Tiger's Dream (Tiger's Curse Book 5)

by Colleen Houck

  “Yes. I suppose.” She paced away. “But such practicing winds my body tighter than the eve before battle.”

  Laughing, I said, “It affects me that way too.” I glanced around. “Well, so far so good. It looks like we didn’t create another world tree or melt the temple. Come on, let’s see if there’s a tidal wave coming in.”

  “What is a tidal wave?” she asked as we stepped outside the temple.

  “It’s a…well, a giant wave that crashes on the beach.”

  “Why would we create that?”

  “I don’t know. Strange things happen when I kiss you.” Lights were still on in the city and I saw no signs of imminent danger. “Maybe it only happens when we’re fighting,” I said.

  “No. We weren’t fighting in the Grove of Dreams. It would seem that magic swells when we embrace.”

  “Right.” My gaze dropped to her mouth again and we drew closer. It was as if we were magnets unable to resist the pull of one another. Before I kissed her again, I forcibly stopped myself from moving and murmured thickly, “Shall we continue working on Kadam’s list?”

  “Yes. Maybe there’s someone we can fight to take the edge off.”

  “Let’s hope so,” I replied, tangling my fingertips with hers. “So, what’s next?”

  “Lady Silkworm.”

  “Really?” I said, scrubbing a hand through my hair. “Where did you take her after you disappeared?”

  Ana shrugged. “She is at our home, weaving and acting as mother to the young children I have rescued.”

  “Ah. Strange that I haven’t seen her.”

  “She doesn’t like mingling with the soldiers. It makes her nervous. I created her own home behind ours and gave her assistants to help her with her work. I’ll show you.”

  Taking my hand, Ana sped us through time back to our mountain home and led me through a passageway hidden behind a long tapestry. I’d always assumed the cloth had been a gift, but now I saw it for what it was. It was Lady Silkworm done in embroidery as she sat looking out a window, sewing. When I studied the cloth where her needle lay, I saw the half-finished image of her young man, the poor fellow who I watched die.

  Heading down a hall, I was surprised to see it open into a comfortable sitting room. Women bustled past us, carrying spools of thread, trays of food, or bundles of fabric. Two women chatted amiably while they wove in the corner on large looms while others sat in chairs, knitting thick shawls or tatting delicate laces.

  Ana led me up a winding staircase to a thick wooden door and rapped her knuckles against it. The scent of lavender permeated the area.

  “Who is it?” a voice inside asked.

  “It’s Anamika,” she replied. I thought it was interesting that she used her given name instead of the goddess Durga.

  The door was thrown open a moment later. The woman’s large smile faded when she saw me standing behind Ana. She smoothed her hand over her dress and tucked some strands of loose hair back. Her relaxed mien changed and she was stiff and formal with me there rather than comfortable like she had been with Ana.

  “Do not worry about him,” Ana said, indicating me. “He is my protector.”

  “Ah,” Lady Silkworm said with a bow. “Then I bid you welcome. But surely you need no protection from me,” the woman said with a small laugh.

  “No, not at all,” Ana replied, smiling softly. “Truthfully, we are working on a task together and we need your help.”

  “Of course. What may I create for you?” She glanced down. “Ah, I see!” The woman slid the forgotten scrap of silk Ana held between her fingers away from her and lifted it closer to her face for examination. It was the fabric offering from Nilima, but it didn’t look exactly like it did before. It was once a simple piece of green silk, lovely and expensive but ordinary when Kelsey placed it by the statue. Now it sparked and crackled; the strands of silk pulsed with waves of light. “How lovely!” Lady Silkworm exclaimed.

  “Is that…” I began.

  Ana nodded, anticipating my question. “It is. Nilima’s offering.”

  “What happened to it?” I asked.

  Licking her lips, Ana gave me a meaningful look. “I believe that we happened to it.”

  My mouth fell open into an “oh” and I reached out a hand out to touch it. It vibrated beneath my fingertips.

  “I can make something truly exceptional from these threads,” Lady Silkworm said, “though it will take me a good while to unwind them without breaking them. When must it be ready?”

  “Of course, you may take it and make whatever you wish from it. However, I do not expect anything to be created immediately. For now, we need your help with something else.

  Carefully, the woman lifted the lid off a basket. There were several holes in the top and threads of different colors spooled out through them. Nudging aside some skeins of silk, the woman placed the gleaming fabric inside the basket and closed it up tight before turning back to Ana. “How can I help?” she asked.

  Quickly, we explained how she was to help Kelsey on her quest. I told her what I remembered as best I could and that we would be close, drawing Kelsey into the temple so they could talk privately. Immediately, Lady Silkworm picked up a small basket, tucking it over her arm, and said she was ready.

  Channeling the power of the Damon Amulet, Ana whisked us all away to the distant Shore Temple. I turned toward the water, peering at the large ship anchored not too far away, and pointed it out to Anamika. She shielded her eyes but I still saw them widen.

  “Where are the sails and the rowers?” she asked.

  “Machines of metal drive the boat forward. Do you like it?” I asked.

  “It is…large.” She turned to me. “Is everything fashioned during Kelsey’s time of such a size?”

  As Lady Silkworm exclaimed over the temple and headed off to examine a statue, I answered, “Many things are. The ship is something I’ll miss. The boat was named after my mother.”

  Ana frowned. “I would think your mother would prefer a smaller, more petite namesake. No woman wants her name loaned to something the size of fifty elephants.” Ana bumped me with her arm. “What else do you miss, Sohan?” she asked.

  “Well, there’s my motorcycle. My gym. Movies.”

  Ana grimaced. “I no longer wish to know. You are speaking in riddles.”

  I draped my arm over her shoulders. “I can teach you about all of them once we’re done with Kadam’s list.”

  “What is that?” Lady Silkworm asked, pointing out to sea. Being close to Ana had almost made me forget why we were there and who we were with.

  “It’s another boat. A smaller one. That means they’re coming,” I said. The sound of the motorboat became louder.

  “Wait here,” Ana said. “I will prepare a place for her to meet with Kelsey.”

  Ana and Lady Silkworm disappeared while I hid behind a statue. They didn’t return immediately, which was cause for concern. What could Ana be doing that was taking so long? The boat landed and Kadam, Kelsey, Ren, and my old self leapt out. Ren and I had been brandishing our new weapons on the alert for danger. They passed me without seeing me since I’d phased out of time, and remembering the risk, I stayed well away from my former self.

  The group disappeared inside the first shrine, Kadam talking with Kelsey about a variety of things. I caught the words dome and sanctum but largely ignored him. Where is Ana? I thought again, becoming more worried as each moment passed. I sensed her before I saw her and turned to look at the shore. Ana was there. She was now wearing a white dress that trailed behind her in the sand. A long veil covered her hair and her feet were bare.

  Immediately, I stood and was going to race toward her, but she looked up in alarm and pressed her finger to her mouth. I glanced behind me and saw Kells standing there staring through me right at her. Has she seen Ana? Then I remembered she had. We all dismissed it back then as Kelsey seeing things, and afterwards, when we talked about it again, we assumed she’d seen Lady Silkworm. When I looked back, An
a was gone, but only a few seconds passed before I felt her touch my shoulder.

  I wrapped her in my arms, thankful to see she was now phased out of time like me. “What happened?” I asked. “Why were you gone so long?”

  Ana stepped back and gave me a guilty look. “I apologize,” she said. “I know you don’t like for me to attend to duties without you. But the call was too great to ignore.”

  “Call? What call?”

  “It was a cleansing of sorts. There were too many women suffering. So many devotees. So many prayers. I had to help.”

  “Were you in danger?” I asked.

  She shook her head. “No. It was a pestilence. Their well water was tainted. Adding the elixir from the kamandal helped cleanse the water, but they needed healing and most of them were too weak to draw water from the well on their own. I acted as nurse for those who had no one to help and spent many hours going from house to house. I did not engage in battle so I thought you wouldn’t mind.”

  “I still want to know where you are, Ana.” I touched her face and the veil slipped from her hair, showing me her red-rimmed eyes. “You’re tired.” I said. “You should have returned for me. I would have helped.”

  She shook her head. “I did not want to take you away from here should they need your intervention. I would have returned before, but I mistimed it and forgot to shift to hide my presence. I think Kelsey saw me.”

  “Yeah, she did,” I said. “But it doesn’t matter. Go home and rest. I’ll come get you when I bring back Lady Silkworm.”

  Ana nodded and after I squeezed her shoulder, she was gone. Getting through the list needed to be our top priority. Ana and I had other work to do. I’d been effectively ignoring the cries of the supplicants who begged the help of the goddess, but they weren’t pleading directly to me, so it didn’t grate on my ears like it did with her. The cosmic load must be bearing down on her constantly. I’d have to be of more help to her in the future.

  Entering the temple, I saw I was just in time. They were about to enter the room where Kells disappeared. I sucked in a breath, seeing the walls completely bare, and froze time to add the carvings I remembered, then started time going again. As Kelsey traced her finger across a carved thread on the temple wall, I suddenly remembered I wasn’t done.

  Closing my eyes, I tried to remember how Ana used the power of the amulet. I was attempting to open a passageway to Lady Silkworm, one that only Kelsey could see, but instead, I created a moth. Frowning, I tried again, my lips moving as I tried whispering my instructions again. This time the moth beat its wings and light pulsed behind the carvings in the stone.

  Like I was doing warm-ups in Tai Chi, I pushed my hand forward, palm out, and Kelsey’s body was thrust into the wall. I panicked for a second and hurried behind her, relieved to see she was unharmed. I followed along, nudging her with my power until we entered the bubble in time Ana had created for Kells to meet with Lady Silkworm. I watched the two of them talk and sew. I got distracted by my own thoughts when she spoke of practicing and patience. It reminded me of kissing practice with Ana.

  Lady Silkworm told the story of the boy she loved, the one I couldn’t save, and guilt flooded me. I knew Kadam had his reasons, but if anyone had told me to just let Ana die, I would have punched them in the face, even if it was Kadam, and done everything in my power to save her.

  As she embroidered with Kelsey, she went on, telling her story. There was no mention of me at all. The only thing the poor girl could remember was the goddess rescuing her. I wondered if I should confess my part in it all, but then decided against it. Nothing would change because of it. To bring it up would just cause further suffering.

  When it was time for Kelsey to return, I used the same method as before. I closed my eyes and gave her a mental push, but at one point, she got turned around or stuck. I wasn’t sure if I lost focus or if I just wasn’t doing it right. Then I heard a voice. It was Ren. I wasn’t sure if Kells heard it or not but she definitely angled her body toward him. Without my help, Ren somehow breached the time barrier and clasped her hand, pulling her out to safety.

  Maybe it was their connection as an incarnation of Durga and her tiger. The two of them had a connection as powerful as the one I shared with Ana. Now that I had experienced the full weight of that bond, it was shocking to think of the self-control Ren had in giving up Kelsey. I don’t think I could have done it. It was hard enough to leave the girl I loved and give her to my brother when we weren’t bonded. It must have killed Ren to walk away from Kells. I couldn’t even imagine walking away from Ana now as a man or as a tiger.

  Returning for the woman I’d left behind, I waited patiently for her to gather her things. When she stood, she gave me a discerning look.

  “Where is the goddess?” she asked.

  “Resting. She is tired from her exertions and bid me return you home.”

  “Is there…is there something you wish to ask me?” she said.

  I furrowed my brow. Is there something? I hadn’t thought it until she mentioned it but after she did, a question rose to the surface. “Will you make a gift for her? For Ana, I mean. Maybe a veil for her hair, or a dress? Something that will show her how I feel about her.”

  “And how do you feel about her?”

  That’s the question of the hour, isn’t it? There was no denying that I was attracted to her. That I missed her when she wasn’t around. That I’d already made up my mind that I’d be spending the rest of my life with her. Why is it so hard to define what I feel emotionally? As a boy, I was infatuated with her. I could have easily told the young Ana that I cared about her and wanted her to be happy. But the woman? I wished I could have talked about it with Ren. He had a gift for words. Telling Kells I loved her or even Yesubai that I wanted to marry her didn’t seem nearly as difficult as confronting Ana and confessing my feelings. Maybe that difference meant something.

  Lady Silkworm was waiting. “You seem uncertain,” she said. “But for a gift from the heart, I must know your heart. May I?” she asked.

  I nodded but I wasn’t sure what she was asking me to do until she placed her hand on my chest. Lady Silkworm closed her eyes for a moment and I felt a warm heat penetrate my skin. My heart burned in my chest, hotter and hotter, until I thought my skin would catch on fire. When she stepped back, her eyes opened wide. “Well,” she said. “That was…surprising.”

  Striding away, she tapped her bottom lip, then turned suddenly, her eyes bright. “I know exactly what I’ll make. Not to worry. You’ve given me a task no mere mortal could accomplish, but then again, I have access to things beyond the imagination of mere mortals now. I won’t fail you…or her.”

  “I’m certain you won’t,” I said, though I had no idea what she was talking about. “Shall we go?”

  “Yes. Time is short and there is much to do.”

  She took my offered arm and we sped away. I left her at the tapestry leading to her suite of rooms and went off in search of Ana. She was sleeping in her room, her fist tucked under her cheek. I sat down next to her and stroked my finger down the length of her arm on the inside, where she especially liked it. She moved before I could blink and had a knife pressed to my throat. I held up my hands.

  “I’m sorry,” I said.

  She heaved out a breath and collapsed back down on her pillow, shoving the knife beneath it. “It is I who am sorry,” she said. “I did not mean to frighten you.”

  “I wasn’t frightened. Just surprised.” I leaned closer. “It wasn’t exactly the welcome home I was hoping for.”

  Her eyebrows rose. “And how would you prefer to be welcomed home?” she asked.

  “Oh, you know. Feasting, dancing, celebration, and lots of kissing.”

  Shoving my arm away so she could get up, she said, “I hope you are not anticipating that I will line up pucker-lipped, nubile maidens to welcome you upon your return in the future, Sohan.”

  Ana picked up her hairbrush and drew it through her hair in rough strokes. Wrapping m
y arms around her from behind, I kissed her ear. “There’s only one nubile maiden I’m interested in. Did you sleep? I tried to time my return so you could rest.”

  “I did.” She turned but I didn’t allow her to escape my arms. I lifted an eyebrow and smirked as she struggled against me, but I could tell she didn’t really want me to release her, she was just too stubborn to admit what she really wanted. She squirmed, trying to figure out how to be comfortable and relaxed with me holding her in such a way.

  Finally, she settled with her hands pressed lightly on top of my biceps and a good six inches between us. It wasn’t as close as I would have preferred, but it felt like a victory all the same. It turned out my victory was short-lived.

  “I’m glad you are well,” she said and clapped my arm awkwardly in a hard thump, the way a soldier would congratulate his surviving comrades after battle.

  “Lesson two in romance,” I said, cupping her hips and drawing her closer. “It’s perfectly acceptable to hug or hold one another. Especially when reuniting. Kissing doesn’t always have to be a part of it, but an affectionate peck on the lips, cheek, or forehead works to reassure the other person that your feelings haven’t changed during your time apart.”

  “Ah. Then your feelings have changed?” she teased lightly.

  I answered by kissing her softly on the cheek. “No. If anything, my feelings for you are more acute than they were before.”

  “Your eyes are copper right now,” she said, tilting her head. “Does this mean you speak in jest?”

  “I assure you, I am in earnest.”

  Ana pursed her lips. “Very well.” She touched her velvety lips to my chin. “Is that sufficient?”

  I sighed. “A man could hope for more.”

  “Perhaps when he deserves more, he will receive it.”

  As I laughed and pondered what I could do to deserve more, we disappeared and materialized atop a high mountain. Ana pulled away to study our surroundings. “Where are we?” I asked, peering through the fog. The air was thin and cold and it filled my nostrils with damp and the sharp tang of minerals. In the distance, I heard the sound of rushing water.