The Courier's Conflict Read online

  “Mother, please, don’t. We’ve already discussed this.”

  “I can’t want the best for my child? Tell her, dear,” she said and looked expectantly at her husband.

  “Your mother and I believe it’s in your best interest to come home. Our army can protect you,” He took a bite and, with his mouth full, continued, “and your friends, of course.”

  Rasha’s jaw dropped. Then, as an enticement, her mother added, “We have all the best courtiers, you know. And the finest fabrics. We can make you something new, to your liking. It doesn’t have to be a dress.”

  Rasha shook her head with disbelief.

  “You expect me to leave the front, in the middle of a war, and hide under the bed?” She asked. “What would even make you think I’d consider it?”

  “You’re the princess incumbent. You need to be protected for the sake of the people. You can’t do that playing solider at the front,” her father said with finality.

  “Playing?” Rasha felt her face getting warm.

  Her mother must have sensed the danger, because she rushed in to correct her husband’s mistake. “What your father means to say is that this war should by fought by soldiers, not princesses. You have diplomatic duties to attend to.”

  “Diplomatic duties? Don’t forget, it’s the soldiers that keep you safe in your precious castle. Please show a little respect for those laying down their lives for you.” Rasha stood up. “Let me remind you of something. The reason you still have an ‘army’ is because you haven’t sent many men to the front. I am disgraced not because I fight, but because my own kingdom won’t help me end this war.”

  Rasha stood up quickly. “If you’ll excuse me, I have diplomatic duties to attend to.” Her father sputtered, and her mother’s mouth opened and closed like a fish.

  She stalked out of the dining room, and Temi followed her, looking smug.

  * * *

  When Rasha reached the gymnasium, she found her team practicing with weapons. Ebere was watching intently as Jak instructed Ladi in the longsword. The tip of the blade dragged on the ground as she as she tried to get familiar with it. Once she had a firm grip, she was able parry as he moved to attack. Jak had a beautiful grace that always caught her eye. It was for that reason she didn’t notice the other person there watching them. Her Aunt Sochi was waiting for her. A welcome sight after dealing with her parents.

  “Aunt Sochi!” she exclaimed. They embraced and her aunt took her aside.

  “When your parents decided to visit, I thought you might need a little extra support, so I came along. I hope you don’t mind.”

  “No, of course not. You’re always welcome here.” Rasha smiled.

  “I can tell that something’s bothering you. What is it?” Sochi asked.

  “I’m just a bit rattled.”

  “You’ve always allowed them to affect you like that. Tell me, what else has you so upset?” Her aunt took her hand.

  “Other than insulting me, just the usual. Why aren’t I married? I should give up playing soldier and come home where they can protect me and show me off to all of their friends at their royal parties and functions. Suitably dressed, of course.”

  Her aunt sighed. “Rasha, listen. You’re a smart and strong young woman.” She turned Rasha toward her and looked straight into her eyes. “The best defense against that is to continue to be the person you are. They’ll come to accept it.”

  Rasha nodded, feeling herself lift a little at her aunt’s words.

  Sochi reached for a longsword and grinned wickedly.

  “Now, let’s see if life in the palace has made you a soft little princess.”

  8

  LADI LOVED THAT JAK didn’t take his eyes off of her when they fought. It was the best thing about sparring with him. His eyes stared a challenge into hers, daring her to flinch when Rasha arrived. Ladi didn’t flinch. That wasn’t her style. Flirting with someone who wasn’t interested in her wasn’t her style either, but her fascination and attraction for Jak grew anyway. When he held his sword at her throat, just inches from killing her, she dropped her own sword in defeat.

  “No, don’t give up. You haven’t lost, you just don’t know how to get out of it yet.”

  He pulled his sword back and put a hand on her shoulder, giving it a friendly slap. “Right, now, you come at me the same way and put the sword to my neck, and I’ll show you what I mean.” He dropped to one knee and let go of his sword.

  * * *

  If she were being honest, she’d have to admit she loved when he touched her to demonstrate something to her. She often pretended to be more exhausted than she really was, or that she didn’t get something in order to get him to do just that. Why couldn’t Rasha see how amazing he was? If Rasha were smart, she’d snatch him up and make it public. That’s what she would do if she had those stormy blue eyes of his looking at her every day the way he looked at Rasha. She didn’t even mind the beard he was trying to grow.

  Ladi’s arm trembled as she held the sword to Jak’s neck. He turned his head to one side, as if she had him. The he swiftly leaned back, bending a bit, and picked up his sword. With a practiced twist, his sword knocked hers away. It gave him enough room to get up from the floor and face her again.

  “See what I did there?” he asked.

  Ladi nodded.

  “Now you.” Jak put Ladi in the same weakened position he’d been in and waited for her to try the technique. He heard Rasha and glanced up. She was speaking loud enough for them all to catch her frustration with her parents. Ladi waited a beat for him to return his attention to his task. When he didn’t, she used his move against him, and he stumbled back with genuine surprise as she rose to her feet.

  “Yes, good. Just like that,” he said.

  Ladi needed the training. She knew it could save her life. And before Ebere came along, she’d come up with some excellent tactics for tracking the beasts of the north and their movement toward the first kingdom. The fighting part was necessary because Jak and Rasha weren’t always there to defend her when things got intense.

  “Ebere, come here. I want you to take over for me,” Jak said over his shoulder.

  Ladi groaned. For all of her love of training and learning technique with Jak, she hated being paired up with Ebere. He hardly ever said anything. When he did, he insulted her.

  “She’s exhausted, and it’s not even a fair fight,” Ebere said.

  Ladi raised her longsword and clenched her jaw. “I’m not too tired to take you on.”

  “Your sword could slip through your hands and slice off your foot.”

  Those were the kinds of things that irritated her.

  “I’m not worried about my feet. You worry about your own,” she said and pointed her sword at them.

  He looked down, and she lunged at him. Jak smiled at her distraction tactic. He nodded as if to say, ‘well done,’ before he turned to watch Rasha parry with her aunt.

  Ladi, watching Jak, almost missed Ebere’s return and had to jump back, swinging her sword. Ebere pressed the attack until he had her backed against a wall. She ducked and, with a spin, had him on the defensive. His next thrust was wide, and she nicked his arm. He pushed her back with his forearm and swept her feet out from under her, and the fall knocked the sword from her hand. Ebere didn’t stop. He straddled her chest, trapping her arms, and held his sword to her neck.

  “Get off,” Ladi yelled.

  “Maybe next time, when you’re not so tired,” Ebere said calmly.

  He stood up and went to hang up his sword. Ladi stayed on her back a few moments longer, catching her breath. He was such a fangledort.

  9

  AFTER PRACTICE, RASHA GATHERED her team to explain the situation. She trusted them much more than the council.

  “In spite of my repeated requests to the council, it doesn’t look like we’re getting the help we need. I pushed my parents to send more from Chilali, and we’ve asked the mermen send more. Both have been slow about providing fighters. I
’ll be honest, it still won’t be enough. There’s one place, however, we haven’t tried.”

  “I thought we’d contacted Chiza’s father,” Jak said.

  “Not the tenth kingdom. I’m talking about the Wilds.”

  Ebere remained silent, as was his way. Ladi looked to Jak. It was Jak whose expression changed. He laughed.

  “They’ll never join us in this fight,” he said.

  “Why shouldn’t they? Aren’t their lands in just as much danger as ours? There’s much more for them to lose.”

  “I can promise you they won’t join us. It doesn’t matter to them how many royals are lost.”

  “I want to send messengers to the Wilds. My hope is to gain their support. I can’t follow your gut this time, Jak. We need help from the Wilds to win this thing. We are badly outnumbered by the beasts. This is the only way. Unless you can give us a better idea.”

  “I’m not disagreeing with you to be obstinate. I grew up there. They’re not likely to let your messengers live, much less listen to them,” Jak said. “The wilds are lawless, Rasha.”

  “What could I offer them to get them to listen?” Rasha asked.

  “I don’t think it matters. Joining the kingdoms of Bolaji is the last thing they’ll agree to.”

  “They wouldn’t have to. We’d be working together as allies on this. I wouldn’t demand they take the oath and become a kingdom or anything.” Rasha said.

  “Maybe you should,” Aunt Sochi said.

  “What? No, bad idea,” Jak said.

  Aunt Sochi replied, “The Wilds are independent because they don’t believe they’d be happy living under our rule. But you should understand that people want to live in peace. We don’t threaten their freedom, and together we can end the threat to both of our homes.”

  “Yes, exactly,” Rasha exclaimed. “Then if they choose to, they could be recognized as the eleventh kingdom.”

  Jak shook his head.

  “You don’t understand. They won’t agree to help, no matter what you’re offering. They don’t trust the ten kingdoms.”

  “There was a time when there were no kingdoms at all, just feuding tribes that feared each other. That changed because of some innovative young people who saw that coming together, the inclusion of all people, would make their lives better. They created the First kingdom and named it Adalu. A new nation made up of many nations. Who’s saying the same thing won’t be true in this case?” Aunt Sochi said.

  “An autonomous nation under the banner of the first kingdom. It’s not unheard of.” Rasha said.

  “How do I make you understand? They don’t want you, and they won’t help you. They’ve spent centuries ignoring, avoiding, or robbing the ten kingdoms,” Jak said.

  “It might work,” Ebere disagreed. “We should do some scouting. If we find something they want, we can offer it to them. Make them our ally, based on mutual benefits.”

  Jak was shaking his head.

  “We should look at other options first,” Ladi offered. “Jak’s right, you can’t force the Wilds into civilization.”

  Rasha bit back a retort. Ladi always sided with Jak. She tried to remember that the girl was just fifteen and had a lot to learn about boys and life. No wonder her family had such a hard time keeping her in line. It was times like this when she wished Lu were there to roll his eyes with her. She pushed the nostalgia away.

  “I appreciate all of your input. I considered all of these points before I sent the messengers. They left a week ago. I expect to hear from them today or tomorrow. That information doesn’t leave this room. There’s still a spy, and we need to move with caution.”

  “What?” Jak said with disbelief. “You contacted them without consulting me?”

  Ebere inched away from the circle. Ladi followed his lead.

  “Headstrong girl,” Aunt Sochi said in Chilalian, shaking her head. She stood up and found her way to the door with Ebere and Ladi on her heels.

  “How could you?” he asked angrily.

  “I did it for the sake of our kingdom. We need fighters, and there are none in the kingdom even half as good as you. So, I figured why not go right to the source?”

  Jak pinched the bridge of his nose.

  “I’m not upset you had the idea, or that you acted on it. I’m just wondering what I’m doing here. I’m just here to keep up appearances?”

  “No, of course not.” Rasha said. She realized her mistake. She’d been thinking he would disagree with her. Instead of facing him she’d gone behind his back and informed him after she’d already acted.

  “Not only did you do this behind my back, you waited an entire week to tell me.” Jak stormed to the and almost collided with a guard hurrying in with two others behind him.

  “Your Highness,” the guard panted, “the messengers have arrived from the Wilds.” He flapped a hand at them.

  Jak turned away, but one of the messengers called him back.

  “Wait, Your Grace, this concerns you too.”

  10

  JAK TURNED BACK TO listen, but didn’t join Rasha. She hurried closer, anxiety and anticipation making her stomach clench. She willed herself not to look at Jak.

  Both of the messengers seemed out of breath and tired from riding hard.

  “Bring them water, now,” she told the guard.

  “I’m sorry Your Highness, we bring you bad news,” the Karmirian messenger said. The other had light green skin and small ears, which suggested he was something other than Tero-Joro. “We waited for days and tried everything we could think of to get an audience. They refused to even see us.”

  Rasha nodded and patted his shoulder. “It’s all right. I suspected they might not listen to us. You’ve done well.” The water arrived a moment later, and they drank thirstily.

  The other messenger turned to Jak.

  “Your Grace,” he said. “We also bring news of your mother. She is unwell. She’s begging your speedy return.”

  Jak grabbed the messenger, demanding, “What ails her?”

  “They don’t know, but it seems her recovery is unlikely.”

  “Thank you,” Jak said, releasing the man’s shoulders.

  Jak turned to Rasha, his eyes pleading.

  “You should go,” she said gently.

  “I can’t leave you here to face the beasts alone.”

  Rasha shook her head and tried to give him a reassuring smile. “I won’t be alone. She’s your mother. She needs you.”

  “I wish—” he began, but Rasha held up a hand, then laid it gently on his arm.

  “Don’t. Just go. I’ll be here when you return.”

  Jak nodded “Perhaps you can spare Ebere?”

  “Of course. He may be of help to you. The knowledge of healing among the Tero-Joro is legendary.”

  Rasha was reeling at the news. Why now? Why him? Rasha needed and wanted him, but she wouldn’t even consider letting him stay. He couldn’t know she was lost without him. It wouldn’t help him to take care of his mother, and she needed him more. She opened her mouth to speak, but no sound came out. Something in his face changed. He came back, and, without a word, kissed her senseless.

  Did she moan, or was that him? She couldn’t be sure. She could feel the warmth of his chest on her palms as his arms were wrapped around her. His mouth was hungry and hot, demanding a response from hers, and she gave with the same desperation. Jak pulled back, gasping for breath. Not ready to let go, he rested his forehead against hers. When he released her, she felt the cold his absence brought.

  “I hate this,” he whispered.

  “Me too.”

  And with that, he was gone. Rasha was left staring at the door.

  The Karmirian messenger cleared his throat. Rasha was startled to find she’d forgotten the messengers were still in the room.

  “Can we be of more help to you, Your Highness?”

  “No, you can go.” She waved a hand at them. “Wait! His mother, what’s she like?”

  They looked at each ot
her and both shrugged. “Strong,” they said in unison.

  * * *

  When the fighters from the south arrived shortly after, the council gathered again and sent for Rasha. She felt like she spent more time in council meetings than she did fighting the beasts.

  “How many?” she asked.

  The guard cleared his throat.

  “Out with it,” she said with a hint of impatience.

  “Fifty.”

  “Fifty in total?”

  “Yes,” he said.

  Rasha wanted to scream. How was she supposed to win a war for them when none of the kingdoms would send enough fighters? She said as much to the council, but they had no good answers.

  “We can send for more,” Tobi, the Chilalian councilman offered.

  “No, begging for more hasn’t worked. I’m quite sure they’d see the need if the battle was on their borders instead of on ours,” Rasha said.

  Mindful that there was a traitor among them, Rasha watched all of their faces carefully, looking for any reactions that seemed suspect.

  “The mermen are sending us more fighters,” Keabasi said.

  “When?” Rasha asked.

  “They’ll arrive within the week.”

  “How many?”

  “At least two hundred.”

  “That’s better. I just hope it’s enough. We have no idea how much time we have before the next attack.”

  “Well, if the past is an indication, we can expect the next attack to come within the next few days. And there are more of them every time,” Gungbe from Karmir said. “I don’t want to be an alarmist, but they will outnumber us very soon. Our borders could be lost. We must consider moving the prince and the princess.”

  “I already have a plan for that. Let me worry about it,” Rasha changed the subject quickly. She wasn’t going to tell her plans to a corrupted council. There was an almost imperceptible nod from Xeku. He approved of her cautious answer.

  “One thing we must do is the organize the chain of command. There’s been debate about how to allocate our men and women in battle. The fighters are reluctant to take orders from an officer that isn’t theirs. If they fall, the soldiers lose confidence or don’t understand any of the other leaders well enough to be effective,” Tobi said.