She cleared the plates and knelt before Adera.
“Your love is innocent and pure, but if you don’t return home, this war will endure. Put both your heart and your lover’s aside. Return to the place in which you should reside.”
Adera bit down on her lip. She didn’t want to hear this. There was something horrible about this war being on her shoulders. She didn’t want the responsibility nor did she want the burden. She and Sanee wanted to be together, but that wasn’t justification for a war or any other such thing.
“With violent men, there is always fight. I will follow my heart and do what’s right.”
Feoma frowned.
Adera didn’t think it was the answer Feoma was expecting or wanting, but it was the only honest answer she could give. Feoma pulled out two beds for them to sleep on. The floor was hard and Adera struggled to find comfort long after Feoma had fallen asleep.
“You don’t sleep,” Poge said.
“No, this bed is hard like stones. I miss the water, as do my bones.”
“Close your eyes and try to sleep, little fish. If you don’t, tomorrow, sleep will be your greatest wish.” Poge yawned and rolled over, snoring.
The next day, Poge and Adera rose early. Feoma left out a set of clothes for Adera to change into. She promised they would fit better and that they should leave as soon as they could.
“If you go now, head straight for the water. You'll be home by tomorrow morning.” Feoma didn’t seem to think there would be any contest to her advice and went on with the rest of her day. “I’ve got to go. Pleasant journey.” She held up her splayed hand to Adera, then grabbed Poge’s arm. Their foreheads touched before they parted.
“Thank you, Feoma, for your hospitality and wise words.”
“I know you won’t listen to a word of it, but, either way, there are pouches of food to take on your way.” She smiled at Poge and shook her head as she left.
Poge turned to Adera.
“These clothes are much better, Adera. But your hair… It’s so colorful and long, the hat isn’t helping much.” She held a hand to her chin. She moved to the kitchen area and found a pair of shears. “We need to do something about it.”
Adera held up both hands pleading.
“No.”
7
SANEE, UP BEFORE THE SUN, made himself a spear to carry and hunt with. A hunter without a weapon was no hunter. At first light, the three young men packed up their camp and covered their fire. They consumed their light breakfast of berries along the trail. The sun gave them the direction needed to head north. Sanee welcomed the sun overhead. When the sun god chose to shine on them, it meant it would be a good and productive day in the land.
They’d been walking only for a few hours when they came across the first of the fighting.
Sanee and the twins divided themselves into the brush. A group of Karmirians and Majiwan mermen stood almost nose to nose with spears aimed and ready.
“If the mermaid’s been hurt by your hand, it’s a tragedy we can’t impede, but suffering will come to your land, a definite calamity indeed.
“The mermaid, she doesn’t dwell with us. Our prince, you have him and you’ll give him up.” The guards prepared to throw their spears.
“Your lies are plenty and fill our ears, your bones won’t be found for many years.” The men lunged at each other. When their weapons fell to the ground, they fought hands and fists, knees and feet. The six men tumbled in the dirt, exchanging insults.
Sanee stood up from his hiding place, ready to jump into the fray. The twins grabbed him, one by each arm, and hauled him back.
“No, Red-man you can’t. This isn’t our fight,” Jiden said.
“It is my fight. I’m Karmirian.”
“But they’re mermen. I don’t think your mermaid girlfriend is going like it if you kill her kinsmen,” Neke said.
The rapid-fire speech of the young men caught Sanee's attention and he realized that they were right. How could he face her if he’d killed her people? He nodded and stormed off in the direction of the north, leaving the twins looking at each other. What kind of position had he put himself in? The choice between her and his own people had been hard enough the first time. Could he keep choosing her when it meant the lives of his people? He had to find a way to make their people understand that they weren’t being held against their wills, but living free and together.
“Adera and I must live free and well-known,” Sanee said aloud more to himself than to the twins.
“Then you must live in the north,” Neke said.
“Explain,” Sanee said.
“In the north, there are people of all lands,” Jiden said.
“Living free. Loving who they want. Doing what they want,” Neke said.
Both of the twins spoke faster as they grew more excited.
Sanee held up a hand.
“The land in the north is in peace?”
“Yes,” they said in unison.
Sanee hadn’t imagined such a place existed.
“That’s probably why she’s going north.”
Sanee nodded. It made sense if she thought there was a way for them to be together, she’d go there, as would he. His heart ached for her and for his people. Why didn’t they understand? Maybe this was the only way to keep everyone safe.
“Yes, we go north, then we will return hand in hand.”
Jiden and Neke looked at each other with concern.
“Let’s just find her first, and then we’ll deal with your peoples later.”
Sanee heard their words, but didn’t understand them. They were right about one thing. If they found a home in the north, they might convince their tribes to stop fighting and join them in peace. Their fight was baseless. He was the prince of Karmir and he needed to act like it.
“The mermaid, tell us about her,” Jiden said.
“Yes, how did you come to befriend her?” Neke asked as they walked along.
Sanee began at the beach where he’d almost drowned. Adera had saved him. Then he remembered that wasn’t the beginning of their story, so he started again. He told them of how they’d met as children. It reminded him of how solid their bond had been from the beginning.
“What does she look like?”
“Does she wear scales?”
“Does she eat raw fish?”
They fired their questions at him in rapid succession. Sanee raised a hand and began with the first question.
“She is the most beautiful creature I’ve ever seen. Her hair is a rainbow of colors that blend in the most unique way—in pink, blue, gold, and purple. It trails down her back in a cascade of light. Her skin is a mix of green and blue that sparkles in the moonlight.”
The twins sighed in harmony.
Sanee continued his story, and it enraptured them the entire day. None of them thought of their sore feet, their empty bellies, or their thirst.
8
SANEE DIDN’T LIKE THIS AT all. Although hungry, he wasn’t hungry enough to steal. The third time he protested, the twins both hushed him. Jiden climbed a tall tree with large green leaves that kept him well hidden while Neke took the opposite side. They told Sanee to stay out of sight. No one liked the red-men much outside of Karmir territory, and he would just make it harder on all of them.
When the beast and wagon appeared, Jiden let out a loud whooping that sounded like a wild beast. The man's tamed tuskin stopped dead and reared up. Neke stepped out in front of it at the same time, and fell to the ground as if half trampled.
“You’ve killed me, you’ve killed me!” He lay writhing on the ground clutching his arm.
“I’ve done no such thing, you wretch. If I had, you wouldn’t be yelling like a wild piko.” The bearded man with dark skin climbed down from the tuskin, leaving his pack behind as the twins had hoped he would. While the man attended Neke, Jiden slipped down from the branch and grabbed the man’s pouch.
“You’ve hardly a scratch. Off with you.” The bearded man picked u
p Neke as if he weighed little more than a pouch of food himself and brushed him off. Then, with a rough hand, he pushed the boy off the road and climbed back onto the beast and continued on his way.
The twins made their way back along the path toward the north, giggling to themselves. Sanee followed behind, his feet dragging as if his shoes were made of stone.
“What have we here?” Jiden lifted a hand and jingled the man’s coins.
“Food is all we need, the rest is greediness,” Sanee said to them with the distaste of theft in his mouth. He spat on the ground to clear his palate.
“We gotta eat, Sanee, and sometimes, this is the way it’s done,” Neke said.
“Your belly isn’t the only thing of value in the world.” Sanee said with a shake of his head. “To steal is to have no honor.”
“You can continue to talk but when it’s time to eat, I’d like to see your honor fill your belly,” Jiden said.
At the thought of not eating, Sanee's stomach protested loud enough for them all to hear and the twins giggled.
“No, your honor won’t feed you out here, Prince. Leave it to us if you don't have the stomach for it,” Neke said, then gave his brother a slap on the back.
Sanee didn’t like the disparaging way he’d said ‘prince,’ as if he should be ashamed of it. He felt pieces of himself would be lost if he continued to travel with these human twins for long. Perhaps his own people had been right about the others. These humans held none of the same values or traditions. Without a clear moral system, why had they agreed to help him? Maybe they had other motives that would become clear later. Sanee made up his mind to pay more attention to their behavior and also guard himself should they try to turn on him.
As they continued along the path north, the twins took turns calling out the sounds that the birds and other wild animals made. The unsuspecting creatures often answered back or poked their heads out to see who had mimicked their calls.
“You speak with the beasties,” Sanee said with amazement.
Jiden and Neke both smiled.
“When we were young, there wasn’t much for us to do but wander the forest among them,” Neke said.
“Mom and dad were long gone, and we only had each other. If we got separated, we needed a way to keep in contact over long distances,” Jiden said.
“Better for hunting,” they said in unison.
Sanee looked from one to the other. The twins donned matching caps, covering their hair and making it difficult for anyone else to distinguish one from the other. The air had turned too cold to go without a cloak, so he wore the blanket that the boys had given him. Soon, it wouldn’t be enough. The crisp air demanded that he cover his bare arms. There might be snow in the northern region. Sanee raised his palms to the sun and thanked the sun god for his blessings that day. Then he vowed he’d only take what he needed and use the stolen goods in service to his mission.
They used the coins to buy more supplies in a Tero village they stumbled upon. Many did trade there, but as a Red-man, Sanee would be too easily remembered or recognized. Sanee stayed behind, waiting on the edge of the woods, while the twins did business with the locals. It was the first time Sanee had seen different races going about their business in the same place. He watched the bustle of people coming and going as he waited. Most were Tero or Joro, but some looked like the twins with white or brown skin. The twins returned with their needed supplies, including a heavier coat for Sanee.
Sanee found his new coat itched a little. It wasn’t made from any material he was used to, but it covered him and the hood of his long coat hid most of his face.
“Your help is unpaid. Where does your generosity end?” Sanee asked.
“With your story,” Jiden said.
“We’d like to meet your mermaid, then we’ll go our own way.” Neke nodded to his brother.
“Will you tell me nothing of your people, of your lands?” Sanee asked.
Jiden and Neke looked at each other in that mysterious way, as if they communicated without a word.
“Jiden and I are from Bolaji, but born in the south where most of our people have gathered to the warm coast. Our parents are not from this world. They came from some other world. We don’t remember the name of it anymore. When our people arrived, we had no lands. We’ve been scavengers ever since.”
Neke picked up the rest of the story when Jiden paused. “Our parents choose to live on their own, away, a long distance from others. They couldn’t survive the untamed lands. We were orphaned at seven years of age and have been on our own ever since.”
"Why didn't you seek out your own people?"
"At first, we couldn't remember the way," said Neke.
"When we finally found them, we were too old for anyone to take us in," Jiden said.
Sanee tried to imagine raising himself at the age of seven. With so much to learn, the world would be too harsh for such little ones. What must they have gone through to survive so long on their own? As if reading his expression, Neke continued.
“We had to grow up fast, and it’s our bond and our humor that helped us. We got in and out of a few scrapes, but nothing we couldn’t handle.”
“When heard of the mermen, we had to see for ourselves. We didn’t know about the fighting until we came ashore,” Jiden said. “We’d been out there for weeks with not even a fin sighting to show for it. You’re our only hope at seeing a real live mermaid.”
Neke nodded and neither spoke again for a while.
9
ADERA REACHED UP AGAIN AND felt the back of her neck. The air brushing against her skin tickled. She teared up again but before Poge saw, she wiped the moisture away.
Poge didn't understand what a mermaid's hair meant to her. It was more than a crown of beauty for a mermaid to grow her hair until it reached her fin. She’d been growing hers since birth. She’d never had reason to think of her hair being cut, by accident or intention. What would Sanee think of seeing her looking like a boy? She might have a few days before he arrived in the North to find the proper attire, but her hair wouldn’t grow back fast enough.
Adera had pulled her cap down further to cover her ears and didn’t see Poge stop. She almost ran into her.
“What—”
Poge raised a hand to stop her question as she scanned the trees in front of them. Adera had learned along their journey to trust Poge’s instincts and eyes.
Adera listened, but nothing other than the rustle of the leaves on the trees whispered back. She lifted her nose, and something pungent wafted into her nostrils. Before she could ask what it was, Poge grabbed her and pulled her into the trees.
Poge had her bow out, an arrow nocked and aimed. Her arms held steady for a full minute while she waited. When she saw movement, she fired the arrow. It flew straight and true. The cry of a small beast came from the brush just ahead of them. The smelly beast fell and would serve as a good meal, Poge said.
“We are to eat the beast? I’m sure it will be a feast. It smells a great deal, I’ve never had such a meal.” Adera’s face scrunched up as she sang the words.
Poge started in on cleaning and skinning the beast herself.
Adera watched the process with some disgust. She wasn’t sure she’d ever be able to eat an animal that smelled of rotten trill eggs and contaminated sea water.
“We’ll have more than just a meal out of this beast. Its hide is warm and we’ll need it as we head north. The air has already turned crisp. Keep a nose to the air. We may not be safe here,” Poge said as she quickly moved around the camp to prepare the fire for the meat and to hang the skin.
Adera did as instructed, but the odor of the cooking beast permeated everything and made her head spin.
“The sky grows dark. Will we sleep under the heavenly sparks?” Adera asked.
Poge looked up as she cut and swore. Then she looked back down and kept to the work of cutting up the meat. The meat was mostly finished when Poge heard the sound of men talking.
This time,
Adera caught the sound, too.
Poge looked into the black of night and her large eyes focused on something the mermaid couldn’t quite see.
Adera stood up wondering what she should do.
“Can you fight, Adera?”
“I am untrained in the art of defense. I am but a mermaid, no other pretense,” Adera said.
Poge swore again and picked up her bow.
“Remind me to show you how later. We’re going to have company any minute and they'll want our supper.” Poge crept back into the woods and nodded for Adera to do the same.
Adera backed into the trees from where she sat and found a large rock at her feet. She cradled it in her trembling blue hands. She’d never so much as killed a moving insect on land. This was out of her depths. Two boys came crashing through her camp and eyed up the food with a loud chuckle.
Their speech was strange to her ears. She didn’t understand a word of it.
Poge had disappeared into the night and now Adera wondered if her friend would abandon her to fend for herself. Why should she risk her life for a mermaid, after all?
A whistle of air reached her ears just before an arrow found its way into the larger boy’s leg.
He pulled out his weapons, two knives from his waist band. But it was too late. He stumbled with the arrow in his leg.
The other boy wouldn’t do well either, since the next arrow hit him in the hand. He howled like a wounded bird of prey. He leaned over, eyes wild as they stared at his injured hand.
Poge’s war cry escaped her lungs as she jumped from a tree and onto the other boy’s back, pushing him face first into the ground. He scrambled out from under her as she beat at him with her fists.
His vocal cadence, Adera couldn't follow, but he quickly grabbed his friend, retreating into the trees from where they’d come. Poge raced after them and through the trees.
Adera, left alone, didn’t move as she watched the camp and the meat burning. Poge hadn’t returned, and Adera was sure it had been ten minutes ago. She screamed at the hand that touched her shoulder.
The First Kingdom Page 4
