Page 112 of Tiger's Destiny
“I—”
I couldn’t even respond to what she was saying.
Anamika put her hands over mine. “I do not know if Dhiren wishes to remain my consort after we kill the demon, but I will disclose to you that I hope he does.” Her expression brightened. “I find him to be thoughtful and kind, and he has the mind of a great warrior and politician.”
Her eyes twinkled. “I also find him to be very attractive. I would be honored to call you a sister. Alittlesister perhaps, but a sister in spirit, nonetheless. I will try to make him happy, Kelsey. I give you my oath.” She squeezed my hands and stood. “There are many things that need doing tomorrow. I suggest you get some sleep.”
I sat mutely as she prepared for bed and was still sitting when she looked at me, shrugged, and then blew out her lamp and climbed onto her dry mattress. I don’t know how long I sat there, but it felt like time had stopped, and I was in a numbed, blackened hell.
Finally climbing into bed, I tucked my hand under my cheek and didn’t realize I was crying until I felt a tear drip between my fingers. I fell asleep repeating the same words over and over in my mind: “She’ll make him happy.”
Anamika was gone when I awoke the next day. I reached behind my pillow for my backpack with the hidden weapons and Ren’s poem. I wanted to read it again with new eyes to see if he was really saying good-bye to me. But the backpack was missing. I scrambled to my feet and quickly searched the tent.
After dressing, I headed to the campfire to see if I could find Ren or Kishan or even Anamika, but the cook told me that Ren and Anamika had eaten before dawn and had headed to the forest. Kishan was seeing to the needs of the visiting soldiers.
I finally found Kishan in the middle of a conference with the warriors. When he spied me at the tent flap, he invited me in and introduced me in several languages. The men nodded respectfully.
Kishan explained, “We are discussing battle strategy, and I am their translator. Each leader was just getting ready to discuss what they’ve seen in the war so far and will talk about the assets they will bring to the alliance. We are to keep a record of everything.”
I nodded. “Okay, but our bag is missing. Do you know where it is?”
“Yes, Ren and Anamika are practicing with the weapons.”
“Fanindra too?”
“Fanindra too. We need to continue now, Kells. Will you stay and take notes?”
My gut twisted at the thought of all my weapons being handed over without Ren even consulting me, and my eyes burned hotly.
I replied darkly, “Why not? Apparently I’m not needed elsewhere.”
Kishan grunted, oblivious to my inner turmoil, and acknowledged the first leader, General Xi-Wong.
The Chinese warrior began speaking. Even without his battle armor, he was impressive. Kishan translated his words into two other languages while two other men also listened and translated for their leaders. He handed me a tablet, a pot of some potent-smelling ink, and a sharpened stick so I could keep track of the statistics. Somehow, he managed to translate for them and then feed me the highlights while waiting for the other men to finish interpreting. I struggled at first with the old-fashioned pen but finally figured out how to make it work and jotted on the paper.
General Xi-Wong didn’t seem as war-weary as the others. His clothing was well cared for, and he had a beautiful yellow silk scarf wrapped around his neck. It made me think of Lady Silkworm.
I noted that General Xi-Wong’s army uses iron weapons, and his battle philosophy was called the Hundred Schools of Thought. Of all the army leaders, his group was contributing the most men and weapons— including chariots, infantry, spearmen, archers, and dagger-axes (long spears with a blade on one end)—but he had also lost the most men to the demon, more than a hundred thousand.
General Xi-Wong said that he first learned of the demon when he began recruiting in China. Whole gangs of criminals went missing and then entire towns would simply disappear. Multiple cities seemed to be swallowed up by the earth, and even the women and children were taken. A few survivors reported that a sorcerer had come and enslaved all the people. Later, men spoke of a monster, a half man and half bull, that had terrorized the countryside.
I spilled some ink on the corner of the page and blotted it away as Kishan and General Xi-Wong finished and introduced Jangbu, a Tibetan, or someone from the area I thought of as Tibet.
Jangbu preferred to be called Tashi, and his army was completely made of volunteers recruited from various tribes living in that region. They specialized in archery and guerilla warfare. Jangbu’s boots, fur, vest, and hat were edged with shaggy brown fur. I briefly wondered if he was wearing an ancestor of the brown bear Kishan and I had faced on Mount Everest.
Zeyar and Rithisak were from what would be the modern countries of Thailand, Myanmar/Burma, and Cambodia if they were all combined. They’d journeyed here from the Mon capital of Thaton—a port on the Andaman Sea. I noticed worn holes in their boots and that the warriors were thin. If the leaders of the armies were starving, then I imagined their men were far worse. I made a side note to have Kishan ask if they needed more food.
According to Zeyar and Rithisak, their greatest strength was their defense. They built strongholds and advanced only when they recognized an opportunity and could achieve it with minimal loss. Interestingly, they claimed to be skilled in the use of fire as a weapon, had great faith in Anamika, who they thought was a goddess, and they also believed the demon was raising the dead to fight again. They seemed very frightened.
Kishan listened to the last group who spoke and then announced, “This is General Amphimachus, who was a Parthian and now serves under his king called Alexander.”
My hand froze. “As in Alexander theGreat?” I whispered.
Kishan translated my question into Greek before I could stop him. The general leaned forward and stared at me in a very uncomfortable way before Kishan added, “Heisa wise andgreatleader.”
I squeaked at the man’s direct gaze, slouched down, and began scratching furiously with my writing utensil. The general introduced his men as well: Leonnatus, Demetrius, Stasandor, and Eumenes.
“We have not heard of the lands you come from. That is, except India, of course,” he said with a politician’s smile. “My king will be . . . pleased to learn more of your cities.”
