The Courier's Quest Page 7

  Whoever followed her didn't come around the hedge as she'd expected. He reached through the hedge instead, grabbing her shoulder. Startled, Rasha tumbled forward, tripping over the long hem of her dress. The young man raced around the bushes. His hands come around her waist, catching her before her hands hit the ground. He lifted her with ease to her feet.

  There was something familiar about him, but she couldn't place it right away. Instead, she gathered up her skirts and tossed them behind her as she took a step forward to confront him.

  "Why are you following me?"

  He didn't answer right away, only made a slight inclination of his head in her direction.

  "You had better start talking or you're not walking out of these gardens, you'll be crawling."

  He answered in a deep tenor, "As fun as that sounds I don't think that would be appropriate, do you, princess?"

  The way he said 'princess,' it was more of a challenge than an acknowledgement or gesture of respect.

  "Then why don't you tell me why you're skulking around in the bushes instead of getting ready for the ball tonight."

  He laughed, a true and tickled sound.

  "Even you know this is a farce."

  "I'm sure you're mistaken," she said, unsure of what he was referring to.

  "This is an elaborate cover up. The prince doesn't care to choose either of you, nor you him. This is just a way to get more options into the castle and make it appear that everyone is happy with the decision."

  "Since you know so much, what are you doing taking part in such an obvious breach of your ethical standards?"

  "Ethical standards?" He laughed out loud. "I like that. My reasons for being here are my own and they're none of your business. Just don't get in my way."

  "You were the one following me. So, may I suggest the same? But since we're already here, let me remind you of something you seem to have forgotten. I'm the best courier in the ten, no, eleven kingdoms with the prince's ear. If you cross me, I'll deliver the bad news to the prince that you are no longer welcome here."

  He nodded with a smile on his face that dared her to try.

  "Don't push me or you'll be sent back to the rock you crawled out from under." Rasha stood up to her full height, just reaching his chin, and poked him in the shoulder.

  A guard came around the hedge and stopped short of them. He cleared his throat and waited to be addressed.

  "Yes?" Rasha said without turning.

  "Princess Indari, there's a message, would you like to take it in your rooms?"

  "Yes, I'll be there shortly." Rasha turned on her heel and followed after the guard, but she still heard the young prince's taunt.

  "We'll be seeing each other again soon, princess."

  She wanted to knock the entitlement out of his mouth but settled for ignoring him as she walked away.

  * * *

  During the day, Rasha had plenty of time to plot. She worried her lip. For a Tero-Jero, Ladi had proven herself more concerned with political affairs than she should be. None of her actions were consistent. She had to admit, Ladi had made drastic changes to her life since the death of her older brother. However, this new behavior didn't fit.

  * * *

  Tonight, she had to ready herself. She went to the closet and pulled out the first dress in the line. It was a cerulean blue that cinched at the waist and fell to the floor in a cascade.

  * * *

  The doors opened to the first of the potential ladies at around six that evening. The entire palace was draped in lines of hanging lights. All the shadows and dark corners were brightened with paper art encased illuminators. The decadence wasn't lost on the ladies. They entered the palace with breathtaking oohs and ahhs.

  Rasha and Chiza agreed to admire the competition as they entered from the upstairs balcony of Chiza's room. The palace doors were lit up and the guard lined the steps, leading the ladies inside. Each lady arrived at the gate, brought by carriage pulled by two tuskins to the main entrance. Chiza nudged Rasha as the ladies of the seventh, eighth, and ninth kingdoms arrived together. The young women were all wearing the old traditional ballroom style of gown in colors that complimented their colorful skin tones. They chattered among themselves, giggling with excitement over the evening to come.

  The mermaid from the sixth kingdom arrived in a gown so fitted and like her skin tone, it seemed as if she wore nothing at all.

  Rasha and Chiza saw the guards turn to gawk at her backside. They giggled and were about to make their way downstairs when another carriage arrived. The door opened, and the guards helped a young Karmirian out and she took to the stairs. Her black hair cascaded down her back. She wore a night-black dress that fell in waves around her. She glanced up and smiled. Rasha's jaw fell open as Silae entered the palace.

  "Do you know her?" Chiza asked.

  "No, I don't think I do."

  12

  THE ARRIVING LADIES SENT THE princes into unmitigated excitement. Jak watched as one by one the girls entered the main ballroom area and each of the princes came forward to greet them. The prince himself hadn't yet arrived. He'd make a dramatic entrance, it appeared. The others believed, as they'd been told, that Bashir didn't want to upstage them by taking the girls’ attention right away. Jak knew better. He'd seen Bashir with the princesses. Just because he chose one or two at the outset didn't mean he didn't have his eye on every single one of them.

  Jak didn't have any interest in any of the ladies who arrived. They seemed young and silly compared to Rasha. The mermaid caused a stir with her skin-colored turquoise dress that shimmered when she shifted in the light. Her hair fell in waves of color, white, blue, purple, and pink. She smiled at them all and greeted everyone in her own chorus-like language before speaking in the common language. Jak smiled over the rim of his cup as he watched her circle the room. She took time to speak to each prince while keeping her eye on the door where Bashir would enter.

  The last lady to arrive was a Karmirian with a darker shade of red skin. Her parents must have been from two different races. She wore her hair back, away from her face, showing off the four white dots all Karmirian received at birth. One braid starting from the middle of her hair accented her dots’ perfect placement. She smiled and, ignoring the others, made a direct line to Jak before the mermaid had made it half way around the room.

  Jak handed her something to drink from a tray in the hands of a servant standing to his right. She accepted it and took her position on his left.

  "Well, what have we here, Prince Jak? I didn't think you'd stoop to this common event." She smiled before taking a sip from the cup.

  "I wouldn't miss it."

  "Liar."

  Jak tilted his head to glance sideways at her. He understood now why Rasha liked her. She was honest. Sometimes too honest. Silae spoke her mind and wasn't bothered by the shocked reactions she sometimes received.

  "You look lovely this evening. Are you hoping to get a prince or a king?"

  It was Silae's turn to glance in his direction before turning her attention back to the room.

  "I think you already know the answer or you wouldn't have asked me. Tell me about the young secondary options. The prince from Buku seems interesting." Silae was referring to the young man who stood off to one side, his green eyes taking in the ladies but not making any moves to anyone in particular. Not even the mermaid who seemed surprised when he didn't engage her more. The young woman shrugged and moved on to the next potential suitor.

  "He's brooding, if that's what you mean. He seems to be plotting something, but of course I have no idea what it is. Unlike you ladies, gossip isn't something that a lot of men do. We talk about concrete things, business, trade, and sport."

  "That is entirely untrue. You forget that I work as a barmaid. I know to you it might seem solitary and disconnected, but I get to hear what the men talk about when they come to my bar. They gossip as much as old women do. Just this week I heard two tradesmen ready to come to blows over a rumor about th
e prince being rejected by the two remaining princesses."

  Jak put his cup down and looked up as the others did when Chiza and Rasha entered.

  "That's not a rumor." Jak left his place beside the wall with Silae and moved to take Rasha's hand as she came down the stairs. He led her to the left. The prince from Vol did the same, taking Chiza's hand and leading her around the room in the opposite direction. When everyone had made their introductions, Rasha was face to face with Silae.

  "I'm surprised to see you here," Rasha said, taking a moment to give Silae a light embrace.

  Silae gave her a knowing smile. "No more surprised than I am to see you and Jak here. I was sure you'd be hunting down Ladi by now."

  Rasha looked to Jak. They hadn't talked about Ladi since their arrival. She'd been intent on talking about something earlier. He regretted storming off because he wanted to talk to her alone and now wasn't the time. The prince entered, forcing them all to stand apart and welcome him into the group.

  The ten ladies all curtsied as he entered and he acknowledged them all one by one. He started with the mermaid who'd been standing the closest. Then one after another he welcomed each of the ladies. He even had kind words for both Chiza and Rasha, whose hand he kissed. Jak felt his own hand clench in response. Why did he have to single her out? When Bashir made eye contact, he wondered if it wasn't out of spite.

  Silae bowed her head to the prince in a slow, measured movement, giving him time to notice her. When she raised her head, he stepped forward and placed his four fingers over the dots on her forehead and spoke in the Karmirian language.

  Jak understood it to mean, "You are welcome, Karmirian daughter, please accept me and my home as your own."

  Silae's smile lit up her face and her eyes. Then she spoke in the common language.

  "If I am to your liking, I look forward to both."

  Bashir smiled and his eyes went wide.

  Jak wasn't sure what kind of answer he'd been expecting but Silae had surprised him, that was clear. He hoped she'd be able to distract the prince from Rasha.

  "Jak," Bashir said with a quick glance.

  "Bashir," Jak said.

  "I trust you'll let the rest of us have a chance at marriage as well?"

  Jak felt his mouth get dry from gaping before he closed it. So, the prince knew. It was no doubt for that reason he'd been so cold to Jak, in addition to he and Rasha having an established relationship. Jak's hands closed into tight fists before he relaxed them again.

  Bashir leaned in and spoke to a servant who bowed before lifting a staff and hitting it on the smooth stone floor to get their attention.

  "To the ballroom, please."

  Jak looked around and wondered how many of them would dance this early in the evening. He noted a wary expression on at least one face. The prince from Majiwa, a merman, had held back. The mermaid who'd introduced herself earlier smiled and took his arm, patting him in reassurance.

  As Jak entered the ballroom, he noted it was filled with people. The council was present, as were many of the parents and families of the chosen princes and ladies. A general buzz ensued when the families were reunited. Interesting strategy, Jak noted. He'd assumed the whole idea was to distance themselves from the old way. Bashir had brought in their parents, whose ideas would no doubt conflict with the general premise of the evening.

  Rasha moved to stand near her parents for a moment, the smile on her face vanishing. Her father and mother both wore forced smiles and stood on each side of her, whispering their instructions for world dominance it seemed.

  Jak's own father moved from his place alongside another council member to join him.

  "How is your evening progressing?" Xeku asked him.

  "Fine."

  "You and Rasha had a disagreement." It was a statement not a question.

  "Not so much a disagreement as a misunderstanding."

  "Do you care to discuss the matter?"

  "No," Jak snapped. He did want to talk about it, but not with his estranged father. After the death of his mother, Xeku had changed, relaxed into his role as councilman and father to an adult. Jak didn't feel any pressure to speak but found himself doing so, anyway.

  "I believed we'd made our choices clear to one another, but it appears I was mistaken," Jak said.

  Xeku nodded and continued to glance around the room, scanning until he found Rasha.

  "She looks enchanting this evening. The cerulean suits her very well. Did you happen to mention it?"

  "I did, I-" Jak stopped, catching himself in a lie, "I planned to but I never got the chance."

  Xeku turned to face him. "You are a skilled fighter and companion in your courier life. She values those skills and respects them. However, if you're ever going to be more to her than a friend and become more than someone she liked once, you'll have to give her a reason to choose you over the others."

  "She doesn't even want to be here. Rasha is not going to participate in that way."

  "But she is here," Xeku said as he and Jak both followed her movement from one side of the room to stand beside the prince. "If you pressure her instead of woo her, you're going to lose her."

  Jak watched as Rasha listened and the prince spoke in her ear. What was he saying to her? Rasha didn't stay there long as she continued around the room and introduced herself again to the giggling ladies from the southern kingdoms of Vol, Buku, and Winaka. The three couldn't be more than sixteen as they hung on every word of Rasha's with wide eyes. Then they all in unison seemed to look his way, and he was caught staring. Rasha covered a laugh. The others all giggled before turning back to Rasha, their faces enraptured with what she was telling them. After a few sighs, he'd had enough.

  The music started to play, and he needed to get Rasha alone. Dancing would be the easiest way. He wasn't fast enough. The prince from Buku beat him to her. Rasha had been looking at Jak and seemed just as surprised when the young prince stepped into her line of sight and held out his hand for a dance. She accepted, and they moved to the middle of the floor. Jak smiled to the young ladies who were now the only ones left, and they all giggled and curtsied when he approached them.

  "So, which one of you is the best dancer and willing to keep me company as I stumble around out there?"

  13

  RASHA WATCHED AS JAK RECOVERED and moved to ask one of the girls to dance. They'd probably be delighted. Rasha had heard them talking about the rumors of how handsome and charming he was. They wouldn't be disappointed. She'd seen his charm first hand. The young prince of Buku annoyed her, and she didn't make any pretense of her feelings being otherwise. He fit into a memory she couldn't place but it was his abrupt and arrogant manner that bothered her most.

  "You seemed more than a little bored so I thought I'd rescue you," he said.

  "I don't need rescuing, but you will if you don't pay more attention to what's going on around you."

  "I don't understand," he said furrowing his brows.

  "That's my point. Are we going to do this again?"

  "Do what?"

  "Threaten each other without a proper introduction." Rasha glared at him and forced herself not to shrug him off when his hand cupped her back.

  "I know who you are. You're Princess Rasha Jenchat Indari, daughter of the house of Chilali."

  "Yes, I know my title. I have learned yours as well, Prince Omi Gonma, son of the house of Buku. That's hardly an introduction. Who are you?"

  "I'm someone who's been in the shadows long enough. I'm ready to take my rightful place." His lip curled as he looked off to her left.

  "Oh, I see. Mommy and daddy issues."

  "What?"

  "I've seen it before. You apparently don't know my story. It's a daily struggle," she said with a nod to her parents.

  "Yes, I'm familiar with your story. You ran from the castle and intended never to return as I understand it. What brought you back?"

  "I needed to help a friend."

  "I don't have any friends to get in the way.
"

  "That wasn't my point. I was saying—" The music came to a halt and the dinner bell rang.

  Omi bowed to her and turned away before she could say another word. Odd was the only way to describe her encounters with the young prince.

  Rasha's father grabbed her by the elbow as they entered the dining hall.

  "You'll sit with your family this evening." He gripped her arm until it bruised. She snatched it away and her mother took her other arm and gently put it over her own.

  "Come, your father wants us to represent a united Chilali tonight."

  Rasha bit back a response before letting her mother lead her inside. The table settings were labeled by family and they all took their seats. Bashir placed Rasha on his right, to her parents’ delight as it placed them so close to the prince. Silae and her parents were across from them on the prince's left. Rasha felt the anxiety of the evening welling up inside of her as she looked for Jak. He and Xeku were placed at the far end of the table.

  A purposeful slight on the prince's part. Shameful, she'd thought the prince better than that. Chiza was on that end of the table as well. Her parents sat like statues next to her. At least Jak would be there for her. The prince drew everyone's attention as he stood up.

  "Ladies and gentlemen, I welcome you to the dinner this evening. The night, however, is for your children. They've already received rooms for the night and will, with your permission, be staying with me and the other royals for the New Choosing. Because this is a time of discovery and romance you'll be excused after dinner to return to your homes. I want to thank you in advance for your generosity and understanding of the new arrangement.” The prince sat back down and leaned into Rasha.