Page 192 of Tiger's Dream
“A goddess?”
Yesubai asked if Ana was going to save everyone. Though Ana said no, I wondered if that was true. Ana had certainly saved me countless times.
“I don’t understand. Then why are you here?” the dying girl asked.
“As I said, I wanted to meet you.”
“Why?”
“I wanted to get a sense of who you are.” Ana glanced up at me. “Specifically, I wanted to know if you loved him.”
“Do I love who?”
Ana hesitated before answering, “Kishan.”
I came forward then, a frown on my face, and shook my head but Ana pressed on.
“Yes,” Yesubai answered softly. “I love him. I’m sorry about what happened with Dhiren. He’s a good man. He didn’t deserve to be abused in this way. If I could go back and do things differently, I would.”
“I believe you,” Ana said.
“They don’t deserve to have their fate tied to my own.”
“I do not wish for you to worry over their fate, Yesubai.”
“But Lokesh—”
Ana stroked the girl’s cheek, leaned down, and whispered, “Your father will be defeated but it will not happen in this time.”
“Will I live to see it?”
Ana opened her mouth but the answer was a long time coming. “I do not think as others do regarding knowing one’s future, so I will answer your question. You will not live out this day. The fall has broken your neck.”
“But I can heal myself,” Yesubai insisted.
Feeling defeated, I sunk down on the dais next to Ana and Yesubai, my head in my hands. While Ana explained to Yesubai that her gift was now gone, she reached over, clutched my fingers, and squeezed.
“Have I proved myself to you then?” Yesubai asked.
“You have nothing to prove to me, Yesubai.”
“Perhaps not, but Kishan said that a gift might be bestowed on even the lowliest of creatures whom the gods deem worthy.”
My breath caught.What would Yesubai wish for?To live?To have the goddess whisk the two of us far away from this chamber?
“What gift do you seek?” Ana asked, a catch in her voice.
“Will you…take care of him?”
Ana smiled softly at the selfless girl. “I will. I will watch over both of the princes. This I promise you.”
Next Yesubai asked the goddess to save her maid. Then she said her final words. The words that would be etched on my heart from that day forward.
Yesubai said, “Then the sacrifice was worth it.”
My heart stuttered.Is this sacrifice worth it? This beautiful, sweet, brave girl thought so. Ren thought so. Kadam too. If I had a chance to ask Kelsey, I know exactly what she’d say.
“Rest now, little one,” Ana said. “You are very brave.”
