"What happened?"
"He knows."
30
RASHA TURNED OFF HER COMMUNICATOR in time to hear a cry inside the palace. She ran, praying to the Universal it wasn't Duna. She found one of the servants, a young girl, on her knees with her hands over her face. Silae had her arms wrapped around her.
"It's one of the princes, he's dead. Chiza too, I believe,” Silae said in a whisper over the girl's sobs. Tears streaming down her own face, she said, "Jak doesn't have much time left. Go to him."
"Ladi, she's here with the cure, we've got to get it to everyone, find her," Rasha said, already in motion.
Rasha's heart was in her throat as she ran up the west wing stairs two at a time. Where was Ladi? She said they were already here. She'd never run so hard or so fast in her life and was out of breath when she burst into Jak's room. It took her a moment to take in the situation. Duna held a hand over her mouth. She'd been the one to scream, Zele had startled her. Zele sat outside the window on the ledge looking as innocent as ever, and Ebere and Ladi were already in the room. She'd assumed Zele had curled up in the woods. Instead, the dragon had gone back for Ladi.
Ladi held a small vial of gold liquid in her hand and she placed two drops on Jak's tongue.
It took less than a minute for Jak's eyes to flutter open and focus on the room around him. Xeku laughed and hugged his son to his chest.
"You're alive. You're alive."
Duna threw herself across Jak’s torso before Rasha could take two steps forward. She was so relieved and distracted that she didn't feel the tears streaming down her face until he whispered her name.
"Rasha, I need–," his voice was scratchy and barely audible, but something inside of her lifted at the sound of her name on his dry lips.
"I'm here,” she said. Duna stepped back, making room for her, and she sat on the edge of the bed and put her forehead to his.
He lifted a hand to grab her face, and she clasped it in her own. His eyes focused on her.
"What, did you think I was going to let you get out of the New Choosing?" She laughed. "You've got too many hearts left to break."
Jak didn't smile or joke. Rasha didn't realize until now how much she missed seeing his confident smile. His eyes fluttered closed, his skin returning to its normal cream.
She remembered Ladi and Ebere then. Ebere eyed her like he would a rabid snake. He'd betrayed them all and yet he was here helping distribute the cure. She wanted to know why but there wasn't any time.
"We've got to distribute this to everyone with the disease. We've got lots more," Ladi said, making her way to the door. "Ebere's with me."
Rasha wasn't sure what that meant. Had Ladi already gotten the answer to this riddle? She could only hope as it was their only chance now.
Rasha nodded. "The princess, Chiza. She's gone. Go and help the others."
Ladi nodded and Ebere was right behind her with what looked like a bag filled with more vials. Rasha couldn't help but wonder how many would be killed in Omi's little scheme. She still didn't understand his end game, but since he'd disappeared she wouldn't be able to find him tonight. They needed to focus on distributing the cure. Now that Jak was safe, she felt she should go and pay her respects to Chiza. She'd been a good friend and would have made Prince Bashir so happy as his bride.
Rasha remembered how different they'd both been when Chiza came out of that crate. It seemed like a lifetime ago. She never imagined the young princess with anyone other than her best friend Lu. When he died protecting her, she had to make her peace just like they all had. Would the Universal reunite them after death the way they couldn't be in life? Rasha didn't have that answer, nor did anyone. She dragged herself to the east wing of the palace and up the stairs to where Chiza lay across the hall from her own temporary room at the palace. It was quiet here, no doubt in respect of the prince.
The door to Chiza's room was ajar and Rasha pushed against it instead of knocking. Inside was the most astonishing thing she'd seen in her life. The prince sat on the bed. He and Chiza were locked in an embrace. He was kissing her face and murmuring to her.
"I love you, don't ever leave me again," he said into her soft brown hair.
Chiza's soft laugh came out in a rasp as she clung to him.
Before Rasha could ask what was going on, Ladi appeared behind her. She was out of breath and she waved Rasha out of the room and into the corridor.
"What's going on? They said she was dead,” Rasha said in a whisper.
"She was, when I got here he was crying over her cold body. But after what you said about The Niramaya Tree, I thought it might be worth a try." Ladi took another breath. "I put a couple of drops on her tongue as I'd done the others. Her color came back and her heart started to beat again."
"We have to get this to the everyone else,” Rasha said starting to pull Ladi along. But Ladi was shaking her head.
"It's already done, I contacted the Wola. We gave a vial to each and sent them across the eleven kingdoms."
"The beasts?" Rasha asked.
"They're unaffected by the disease. However, there are still some of them missing. I believe that Omi was planning something, but Ebere and I will reach the coast before dawn and track down the rest."
"You're right. We need to find them before it's too late," Rasha said. "You and Ebere did it. Thank you." Rasha reached out, surprising herself and Ladi, and gave the younger girl a fierce hug. "So, I suspect there's a story I'm going to want to hear eventually."
"Yes, you should know he's not innocent. He'll need to answer for his crimes, but he's also not the evil calculating muke we thought he was. I'll give you the details later. By the way, thanks for sending Zele. She was amazing and fast."
"I didn't send her."
Rasha and Ladi stared at each other for a moment, wondering how Zele knew. Then they both shrugged.
"There's too much to do. I better go," Ladi said, turning to head down the corridor.
Rasha was shocked and comforted to see Ladi being so mature. She was only fifteen but she was behaving so much like her older brother it was amazing.
"Be careful," Rasha called after her.
Rasha put her hand around her amulet and said a prayer of thanks for the lives of her friends.
31
THE PALACE OF ISHOLA WAS buzzing with activity by the time Ladi and Ebere left. There was still one more mission left. They had to reach the coast in order to find the shipment of beasts being transported and track it back to where their friends were being held prisoner.
Ladi was happy to see that their people were still in the trees. She'd dispatched the Wola to watch the coast for the next ship transporting beasts. They'd been on the perimeter, keeping watch for some time. When they arrived, the beach was a flurry of men carrying crates and preparing the ship for its departure. Tarrick listened to the report.
"Has there been any change?" he asked.
"No, sir, they've not had any communications out and after the second ship arrived, it was also loaded up. Both have been waiting for something."
Ladi and Ebere had been placed in the treetops near Tarrick. It wasn't long before the ships were casting off, filled with more than a dozen kidnapped beasts each. They included at least three dragons, four bears and six wolves, according to the Wola who reported to Tarrick.
They watched the large ships cast off at last. Not one person was left on the beach. It took less than an hour for them to gain some distance in the water. Ladi felt her body tense as the ships were getting close to the edge of her field of vision. Ebere reached out a hand and touched her arm, keeping his eyes on Tarrick. He had excellent hearing, but his sight was less than her own. But he trusted Tarrick and he was indicating with a look that she should too. So, when she could barely see the ships, she looked to Tarrick.
"It's time, get ready to take to the sky," Tarrick said in a low voice. The message was carried to the rest by way of his signal. His long white wings extended away from his body. He didn't move
from the tree top until the ships were almost out of sight on the edge of the horizon.
Tarrick and another lifted Ebere and Ladi from the tree tops and carried them across the water. With the ships just barely in view on the horizon, Tarrick led the way while the other Wola stayed well behind him. After a few hours, they had travelled so far over the crystal blue water that they needed to be passed off to other Wola in order to avoid flight fatigue. The air here had grown slightly cooler and the clouds above them thick. It was clear that it was harder to see the ships ahead and Tarrick increased his speed in order to keep the ships in sight.
The ships came back into Ladi's view and she knew they'd reached their destination. When the Wola caught up to them, they had to circle around in order to avoid being seen from the ground. Most collapsed in the trees on either side of the coast where the large ships were docked.
While the Wola were catching their breath, Ebere and Ladi made their way down the trees to the ground. On foot, they moved to where the sailors were unloading the drugged animals. The large crates on wheels were rolled off of the ship and onto a large dock that extended out to meet them. Each of the containers had a large metal hook on either side to link them. The first cages were the largest ones holding the dragons. They were linked, followed by the large bears, then the wolves and smaller animals came last.
The train of containers were pulled until the last motorized utility vehicle attached its front to the end. It pushed from the rear while the lead vehicle pulled, and they were soon disappearing into the woods while the ships remained empty.
"We need to follow them, now," Ladi said.
Ebere followed her as she dashed through the trees after them. Tarrick appeared out of nowhere and joined them in the pursuit. Ladi didn't look back. She could hear the distinct rustle of the leaves that she'd associated with the Wola coming out of the tops of the trees. Ladi could smell the encampment before she reached it. It was identical to the one she'd infiltrated near Adalu more than a year ago now.
She held up an open hand to slow down the others. Tarrick must have waved them out to spread out because before long, several Wola were stretched along to the right and left of where Ladi crept toward the encampment. They watched her and when she stopped, they stopped. Ladi followed her nose and the stench of the place told her all she needed to know about the camp.
Ebere put a hand on her shoulder.
"There's an arena here," he said.
"What?" Ladi tilted her own head but couldn't make out the sounds of cheering that she usually heard this close to an arena.
"I can hear the beasts fighting." Ebere's head was tilted slightly to the right.
"We need to stop the fighting and round up the captors. There will be more there than there were guarding the cages," Ladi said.
Tarrick nodded understanding. "I'll see to the arena with my people. Can you handle the guards?"
Ladi looked at Ebere, who nodded, his lips set in a thin determined line. Even after everything he'd done, she still trusted him. He'd explained his reasons and they were sound, though misguided. Looking back over the last few months, hadn't she done the same thing? He'd asked her that exact question back at his mother's home. She had to agree that, to a point, she was also willing to save her friends ahead of herself. He'd taken it a step further by allowing others to pay the ultimate price, however, that wasn't something she could ignore. It was like a weighted ball that rolled around in her stomach whenever she thought of it. Ladi pushed it down now and moved to the left where she could smell the stagnant cages.
Ladi led Ebere and a dozen Wola through the woods toward the larger enclosure that she knew existed. She found it but it was larger than she'd expected, and she noted more guards than there had been before. They were a mix of bird-men and bull-men. She watched more than a dozen guards just milling about in the area. Crouched behind a large boulder, she watched them walking around until a loud horn sounded and the guards started running toward the arena. She let them go and when it was clear, they ran from the trees to the enclosure. Inside, a couple of guards put up some resistance.
Ladi and Ebere moved in with swords swinging and dropped them with several strokes. The Wola charged the enclosure and, using their own weapons, they broke open every single cage they found. Ladi ran toward the back of the arena. She knew that was where they kept the feistier and high-spirited animals. She was shocked to see Browl in one of the cages.
"Get me out of here," he growled at the sight of her.
Ladi swung her sword hard and with one hit, the lock broke and Browl charged out.
"My cubs," he growled.
"Browl!"
It was his mate calling from another cage placed above him.
"I've got her, you get them," Ladi said as she climbed up to her enclosure.
She found swinging her sword with one hand while holding on to the side of a cage far more difficult.
"I got it," Ebere said, coming up from behind her. As she dropped to the ground, he leapt and swung, knocking the lock off.
Grella, now freed, ran after her mate.
"We should follow them," she said to Ebere.
"Go, I'm right behind you," he said.
"We're coming too," Merrick said, moving forward with Erima.
Ladi stopped mid-turn and threw her arms around them.
"I'm so glad you're okay," Ladi cried. She didn't realize how much guilt she was carrying until she saw them both standing in front of her. They were battered and bruised, but both standing. That's when she noticed their wings. Each of them had a broken wing.
"Your wings are damaged."
"They'll heal," Merrick said, putting a hand on her shoulder.
"We knew you'd come," Erima said, putting her hand on Ladi's other shoulder.
"Come, we should get to the young," Ebere said, pulling Ladi back.
Ladi didn't know she'd been crying until he ran a light hand over her cheeks and she felt the wetness pass to his fingers. She pulled back her shoulders and nodded. Then the four of them ran out of the larger enclosure, looking for the smaller one.
"I don't know which way they went."
Ebere tilted his head to listen.
"They're not far." He started running and Ladi had to struggle to keep up.
They arrived in time to see Browl and Grella fighting off six bull-men guards while the smaller enclosure holding their young had roared to life. The cubs inside were growling, howling and making every perceivable sound of discomfort.
Without a word, Erima and Merrick turned and maneuvered themselves behind the guards, pushing them forward into Ladi and Ebere's waiting swords. They rushed inside the enclosure to free the young.
Ladi and Ebere stood back to back, fighting off the bull-men guards until they fell to the ground. Grella and Browl finished off their aggressors and soon there was no resistance. The children were still inside, crying, and Ladi and Ebere rushed inside ahead of the wolves and discovered why the young weren't free.
"One more step and I slice her throat." Erima was held from behind by a bird-man, and his long knife was tight against her throat. His colorful wings were pulled tight against his body as he stood his ground in front of the cages. Merrick was already standing with his palms out.
"I promised to let you go. Please, you don't have to do this."
Merrick's eyes had softened and he took an almost imperceivable step forward. Ladi wanted to give him a chance to get close.
"He's right. We won't hurt you if you let her and the young free." Ladi lifted her hands palms up.
Grella growled behind her and when the bird-man's eyes flew nervously to her, Ladi took a side step to block the angry mother's face.
"There's only one way out of here and I'm not letting anyone go as long as I see you crowding the door. Get back!" The bird-man's knife swung out in the direction of Browl who'd crept up on his left. When he did so, it gave Merrick the space to reach for Erima and get her out of harm's way.
"I said get back."
The bird-man reached into the nearest cage and grabbed the ruff of a wolf cub, pulling his small face forward and placing the knife close to his snout. The others backed away, crying. The captured one growled and snapped.
"Not my baby!" Grella howled.
"Everybody back," the bird-man said, seeing he had the upper hand.
"Trust us, go outside, give him some space," Ladi said, looking at Browl.
"Please," Grella howled and her babies howled with her.
Browl used his teeth to tug on her ear as they both walked slowly out of the small enclosure. It gave the bird-man some relief to see the parents backing up. He didn't understand that the entire enclosure was surrounded with parents. Ladi wouldn't be the one to enlighten him, but she did have an idea for how to get him away from the children. Ladi stepped forward.
"Let the young cub go, you'll never be able to get out of here with him. Take me," she said, walking confidently forward.
"Ladi, no," Ebere said reaching for her vest but she stepped into the range of the bird-man with her hands up.
He dropped the cub and turned her around, putting the knife to her throat.
"Let's go," she said, walking into the knife and pulling the bird-man forward.
Soon, the others were backing up and they were stepping into the light.
"Free the babies," Ladi said without looking at Ebere and the others.
She kept putting one foot in front of the other. When the bird-man's knife slipped she winced at the pain but kept him moving forward and away from the young.
It was then, stepping out of the enclosure and surrounded by angry parents, that he realized his mistake. He gripped the back of Ladi's vest hard scratching her back. But she had scars there and it didn't hurt as much as it would have before. He hadn't noticed that she'd pulled a short sword from her hip. She kept it loose on her belt and it came away with a slight click that the bird-man didn't hear.
Ladi pretended to stumble just enough to twirl her sword low. She used her body to throw the bird-man off balance. Then, with a practiced move, she swung the sword up between his arm holding the knife and her face. The short sword nicked his feathered arm and before he could recover, she pulled her long sword and it came down hard across his chest. He fell to the ground and was devoured by beasts before she could turn around.
The Courier's Quest Page 15
