Page 97 of Tiger's Destiny
“I’m fine.”
Kishan rolled his upper body and leaned onto one arm while he rubbed his eyes. “Is the Rope still here?” he mumbled sleepily.
“Yes, I’ve got it.”
“Good.”
He opened his eyes and froze. Ren wasn’t moving either. Both men were staring at Anamika, who’d gone suddenly quiet as well. I rolled my eyes and got to my feet.
“Ren and Kishan, I’d like to introduce you to, Ana . . .” The breath flew from my lips. “. . . mika.”
The woman standing behind me clutching her brush was the same fiery green-eyed Barbie that I’d been talking with for the last few hours, but without her helmet I realized something that should have been obvious before. I knew her. I stared at her dumbly while she narrowed her eyes and pursed her lips.
“Why do you all stare at me like large-eyed puppies waiting for a bone?” she hissed.
Kishan was the first to react. He twisted around and prostrated himself before her. He bowed his head, and said, “How may I serve you?”
“Durga?” I whispered.
She looked exactly like the goddess we’d visited four times. Only this version had two arms instead of eight.
“What is a Durga?” she spat sharply, “and why is that one putting his face onto the floor? Has he lost control of his faculties? Perhaps his mind is as feeble as his body.” She leaned over and addressed Kishan in a loud voice as if he were hard of hearing. “You may stand up now. You have mistaken me for someone else.”
Kishan raised his bowed head and narrowed his gaze at the woman. Growling, he rolled quickly to his feet.
“What’s going on?” Ren whispered.
Anamika answered. “What’s going on is that we are at war, and I don’t have time to coddle weaklings.”
“Weaklings?” Kishan spat. He took a step toward the woman, but she only raised an eyebrow and looked him up and down with a disdainful expression.
I squeezed Kishan’s arm, and he stopped moving but continued his stare-down with our hostess. “Anamika, this is Dhiren Rajaram, and this is his brother, Kishan.”
“Anamika?” Kishan said. “Is that what she’s calling herself?” he mumbled hotly.
The goddess-like woman put her hand onto a dagger strapped to her waist. “Are you suggesting I am not who I say I am? I am Anamika Kalinga, advisor to Chandragupta, the most esteemed female champion in the history of my people, and the daughter of great kings.” She fixed a stormy gaze on Kishan. “I have bested men larger and smarter than you. You would be wise to treat me with respect,durbala.”
“Durbala?”
Whatever that word meant caused Kishan to lose it. He strode toward Anamika and seized her wrist before she could pull her knife. Even though he was a few inches taller, she still managed to look down at him. If steam could have billowed out from his nose and his ears, it would have. I’d never seen him so angry before.
“Kishan,” I said softly and held out my hand.
Settling down, he let go of Anamika’s wrist and returned to my side.
Ren deftly inserted himself between Kishan and Anamika. He bowed slightly and said, “Forgive us. We have traveled far from our homeland, and despite appearances,” he turned and gave Kishan a warning look, “we are grateful for the hospitality you’ve shown to us.”
He then launched into Hindi and introduced himself and Kishan more formally. I caught the names but that was about it. Anamika switched languages easily, and words flowed silkily between Ren and the leggy woman. The ease with which she talked with Ren and the change in her demeanor irked me. She lowered her guard with Ren, and soon she was all smiles and laughs.
Kishan and I watched and listened, and I honestly didn’t know whether to trust her. Frowning, I shifted, uneasily wishing I could understand what was being said.
At one point, Kishan interrupted, changing back to English. “My fiancée is weary. Might I ask for some food and a place where she may rest?”
Ren turned to look at me. I flushed under his scrutiny. I couldn’t help but feel like he was comparing me with Anamika—and I fell short. Through tight lips I protested, “I’m fine. I don’t need to rest.”
“Perhaps that would be for the best,” Ren argued quietly.
With a smirk, Anamika replied, “I’ll have my men prepare thesoftestbedding they can find.”
