Page 104 of Tiger's Dream
Wearily, I looked up at the house. “Fine.”
I took a few steps away from him and then paused when I heard his soft words. “I hope you can forgive me someday, Kishan. But I encourage you to at least forgive yourself. You are not to blame for what’s happened.”
Without looking back, I moved forward and entered the house. Anamika was in the kitchen, pushing around the contents of a bowl of soup. Her mother said, “I thought you were hungry, Mika.”
“If you would back away instead of fluttering about her like a mother hen, then maybe she would eat,” said her father.
Young Sunil sat across from them, his fists balled up against his cheeks as he watched the exchange. “Did you see many bandits?” he asked.
“Hush!” his father snapped. “You are not to talk of such things.”
Anamika lifted her eyes to Sunil and then glanced up at me briefly. I hadn’t even been certain that she was aware I was in the room. Color filled her cheeks. “There were many bandits,” she said to Sunil. “There were slave traders, and men who whip children, and…and evil villains. And someday, I’m going to kill them all.”
Anamika’s mother immediately began crying and clucking about how her baby didn’t know what she was saying, while her father’s expression turned stony, but Ana met her brother’s eyes and he nodded soberly. In their young faces, I could see the warriors they would someday become. It broke my heart and yet I understood it too. This was the turning point for her.
Kadam had been right. What happened to Anamika marked her path in a way that would forge who she would become in the future. I couldn’t deny my part in it or the fact that I admired the person she was and would be. I just wished it didn’t have to happen the way it did, and I wasn’t entirely sure I could ever forgive myself or Kadam for letting it happen.
Anamika lifted her spoon to her mouth and began eating heartily. None of them stopped me when I left the room. I slept fitfully for a few hours and then went back to carving the truth stone. Now that Ana was awake, I finished fashioning the necklace I’d planned for her using a long strip of leather. After threading the small tiger I’d carved onto it, along with a few beads her mother gave me, I tucked it into a soft pouch with plans to give it to her the next time we spoke.
The following morning, there was a flurry of activity as a traveler appeared. He was welcomed into the home, and I was immediately summoned from my morning devotions in the garden. Sunil found me and tugged me toward the house. When I saw Anamika, I gave her a small sprig of jasmine and she took it, twisting it between her fingers. Ana’s long hair was still wet from bathing and her cheeks glowed with health. She smiled shyly at me. “We’ve talked about it and we were wondering…will you train Sunil too?” she asked.
Her brother nodded vigorously. “We need to be prepared if the men return.”
I sucked in a breath as I considered the two of them. “Can we speak of this after I meet our visitor?” I asked.
They both agreed.
Making my way to the room where the men had gathered, I wondered what would happen next for the two of them. Their father wasn’t much of a warrior as far as I could tell. I guessed that the visitor was Kadam though I couldn’t be certain. Not for the first time, I hated the fact that he kept so many secrets.
When I entered the room and saw who was sitting there, I froze briefly, giving the visitor a long look. Of course. It all made sense. A grinning Phet peered up at me from the chair where he sat, his eyes shooting secret messages through the air like arrows. I raised a sardonic eyebrow, sending a message of my own.
“My boy!” Phet said, rising agilely to his feet. He clapped his hands on my shoulders and stood on his tiptoes to murmur softly in my ear. Kadam was nearly my height. I knew that the Divine Scarf changed appearances, but for the first time, I wondered where the rest of him went. Phet was diminutive in comparison. He confirmed what I’d suddenly come to realize and we sat down.
He made it easy on me and did most of the explaining. After introducing himself as my former teacher, he said he’d been sent to summon me home. Anamika’s face fell and I wasn’t the only one to see her abruptly walk out of the room. Her brother followed her a moment later. Even her mother dropped her sewing on the floor and quickly stooped to pick it up. “Must he leave now?” she asked.
“I am sorry,” Phet said sincerely, “but he is needed at home.”
Ana’s father nodded. “It’s been a blessing for our family to have him here. We owe him and his family a debt that can never be repaid.” He turned to me. “We will, of course, outfit you with our best horse, provisions, and gold, such as we have.”
Raising a hand, I said, “You have been more than generous in allowing me to stay with you these past months. I prefer to travel as lightly as possible and hunt along the way, but I appreciate the gesture.” Pausing, and unable to ignore Phet’s raised eyebrows, I added, “However, there is something you could do for me.”
“Name anything you like and we’ll see it done if at all possible,” Ana’s father said.
“During the journey here, before Anamika fell ill, she asked me to teach her how to use a knife.”
Ana’s mother brought her hand to her mouth. Her soft gasp was audible.
“I thought it would help her feel confident to learn how to handle one. If she should be taken unawares, it would give her a means of defending herself.”
Ana’s father gripped the arms of his chair, his knuckles turning white, while her mother’s mouth worked soundlessly. I knew she’d protest what I was planning to suggest, so I tried to channel Ren’s diplomacy and explain things in way they’d understand.
Since they said nothing, I plunged ahead, hoping for the best. “She’s quite good at it. Her reflexes are natural and sharp. I think continued training will help her adjust to what’s happened.”
“But…but women do not train with weapons,” Ana’s mother said. Her sewing had dropped to the floor again and this time she didn’t bother to pick it up.
“Some do,” I said. “My mother, in fact, is a renowned swordswoman. Phet has worked with her countless times.”
Ana’s parents glanced at Phet doubtfully and I chuckled. “He doesn’t look quite as menacing as he used to, but he’s the one who trained me.” Their eyebrows went up. They’d seen me spar with the few men who they employed as soldiers. I’d spent many hours with them, helping them better their skills. None of them came close to my skill level and Ana’s parents knew it. They looked at each other and then back at the two of us.
