by D K Drake
Micah glared at Javan through his painful, unblinking eyes. Working with him was a high price to pay for survival, but he didn’t have a choice. He thus attempted to nod. His attempt failed.
“I’m going to assume you understand and will be nice.” Taliya turned back to Javan. “Do we have a deal? You put your sword away, and we all work as a team to get back to the dragons?”
“Deal.” Javan lowered his sword. “But I’m going to let him stay paralyzed until the stun ball shuts off on its own.”
“Fair enough,” Taliya said. “He deserves some kind of punishment for leaving you in the river like that.”
Micah wanted to argue, but all he could do was stand there and plot ways to get back at Javan once they returned to the dragons.
Chapter 23
Fighting Over Flowers
Micah woke up in his makeshift hammock the next morning and immediately began blinking. He wanted to verify that his eyelids still worked, then he checked his fingers and toes. All good.
The headache that had stayed with him from the time that stun ball dropped out of his back until he went to sleep was now gone. He could think and he could move. Somehow those simple pleasures made his current predicament bearable.
He got to his feet, stretched, and assessed his surroundings. The sun was barely above the horizon, and the temperature was already beginning to rise. Then again, things never really cooled off that much at night. This place was simply hot. All. The. Time.
Javan was sleeping in a sitting position in a tree near the river on the other side of the fire they had used to cook dinner. Taliya had built a shelter for herself between the guys, but a quick look inside the shelter revealed she was no longer in it.
She better not have left him alone with Javan after her big speech about being a team. Feeling a touch angry, Micah tapped Javan on the shoulder. “Wake up. The girl’s gone.”
“What? Huh?” Javan shook his head and rubbed his eyes. “What’s going on?”
“The girl. She’s not here. We need to find her.”
“Oh. I’m sure she didn’t go far. She’s the one who wanted us to be a ‘team.’”
“Let’s check along the river first.” Micah picked up his sword and slung it over his shoulder. “I’ll go right. You go left. Meet back here if you don’t find her. Make sure you take your swords and stay alert. There are all kinds of dangerous animals out here.”
“Yeah. Okay.” Javan jumped out of the tree and yawned as he strapped his sword belt on. “I’m gonna need a minute or two to wake up before I go anywhere.”
“Next time you might want to wake up and look at the ground before you jump. You’re standing right next to a scorpion.”
Javan screeched and began running in the direction Micah told him to go. That made Micah smile, and he began jogging along the river looking for the girl.
It wasn’t an easy run. He had to dodge in and out of trees over snakes and around bushes. He almost lost his footing a few times but managed to keep himself from toppling into the water.
After he turned around and didn’t see Javan back at the campsite, he kept running in the direction he sent Javan.
He felt he had gone far enough and was ready to turn around when he spotted Taliya and Javan by the bank of the river more than a mile from the campsite. Taliya was sitting calmly on the grass under a tree. She had her legs dangling over the edge and dancing over the water while Javan paced behind her in a small clearing looking agitated.
“You actually appear happy,” Taliya said as Micah approached them. “You must enjoy running.”
Micah shrugged and sat beside her. “Never thought about it before. Running is just part of training. And I was trying to find you.”
“Here I am.”
“I see that. Why did you come all the way down here?”
“Just wandered around a bit trying to figure out exactly where we are.”
“Got it figured out?”
“Oh, she has it figured out all right,” Javan said. His cheeks were turning red. Micah wasn’t sure if that was because he was mad or because he was overheated from his run in the heat.
“What’s his problem?” Micah asked.
Taliya rolled her eyes. “He doesn’t like my plan.”
“Then I probably will. What do we need to do?”
“We need to go that way,” Taliya said, pointing up the river to her right. “But first we need to steal that boat.” She spun her hand around and pointed down the river to her left.
Micah followed her finger and noticed a large red boat docked on the left bank of the river not too far downstream. It took up about a third of the river’s width and appeared to be long enough to fit three full-sized midnight stalkers.
The top deck had a railing around it and doubled as the roof of the twelve-foot high walls that spanned the length of the boat. A walkway encircled the enclosed hub of the boat.
A steady flow of brown-skinned, dark-haired, colorfully dressed people carrying armfuls of plants walked on and off the boat via a wooden plank that led from the main deck to the grass. “It’s going to be hard to steal with that many people around,” Micah said.
“We shouldn’t be stealing anything,” Javan said. “Stealing is wrong.”
“Getting back to our dragons is the right thing for us to do,” Micah said, “so taking that boat is perfectly justified.”
“I tried explaining that to him,” Taliya said. “He didn’t listen to logic.”
Javan stopped pacing and folded his arms over his chest. “Your logic is flawed. I think we should ask to borrow the boat.”
“They would never agree to that,” Taliya said. “Transport Day is less than two weeks away. They need that boat to transport their humminglo supply to Tulkar or they could lose the war.”
“Say again?” Javan sounded confused as he sat on the other side of Taliya. “None of that made any sense to me.”
“Or me.” Micah said. “What are you talking about?”
“I forgot you guys aren’t from Keckrick.” Taliya took a deep breath and nodded toward the boat. “The people are loading humminglo flowers onto the boat. Those flowers are the reason for the civil war between the upper and lower tribes of Keckrick.”
“The humminglo is a flower?” Micah shook his head in disbelief. “I almost got hung over those things because one of those upper tribes thought I was spying on their humminglo supply. What kind of people go to war over a flower?”
“You don’t know? You’re the king’s son and you don’t know?”
“If I knew, I wouldn’t ask.” Micah made sure to let her hear the edge of infuriation in his words.
Taliya sighed and explained. “Every year on October first, King Omri demands we supply him with humminglo flowers and other medicinal plants that we transport through the portal, which is in the abandoned capital city of Tulkar. As long as we meet our quota each year, he leaves us alone.”
“I am aware that my father has a trade agreement set up with all the regions in the Great Rift. I’ve just never bothered to learn the specifics of each deal.”
“Well, the specifics of this year’s deal is different. He has increased our quota of humminglo plants tenfold this year and said that he will send his dragons to annihilate our entire population if we don’t meet the quota.”
“Then why are you fighting?” Javan asked. “Shouldn’t all the tribes be united in working to supply as many flowers as possible?”
“You would think so,” Taliya said, “but as an added incentive to maximize the supply, the King has promised that even if the quota is met, he will wipe out the entire region of the country that delivers the fewest amount of flowers.”
“No,” Micah said. He knew his father was ruthless, but he didn’t want to believe he was cruel enough to kill people who met his quota demands. “You must be mistaken. My father would never make such an unfair deal.”
“Tell that to all the people who have died in this war.”
“This
war ends now.” Javan stood and glared at Micah. “We’re going to get you to the portal and back home so you can talk some sense into that maniacal father of yours.”
Without another word, he sprinted off in the direction of the boat.
“Umm…what do you think he’s going to do?” Micah asked.
“Something very not smart,” Taliya replied.
“He’s going to get us all killed, isn’t he?”
They looked at each other, then scrambled to their feet, and chased after Javan.
◊◊◊
“What am I doing? What am I doing? What am I doing?” Javan mumbled that same question to himself as he fought through the trees to get to the boat. He had no idea what he was going to say to these people he didn’t know regarding a war he just learned about. But he had to do something. He couldn’t let Omri annihilate half a country over flowers.
He expected to hear chatter when he got close to the people. Instead, all he heard as he perched behind a tree near the plank was the sound of humming as a mixture of men, women, boys, and girls walked onto the boat with armfuls of plants and off moments later empty-handed.
Javan found the humming soothing. He almost let himself be lured to sleep until he took a closer look at the plants the people carried. He had seen that same purple-petaled, neon-blue stringed flower before; they grew all around the canyon where he first spotted Kisa. Only the flowers at the canyon were mega-sized compared to the two-foot long flowers being carried onto the boat.
What was so special about those plants? Why did Omri want ten times more than he usually demanded? “You’re not going to find your answers hiding behind a tree, Javan,” he told himself. “Time to be bold and take a risk.”
With his head held high and his hands up to show he had no intention of using his swords, he stepped out from behind the safety of the tree and approached the end of the plank. “Excuse me,” he said to the woman about to step onto the plank, “where can I find the captain of this boat?”
The plump woman’s eyes widened, and she transformed from a sweet little lady to a ferocious warrior. “Intruder! Intruder!” She threw her flowers at his face and body slammed him into the ground. Seconds later, he was surrounded by a dozen or so men who held spears aimed at his head.
“Who sent you?” the woman asked, shoving her forearm under his chin.
“Can’t…breathe.” He must have gained her sympathy from his faint whisper, because she moved her arm and rolled off his chest.
She picked up one of the flowers she had thrown and pointed it at him. “Now answer my question.”
“No one sent me.” Javan coughed to search for words to say that wouldn’t get him killed. “I came to help. That’s why I need to talk to the captain of the boat.”
“I think we should get the captain,” one of the spear-holders said. “I don’t think he’s a spy. His skin is too pale for him to be from anywhere in Keckrick.”
“Exactly. I’m from Montana.” Javan winced at his mistake. He really needed to get used to calling Zandador home and not Montana. “It’s kind of a place in the Land of Zandador.”
Javan heard someone scurry away. Other than the flowing river water, that’s all he heard. The humming parade on and off the boat had ceased, and no one else moved or spoke. He remained still and waited along with everyone else.
“We don’t usually get visitors from Zandador before Transport Day.” A tall man wearing a wide-brimmed white hat, white shirt and white pants stepped up and towered over Javan. “I heard you were asking for me. What is your business here in Keckrick?”
“I came to collect a dragon.” That news sent a chorus of murmurs through the crowd. He knew he had their attention, so he continued. “It turns out I can also help you win the war.”
“Is that so? How do you intend to do that?”
“Two days ago I walked through a vast field of humminglo flowers as tall as me. If you give me and my two friends a ride on your boat, we can take you there.”
“You have seen these plants? They are truly as high as your head?”
“I have touched them. They make your flowers look like miniature toys. King Omri would find one more valuable than a hundred of your small flowers.”
“Such massive flowers would be valuable and please the king.” The captain had the guards back away and helped Javan to his feet. “Where is this field?”
“That’s the tricky part. It’s on the northwestern shore.”
The captain narrowed his eyes, grabbed Javan’s shirt and lifted him up. “Now you are telling stories. You would not have been able to get from there to here in two days.”
“Yes. I could.” Javan choked the words out. “White winds.”
The captain slowly eased Javan back to the ground and let go of his shirt. “You mentioned two friends. I only see you.”
Javan called toward the trees. “Micah. Taliya. I know you’re there. Come on out and meet the captain.”
Everyone followed Javan’s gaze.
No one appeared.
“Tie him up and throw him in the river,” the captain said.
“Hold on! They’re there. Give them a second. Please,” Javan said, pleading with the captain. The captain held up his hands to signal a hold on his orders, and Javan turned his attention back to the trees.
“Taliya? Micah? I’m sure you followed me and can hear every word I’m saying. If you cooperate, we can hitch a ride to where we want to go while helping these charming people out in the process.” It took his stubborn new pals a minute or two, but they finally stepped out from behind the same tree Javan had used for cover.
The people gasped at the sight of Micah. They apparently weren’t used to seeing someone with such dark skin. “As you can see,” Javan said, “my buddy Micah isn’t from Keckrick either. He followed me here from Zandador, and he’s going to do something sweet for the people of Keckrick.”
“I am?” Sweetness did not exactly ooze from Micah’s demeanor. As a matter of fact, he narrowed his eyes and seemed to be trying to incinerate Javan. Good thing he didn’t possess the ability to shoot lasers from his eyes.
“You are,” Javan said. Since he knew Micah was in no position to hurt him, Javan turned his back on the big man and addressed the people. “You see, Micah has a special relationship with King Omri. If you’re able to send him back through the portal with the head-high humminglo flowers I told you about, he is going to convince the King to spare the people of Keckrick.”
Smiles spread over the faces of the crowd. Some of them even began clapping. The captain, however, wasn’t smiling or clapping. “We have never known King Omri to change his mind about anything. Why would he do so now?”
“Because this man,” Javan said, “is King Omri’s son.” A hush fell over the crowd. Javan enjoyed having the people hang on his every word.
Then the captain barked his orders. “Take their weapons and put them in the pit!”
“What? You can’t do that,” Javan said. “We need to be on our way to the head-high humminglo fields.”
“I am not yet sure I believe you. Even if I did, I cannot make that decision on my own. We will gather the Council of Tribal Chiefs, let them hear your proposal, and decide your fate. The three of you will remain unarmed in the pit until that time.”
The pit? That didn’t sound good. And with the way Taliya and Micah were glaring at Javan, he wasn’t sure he was going to make it out of that pit alive.
Chapter 24
The Council’s Decision
Micah reluctantly surrendered his sword and willingly walked to the pit for one reason: he wanted a chance to strangle the life out of Javan for acting on his own and making their presence known to the locals.
The hike to the pit took about an hour. They passed several humminglo fields along the way, and the last hill they crested provided a sweeping view of the village. The place was at least twice the size of the one he had encountered in the north but lacked any sense of uniformity.
A
creek wide enough and deep enough for canoe travel curved through the village. Huts on stilts dotted the shoreline. Huts further away from the creek were built above the ground in the trees. Bigger buildings constructed directly on the ground were scattered in a haphazard fashion among the area.
With no defined perimeter or designated town center, the village appeared to have no structure or organization. How could they expect these people to help when they couldn’t even build a decent, sensible town?
“We are here.” One of their three spear-carrying guides stopped them halfway down the hill beside a deep, dark, oblong hole in the ground. A thick rope tied around the base of a nearby tree dangled into the pit. “Get in.”
“I don’t see any stairs,” Micah said.
“There aren’t any.” The man pointed his spear at Micah. “You can use the rope to climb down, or we will throw you in.”
Taliya crossed her arms and shook her head. “I’m not about to climb down. I have no idea how deep that hole is or if you’ll ever let us out.”
“I’ll let you know how deep it is,” Javan said. He winked at Taliya and used the rope to lower himself into the hole. “I’m at the bottom and can still see you. Plus it’s nice and cool down here.”
“I don’t care,” Taliya said. “I prefer the heat up here.”
Micah looked up the hill and assessed the guards. Even without his sword, he was sure he could take out the guards and make his escape with the girl. But he wanted to get his hands on Javan’s throat. He thus didn’t bother with the rope and jumped in after Javan.
The fall took longer than he expected. He nevertheless thumped safely onto the dirt floor and found himself surrounded by dirt walls too high and too smooth to climb up without the aid of the rope the guards were pulling to the top.
A kicking and screaming Taliya landed beside him a minute later. “They threw me in! They actually picked me up and threw me in. Such rudeness!”
Micah stood and ignored her tantrum, but Javan offered her his hand to help her stand. He didn’t give her a chance to notice his kindness and pinned Javan against the dirt wall with his forearm. “What were you thinking? Why would you tell them I’m Omri’s son? You heard Taliya warn me to keep that a secret.”
