The Courier's Conflict Page 7

Rasha would be angry. The others probably would be, too. They still looked at her like a rebellious little girl. They didn’t understand that this could end the war. Why didn’t they at least want to try? Her life for the lives of thousands, if it came to that. Wasn’t that exactly what Lu would have done?

  The guards patrolled at regular intervals. She listened at the door, and their heavy boots marched by ten minutes ago. She slipped out her room and into the deserted corridor. Being on the main level afforded her easy access to the grounds.

  She sucked in a breath of cold air when the winds hit her face. Her feet crunched on the icy ground as she made her way to the north wall. The archers would be the hardest to avoid. She had to creep along behind the trees and bushes, then, when she was clear, broke into a run. She readjusted the bag on her back. When she cleared the palace grounds, she’d have to keep up a steady pace to reach the encampment by morning.

  * * *

  A high-pitched whine came from the trees just to her left. Temi poked his head out of the bushes before his body followed, placing himself directly in her path.

  “I’ll be back. Don’t worry.”

  His head tilted to the side and he snorted as if he didn’t believe her.

  “What do you know? I’m going to do something more than sit in this palace waiting for the war to end.”

  He whined again as she turned to go.

  Ladi turned to Temi and reached out her hand, stroking his soft head. The Tero-Joro had a strong connection to small beasties that lived on their lands. Ladi herself often found it easy to connect with them. Maybe that was the real reason she needed to go. Either way, she was even more determined when she faced the wall again.

  “Take care of the others,” she said over her shoulder. Then she hauled herself up and over using the thick vines growing up the wall.

  When she dropped on the other side, her enhanced vision and hearing kicked in. Being from Tero-Joro did have its advantages at times, like when traveling in the woods at night. Ordinary night sounds, insects and rustling leaves were all she could hear. No sign of anything worse ahead.

  Ladi plowed through the forest, making her own path toward the coordinates. It would take her several hours to get there. She continued zigzagging through the dense trees. The distinct reek of contained animals reached her nose long before she reached the designated location. She wondered that everyone in the realm didn’t have their position. Their smell permeated the air and everything around them.

  Ladi swallowed the bile that rose in her throat. The stench burned her nostrils. She found a good place to watch and settled in. She could see a multitude of cages within an enclosure that spanned thousands of feet. She couldn’t see the end of the maze of metal fencing from her hiding place. Most of the animals were locked into individual cages. Only a few held more than one beast. Some of the larger beasts looked too big for their cages. Ladi climbed a nearby tree to watch the animals and wait for an opportunity.

  She peered intently, trying to count the ones wearing collars.

  She wasn’t surprised to see beasts wandering the main encampment. These had to be the beasts that were with the bird-men. That meant all beasts in cages were there against their will. She should go back and tell the others what she’d discovered. With reinforcements, it would be easy to free the beasts and turn them against the bird-men and bull-men.

  She knew that she should only do reconnaissance. Ladi thought about it, but going back and having Rasha tell her no again would only infuriate her. No, she wasn’t going back without results. She’d stay, and maybe figure out how to communicate with them. Any advantage might help them. She told herself she wanted this for Lu. Maybe his death would mean something. If it got her commissioned as a courier with field status, that wouldn’t be so bad either.

  Ladi remembered the look on her father’s face when she left their home. He and her mother seemed so defeated. They expected her to become a criminal mastermind and ruin their lives. Wouldn’t they be surprised? She’d only ever done those other things because she’d been restless. Bored and broke to put it more simply. Each risky job made her easy money and cured her boredom for a time.

  This mission didn’t bring in easy money or kill the monotony. She needed to do this. Ladi wouldn’t sit on the sidelines and let Ebere and the others take all the credit for saving the kingdom. She wanted her place in it.

  Now the hard part: not getting caught.

  20

  “YOU WANT TO BECOME the eleventh kingdom?” Jak asked. It didn’t seem possible. The community as a whole never showed the least inclination to want to be a part of the ten kingdoms. Hadn’t he said as much?

  “Not just the eleventh. We are larger and more independent than any of the kingdoms. Why shouldn’t all things royal and governmental be here?” Waza said with a grin as he spread his arms wide.

  The other tradesmen and businessmen in the room were transfixed. They were listening with eyes wide and mouths hanging open.

  Jak took in their reactions and realized what Waza was doing. He didn’t speak for the leaders of the Wild; he wanted to test Jak’s resolve.

  Jak ran a hand over his chin. He tried to keep his expression neutral.

  “Well, Mr. Waza. You do aim for the stars, don’t you?”

  “Is there any other way to aim?”

  “I suppose you’re right. Well. I’d be happy to take your conditions to the council. But I don’t want to leave you in suspense, so how about we shake on it right now? I’ll guarantee you a favorable decision in exchange for two thousand fighters ready to move on the beasts of the north tomorrow.” Jak put out his hand.

  It had never crossed Mr. Waza’s mind Jak would call his bluff. His mouth opened and closed, and his face was white. He scanned the room.

  The reacting around the room was mixed. Some wide-eyed and hopeful, wanting to join the ten kingdoms, their businesses legitimate overnight. Some outraged by the idea of compromising their principles. A few looked around with shifty eyes and nervous hands. Their business dealings would be put firmly outside the laws of the ten kingdoms.

  Mr. Waza tried to play it off and finally laughed as if Jak had told a joke that he found especially amusing.

  “Did I say something funny?” Jak asked. “Or are you actually considering this amazing limited time offer?”

  “The offer is a good one,” Mr. Waza agreed, wiping a tear from his eye. “But it’s not solid.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “You’re an illegitimate, bottom of the barrel, prince incumbent trying to pull off a deal he hasn’t the authority to offer or honor.” The energy in the bar changed as the business owners and leaders of the community understood what Waza had done. They turned back to their drinks and their conversations.

  Jak had lost their attention and their respect.

  “Sorry, boy. You’re wasting your time here. You’ll have to drum up soldiers elsewhere.” Waza gave Jak a hard slap on the back before he turned to a table of businessmen in casual attire and having their after-work drink.

  Jak looked at Ebere and shrugged. He didn’t know what else to try. The Wilds had the resources and the people, but they weren’t motivated to join the fight. He had to figure out a way to show them that his offer was real, and to their benefit, before it was too late for Adalu.

  * * *

  Jak did what he always did when he was feeling low. He tried to cheer himself up by being the plucky, attention-getting charmer he’d always been. Later in the evening, there were three girls at the table with them. Ebere, looking more uncomfortable than usual, seemed more inclined to escape out the door than to stay and listen to another song. Jak was belting out an old folk song of the mermen that got him cheers and another round of drinks from a yellow-skinned girl. Her dark green eyes never left Jak’s face, but he barely noticed her.

  In his heart, every song he sang was for only one person. When he thought of Rasha, he had an intense ache and a feather-light tickle of excitement that started i
n his stomach. His voice cracked twice during the last song. He had to lay off of the fermented fruit juice or he wouldn’t be able to walk out of the bar, let alone sing more songs.

  When he finished, the girls at the table stood and clapped enthusiastically. He sat back down next to Ebere, who kept motioning with his head to the left. When Jak looked to the left, a tall, winged man was watching him from the bar. He was dressed as one would expect in the Wilds, rugged and dusty clothing. His hair, though, was dark and long like the Karmirians, but his skin pale. The fact that the man had wings and was making no effort to hide them was what unnerved Jak. When had he ever seen a winged man with his own eyes? He wasn’t sure he ever had.

  Jak caught the man’s eye and nodded toward the door. Then he slapped a hand on the table.

  “Ebere, time to go.”

  The girls groaned and complained as they stood up.

  “Sorry, ladies, maybe another time. Ebere wanted to stay with you, but we’ve got an appointment.”

  Ebere’s face turned dark green as he glared at Jak. “What appointment?” he asked.

  21

  RASHA WAITED ALL morning in the training room for Ladi. The girl had the infuriating habit of being early when you needed to sleep late and being late when you needed her to be on time. She practiced alone. She’d dreamed about Jak and Duna again, and it left her rattled. What was taking him so long? He’d sent news of his mother’s death days ago; he should be back by now. She worked through her moves again. She heard someone clear their throat at the door and she stopped.

  “Where is she?” Rasha demanded at a guard with a paper quivering in his hands.

  “She’s gone.”

  “What?” Rasha snatched the note from his hand and he retreated a few steps. He had a scar on his face. He must have been in one of the battles.

  “You’re free to go,” she said without looking up.

  Xeku came in and the guard almost ran into him headlong.

  “You’re in a mood this morning,” Xeku said. “I see you’ve gotten the letter.”

  Rasha balled up the paper and threw it across the room.

  “I told her she was not to go. She’s so stubborn. I should have sent her home to her parents a long time ago.”

  “She’s headstrong, and she thinks she’s invincible. She reminds me a little of you.”

  “Ha!”

  “You don’t see it?”

  “I didn’t run off and get myself thrown in jail at every inconvenient opportunity. I attended the Courier’s Keep and forced them to let me train. Being legitimate mattered to me. Without a proper education she’ll keep finding trouble wherever she can.”

  “She wants to prove herself to you because she admires you. At the same time, she wants to prove that she’s good enough to work alongside you.”

  “Did you know?”

  “That she would run off? No.” Xeku tilted his head to one side. “Why would I have any knowledge of that?”

  “When Jak left–well, maybe you caught Ladi leaving too.”

  “Jak is my son, and he had some… unfinished business to see to.”

  “His wife, Duna.” Rasha said. She picked up a longsword.

  “He told you?”

  “No.”

  “Oh, I see.” Xeku picked up her short swords and rolled his wrists, testing their weight.

  Rasha raised an eyebrow, and he answered the unasked question.

  “Just because we serve on the council doesn’t mean we don’t use this room.” Xeku said and smiled at her.

  “How long have you known?” she asked.

  He took up a defensive position and waited for her to attack him. “I’ve known almost everything of significance in my son’s life since he was a boy.”

  Rasha wished now she hadn’t taken the longsword. She’d given herself a disadvantage. Xeku didn’t seem out of practice with the short swords as he threw them up over his head and crossed them in front of his face.

  “You found out about Duna. That’s why you’ve been so angry,” he said.

  He did a quick turn that forced her to drop her sword to defend her middle.

  “I’m not angry. He can do what he wants with his wife.”

  She lunged, and he deflected her.

  “You are, and you have every right to be, but I beg you not to worry overmuch about Duna.”

  “I’m not.” Rasha grunted as she executed a spin combined with a thrust that failed with a crash. He’d been ready for her.

  “Jak hasn’t seen her for years. They parted amicably as I understand it, and she’s already moved on.”

  “I don’t care.” She rolled to the side and out of the way of his attack.

  They sparred for almost an hour.

  When he knocked the sword from her hands and held her own swords to her neck, she yielded.

  “Is that any way to treat the princess incumbent, Ameenu?” Her aunt arrived and lifted a sword from the wall, then took a defensive stance. “Why don’t you come over here and pick on someone your own age?”

  Rasha saw the feral smile on her aunt’s face. Xeku was in for a beating. He’d already been going with her for an hour. There was no way he’d be able to keep up with Sochi.

  “Sochi, you lovely thing. I wouldn’t dream of hurting you.”

  Sochi let out a playful laugh. “As if you ever could.”

  Rasha watched with rapt attention as they sparred on the mat. Neither of them seemed to remember that she was in the room.

  “I heard you told your son the truth.” Sochi lunged, but Xeku turned away just in time. He brought his sword down hard on hers. “I suppose he didn’t take it very well.”

  “No.”

  “Children are complicated.”

  “Yes, they are.”

  Sochi let his next blow push her back and she stumbled as if she were tiring. He lunged, and she brought her sword down almost on top of his hands. He dropped the short in his left hand, and she brought her longsword up to his neck before he could make another move.

  “I admit I wasn’t at my best when we began,” he said, trying to catch his breath.

  Sochi was also breathing hard.

  “Your best isn’t enough.” She gave him a light slap on the back. It made Rasha wonder how they knew each other.

  “Have you known each other long?” she asked.

  “Yes, ever since—” Xeku began but Sochi cut him off.

  “Yes, before the last choosing.” She gave him a look that Rasha didn’t miss. There was something there that Sochi didn’t want her to know. What secrets had she been hiding all these years?

  “Some of us had a life before we took the responsibility to run the kingdom. Both sides are important. You need to find your balance between both.”

  “How does one become a secret fighter for the council? Leave your family and take on an advisory role in the palace? That way you don’t get your hands dirty,” Rasha asked, trying her best to sound unimpressed.

  “Rasha Indari!” Her Aunt Sochi looked ready to strike her and Rasha flinched when her hand lifted into the air. Her aunt merely ran a hand over her own head.

  “Xeku is a good man. You should show a little respect and remember that not everyone is like your parents.” Sochi turned to Xeku. “I’m so sorry.”

  Xeku waved a hand in the air.

  “I’ve earned it, haven’t I?”

  Rasha looked at them with astonishment, then amazement as Sochi reached for his hands and held them in her own. “No, you haven’t. Be well, and may the Universal light your path.”

  He turned to Rasha. “Please, consider the message and not the messenger. Find your balance.” He bowed and handed her Cutter and Blade. She sheathed them, and by the time she looked up, he had gone. Startled by his disappearance, she looked toward the door and caught only a glimpse of his robe as he turned the corner.

  “I never dreamed I’d live to see the day you’d become the self-righteous princess your parents wanted you to be,” Sochi said. She pu
t her sword back on the wall with the others.

  Rasha didn’t even have the words to respond and felt her mouth moving wordlessly.

  “I’m not the one who left his son without a father,” she said to her aunt’s back.

  Sochi whirled around, and this time she gave Rasha a shove with one hand.

  “He didn’t leave a son. He left a spoiled little girl used to getting her way. Who, like a child, ran off with their son and hid him until he was almost five years old.”

  Rasha flushed. “I didn’t know.”

  Sochi reached up and stroked the side of her face. A gentle stroke and then a soft pat on her cheek.

  “Give them time. They need to heal on their own.” Sochi sighed. “I’m not saying you shouldn’t support Jak. He’s your friend. But be mindful, he only knows one side of the story. I want you to keep your own judgment reined until you know Xeku.”

  “What is it with you two? How did you meet each other?”

  To Rasha’s horror, Sochi shook her head and her eyes filled. What had she said?

  “Not yet, but someday I’ll share with you the story and its horrible ending.” She shook off the memory and they walked out of the training room together. Temi was waiting outside the door and popped up to follow them.

  “I wish I had been here for you when you lost your friend,” Sochi said. She leaned down and gave him a pat. Temi’s tail waved back and forth with happiness. He purred at Sochi and rubbed his head against her.

  “Does he remember me and my little cottage?” she asked.

  “I wonder what our little Temi knows at times, myself. I’ve still never seen another of his species,” Rasha said, looking at him. “Lu was the only one that really understood him.”

  At the mention of Lu, Temi stiffened and sniffed the air before he settled with a sigh. The beastie was an enigma.

  “What about his sister?”

  “She’s taken off to end the war with the beasts of the north on her own.”

  They passed the guards went and out into the gardens. The cold air whipped at her hair.