Page 74 of Tiger's Dream
He shook his head. “I cannot, of myself, transition you to the time and place you need to go from here, but I can advise you.”
“Advise me,” I mumbled dryly. “What a surprise. Tell me, Kadam, what good will advice do when I’m in a different time than she is?”
“Youcanget back to her time, Kishan. But when you arrive, you will be completely on your own, relying on the strength of your arm and the cunning of your mind. You’ll have to draw her out of her younger self, and I’ll tell you right now, it will be no easy task. Even if you had the power of the amulet, it would be difficult at best. You did something similar when you rescued Ren from death.”
“But as you said, I had the amulet then.”
“You did. Even so, you sacrificed your immortality to save him. And in rescuing Ana, you will be asked to forfeit something again. But take heart, son. I’ve seen you do it. The power to liberate her is indeed in your hands.” He tilted his head, his eyes hot and deep. “How much has Ana shared with you about her past?”
I shrugged. “Not much. There’s a part of her that she carefully guards. I know something in her past frightens her.”
“I see.” He let out a breath, his expression undecided. “I do not think it is my place to tell you of her past but you will soon find out regardless. The young Anamika you saw was a very happy child, but a life-changing event is about to occur.” He leaned forward, his expression grave. “You must allow it to happen.”
“What is it?” I asked, fearing where my thoughts took me.
He wrinkled his nose. “I believe if you knew, you would do everything in your power to prevent it from happening. I am sorry, Kishan, but I think it is best to allow you to discover this for yourself. However, I will say that you must be the one to save her.”
My stomach tightened. “Save her? You’re talking about more than simply pulling the goddess from her younger form, aren’t you? Do you mean someone will try to kill her?”
Kadam shook his head. “I’ve already said more than I should.”
My anger returned. “Fine,” I spat. “Keep your secrets then. Just tell me how to get there.”
My friend and surrogate father seemed hurt by my anger and lack of faith. I’d always treated him with deference and respect before. I didn’t like the wide chasm of distrust that had grown between us, but I was fed up with mysteries wrapped in riddles and the expectations of the universe in general. Since he now represented everything that had served up unhappiness to me, it was easy to take it out on him.
He glanced away from me as if he could no longer bear to face my vitriol. “Are you willing to take him, my dear one?” Kadam asked, looking down at my feet.
“Who are you talking to?” I asked, looking around.
“Fanindra, of course.”
The golden snake wriggled, coming to life, and expanded her coils, and yet she looked different than she normally did. Her skin was peeling away in several places and her eyes looked dim. The snake wound her way through the grass until she reached Kadam’s boot, and then she stretched her upper body, raising it up into the air. Gently, he held out a hand and lifted her, cuddling her body protectively in his arms.
“What’s wrong with her?” I said.
Kadam stroked her back, unflinching when a patch of her skin flaked off.
“She is dying,” he said somberly.
“Dying?” I cried with alarm. “Fanindracan’tdie.”
“I assure you she can. She is one of the weapons of Durga. Is she not?”
“Yes, but…” I opened and closed my mouth. The sick feeling was back.
“But Fanindra is a bit more than a weapon. Aren’t you?” he said to her. “She’s also a gift.”
The snake’s green eyes glowed dimly.
“A gift?”
“Yes. Like the rope or the fruit,” he explained with a flourish of his hands.
“But there were only four gifts.”
Kadam counted on his fingers. “Four gifts, five sacrifices, one transformation.”
“Right,” I said, folding my arms. “We have the four gifts. Where does Fanindra come in?”
