Page 59 of Tiger's Dream
“Yes, Sohan?”
“Where do you want to go?”
She paused, considering, and then said, “I…I believe I am ready to see to the next task on Kadam’s list. That is, if you are,” she added, peering up at me through her long lashes.
“You are content, then, to allow Sunil and Nilima to be together?”
“I believe I am. Nilima is a good choice for Sunil.”
“I agree,” I said and waited for her to ask the next question, the one that screamed to be asked, but she didn’t.
Digging my foot into the sand, I wondered if I was as ready to move on as she was. Ana waited patiently and quietly for me to say something. She wasn’t bothered by silence, which was another thing I liked about her. Instead of feeling pressured, I felt the calm peace that came with knowing she completely supported me. Whatever I said next, she’d accept. We were quiet for another long moment.
“I think,” I finally said, “I think I am prepared to follow you to the next place.”
She put her hand on my arm and said, “There is still nothing final in what we do. If you wish to further explore your feelings, there is time.”
Cupping my hand over hers, I squeezed it lightly. “Thank you.”
Ana smiled warmly and snapped her fingers. The leather bag appeared.
“How did you do that?” I asked.
She shrugged. “I simply searched for its position in time and space and drew it to me. When something belongs to the goddess Durga, it seeks her out naturally.”
As she pulled the list from her bag and perused the next item, I considered her words and wondered if her tiger would also be naturally drawn to her. I wasn’t sure if I liked that idea or not. Though, as my eyes drifted slowly down her bare legs again, I had to admit that there were a lot worse punishments than being bound to a woman such as her.
Ana flicked the Rope of Fire. The flames ignited, cracking and sparking, and a portal opened up. She held out her hand and I took it. Then, together, we leapt through.
Chapter 12
Lost Boys
My nostrils flared when we landed and my stomach lurched. Ana coiled the Rope of Fire and, after instructing the scarf to dress her in her typical hunting dress and soft boots, attached it to a strap at her waist. She offered to make me new clothes too, but I was used to my black shirt and pants, though I did accept a sturdily woven pair of shoes. It was night and the sky was full of stars. Too full of stars for a great modern city. We were in the distant past. “Where are we?” I asked.
“I am not certain,” she said as she pulled the bag across her shoulder. It contained all her weapons except the bow, which hung there from a loop when she didn’t keep it on her back. She murmured some words and handed me a bag of trail food, containing jerky of some type, dried fruits, and nuts. She pulled out a handful for herself and popped a nut in her mouth before saying, “Kadam’s instructions only say that we must liberate the Lady Silkworm.”
“Lady Silkworm? Are you sure?”
Ana nodded and I thought as I ate. It had been a long time since Kelsey told me the story of Lady Silkworm. I wasn’t entirely sure I could still remember all the details. She handed me a water pouch from her pack. Now that we had all the gifts of Durga and the amulet was whole, the Golden Fruit could access the water piece of the amulet and give us water. As much as I liked tea and lemonade, water was what I craved most. I drank deeply and handed her the bag to refill. “I only recall bits of her story,” I said. “Kelsey met her in a temple, and she told Kelsey that Durga had saved her from marrying the emperor who killed the man she loved. He was a cloth seller or silk maker, I think.”
“Are we meant to save both of them then? Her as well as her silk maker?” Ana asked.
“I don’t know. Kadam never wanted us messing up history.”
Finished with my meal, I drained another waterskin and handed her back the bag. After she stowed it in her pack, Ana turned in a circle and then crouched down to study the road we’d found. “Wagons have gone this way,” she said, pointing to the east. “If we are to find the emperor, we’d better find a city first.”
We walked side by side until an hour or so before sunrise. I’d offered to carry the pack for her but the most she would agree to was to take turns. I understood the feeling of security in having your weapons on your person, but the burden of carrying all the weapons was a heavy one, even for us. The sky was dark and gray and the countryside was beginning to waken. Birds sang, welcoming the sun, and we were soon joined by a fellow traveler who sat atop a cart filled with hay. The scent of pipe smoke drifted down to me.
“Hello?” I called up to him.
The surly man mumbled a greeting, and I ran through languages in my brain until I figured his out. My Mandarin was not strong on my own, but the power the goddess had at her disposal made communication smooth.
Even though the man understood me, he still didn’t appear overly friendly.
“We are travelers seeking an audience with the emperor,” I pressed. “Can you tell us if we are following the right road?”
“The emperor?” He stared at us in amazement and then began laughing. Though he thought us naive at best, he told us to stay on the road until it forked after two more hours on foot and then take the path to the right. He soon left us behind as we slowed to talk.
