"The king of Sidoa knows nothing but his people are running low on gems. For the right payment, anyone can be a friend, if you know what I mean," Gorg said.
"Where are the beasts now?" Ladi asked.
Gorg's mouth clamped closed.
Rasha's swords came up and crossed in front of his face.
"There's a shipment going out in the morning. They'll be in the water on their way to the bull-men and bird-men at dawn."
Rasha looked to Ladi, who nodded as if she'd already asked the question. They'd have to split up if they were going to save everyone.
Rasha noticed that Ladi rubbed at her raw wrists.
"Are you all right?" Rasha asked.
"Fine. I want to stop him before he gets to any other beasts."
"Yes, I know, but first we need to get this cure to the people who can best make use of it. Contact Ebere and let him know we're going to need his help."
"I wouldn't do that, if I were you," Gorg said.
"What do you mean?" Rasha asked as they both turned to look at him.
"That greenie isn't with you, he's with us."
Ladi laughed. She actually laughed out loud, holding her belly.
Rasha didn't laugh but she watched Gorg's reaction.
"What do you mean he's with you?"
"I mean, we had a courier on the inside. Besides, Omi needed someone with the chemical skills to help with distributing the sickness."
Rasha was calculating the likelihood of Gorg lying at this point, and what would be the benefit. She'd played cards against him at the tavern, and she'd worked alongside him. He had absolutely no reason to lie about Ebere. Ladi hadn't yet worked out the conclusion as she stopped laughing and turned to look at Rasha.
"You're not going to believe this lying twyllo, are you?"
"I'm not lying to you, little girl. How do you think Omi got the cure? He's got connections but he's not smart enough to make it himself."
"What, so now you want to help us all of a sudden?" Ladi held the sword up to his face again, but he didn't flinch or back down.
"I've seen enough death. How much are you willing to see before you believe me?"
Rasha used her own sword to push Ladi's down. With a nod to Gorg, she let him go. He dashed off into the woods on foot.
"What are you doing? Not ten minutes ago he had a sword to my throat," Ladi yelled.
"Think about it, Ladi, Gorg wouldn't know Ebere was a greenie unless they'd already met. Ebere hasn't done any courier work since he was assigned to me over a year ago and we spent that year fighting the beasts."
The realization of her words were getting through to Ladi, but she shook her head to fight it. Her eyes filled with tears.
"I need to go and help my friends. If we can believe anything Gorg says, they'll be in danger," Ladi said.
Rasha knew that feeling of betrayal, but she had no way to spare her friend from it. Ebere was most likely a traitor to the eleven kingdoms and regardless of their former feelings for him, he wasn't someone they could trust anymore.
Rasha leapt on top of Zele's bowed head and held out her hand. Ladi hesitated.
"You won't be able to travel faster than we can. We'll take you straight to the coast after we've delivered the source of the antidote to the Tero-Joro," Rasha said she stretched out her hand again.
Ladi took it less than a minute later and settled herself behind Rasha. With two long sweeps of her wings, Zele had them in the air.
26
THEY REACHED TERO JORO WITHIN hours. However, due to the late hour of their arrival, Rasha wasn't sure there'd be anyone at the labs. She saw an illumination, an unnatural light on in the buildings. The entrance was always bright and the robots there always working. It didn't surprise her they recognized her. They didn't break stride to make it to the mechanical lifts they used to get to the upper levels of the shiny building.
Most of the labs, however, were dark but the robot at the entrance assured them that someone would be available in the lab to help them. They stepped off of the mechanical lift and on the glossy floors.
"One word: sterile,” Ladi said as she let her feet slip along the floor.
"Efficient, and we need that cure now." Rasha approached the double doors at the end of the hall as she'd done before, and the faceless robot on this floor greeted her with a cheerful voice.
"I am sorry, Courier Rasha Indari and companion, you are too late."
"What do you mean?" Rasha asked.
"The laboratory is closed."
"We have just arrived here and the one downstairs said it was okay to come up."
"The lab is closed, there is no one here to help you."
Rasha watched the robot with interest. They were connected to the same network. Why would there be a difference in the responses?
"Show me."
"Come with me." The robot glided on the smooth floor with one wheel and to the lab with the light on.
"What is this?"
Rasha and Ladi looked from one lab to the next. All the rooms had lights on but only one had a technician slumped over the table.
"Is he dead?" Ladi asked.
"No, he is breathing but no longer conscious."
"Why is he still here?" Rasha asked. "He needs to see a physician."
"The first fell this afternoon. They have requested that no physician be called until one has reached the unconscious state, this is the last."
"When were you going to make the call?"
"The physicians were called five minutes ago. They have arrived and are on their way up."
"This is bad,” Ladi said.
"Who else is working on the cure?"
"There is no one left."
"That can't be. There's no way they'd make it this far and have only the people in this building working on it. If they knew they would lose consciousness at some point, they'd have a plan." Rasha moved to the monitor, careful not to touch the unconscious man at the desk. "I need access to this unit."
"Only authorized personnel are permitted to access the network."
"I have the cure, let me in, now."
The robot's internal circuits whirred. "That is the correct response." The monitor came to life. "I need to attend to the physicians." The robot rolled away.
Rasha tapped one key at a time on the display until Ladi pushed her aside.
"Here, let me." Ladi's hands flew over the monitor and the screen changed in rapid succession in front of them. "Tell me what I'm looking for."
"Any communications between the lab and someone outside the building. Can you figure that out?"
"Yes, it'll take a minute."
"Hurry, there has to be someone there that can help us."
"Got it, oh," Ladi said.
"What? Who?" Rasha asked as she leaned over her shoulder to stare at the screen then swore. "Anyone but him."
"We can't give the cure to Ebere, we don't trust him."
"No, we don't."
* * *
Zele dropped Ladi and Rasha on the front lawn of Ebere's family home.
"What if he's not here?" Ladi asked, fidgeting with her clothes and hair.
Rasha had felt the same way when she'd realized that Xeku was Jak's biological father. If she had met his mother before her passing, she imagined she might be just as nervous. But this was different. Ebere was most likely a traitor and even so, they needed his help.
"Are you sure you can do this?"
"Of course, if he gets out of line…" Ladi let her voice trail off. Either she was planning for the worst or she wasn't sure what she was going to do.
"Relax."
"I am relaxed. Why wouldn't you think I'm relaxed?"
"You've touched your hair twice in the last sixty seconds and you keep adjusting your clothes. I'm starting to wonder if you're going on a date."
Ladi's hands stopped midway to her scalp before she dropped them to her sides.
"He'll give us the cure or else," Ladi said, squaring her shoulders
&nbs
p; Rasha gave Ladi one more warning glance as she knocked on the door in front of her.
A woman with an older version of Ebere's face answered the door. She looked them up and down with a fair amount of suspicion before she spoke.
"Can I help you?"
"We're looking for Ebere. Is he here?" Rasha asked.
The woman's expression only grew in suspicion as she regarded both girls. A small head peaked out from behind her skirts. Boy or girl, she couldn't be sure.
"Who's asking?"
"I'm Courier Rasha Indari, and this is Ladi. Ebere was my partner."
The frown on her face changed from suspicion to recognition.
"Princess Rasha Indari." She bowed with a well-practiced curtsey that made Rasha's skin blush to a dark purple. "I'm sorry I didn't recognize you. Come in and excuse the state of our home. I'm Ebere's mother, Hema."
"Mama, she's purple," the little girl with short hair and her mother's face said. She'd refused to let go of her mother's skirts, even after her mother had turned in a complete circle.
"Hold your tongue," she said to the child. To Rasha she said, "my youngest, Yisha."
Rasha didn't bother to respond. Nothing made her more uncomfortable than the attention her royal title gave her. Comments about her purple skin didn't bother her over much. There were plenty in the eleven kingdoms who'd never seen purple skin.
"Ebere?" she asked again.
"I'll fetch him. Please sit." She detached the little girl's small hands from her skirts to dash off to find Ebere. The little girl wouldn't be left alone with them and scurried after her mother.
Rasha and Ladi each sat down on one end of a soft couch with hand stitched repairs on each end covered by white knitted doilies. The living space was about half the size of Ladi's home. The wood burning stove was close enough to feel the heat from dinner emanating from it. There were several family photos on the walls, most of them featuring an older man that looked to be Ebere's father. Ebere never spoke of a father and Rasha had assumed he'd died a while ago. The way Ebere's five-year-old self stared up at him, he must have been much admired. She looked over at Ladi and saw her glancing over everything too. Was she thinking the same thing? How could Ebere be a traitor with all this normal and sad stuff in his house.
Hema returned in a flurry, her apron tied around her waist she offered them both something to drink. Ladi accepted for them and as they sipped their cold drinks, Ebere appeared. He was still adjusting his clothes when he entered the room. Rasha noted the exhausted eyelids and the worry around his mouth. But when he saw Ladi, his entire face seemed to lift and lighten. Rasha looked at Hema, his mother. She'd noticed it too. Could he have real feelings for Ladi?
Ebere tripped over himself to see Ladi, ignoring Rasha all together.
"I hoped you were okay. I tried to contact you, but you never answered. Did you find them?" He babbled off questions while Hema stood with her hands on her hips.
Rasha was probably the only person who noticed that Ladi's hand was on her sword. "We'll get to that later, we need to know if you can help us. You're the last person working on the cure with any connection to the labs."
"You've been to the labs? Why hasn't anyone there contacted me?"
"They've all collapsed. They have the sickness. There isn't one person other than you who was working on it,” Ladi said.
"By the way, why are you working on the cure?" Rasha asked. "I wasn't aware that you had any kind of medical background."
"Oh." Ebere looked down at the floor. "I don't really, it's sort of my hobby. After Ladi and I parted ways, I kept in contact with the scientists to see if they needed help at the labs. I liked dabbling in chemistry once." He exchanged a look with his mother.
Hema's lips tightened and her gaze landed on a photo of his father on the wall to her right.
Ebere continued, "Not that it matters. I'm sorry, I've made little progress." He gave them a shrug.
It all seemed a little too well rehearsed but they didn't have much of a choice at the moment. They needed a way to distribute the cure. "We have." Rasha opened her satchel and pulled out the piece of tree. It looked as vibrant as it had when she'd plucked it. She didn't much like turning it over to a traitor, but with Ladi there to watch him she hoped that it would be enough.
Ebere's eyes grew wider and his mother and sister both leaned forward.
"Now, what is that?" Hema asked.
"Someone said this might help us to make a cure,” Rasha said, holding it out for Ebere to take. He cradled it in his hands as if he feared dropping it would damage it.
"It's not much. How will that little thing cure all the people who are sick?" Hema asked. She reached out and rubbed a thumb over one leaf.
"I was hoping Ebere could help us with that part,” Rasha said.
He was shaking his head.
"You're our only hope. The palace is counting on you."
Ebere looked from his mother then to Ladi then back to his mother.
"You can do this,” Ladi said and put a hand on his arm.
Rasha tried not to smile at Ladi's well-played performance as she waited along with the others for Ebere to respond.
Ebere looked down at her hand and nodded.
"I'll try."
* * *
Rasha paced the living room floor, trying to figure out what to do about Prince Omi. He'd said he wasn't the prince of Buku but he was royal. She'd already sent word to the palace, but someone would have to stop him before he got out of control. When her communicator beeped, she hoped with all her heart it wasn't an update on Jak or Chiza. It wasn't. There was only one word on her device.
"What's it say?" Ladi asked.
"Come." Rasha gathered up her things and stood up. "I have to return to the palace. Are you going to be all right here on your own?"
"Yes."
"Don't do anything…" Rasha thought for a moment, "rash. Let me know as soon as you have something."
Ladi nodded.
Rasha wondered if Ebere would even give Ladi what they needed.
27
"YOU'RE FAMILY IS NICE,” Ladi said as she sat twirling herself in the seat beside Ebere. His small room was decorated with all of his passions: dangling science projects and half put together technologies. He'd cleared his desk to make room for the tree and his chemicals.
"Thanks," Ebere said. He placed a special pair of glasses over his eyes that enlarged them.
"What do those do?" Ladi asked.
"They make it so I can see down to the cellular level. This tree is amazing."
"What do you mean?" She moved closer, her hand on the hilt of her sword. She'd have to stop him if he tried to destroy the tree.
He slipped off the glasses and handed them to Ladi.
"Oh,” Ladi said and slipped on the contraption then stared at the tree leaves.
"See how the cellular membranes are shifting?"
"Yes, is that normal?"
"No, not at all. Look down at your hand."
Ladi noted the scales of her skin and whipped off the glasses. "Uck! That's just gross."
Ebere took the glasses back from her, pulled out his wooden stool and sat down.
"That's our skin, Tero and Joro alike. But it's not shifting the way the cellular membranes are in the leaves of the tree."
"That is interesting." Ladi moved her chair back an inch from him. "How long do you think it will take to do something with it that will help the others?"
"It depends."
"On what?"
"It depends on how many times I have to explain everything to you."
Ladi scoffed and then shut her mouth.
"Why don't you get us some drinks?"
She didn't want to leave him alone with the tree but she also didn't have a good reason to stay. "Fine." She stood up and walked into the other room.
Ladi stopped short when Ebere's mother, Hema, looked up from her needlework with one raised eyebrow.
"Can I help you?"
"Um, Ebere
wants something to drink. I was getting it for him."
"Just through there in the kitchen you'll find what you need. I trust you can find your way around one?"
Ebere's little sister Yisha snickered behind her hand.
"My mother wouldn't have it any other way." Ladi ignored the insult and bounced into the kitchen.
Ladi had no idea where to find anything in the kitchen. She opened one cupboard then another. Maybe she should have just asked for help in the first place, now she would look like a pumseed.
"Yahtz!" she swore to herself when she was about ready to give up.
"Yahtz!" Ebere's younger brother repeated loud enough for everyone to hear.
"Please don't use that language around the children." Hema came into the kitchen and urged her young son into the other room. She moved to the cupboard that Ladi had first opened and pulled the mixture. The dishes were in the bottom cabinets and she pulled out a pitcher and five cups.
"So, you're what all the fuss is about these days,” Hema said as she added water to the mixture and stirred.
"I'm sorry?" Ladi wasn't sure she understood what the woman meant.
"My son may be shy but he's got people in his life that love him and will protect him. Do you understand?" The stirring spoon hit the table with a slam.
"I'm sure I don't," Ladi said crossing her arms.
"If you mean my son any harm, I advise you to think about choosing another target for your coy games."
Ladi's mouth fell open, and she had to snap it closed again. This woman thought she was the danger. She wondered what the mother of a traitor would say when the truth was out. Before she could speak, Hema put out two cups filled with the mixture before turning her back and pouring two more for her younger children. She had to help the youngest one who continued to swear with delight to his mother's annoyance. Ladi left the kitchen and carried the cups with care to Ebere's room and leaned against the door to close it.
"What took you so long?"
"Nothing," Ladi said. The last thing she wanted to do was tell Ebere how his mother had cornered her. She saw the tree root was where it had been when she'd left. "Do you have a cure yet?"
"Patience," Ebere continued working, then looked up at her behind the glasses that made his eyes grow to the size of saucers. "You could help me."
The Courier's Quest Page 13
