Diana and the Island of No Return

by Aisha Saeed

  But you have, Diana realized with a start. They’d always been about the same height, but standing next to her now, Diana saw that Sakina had shot up since their last meeting. She was a half foot taller than Diana. Her dark curls, which fell below her chin last summer, were braided down to her waist. Her tanned arms looked unmistakably muscled. Diana glanced down at her own skinny arms—between the two of them, people could mistake which one descended from warriors.

  Something soft brushed against Diana’s leg.

  “Whoa!” She jumped back.

  “Sorry! It’s just silly Arya,” Sakina said. “She’s really into the element of surprise lately.”

  “This is your kitty?” Diana looked at the spotted snow leopard and petted her gently. The cat came up to Diana’s hip. “I could scoop her up with one hand last summer.”

  “They grow superfast, but she’s as much a cuddle bug as she ever was.” Sakina looked around. “Is Binti nearby? Arya’s been asking about her since we left. They had so much fun together last summer.”

  “She had babies,” Diana said, warming at the thought of her wolf companion and her pups. “She’s resting up.”

  “Babies!” Sakina’s eyes lit up.

  “They’re the cutest wolf pups ever,” Diana said. A thought occurred to her. Sakina was a Scholar, but she also had a special ability to speak with animals. “Actually, Binti’s been acting strange the past few days. Maybe you can chat with her and see what’s going on?”

  “Sakina the animal whisperer at your service.” She winked and curtseyed.

  Suddenly the snow leopard froze. Her ears pressed flat against her head. Narrowing her eyes, she raised her tail in the air and growled.

  “Binti’s not the only one acting strange.” Sakina rolled her eyes. “Easy, Arya. You seriously need to relax.”

  The cat turned to Sakina and rumbled a deep-throated growl.

  “What’s the matter?” Diana asked. Goose bumps suddenly trailed her arms. She watched the animal’s tense expression.

  “Don’t get me started.” Sakina shook her head. “She was fine when we left, but mid-voyage she got all riled up. Snarling and growling at thin air. All cats are little divas, but Arya is the queen of them all.”

  “What’s she been saying?” Diana asked.

  “She’s mad about the ships en route with us to your land,” Sakina said. “Kept saying they’re following us. Of course they’re following us! I know it’s strange to see a line of ships heading in one direction out on the open seas, but we’re all using the same special coordinates to find Themyscira.”

  “Sorry, Arya,” Diana apologized to the animal. “Nobody likes to feel like they’re being followed.”

  Arya circled the girls. Diana studied the animal’s raised hackles and the hard look in her eyes. Following the animal’s gaze to the docked ships, a chill passed through Diana. Ever since she was young, Diana felt connected to animals. And though she couldn’t put it into words, Arya’s distress seemed deeper than the ships that followed them here. What exactly did the snow leopard think she saw?

  “Princess Diana, dear!” Sakina’s mother, Queen Khadijah, approached them. “So lovely to see you.” She kissed Diana’s cheek. The queen wore a cream-colored gown with flowers embroidered along the hem. Mira fluttered alongside her and landed on Sakina’s shoulder.

  “Wonderful to see you as well, Your Majesty,” Diana said.

  “Excited for your week together?” she asked the girls.

  “We are.” Sakina nodded. “And are you ready for all your boring meetings?”

  “In due time.” Her mother smiled. “Tonight we rest and enjoy; tomorrow we work. Has Arya calmed down at all?”

  “Not really.” Sakina shook her head. “She’s still acting like there’s a monster about to swoop down any minute.”

  “She’ll adjust,” her mother said. “There are quite a lot of new people here.”

  Indeed, more and more people filled the island, walking down long gangplanks from the newly docked ships. They hoisted banners and carried trunks and carts filled with goods from their homelands.

  “You know how protective she’s always been,” Diana added as they began walking toward the main festival site. “Even as a kitten she loved to guard you.”

  “You have no idea. She’s totally out of control now,” Sakina groaned. “Ever since I started apprenticing at the library, she refuses to let me go alone. So now I have a huge cat prowling past the periodicals to protect me from dust mites.”

  “She just loves you,” the queen said.

  “She’s not even as fierce as she thinks,” Sakina said. “Half the time she’s snoring by the sunny window near the reference desk.”

  “You’re working at the library?” Diana stared at Sakina.

  “Yes, I was going to tell you all about it! Can you believe it?” Sakina grinned.

  “That’s…that’s wonderful,” Diana managed to say. She was happy for her friend, truly. Sakina had wanted to apprentice at the library for as long as Diana could remember. Over the years they’d spent countless nights sharing their frustrations about not being able to do the things they loved most.

  “She was after me about it for quite some time,” her mother said. “I finally decided to let her try it so she could see how boring the work truly is. But I must hand it to her; she’s taken to it well. She’s a natural.”

  A natural.

  Diana’s throat constricted. Was this a part of her mother’s hesitation with letting her train? Maybe her mother was trying to find a way to tell Diana there was no need for her to learn because she wasn’t a natural fighter at all.

  Diana glanced at the tents around her. Women set down sculpted vases and painted bowls. Silk dresses hung from hooks and fluttered in the breeze. Diana couldn’t sculpt. She couldn’t paint. She was not able to heal people with her words or with herbs. The one thing she wanted to do was be a true warrior, like the legendary Amazon warriors she lived alongside.

  That was who she had always believed she was meant to be.

  But now, with a sinking heart, Diana wondered if maybe she was wrong.

  The palace vibrated with the steady hum of laughter and conversation well into the evening. Dinner had just concluded, and lively music flowed through the expansive guest hall. Some women danced while others reclined on velvet sofas, sipping from glass goblets. A few stood by the floor-to-ceiling windows, gazing out at the waterfalls and flowering cliffsides; the scenery shone under the moonlit sky.

  Taking the steps two at a time with Arya close at their heels, Diana and Sakina headed upstairs. From the landing above, the marble corridors of the palace stretched in multiple directions toward the palace baths as well as the many different living quarters and suites. Turning right, Diana headed to her bedroom and turned the handle.

  Diana’s bedroom was a large space with three windows overlooking the wooded grounds that stretched toward the craggy seaside cliffs. The mahogany shelves lining one of the walls was bursting with books—many of which Sakina had gifted to her over the years. Floating shelves on the opposite wall held trinkets and works of art.

  “Have I told you how much I love this rug?” Sakina asked. She hopped onto the plush cream carpet in the center of the room. “Ah!” She twirled around, her braid spinning behind her. “Now this is what it would feel like to dance on a cloud.”

  “Do you want to share rooms again this year?” Diana asked her. “The guest room is set up if you’d rather have your own space.”

  “Seriously?” Sakina said. “We have to share a room, because sharing a room—”

  “Maximizes our time together,” the girls said in unison.

  Diana laughed. They had this conversation every year.

  Mira fluttered into the room and perched on the middle windowsill. She tapped her golden beak ag
ainst the window and blinked at the girls before turning her head and sending bolts of light from her eyes into the darkness.

  “Does she want to go outside?” Diana asked. “Sinla and Jasnin will be excited to see her again!”

  “Not as excited as Mira. She can’t get enough of the winged horses on Themyscira,” Sakina said. She leaned over and unlatched the window, opening it. The bird fluttered outside. In an instant, Arya leapt up, her paws gripping the windowsill.

  “Arya!” Sakina slammed the window shut. “No.”

  The snow leopard scraped at the glass urgently with her paw and moaned.

  “What’s she saying?” Diana asked.

  “She’s being ridiculous.” Sakina rolled her eyes. “Keeps saying ‘they’re here’ over and over again. Of course everyone is here.”

  The cat chuffed. Her gaze remained fixed toward the docks.

  “I’m sorry. I know you want to explore, but you can’t go off wandering alone. Not with the way you’re acting,” Sakina said. “Maybe tomorrow, once you’ve calmed down.”

  “I know how she feels,” Diana said, remembering her conversation with her mother from earlier in the day. “I’ve been feeling a bit cooped up myself lately.”

  “Wait.” Sakina looked at her. “Has your mother seriously still not budged on letting you train?”

  “Not even a little bit.” Diana shook her head. “I feel a little stuck lately.”

  “I get it. I feel that way, too, sometimes.”

  “You?” Diana asked. “But you’re apprenticing at the library. It’s what you’ve always dreamed of.”

  “I didn’t tell you what my apprenticeship was.” She smiled bashfully. “It’s not like I’m inputting information or curating books or even organizing the collections. I’m…dusting.”

  “Dusting?”

  “Yep. Literally dusting books. We have so many titles, they require constant upkeep. I clean the spines and bookshelves and make sure the pages are intact. Pretty impressive, don’t you think?”

  “Well…” Diana’s voice trailed off.

  “I mean, fine. Okay. It’s important work. Whatever.” Sakina flopped backward onto Diana’s bed. “But this wasn’t exactly what I had in mind when I begged my mother to let me apprentice. I thought I’d at least get to observe the curating process or trail one of our book detectives who locate rare books around the world. But no. I’m wandering through bookshelves with a duster and a snow leopard by my side. I began at the As three months ago and only last week worked my way to the Ds. At this rate, I’ll finish the Zs when I’m twenty and will have to go back to start all over again.”

  Sakina had a point. It didn’t sound like much fun to wipe down books for hours, but at least she was there. She was on the brink of the journey she’d always dreamed of instead of watching wistfully from the sidelines. It was more than what Diana could say for herself.

  “I’m sure once they see how well you’re doing, they’ll move you up to other more interesting things,” said Diana, settling down on the bed next to her. “It’s only a matter of time.”

  “I hope so. And to be fair, it’s not all bad.” Sakina sat up and shrugged. “I get to read while I dust, which is pretty nice. I’ve learned so much—random things that’ll be of no use, but it’s still interesting to learn about the history of alligators, the different types of bears, and the workings of clocks. The D section is more interesting than I’d realized. Long-forgotten demons. Dragons, real and fictional. Can’t wait until I move on to the Es,” she said with a wink. “Maybe I’ll discover the evolution of eggs or something.”

  “You’re lucky to have so many books at your disposal,” Diana said. They had their own impressive library at Themyscira across from the white-walled armory, but it couldn’t compete with the kingdom that hosted the largest libraries in the world.

  “Oh!” Sakina’s eyes lit up. “I almost forgot!” She hurried to her belongings tucked in the corner of the room and opened a leather bag. “Brought these for you.” She balanced a heap of books in her arms and walked over to Diana.

  “Did you find it?” Diana exclaimed. “The book about eastern swords?”

  “Um—what kinda friend would I be if I didn’t?” Sakina said. She set the tower of books on the nightstand.

  Swords of the East lay on the very top of the pile. Diana skimmed the spines, which mentioned ancient warriors and galaxies and worlds beyond Earth’s horizon.

  “These are perfect,” Diana said. “You’re incredible.”

  “I agree. I am pretty incredible.” Sakina grinned and pretended to bow.

  The citrusy scent of lemon wafted into their room.

  “Mmm.” Diana’s eyes lit up. “Thelma must have made her famous upside-down lemon cake. One bite and you’re going to think you’ve died and gone to heaven.”

  “Yum! Sounds like my kind of cake,” Sakina said. The girls bounded up and out of Diana’s room and toward the celebration.

  Inside the guest hall, the music had shifted to a more up-tempo beat. Lights twinkled overhead as the marble dance floor quickly filled. Aunt Antiope twirled a guest, the woman’s lavender dress fanning out into a circle. Diana smiled. All the women on the island had worked long hours to set up the festival. It was nice to see everyone relax.

  “Sakina,” Queen Khadijah called out. She sat on a velvet sofa by the rear guest doors and waved her daughter over. “I need you for a quick second.”

  Suddenly Diana paused.

  Binti!

  In all the excitement, she’d forgotten about the wolf and her pups. They were camped out in the forest not far from the palace walls. Diana had tried coaxing Binti out of her cramped burrow so she could recover at the palace like she normally did, but the animal refused to budge this time.

  “I’ll be back in a second. I need to get Binti something to eat,” Diana told Sakina.

  “I want to see her!” Sakina’s eyes widened. “I’ll meet up with you outside when I’m done.”

  * * *

  * * *

  The kitchen was full. Women washed dishes while others cut the lemon cake and placed slices on porcelain plates for servers to whisk away to the guests. Others stood by the stove, chopping strawberries and coring pineapples for breakfast the next morning.

  Diana poked her head into the pantry, sifting through the radishes and cabbages.

  “Heading off to see Binti?” Thelma, the head chef, asked.

  “Yes. Any leftovers you think she might eat?”

  “I packed her a leg of lamb.” Thelma pointed to a paper-wrapped box on the counter. “Think she’ll like it?”

  “Like it? That’s her favorite!”

  Diana tucked the package under her arm and filled a metal bowl with water before pushing open the back doors of the palace. They spilled onto a path leading straight into the forest.

  Other than the sound of the wind whistling through the trees, it was silent as she stepped onto the palace grounds. Her thoughts drifted to her conversation with her mother. Were her private fears true? Did her own mother think she couldn’t handle being a warrior? Diana thought back to all the times she’d snuck into trainings in the coliseum. Just last week she’d trapped Lena, one of the most experienced fighters on the island, into a headlock during a self-defense training session. But now Diana wondered—had Lena pretended to lose? Diana was a princess, after all, so did the Amazon warriors let her win because they had to?

  Arriving at a towering grove of sequoia trees, Diana peeked into the wolf’s burrow, which was tucked within a hollowed-out trunk.

  “Hey, Binti,” Diana said softly.

  The four pups looked sweet as ever—each one was uniformly gray with white stripes along its nose, like their mother. Their eyes still firmly shut, they clung close to Binti for warmth.

  “Thelma packed you a nice big l
eg of lamb,” Diana said, unwrapping the meat. “And here’s a bowl of water for you.”

  The wolf opened her green eyes and looked at the food. Then she lowered her head to the ground.

  “What’s the matter?” Diana asked. The wolf hadn’t eaten since she’d given birth; surely she was famished. “Not in the mood for lamb? I can get you something else….” The wolf moved her foot toward Diana and whimpered. Diana gasped. “Oh, Binti.” Her left paw was swollen and red.

  “Is this why you didn’t come to the palace with me?” Diana asked. “This looks like an infection. But don’t worry, there are healers here, the best in the world. And Sakina’s here, too. We’ll get you and your pups the help you need.”

  The wolf nuzzled Diana’s hand.

  “I’ll be right back,” she promised.

  Hurrying through the woods, Diana had just stepped into the clearing toward home when a distant high-pitched noise echoed through the island.

  What was that? Diana strained her ears, but the sound had vanished.

  Maybe I’m hearing things, thought Diana. Or perhaps the noise had escaped from the window of a guest suite left open in the palace.

  As she took another step toward home, the noise returned, followed by a scraping sound. It echoed from across the forest. Diana tensed. No animals on the island made noises like that, and everyone else was inside the palace.

  Diana glanced into the darkness, debating what to do. It was probably nothing more than a tree creaking in the breeze. But before she could take another step, a howling scream pierced the sky.

  Diana’s heart skipped a beat. This was definitely not a something, but a someone. Her hand firmly on her sword, she inched toward the sound.

  “Help!” a voice cried out. “Someone. Please help me!”

  Diana picked up her pace. Worry hammering in her chest, she hurried past the grassy coliseum toward the ships. The sound seemed to be coming from that direction. Her feet skidded on the rocky paths leading to the docks. She stopped in place and listened, eyes scanning the scene—but nothing seemed amiss.