The Courier's Conflict

by T. S. Valmond

  Prince Bashir was the first to speak.

  “Princess, we are so glad to see you are well.”

  “Thank you, your grace. I bring news, none of it good.”

  The Prince stood, yielding his seat at the head of the table to her and moved to stand behind Chiza’s chair. It afforded all at the table a view of him, except Chiza.

  Rasha sat down and told the council and the royals what had transpired the night before and why.

  “What gives you the right?” Gungbe the Karmirian asked. He slammed a fist against the table and his skin turned an even darker red. “You failed to protect the first palace from the beasts, and then you destroyed it.”

  Rasha knew this might happen. They had been evacuated and didn’t grasp how dire the situation had been.

  “Are you sure it didn’t work?” Chiza asked, her voice a soft and calm contrast to Gungbe’s.

  Rasha nodded.

  “I’m sure. By the time Chigo and I escaped, there was nothing left of the palace, and the beasts were dancing on the ashes.”

  A general unease rose at the table, and several of them grumbled in response to this news. She’d destroyed their home, hoping to take down the beasts, but it hadn’t worked.

  “We must retaliate. Send the beasts a message!” Gungbe raged.

  “How can you speak of retaliation when our forces are down to nothing?” Bashir asked him with outrage on his face.

  “What if we go into hiding?” The mermaid Keabasi was looking around the table. “I know this isn’t what we wanted, but perhaps we should consider saving ourselves. The kingdom is lost. Now is the time to run.”

  “I don’t think it’ll solve the problem,” Ummo from the tenth kingdom said.

  Soon they were all speaking over of each other. No one was listening to anyone else anymore. This seemed like a good time for Rasha to interject. Instead of raising her hand she stood up.

  “Rasha has a plan. I think we should hear it,” Tobi, the Chilalian shouted, then looked at her.

  “I’m sorry. I don’t have a plan, not without hearing from Ladi and Jak. We can’t move forward until we know what we’re working with. The best thing we can do now is gather our forces and bring them to Chilali’s northern border to regroup.”

  “I don’t like it,” Gungbe said. “You’re only telling the beasts where we are. What’s to stop them from coming here and attacking Chilali?”

  “Nothing. But we can’t sit by and wait for them to enter a less defended kingdom.” Rasha took a moment to look at every pair of eyes. “We have resources. We only need to gather them. I believe we can track down our people and prepare ourselves.”

  The table grumbled again. The Prince cleared his throat this time. Once all eyes were on him, he spoke.

  “Princess Rasha has been leading this war from the start. Now is not the time to abandon her. Do as she says, all of you. We may not have much time. The more time we sit in this room arguing, the less we’ll be able accomplish.”

  Bashir spoke with such a natural authority; it was no wonder they listened to him. She saw the respect in their eyes, a kind of respect they’d never shown her. Perhaps it’s because he always knew he would be king someday. The easy way he wielded his power had come with time and practice. After the council meeting ended, Rasha decided to track down the others as soon as possible. Jak’s delay was worrying her. His last message implied he was working on something that could help turn the war. She’d received no other communications. When thoughts of him together with his wife entered her mind, she pushed them aside. She didn’t have any energy to give to the situation.

  Xeku caught her before she left. “He’ll be here soon.” Xeku’s eyes, so like Jak’s, seemed to see right through her.

  “I’m worried what he’ll be coming back to.”

  “You’re doing your best. Don’t doubt yourself now. You did what you could.”

  “It wasn’t enough.” That’s what bothered her the most. Her leadership hadn’t been enough, not from the start. The role of princess incumbent hadn’t been enough to give her authority. She wasn’t enough. She wished that Lu was there. He had a way of helping her see the way out of things. They’d been in several tight places and had always come through. She wondered, as she often did, if he were still alive, what would he do right now?

  “It has to be enough.” Xeku reached a familiar arm around her shoulders as he spoke in her ear. Intimate in a way that made her want to shrug him off until he said,

  “The traitor is still among us.”

  Rasha had forgotten all about the traitor. The one that had placed the trigger that brought the little flying beasts to the palace. They were still hiding in plain sight and trying to undermine everything they had done to save the first kingdom. She glanced at Kyuk. She’d thought him the traitor, but he’d been safely locked away until they evacuated him. He sat with the others as if he’d never been accused. Rasha nodded at Xeku, and then turned to go. Being in the same room with a traitor made Rasha want to crawl out of her skin. All of their lives were in danger as long as the traitor lived.

  The sound of swords being drawn in the corridor had the council backing away, and Rasha stepped forward, her two swords raised. She raised her voice above the commotion.

  “Everybody, get back.”

  32

  LADI SAT BY the edge of a riverbank, watching the mother bear speak in low growls and whispers to her three undamaged cubs. The scars and matted fur borne by the mother from her terrible ordeal were jarring in comparison. The beasts had stopped to rest and get water here. There were hundreds of them, and they helped each other as they raced for the first kingdom of Adalu. Each of them bore the scars of life as a caged slave.

  “I never got your name,” Ladi said to the mother bear.

  “My friends call me…” She growled, and Ladi shook her head, unable to imitate the sound. The bear laughed. “Yes, I know, hard for your small throat to make those sounds. I will give you something easier. Call me Osa.”

  “Osa. I like it. My friends call me Ladi.”

  “Ladi.” Osa struggled some with the ‘l’ sound, but it was understandable, and much better than Ladi could do with the bear’s real name.

  “These are my babes. I thank you for saving us.”

  “I didn’t just do it for unselfish reasons, I’ll admit that. I just hope it’s not too late.”

  “You are right, we should go. Come.” Osa made the call to gather, and the other beasts assembled and began the trek toward the first kingdom again.

  Ladi had regained some feeling in her legs, but not enough to walk. The old wolf, Browl, as he called himself, had grown tired and charged one of the dragons with her care. The one that had saved her in the arena. Many of the animals—including the dragons—couldn’t enunciate well enough to use the common language. They would have to find a name for him later. He scooped her up, and they took to the skies. It wasn’t long before they reached the ruins of the palace. Rubble and ash were all that remained in the place where the palace once stood.

  Ladi’s heart sank at the sight of it. It was worse than her imagination had conjured up. The black stain against the snow still on the ground around it suddenly reminded her of Osa’s scarred skin against the white it should have been. She pointed to the ground, and the dragon sat her down in the middle of the grove facing the palace.

  The smell of charged earth and building materials was faint as the winds here were strong. Using a large stick she’d found for balance, Ladi limped among the charred remains. She scanned the ground, looking for something, anything, that might give her a clue as to where they would have gone. There was nothing. She was about to give up when Browl signaled them to the far east end of the palace.

  “There are a lot of tracks heading this way.” He pointed with his nose in the direction of Chilali.

  Ladi looked at the snow-covered ground. Despite the fresh fall and the wind that blew some of the snow around the tracks were unmistakable. It was the best
lead they had to finding the others.

  “We’ll follow them. They lead to Chilali, the birthplace of the princess incumbent. She may have sent everyone there to regroup.” Ladi wondered if Rasha had made it or if someone else was leading the charge now. Although she was worried, she couldn’t imagine anything happening to Rasha. She had to be alive.

  “Let’s go. Tread carefully, there may be some frightened people along the way who don’t know that we’re on their side now.”

  33

  THE DOOR OPENED, and a guard with a message came in.

  “Prince Jak, Ebere, and a guest, Your Grace.” He looked at Rasha, then looked past her and bowed again toward Bashir and Chiza.

  Rasha put Cutter and Blade away as Jak entered the room. She tried to keep her face neutral. He looked at her for a long moment, as if he were committing her to memory. His eyes looked tired, but he held his shoulders back.

  “Hey, Rash,” he said.

  She stared back at him, so many feelings and thoughts rushing at her at the same time that she couldn’t decide which one she wanted to express first.

  “Prince Jak,” Bashir said, stepping around a tongue-tied Rasha, and regarded the giant winged man with surprise.

  Rasha shook off her emotions and spoke.

  “How did you find us?”

  “Your aunt. I’d planned to go in search of you but she directed me here,” Jak said.

  “What news do you bring, along with your winged friend?” she asked, looking up at the Wola.

  “Mostly good news. Let’s sit with the council, for this concerns them as well.” Jak moved past them to the table.

  Rasha heard Xeku ask him in a quiet and mild tone, “Your mother?”

  Rasha watched as Jak shook his head, eyes on the floor. She regretted she’d never get the chance to meet her. Xeku nodded and went back to his seat at the table, his own shoulders slumped.

  Jak waited for the council to take their seats.

  When all eyes were on him, he took a deep breath and started to speak. “While I was in the Wilds on a family matter, I made a second approach to the leaders of local trade and commerce. They rejected my offer. However, the winged men—they are called the Wola—were willing to listen. Tarrik and the others have agreed to join us, with one condition.”

  Bashir looked pleased. “What is their condition?”

  “Ishola will become the eleventh kingdom of Bolaji.”

  The silence in the room only amplified their uncomfortable fidgeting.

  Tarrik took a step forward.

  “Is there a problem?” Tarrik asked.

  “There is no problem. As the prince incumbent, I have committed to this course of action on behalf of the ten kingdoms,” Jak said, looking at Bashir.

  “You should not have done that,” Bashir said, his mouth in a grim line.

  “Won’t you even consider the prospect?” Jak asked.

  “How many winged men do you bring?” Rasha ignored Jak’s question.

  Tarrik answered her, “We are two thousand fighters, but there are a thousand more guarding Ishola, where another three thousand women and children take refuge.”

  The council was quiet for a moment as they considered the implications.

  It was Gungbe who broke the silence. “This is an outrage! You can’t just go around making deals with whoever you like and offering them a kingdom.” Gungbe’s face turned dark red.

  “You have overstepped your authority,” Bashir said to Jak. “We cannot offer these men a kingdom.”

  “Why not?” Jak asked.

  “We know nothing of these people,” Keabasi interjected.

  “They lived in the Wilds long before our discontented people ventured there to live outside of our rule,” Jak said.

  “That doesn’t mean we should trust them,” Tobi said.

  Rasha stood and joined Jak.

  “They have offered to fight at our side in a war we’re losing. If there’s some doubt of that, please look around and remind yourselves where you are,” she said. “Ebere, what do your people know of the Wola?”

  “Very little. They were something of legend for a long time. Sightings confirmed their existence, but nothing more.”

  “May I speak?” Tarrik was polite but firm. He took their silence as consent and continued. “The Wola have long believed contact with other species would be detrimental to our bloodlines and genetic code. We feared the loss of flight after prolonged contact and mixing with your races. When those of your kind moved into our lands, but kept to the edges, we allowed it. Now they are venturing further and further east. Their lawless attitudes and ways disturb us. We would rather join the Bolaji kingdoms than deal with your wayward people on our own.”

  “A sound and reasonable argument, and one we must consider. In this war we need all the help we can get. We must consider all options,” Xeku said.

  Bashir thought for a moment, then said, “All right. I agree this matter is urgent, and we must consider all possible solutions. The council will discuss your request. Jak, Rasha, Ebere, and Tarrik, you’re free to go until a decision is made.”

  “Wait, why Rasha and me?” Jak asked.

  “You are only prince and princess incumbent in my absence. I am here now and will assume my royal duties. Chiza will remain as she has no biased interest in this manner and I require her council.”

  “Yes, but—,” Jak protested, then stopped himself. He bowed, and led the others out of the room.

  Rasha had mixed feelings about being dismissed as well, though she couldn’t imagine why. She’d never wanted the responsibilities in the first place. But now they’d been taken away so abruptly she didn’t know what to think about it. Did Bashir expect to lead them into battle now as well? She doubted that very much.

  Temi was outside growling at the sky when they exited the barn. Rasha drew her swords.

  “Did you bring any men with you?” she asked Tarrik.

  “Yes, but I sent them out looking for you,” Tarrik said.

  “The beasts. They’ve found us.”

  A dark cloud of flying beasties was headed in their direction. Rasha remembered something.

  “Wait here.”

  “Wait here and what? What are they?” Jak asked. “Rasha—”

  “I’ll be right back.” She dashed into the house.

  Sochi and Chigo were chatting at the table.

  “They’re here.”

  Sochi jumped up and went for her sword.

  “Who’s here?” Chigo asked.

  “Remember the little beasties that were controlled with that device?”

  “Yes.”

  “They’re coming.”

  “How can that be? We destroyed the device.” Chigo got up from the table and looked into his pack for the tracker.

  “Yes, I know, but the traitor is here with us. They must have put another one here or in the barn,” Rasha said with agitation.

  “If they have, I can find it.” Chigo turned on his tracker and went outside.

  Ebere and Jak saw him and then followed as he searched.

  “What are you looking for?” Ebere asked.

  “A resonant sound amplifier. It’s putting out a steady signal that irritates the small flying beasts,” Chigo said without looking up. He went into the barn, everyone trooping behind. He stopped at the last stall.

  Rasha opened the door, and he headed down the steps. She nodded to the others to stay. “Keep them away from this door.”

  She followed Chigo to the council chambers. The guards stopped them from entering.

  “You cannot enter now, princess, the council is in session.”

  Rasha heard the angry and impatient voices, but this couldn’t wait.

  “We’re under attack. There is something in this room drawing the beasts here. The traitor must be inside. Let us pass.”

  “I cannot.”

  Rasha pulled Cutter and Blade from their sheaths.

  “I don’t want to fight you, but I will. The lives
of the royals are at stake.”

  He moved to block her, but she deflected him and his spear fell to the ground. Rasha held her swords to his neck as he backed away from the door.

  Chigo opened it, and, without looking up, wandered into the room, following the tracker.

  “What matter of insult is this?” Gungbe demanded.

  “You cannot enter here, we are in session!” Bashir exclaimed.

  Keabasi asked, “What are you doing?”

  Rasha cut them all off. “There are beasts are on their way here, and soon, to this room. The traitor has put a calling device in here. We must find it and disable it before the beasts are upon us.”

  “Here! It’s strongest here.” Chigo said from the corner of the room, looking at a wooden display case next to an armchair. “I think it’s behind here.” Then he seemed to see the room for the first time. “Oh my, Your Highness, I apologize.” He knelt down to the floor with his eyes on the ground.

  Bashir raised a hand, waving away the indiscretion.

  Chigo returned to searching for the device while Rasha monitored the reactions of the council. Xeku looked at the chair, and then to Gungbe. Keabasi did the same.

  “Who was sitting in that chair?” Rasha asked.

  Ummo turned to Gungbe, as did Tobi.

  Tobi was the first to speak. “It was Gungbe. He was sitting there with his head against the case.”

  Gungbe got up, but Rasha was ready. She had her swords in his face before he took a step. She felt Jak behind her, but her focus was on the Karmirian.

  “Rasha, wait, don’t kill him. We need him,” Xeku shouted.

  Rasha made a low growling noise in her throat. All she could think about was Lu bleeding out on the floor of the palace in front of her. She felt a light hand on her shoulder.

  “He has to answer for his part in all of this.” Chiza’s voice was soft and calm.

  Of all of them, Rasha knew Chiza understood. Lu had been her lost love. Rasha lowered her swords, and Jak moved in to bind his wrists. She turned away. The sight of him made her sick. Ebere and Chigo were working frantically in the corner.