said, “but you haven’t seen the best we have to offer.”
Proudly, he unfolded the square and revealed it in all its splendor. Anamika gasped and touched the threads that wove together to show winking dragons and a phoenix. Boldly, the man lifted his hand with the scarf clutched between his fingers, as if he was going to touch Ana’s cheek. “Feel it against your skin,” he said.
Before he could get near, I grabbed his wrist in a firm grip, stopping him just inches from her face, and forcefully pushed his arm back down. “The lady doesn’t like to be touched,” I warned.
With the easy, dimpled smile of an experienced salesman, he backed off. “Of course, of course,” he said, his temper wily and bombastic. “I was merely offering her a closer view.”
“I’m sure you were,” I replied.
The man winked at Anamika and then said, “I have heard rumors of the emperor’s esteemed fiancée and her fondness for a certain man. Perhaps this is the one you refer to.”
“And where can we find him?” Anamika asked.
