“Did Lokesh not come from China?” Ana asked.
“He did, but it would be too much of a coincidence for him and Lady Silkworm to be born around the same time and place, especially in China. From everything Kadam and Kelsey put together on Lokesh’s origins, I would guess that he was born a few centuries earlier than this, during a time of warfare. You are right that we should be careful though.”
We passed others on the road, and as we walked, Ana asked a lot of questions about what Sunil’s life would be like now that he lived in Nilima’s time. I told her all about what marvels the future had to offer and how women were given opportunities to work and learn alongside men. We spoke of modern transportation, movies, medicine, computers, and cars, and how money was stored in banks rather than in a home. Even though I was mostly sticking to the pleasant things, she expressed concern over Sunil having no money. I told her that Nilima was very financially comfortable and Sunil would be able to learn a trade if he wanted to.
“Can he not be a warrior?” she asked. “He is skilled in combat.”
“Warriors are different in that time. Wars are not fought with arms and swords or bows and arrows, they are fought with great machines or bombs.”
“Bombs?”
I tried to think of something she would understand. “Do you know catapults that throw heavy rocks?”
“Yes.”
“A bomb is like a great rock, only much more powerful. Instead of breaking a wall, it will flatten an entire city.”
“I see.” She mulled the idea over in her mind before saying, “There is not much honor in winning with a bomb.”
“No,” I agreed. “Unfortunately there aren’t many opportunities for a man such as Sunil or I in the future.”
“But Ren seems to have adapted well.”
“Ren has always been a diplomat. He signs papers and smiles, charms old women, and flatters old men. That is a skill that is still useful in the future.”
“Ah.”
The early-morning air was crisp with the bite of fall. The sun broke over the horizon and I glanced over at her. She worried her lip with her teeth. “What is it?” I asked.
“I do not wish to offend you with my question.”
“I will try not to be offended. What do you wish to know?” I wanted to show her that I could be as understanding and accepting of her as she had been with me. For far too many months, I’d pushed her away, preferring to be alone in my misery. There was a lot more to her than met the eye, and I found, for the first time ever in our relationship, that I wanted to get to know her better, and have her know me as well.
“What…what would you have done in the future had you gone back to be with Kelsey?”
“I…” My mouth snapped closed. We walked in silence for a moment.
“I have offended you,” she said. “I apologize.”
“No, it’s not that. I…I suppose I never thought much past the idea of being with her. I knew I wanted a family. We had plenty of money so I didn’t need to work or have a career. I guess I would have just gone to the office every day.”
“Work? Office? Do you mean that room high in the sky with the walls of glass?”
“Yes.”
“What do you do in there? Jab your fingers repeatedly to make the magic window tell you things?”
I grunted and rubbed my jaw. “Mostly, I spent my time making trouble for Nilima. Board meetings bored me. I have no mind for finance or business. Though the computer, or magic window, as you call it, is a very useful tool, I much prefer laboring with my hands.”
Ana nodded though her brow was furrowed. I knew she was trying to understand what I was talking about. I’d explained some things to her but there was a lot I hadn’t bothered with. “I, too, prefer to labor with my hands,” she said. “I cannot imagine a life of sitting.”
More travelers appeared on the road and we fell silent. I thought back to the dull and seemingly endless days I’d sat in that office, trying to pay attention to the things Nilima taught me. I couldn’t imagine a more intolerable life. I wasn’t cut out for that. The jungle was my home. Truthfully, I felt more at ease in the past than in the future. My workplace didn’t have the sounds of ringing phones or dinging elevators. It was full of jangling horse bridles, the cries of battle, the twang of a loosed arrow, and the clang of sparring swords.
Not that battle was all that filled my mind. I liked being in nature. Cities stifled me. I felt trapped inside them. Instead of plush carpets or tiled floors, I longed to walk on rustling leaves. Well-worn footpaths instead of sidewalks. I liked the slow and easier life of the past. Without Kelsey and my brother to anchor me, I often felt out of place in the future, like a relic, or an old sword, rusting on a wall somewhere. The cultured quiet of the past called to me.
The more I thought about the noise—the brash booming voices of the media, the never-ending advertisements, the constant need to acquire more and more as if fulfilment in life only came through the possession of objects—the more I realized how difficult a life there would have been. I wondered if Kelsey would have been happy living quietly at my side.
Once, as a gift, I’d given her a key. In my dreams, I’d imagined building a home in my old jungle and living a simple life with her. But would she have embraced that life or despised me for it? Would our children have abandoned us and grown to hate me for holding them back, away from the modern world and all it offered? The idea left a caustic taste in my mouth. I’d never asked her how she felt or what she envisioned for our future.
I thought getting Kelsey to commit to me would be the hardest part, but perhaps the difficulties would have been more than I expected. A life in Kelsey’s time might not have been easy for either of us. I ground my jaw, not wanting to accept that I had any limitations, that I might not have been successful according to the standards of Kelsey’s world. Love was supposed to be enough. To consider what might have happened next made me feel dispirited.
Ana’s arm brushed mine and I felt the soothing tingle of our connection. Her stride matched mine. She walked confidently with her head high and her shoulders back, though we were in a place and a time unknown to either of us. Her hair was tangled and she had a smudge of dirt on her face, but she was still unmistakably beautiful. Even without the airs of a goddess, Anamika was the type of woman who could crook her finger and any man with any sense would come running. The strange thing was, she didn’t seem aware of this power.
There was no doubt in my mind that she would be even more out of place in the future than I was, and yet I could still envision crowds parting for her as she strode boldly through them. They’d fall back in awe of her as if she was as magnificent and rare as a unicorn in the center of a city. The glittering dust of magic would trail behind her, and all would follow in her footsteps, hoping that just a little of her radiance would rub off on them.
We’d fought in many battles together, and when I thought of my role as her tiger, of carrying her into combat, the overwhelming feeling I had was one of pride. We’d passed through mud, fleas, death, and fields of fallen soldiers and she never flinched. Not once. She was firm in her resolve to fulfil her role as goddess. No one deserved it more than she did. She was pretty much the perfect choice. Ana was just perfect all around.
“I believe that is the city wall up ahead,” Ana said with an authoritative voice.
Squinting, I shaded my eyes. “I think you’re right. What’s the plan?”
“Do we need to change our appearance?” she asked, trusting my opinion.
“I don’t think anyone would recognize us. We might need to update our wardrobe, however.”
“Wardrobe?”
“Clothing.”