“What about round your village?” said Nour.
“Not yet. They are slowly working their way inwards towards the King’s City.”
“Wait a minute.” A plan was beginning to take shape in Chaya’s head. “Does this mean these men are enemies of the King?”
“Yes,” said Neel. “He must hate them more than he hates us.”
“And that’s saying something,” said Nour.
The plan was growing and strengthening, and seeming more and more plausible all the time. “Am I the only one seeing a way out of all this and saving our people at the same time?”
Nour looked puzzled.
“What do you mean?” said Neel.
“Oh, Neel, don’t you see? Any enemy of the King is a best friend to us.”
“Come on,” said Chaya, leading Ananda towards the men. “We’re going to join the bandits.”
“Join them?” said Nour. “Are you crazy? What are you talking about?”
Neel hurried up behind Chaya. “I like what I think you’re thinking. But why would they want to help us?”
“We have to make them an offer that’s so good they can’t refuse it.”
Gamage looked up as they approached. “Ah, ready to leave at last?” He pointed behind him. “Settle the elephant by the tree. Would you like some food before you go?”
“Thank you, that’d be good,” said Chaya. She came up and sat down on the platform with Nour.
Gamage shouted something at a man inside one of the huts, and he came out bringing bowls of manioc and wood apples that he set down in front of them.
Chaya broke the shell and dug into a wood apple hungrily. “So you steal for a living?” she said to Gamage.
He looked amused. “You could say that.”
“And you’re loyal to Sena?”
“I see the boy has updated you very quickly. Yes.”
“How do you win supporters for him?”
“Most people hate the King, so it’s not that difficult,” said Gamage. “But even so, it’s harder than you’d think. We employ some … less than noble tactics sometimes.”
“Like what?” said Nour.
Gamage shrugged. “We loot villages to make the people feel unsafe. It turns them against the King because he’s supposed to look after them. That way, they’re more open to someone new stepping in.”
“Sena pays you to do these things?” Chaya took a swig of water from a clay pitcher. “I thought he was a good person.”
“I don’t think he knows everything we do. What matters is winning supporters, and getting rid of the King. Very few people have even seen Sena. He has trusted advisers who handle everything.”
“Well, that’s all very interesting,” said Chaya. She cleared her throat. “We have an offer for you.”
Gamage snorted. “An offer of what? We weren’t asking nicely for the elephant. We would have taken it anyway.”
“We want to join you.”
Gamage laughed outright at that. “Why would we want you?”
“I think we’d be a big asset to you. We can directly help Sena in his victory.”
Gamage stared at Chaya. “Confident child, aren’t you? I don’t like this kind of grand talk. I think you should clear out now.”
“We can help,” insisted Chaya. “You do know what we did, right? We may be children, but do you know anyone else who could steal the Queen’s jewels from a place as heavily guarded as the royal palace? Someone who walked right into the Queen’s quarters?”
Gamage grinned and shook his head, but she could tell he was impressed.
“And got one of the King’s prisoners out of jail,” said Neel.
“Actually all of them, if we’re counting,” said Chaya.
Gamage inclined his head, amused, as if conceding a point.
“And stole the King’s elephant,” said Nour, catching on.
“All right, all right! But why would you want to help us?”
“We want to save our people in Nirissa.”
Gamage snorted. “Your people hate you. You’re not going to get any hero’s welcome there.”
“We don’t care about that,” said Chaya. “Our people have suffered too long at the King’s hands. Think about it. Nirissa is right on the doorstep of the King’s City. And this is the perfect time to strike.”
“I don’t make those decisions, girl,” said Gamage. “We take our orders from Prince Sena.”
“Then take us to meet Sena and we can discuss this with him ourselves.”
Gamage threw back his head and laughed. He was still shaking with mirth when he spoke. “Like I said, confident child, aren’t you? You can join us if you like; your skills might be useful to us. But if you think that Prince Sena will be interested in any of you or your grand ideas you can forget it right now.”
Nour put down her plate and leaned in towards Gamage. “Without the support of the surrounding villages like Nirissa, Sena can never succeed. Imagine what he could do if all the men and women joined him as he marched in? And support for the King right now is the lowest it has ever been. If Sena misses this opportunity, another one might not come for a very long time.”
Chaya sat back casually. “And you could be the one who spotted this chance. I’m sure Sena would be very grateful.”
Gamage stared at the three of them as if trying to figure out what to make of them. Finally he relented. “I’ll pass on the message to those who give me orders.”
The children spent the next day with the bandits, not hearing anything back about their proposal.
“Do you think it’ll work?” Chaya looked through the slatted window at the men ambling to and fro outside. “Do you think Gamage even passed on the message? It’s been a whole day.”
They were in their hut, a single room with a few threadbare mats rolled up on one side of the unswept floor, and a shuttered window next to the door.
“Gamage doesn’t have access to Sena,” said Neel. “It has to go through others and reach him wherever he is.”
“Sena must know about us if he knew about Ananda.” Nour was sitting on the pile of mats, her chin on her knees and hugging her legs. “And what we said about the timing makes complete sense. He’d be a fool not to even consider it.”
“We’re running out of time,” said Chaya. What would the King do with Father? “How long can we wait for Sena to respond?”
Nour picked at a stray thread on the mat beside her. “Aren’t you two afraid? This is so much … bigger than I thought it would be. This is an actual war with the King.”
“It was going to happen anyway,” said Chaya. “With a king like ours, and with Sena back to stake his claim. But our people need it right now.”
“But what if the villagers are hostile?” said Nour. “They’ve suffered so much because of us. Why would they be jumping at a war with the King?”
“We’ll just have to convince them,” said Neel. “There’s no turning back now.”
Gamage summoned them later that evening. The men were gathered on the platform around a blazing fire over which fish hung to roast.
“Come, come. Have a bit of dinner with us,” said Gamage when he saw them. “Sit down.” He gestured at some men sitting nearby as if he were sweeping rubbish away with a broom, and they moved off to the side. “Had a good rest?”
“Yes, thank you,” said Neel, sitting down.
The air was warm and smoky. Pots of toddy were being carried in, and the men were getting slightly raucous. In the background Ananda’s shape loomed through the darkness and smoke, still tethered under the tree.
“So tell me about home,” said Gamage, as a man came up with a wooden tray of whole roasted fish. “You all live in Nirissa?”
“Neel and I do.” Chaya took one from the proffered tray. “Nour lives in the King’s City itself.”
“And you have knowledge of the palace?”
“Of course.” Chaya bit into the fish. These were soft and spicy, unlike the ones they’d burnt at the river. �
��Not to blow our own conch shell, but we did get in there twice. Once to the Queen’s quarters, and once to the underground prison complex. We work as a team. We each have our, er, talents.”
“I see.” Gamage nodded and turned to Neel. “And you must be the mastermind. Tell me, boy, how did you do it?”
Chaya bristled.
“I… I, er… I didn’t… It wasn’t… I mean.” Neel cleared his throat. “It just … happened.”
Gamage shook his head. “You don’t want to part with your secrets, I see. But it’s OK, I have some news for you.”
Around them the men talked and laughed and munched their food, their faces tinged orange in the firelight. A man came round at the end with a large pot of buffalo curd that everyone dug into with glee.
“What news?” Chaya put down her tin plate, hardly daring to hope.
“You’ve got your wish. Prince Sena wants to see you.”
The next day they set out early, walking briskly through the jungle with Gamage. He seemed to know his way very well, and by midday they’d come to the edge of the forest, where a cart was waiting.
Chaya hoisted herself up after the others into the cart. “This is nice. I thought we were going to walk all the way.”
“Prince Sena is living with a friend of his family,” said Gamage, sitting opposite them. “Someone close to his mother’s side, who’s always been loyal to them.”
They didn’t talk much after that with Gamage sitting beside them. It was refreshing being out in open country after being in the jungle so long, the blue sky endless above them. The cart trundled down the coastal road, coconut trees flashing past as they drew on towards Sena.
They drove through a pair of gates down a curving drive, and stopped at a large many-gabled house with a latticed porch and wide verandah.
A man was standing outside, immaculate in starched clothes and slicked hair and moustache. “I’m Mangala,” he said to them. “Please go and sit down, I’ll be with you in a minute.”
Chaya and Nour followed Neel inside, while Mangala stayed back and had a few words with Gamage. All the doors into the house from the verandah were thrown wide open against the walls, and the place was bright and airy, even grander than Nour’s, with very high ceilings and plants flowing here and there through railings and winding around posts.
“This is nice,” said Chaya, sitting on the polished railing seat of the verandah and leaning out. “Somehow I thought Sena would be locked away somewhere hidden.”
They watched the cart roll away down the gravel drive as Gamage left. Mangala nodded at them as he walked in, and showed them to a carved settee. It felt strange to be sitting on proper seats, and having cups of coriander tea served to them on silver trays.
“I hope you had a comfortable ride,” said Mangala. “You can have some rest before lunch.”
“Can we have a bath too?” said Nour. “Please.”
“Of course.”
“When do we meet Sena?” said Chaya. “We’d like to speak to him as soon as possible.”
“I understand,” said Mangala. “You will meet this evening, after you’ve washed and eaten. I should let you know … he might not be … what you’re expecting.”
“What do you mean?” said Neel.
Chaya exchanged a glance with Neel. Gamage hadn’t seen Sena either. He’d said very few people had. What was Mangala saying? She didn’t care if he had two heads, as long as he wasn’t like the King.
But Mangala shook his head mysteriously and even looked amused. “You’ll find out.”
“What do you think he meant?” said Chaya, tucking into her rice and shredded spinach curry. They were eating at a small table near the kitchen, just the three of them, and the table was full of food. Mangala was presumably dining elsewhere in his house with Sena.
“Not sure,” said Neel, eating ravenously. “Should we be worried?”
Nour, looking fresh and clean once again, spooned some long beans on to her plate. “He looked amused. Maybe he was joking.”
“He doesn’t seem like a joking type,” said Chaya.
“Let’s not set too much store by Sena.” Neel pushed the dhal towards Nour, who was reaching for it. “If he doesn’t want to do this we’ll have to try something else. Go back to Nirissa maybe, and help them somehow.”
“It’s going to be hard to defend ourselves against the King,” said Chaya. “It would be so much easier with Sena and his army of supporters on our side.”
“The fact that we’re here means he’s interested,” said Nour.
“Let’s just see what he says.” Chaya poured herself a glass of king-coconut water and took a sip. “Aah, that was delicious.”
Mangala peeped into the room and tapped on the side of the door. “All finished here? If you’re ready, Sena will see you now.”
“Yes, coming,” said Chaya. They scrambled up quickly and followed him through the living room to another wing of the house. At last.
“Remember, children, this is the true monarch of Serendib, who will, with the help of the people, take the throne soon. Be respectful all the time. Even if …” Mangala hesitated, “he doesn’t demand it.”
Mangala stopped at a pair of double doors and knocked softly, before it was opened by a servant inside.
Mangala gestured to them to go in, and stood with his back against the door.
The children entered a large square room with arched windows along one side, overlooking a grassy courtyard fringed with anthuriums. An open-fronted cabinet stood opposite, filled with brassy ornaments.
And there, standing in front of it, was the soon-to-be ruler of their island.
Chaya gawped, and heard the sharp intake of breath from Nour next to her.
Where the King was tall and muscular and brown, Sena was lightly built, slim and darker skinned. But that wasn’t the only thing.
Serendib’s new monarch wasn’t the King’s half-brother at all.
It was the King’s half-sister.
“Thank you for coming to see me,” said Sena.
“You – you’re welcome,” said Chaya. For once she was speechless.
“I’ve been hearing about your exploits ever since the jewel theft.” Sena laughed, and her tiny bell-like earrings shook. She wore cowled trousers and a fitted bodice, and her voice sounded vaguely foreign. As if reading Chaya’s mind she said, “I’ve been away a long time, ever since my brother the King sent us away.”
Of course. The King had banished both his half-brother and half-sister.
“The real Sena died a long time ago.” Her tone was full of pain, as if she hadn’t got over it in all those years. “Ever since, I vowed to come back and take the throne and free this country from my tyrant brother. My journey back nearly took my life, but I’m here now and ready to serve Serendib.”
Ready to serve Serendib. She sounded completely unlike the King.
She laughed again and looked at the three of them one by one. “Is anybody going to speak to me?”
“Sorry, Your Highness,” said Neel. “What should we call you?”
“My name is Princess Leela. I know it’s a lot to take in,” she said. “I didn’t set out to deceive anyone. I took on my brother’s name and identity for my own safety as we travelled, and many people here don’t know that he’s gone yet. They assume it’s he who is back for the throne.”
Chaya nodded. As did she.
“Chaya, is it?” said the Princess. “Is your father the arrested headman?”
“Yes, he needs our help. All of our village does.”
“I understand. I’m so sorry this has happened to you. I’ll do everything I can to put things right.”
“Thank you. We should act fast. The people are suffering.”
Leela nodded and turned to Neel.
“Can I ask you something, Neelan? I’m not judging you and you don’t have to answer if you don’t want to, I’m just trying to understand this. Why did you steal the jewels?”
“I, er—”
/> “He didn’t.” Chaya stood very straight. “I am the jewel thief.”
Leela didn’t miss a beat. “Same question to you then.”
“Someone I know, a boy my age, got attacked by a crocodile and needed to have some specialist treatment with a medicine man in Galle. His family needed to urgently come up with the money or he’d have lost his leg completely. One of his brothers even works at the palace, but there was no help for them.”
“I see. That doesn’t seem fair, does it?” Leela seemed to be absorbed in her thoughts for a bit, before she looked at them again. “We weren’t ready for this so soon. We need to gather more supporters, consolidate our position further. But you’re right, this is the best time to strike. And, more importantly, this is the time the people need it the most.”
“The people of Nirissa would listen to us,” said Chaya. “We can get them on your side. And if you bring your people, we could take on the King together.”
“You’re getting ahead of yourselves, children,” said Mangala, speaking for the first time from his position at the back of the room. “It’s not as easy as you think.”
“I agree with Mangala,” said Leela. “I won’t jeopardise the safety of my troops by leading them on a foolish errand. We have no idea if your villagers will be receptive to you after all that’s happened.”
Chaya’s heart sank. “Of course they will! They’re our people.”
“We will do our best to convince them, Princess Leela,” said Neel. “You can count on us.”
“I know I can,” said Leela. “That’s why I think you should go to your village and try to get your people on our side. But I’m not risking the lives of my army by taking them there when I don’t know what your villagers’ reaction would be. They might still side with the King.”
“That’s right.” Mangala nodded in approval. “The Princess is right to cover all bases. Your safety is important, Leela. It’ll be up to you kids to go and meet your people, of course.”
The Girl Who Stole an Elephant Page 10
