The Courier's Quest Page 6

  Four guards descended the front steps of the palace and stopped in front of them. Two guards on the ground and two remained on the second step, all of them dressed in their royal blues with tall hats and staffs at their sides.

  "Prince Jak Ameenu of Winaka and Princess Rasha Indari of Chilali, you are most welcome. Please follow me to your rooms," the guard said.

  Neither of them had been in the new palace before and the elegance had them both looking around the entrance with awe. A giant chandelier hung from the center of the peaked ceiling, lighting the entrance. The natural stone pillars and archways created a breathtaking vision. Jak gave Rasha a wide-eyed look of awe.

  "They've been busy," Jak said.

  The entrance divided into three directions. Two guards led Rasha to the right while two others led Jak to the left. Rasha glanced over her shoulder and caught Jak staring.

  "I guess I'll see you later." Jak continued to watch her leave.

  "Yes, of course,” Rasha said, then turned to follow the guards who’d already gotten several feet ahead of her.

  Photo recreations of the royal family over the years decorated the walls, filling the corridor. To the left of them, windows every few feet lit their way with no need for artificial lighting. Rasha looked out into the courtyard at the back of the palace and the beautiful trees and fountains that the small birds and animals had made their home.

  When they reached a spiral staircase, she shouldn't have been surprised that the stairs were also made of the beautiful stone, along with its chiseled banister. It was cold to the touch, but she held on so she could keep walking while looking at the paintings on the walls. There was a picture of each of the lost princesses. One every few steps. She paused when she saw the young Princess Osika. She'd been kind and also tragically one of the few Rasha had seen viciously devoured. A sight she couldn't forget no matter how hard she'd tried.

  The guards waited at a respectful distance when she reached out and touched the framing of the picture. She was proud of Bashir. It was good and right that he'd honored the princesses here.

  Rasha turned back to the guards and at her nod, they continued without a word. They reached the first landing but didn't stop until they'd gone up to the top of the stairs. The walls on both sides had doors. Rasha counted ten on the left and ten on the right. At the end, one of the guards opened the door on the left.

  "Your rooms have been prepared but if there is anything missing that you require, simply ring the bell and one of the servants will attend you."

  Rasha could do nothing but nod. The room spread out before her was bigger than anything she'd ever seen before. The guard bowed before leaving her and closing the door behind himself.

  She threw her pack on the nearest high-backed chair and entered. The small sitting room was perfect for entertaining visitors to the suite. She found the bedroom and master bathroom behind a closed door to her right. The bedroom had three large windows that overlooked the front of the palace. As promised, she found the closet filled with gowns in an array of color options. The favorites had been hung together with a note from the prince.

  Please wear one of these today. ~Bashir

  Rasha looked at the gowns, one a beautiful royal blue and the other an emerald color. The one in front, her favorite, was a silver-grey color. She didn't like shopping for clothes, but she could appreciate his excellent taste. A knock on the door pulled her attention away from the gowns.

  Rasha walked over to the front sitting area before calling out.

  "Enter."

  The door opened and Chiza walked in wearing a beautiful bright yellow gown, her signature and most suited color. Yellow didn't look as good on anyone as it looked on her. She closed the door then raced over to hug Rasha.

  They embraced like the old friends they were then sat down. Chiza, a head shorter, had twisted her hair into an intricate design that sat on top of her head. Rasha was mesmerized by it and couldn't wait to find out how she'd done it.

  "It's so good to see you," Rasha said.

  "I'm so glad you came," Chiza said.

  "How have you been?" Rasha asked.

  "Lonely, it's difficult being the only girl here."

  Rasha hadn't thought of that. They were the only two surviving princesses, which meant that there would be a shortage until the prince invited more eligible young women to live at the palace.

  "Your family, were they very disappointed?" Rasha asked.

  "My mother wasn't, she still believes I have a chance with the prince." Chiza shrugged, "My father isn't happy about losing the crown and his gems, but they've found more so," she let her voice fade away. After learning of her father's plot last year to keep his gems and his daughter, Chiza hadn't been completely reconciled to her family. It had caused her more embarrassment than anything else.

  "Things are so different here,” Chiza said looking around.

  "It's enchanting. The others will love it."

  "The ball tonight should be spectacular, I've been looking forward to it. Most of the time I've been in my rooms or in the gardens. Speaking of rooms," she said, looking around, "I can see he favors you."

  "What do you mean?"

  "Your room is twice the size of any of the others."

  Rasha looked around, taking it in again.

  "It is?"

  "Yes, you'll see when you come visit me in my room."

  Rasha didn't know how she felt about that news. She didn't mind Bashir being nice to her, but she didn't want to be singled out, especially when the other girls hadn't yet arrived.

  "What will the ball be like do you think?"

  "I believe the only gentlemen joining us will be princes, so it's exciting. The girls will be invited tonight then, if they're selected by any of the princes, they'll be asked to stay at the palace. They'll be put on our floor, I imagine."

  Rasha shook her head.

  "For how long is he expecting us to stay here?"

  Chiza reached out a warm hand to Rasha's cold one.

  "Don't panic. We'll be here until he makes his choice and then we'll be free to go, I'm sure."

  The prince could take as long as he liked for the Choosing. Even opening it up to other young women, there was no guarantee they wouldn't be there for months. Rasha couldn't help but panic. She stood up, needing to walk. The room was large enough to take several strides before she had to turn around again.

  "I can't be here that long. I only agreed to this because I didn't want to embarrass the prince,” Rasha said.

  Chiza watched Rasha with a knowing smile.

  "What?" Rasha asked.

  "You," Chiza said, standing up. "You've been trying to get out of the Choosing from the start and yet here you are anyway."

  Rasha wanted to scream but wound up laughing instead. She flopped back down into a chair with her feet spread out in front of her.

  "What a nightmare."

  "It won't be that bad,” Chiza said "We have each other."

  Rasha wished that was enough.

  "Ladi's missing. I have to find her."

  "Ladi? What's happened to her?"

  "I'm not sure. She quit the training at the Courier's Keep and stole a package she was supposed to deliver."

  "Why?"

  "I wish I knew. She didn't tell me. I'm not sure what it is, but it has something to do with the reason she wouldn't take the oath."

  "What oath?"

  "The Courier's Oath. It basically says you'll serve the ten kingdoms of Bolaji and not put loyalty of one kingdom above any others."

  Chiza looked thoughtful. "I'm required to be loyal to my kingdom above all others unless I'm wed to the prince, at which time I'd become loyal to all the Bolaji kingdoms. Isn't loyalty to none and loyalty to all the same thing?"

  Rasha listened to her words and wondered the same thing. Hadn't she said as much to Ladi? The oath hadn't changed with the addition of Ishola, but hadn't that been a Wola choice? She'd also been overly concerned with Lu and the comparison between the two of
them, but Rasha didn't feel it fair to mention it. Chiza had been so in love with Lu that she'd planned on renouncing her loyalty to her kingdom to marry him.

  "I'd better let you get dressed. The prince will want to see us both for lunch." Chiza stood up and gave Rasha a kiss on the cheek before dashing out the door.

  Rasha was left wondering how she was going to get through a month of this royal tedium. Then she remembered the dresses. They were beautiful.

  She moved to the closet to choose one, wondering what Jak would think of them. A thought occurred to her that had her moving to her communicator. Ladi was missing and there was only one other person who cared about her as much as she did.

  11

  DESPITE THEM GETTING ALL DRESSED UP, they held lunch in the gardens underneath a large, floral-decorated gazebo. Rasha was the last to arrive. Prince Bashir and the other princes, including Jak, all stood when she set foot in the gazebo. Eight princes, one from each kingdom, all smiled at her and bowed. Chilali didn't have a young prince, nor did the tenth kingdom where Chiza was from.

  Chiza gave Rasha a nod and a knowing smile as she moved to greet Bashir.

  When Prince Bashir greeted Chiza, he fumbled with the cup in his hand. With grace, she managed to catch it then curtsy before moving to sit down. His shoulders dropped and his cheeks turned pink, but he recovered by the time he turned to Rasha with a huge smile on his face.

  "You are a vision." Prince Bashir moved to take her hand and brought it to his lips.

  Jak didn't wait long to move to her side. He placed a possessive hand on her shoulder that neither she nor the prince misinterpreted.

  "Bashir," Jak said, dropping the title it seemed on purpose.

  Rasha's eyes flew to his face as she wondered what was wrong with him to be so informal with the prince.

  "Jak, it's been awhile hasn't it?" He held out a hand, waiting for Jak to drop his hand from Rasha's shoulder to take it. Jak looked from his hand on her shoulder to Bashir's outstretched hand. He must have felt the eyes of everyone else on him because he quickly moved his hand to take Bashir’s. They shook once and as soon as he was released, Jak put his hand back on Rasha's shoulder.

  Bashir only smiled as the others gathered around and sat. The servers brought out trays of finger foods as they sat around talking. One prince, a young merman, seemed to struggle with the common language and had latched onto Jak when he realized his skilled use of his native language.

  Rasha loved the sound of Jak's lyrical voice. Prince Bashir seemed impressed by the exchange and would surely request that Jak help him when he wanted to speak with the merman. At his earliest convenience, the prince cornered her on the far side of the gazebo. Rasha saw him coming before he slid into the seat next to her.

  "How are your rooms?" Bashir asked Rasha. When he spoke, Chiza excused herself with a quiet nod to the prince. The prince stared after her as she moved to the other side of the gazebo where the princes from Vol and Buku stood. Although shy, she seemed to be making an effort to speak with every prince. Rasha admired her. What would Chiza's father think of his daughter having interest in a prince from a kingdom that tried to take their gems and land only a year ago?

  When the prince turned his attention back to her she answered. "The rooms are lovely, but, you shouldn't have singled me out."

  "Nonsense, you’re the hardest to impress." Bashir's smile was like that of a large predator.

  Rasha tried not to smile but couldn't help it. He was so obvious. She looked around and noted that the eight men present, including Jak, had given the prince a wide berth. No one seemed inclined to interrupt the Prince and his pursuit of a mate. Despite their recent conversation, Chiza didn't seem to be over Bashir as she continued to watch him while four gentlemen competed for her attention.

  "The dress really does look amazing on you," he said as he drank from his cup and offered her another.

  "You have great fashion sense." Rasha accepted the cup and looked over the rim in Jak's direction. He'd turned to watch them but didn't move to interrupt them. She smiled at him. He didn't smile but he didn't turn away. "The other ladies will arrive tonight, I understand."

  "Yes, and I can admit to you alone that I'm beside myself with nerves."

  "Why? You're the prince. Of everyone here, you have the highest chance of finding someone."

  "No, if my experience with you and Chiza is any sign, I'm no prize. I think that's my real reason for going through with this. If things had worked out with either of you, we wouldn't be doing this."

  Rasha felt a wave of guilt. It was true if Lu had lived he would be with Chiza now. She wondered if she'd done all she could to keep Chiza from falling in love with him. Rasha had gone over it a million times in her head. Lu was a great guy, and he'd fallen for Chiza at first sight. She'd never seen two people so well matched. No, there wasn't anything she could do to stop what had happened that year. However, she could help the prince in her own way.

  "I could be of some use to you,” she said as she popped another cracker into her mouth.

  "How?" He adjusted himself in the seat beside her to face her.

  "You'll need to weed out some of the undesirables when they arrive. They won't all be showing off all their feather's colors when they get here. The ones intent on impressing you may put on a different face in private or among the other ladies. I'd be happy to relay anything I learn to you."

  "That's amazing." Bashir tilted his head. "I can't believe you'd do that for me."

  "I wouldn't, not without something in return,” Rasha said.

  "I see, and what is the price for this bit of espionage?"

  Rasha smiled at the term. She would be his spy for a time.

  "I'll give you my biased opinion of the ladies and any other pertinent information about their motives that comes my way. In exchange, you'll give me time away from the palace to work."

  "You want to be a courier, during The Choosing?" Bashir's eyebrows shot up.

  "Yes, as it happens, I'm in the middle of an assignment and I'd like to maintain my perfect record of fetches and deliveries."

  “In the middle of an assignment? Now I’m intriqued.”

  “Well, sort of. My package was a person, she got away but I’m still looking for her,” Rasha said avoiding his intense gaze.

  “You are fascinating." Bashir smiled at her. “Not another princess I hope.”

  Rasha’s eyes flew up to his and she hoped he could read the sincerity in them.

  “No, she’s a friend.”

  Bashir paused a moment and stroked his bare chin.

  "If I agree to this, how often would you be gone?"

  Rasha scrambled for an answer. She never imagined he'd agree to her offer at all. Now, it was in her grasp. She tried to calculate how much time it would take her to find Ladi and uncover why she's in hiding in the first place.

  "Two weeks."

  Bashir shook his head.

  "No, if you'll be giving me valuable information you need to be here."

  "Fair enough, give me three days a week."

  Bashir stroked his chin for a moment. "Nights here in the palace?"

  Rasha calculated Zele's speed. They'd be pushing it to return to the palace every night, but it would be worth it for freedom during her days to find Ladi. She nodded.

  "Good,” He said.

  Rasha put up her left hand, raising a fist to her chest in a solemn vow.

  "Not so fast. There is one other stipulation. Your partner must stay here," Bashir said with a nod in Jak's direction.

  Jak straightened when he realized that they were talking about him. Rasha shook her head at the prince as much to Jak.

  "No, I need my partner. We took the assignment together."

  “No. I won't allow one of my prospects to spend three days a week alone with another prince, especially a formerly married one." Bashir looked at her in challenge.

  "You know?"

  "Yes. I'm upset he didn't tell me himself, but I wouldn't exclude him fro
m all this and risk your wrath."

  Rasha knew it must have taken Bashir awhile to accept Jak in the first place knowing how Jak felt about her. She couldn't be running around with Jak for all to see when the prince had asked them all to keep their options open for The New Choosing. Rasha nodded.

  Bashir raised his left hand and put his right fist to his chest. Rasha was still reluctant, Jak wouldn’t be happy about this. In the end, she put her right fist to her own chest and raised her left hand.

  ”Then we are agreed. I'm looking forward to tonight more than ever." Bashir stood up and moved to where Chiza stood.

  Although they'd decided against each other, Bashir still kept up appearances by giving her as much attention as he gave Rasha. She wondered what had happened to them in the time they were in hiding. The battle she'd experienced with the beasts had been savage. However, it might be nothing compared to the torture of spending every day and night with someone you couldn't stand to be around.

  Jak took the seat that Bashir had vacated next to her. He leaned in and spoke without looking at her, choosing to keep his eyes on the others.

  "So, should I be worried he's already stolen you away from me?"

  "Stop it, he can't steal something that doesn't belong to you," Rasha said. The words rushed out, but she hadn't meant them in the way they sounded.

  Jak flinched as if she'd slapped him.

  "That's not what I meant," Rasha said and reached out a hand. "It's not always about you and I."

  "Even better," Jak said as he stood up.

  "Wait, I need to talk to you."

  "I don't think now is a good time." Jak stormed out of the gazebo and back toward the palace.

  Rasha stared after him. What had gotten into him?

  Chiza gave her a look in question but Rasha could only shrug. She needed to clear her own head. She stood up and found the quiet young man from Buku staring right at her, his dark green eyes curious under his mop of dark curls. She felt a jolt of something pass between them, but shook it off.

  She curtsied to the prince and excused herself. Rasha needed to be alone, and the gardens were just as good a place as any. She was followed the minute she reached the garden maze. When they didn't reveal themselves, she ruled out Jak or Bashir. She kept walking, careful to stay ahead of her pursuer. Rasha rounded the next corner and reached for her swords, but she'd left Blade and Cutter in her rooms. With no time to curse herself for leaving them behind, she took her position behind the nearest hedge and waited.