by NAK Baldron
From his window, he could make out the district of houses where Mitaire lived—the girl who was stealing his heart. He wondered if he could sneak in some time to see her in the morning, which drove him to get ready faster.
As far as he could remember, there was nothing of importance scheduled for the day, except to meet with Kelechi at some point. When he opened his door, his sister was already sitting in the communal area shared between their rooms—what had been their nursery as infants.
There were already fresh fruits placed in a bowl on their table and a candle infused with refreshing lavender burnt into the air. Adaku gave him a cheerful smile, which he returned with a curl of his lip.
Planning on doing something? Adaku transmitted. You're up a little earlier than usual.
I was going to go see Mitaire for a little while, Abaze transmitted.
A knock on the door startled them.
One of the castle servants opened the door and entered. The man, standing as rigidly straight as a stone, gave them each a brief smile, then bowed his head. It always seemed to be a different servant sent by their parents—as if it would be wrong for them to grow accustomed to a particular servant.
"Prince, Princess, the king would like to see you in his court," the servant said with a slight bow. "He said it is of an important matter."
"Tell him we will be right there," Adaku said.
The servant bowed once more and left the twin's common room.
"Looks like your little adventure outside the castle walls is going to have to wait."
Abaze glared at her for a moment, then pulled his boots onto his feet. Several windows were open in their common room, letting in a fresh breeze and the smell from the kitchens which wafted up to their suites overpowered the smell of their candle. Hunger tugged at their stomachs, but they knew better than to leave their father waiting.
They stepped out into the halls, bustling with servant activity. They took their time walking down the hall toward their father's room. As they knew, it could only mean he was either angry with them over something or had tasks for them—which always seemed overly laborious and boring.
Every servant they passed stopped to make some show of respect to the young royalty before returning to their duties. They rounded a corner and Abaze nearly ran into the court sorcerer. Kelechi smiled down at them with genuine kindness.
"Remember, children, to keep that secret of yours to yourselves," Kelechi said. "I will come search for you once I have the time to work on your training."
"Don't worry, it will remain our secret," Adaku said and Abaze nodded. "Thank you for helping us."
The sorcerer nodded and continued in the opposite direction from where the twins continued their walk. They looked back at the sorcerer over their shoulders, but he was already gone as if he had vanished through the castle walls.
If we were to do this in front of the sorcerer, do you think that he would be able to hear us? Abaze transmitted.
I'm not sure, Adaku transmitted. He spoke to me with his thoughts, but it might just be a two-way connection. I'm sure we'll find out when he starts training us.
What if he can always hear us? Abaze transmitted. That would be scary. Never to have another private moment. Maybe he can hear everyone's thoughts.
That's just crazy, Adaku transmitted. I'm sure that if he could, he wouldn't have been surprised when I asked him to train us. He would already know about Mitaire, and I guarantee that would be something that he wouldn't keep from father. It would make him an even more powerful man than he already is if he knew everyone's darkest secrets.
They reached the door to their parents' common room. Abaze knocked, and a servant opened for them. Their father sat in a chair at a small round table reading several parcels of paper. He looked up to his children and gestured for them to take a seat at the table. They both sat without a word and stared at their father as he finished reading the page in his hand.
Their parents' common room was much like the twins' area, with the finest furniture in the castle and bookshelves loaded with books they weren't sure their father had ever read. The door to their father's room was open, but their mother's bedroom door was closed. They both wondered if she still slept inside or if she had gone about her daily tasks around the castle.
"You are the prince and princess of this land." Mobo looked between the two of them as if he were about to interrogate them for a hideous crime, and they had seen how that turned out. "Your naming day is approaching. I've promised your mother to hold off your training for a year. But once that year is up, you're both going to shed your childish ways and become proper rulers of the realm. You'll both be sent away in order to receive proper training and education. It'll be good for you to be somewhere other than here. These halls would only remind you of all the fun you've been having, and it is time you start embracing responsibility. I say this as your father, and as your sovereign."
He's going to send us away? Adaku transmitted.
He can't be serious, Abaze transmitted.
"You'll each be sent to different places and be under the instructions and watchful eyes of some of the brightest minds in all of Fencura," Mobo continued. "Abaze, you'll learn to properly wield a sword, the aspects which a king must look over, and not only how to be a man but a royal elite! Adaku, you'll be learning your duties as the princess of the court."
I don't want to go, Abaze transmitted while trying hard not to look over at his sister in discomfort. There must be a way we can get out of this.
I don't think that there is, Adaku transmitted. I don't want to leave mother alone. He thinks this will help, but it's only going to ruin us. If we try to argue, then he'll only send us faster and punish us.
If I leave, that means I'll have to say goodbye to Mitaire, Abaze transmitted. I'm not ready for that. I won't do that!
At least mother convinced him to give us another year, Adaku transmitted.
"You'll be going without protest, I hope," Mobo said and leaned a little closer to them showing it was a threat, "or else that extra year will be taken away and you'll leave the day after your naming day. If at any point you show poor judgement, I'll have you sent away to begin your training."
"Yes, father," Abaze said. "We'll learn how to be the best rulers that Zaria has ever seen."
A knock on the door stopped their father from speaking further. A servant entered and bowed. It was the same man who'd retrieved the twins earlier in the morning.
"Your highness," the servant said. "There's a rider from an outpost who has ridden here in haste as he believes he has important news for you."
"Thank you," the king said. The servant bowed and left the room.
He turned back to the twins. "You two are dismissed but remember what I said this morning and start preparing for your naming day."
The twins and their father left the room together. They watched as their father descended a stairway to receive the rider. For a moment, they thought of things they'd rather be doing, but they both seemed to feel the same, that they must follow.
What sort of important message do you think the rider carries? Adaku asked.
I'm not sure, Abaze transmitted, but we're going to find out.
The two followed their father, ensuring not to make any loud noises as they descended after him. They caught the tail end of their father entering the courtroom where the rider waited.
A quick check around revealed that no one was present for the meeting, so they approached the door and listened through the slight crack the king had left. The rider wore a sword at his side and leather armor patched with ironwork to protect his vital areas—yet allow for fast movements and horseback riding.
"Your majesty," the rider said while giving his formalities. "I've overheard some information that you need to be aware of."
"Well, spit it out," Mobo said.
"Rumors are floating around that your wife's health isn't faring well," the rider said. "We have a soldier in custody who claims that some of your gua
rds are being paid by one of the Zaria lords and outside forces. He hasn't let up on who it is paying them. They are being paid to be updated on the conditions of you and your family. We'll have all the answers we can get from him shortly. We have our best man on it."
"Thank you for bringing me this word," Mobo said with the voice he used when being king. "I've had the feeling that things have been a bit tenser in the court, even without any treasonous or hateful words being thrown around. Have the soldier brought here, Kelechi has a few tricks up his sleeve to make sure that someone is telling us the whole truth."
"Yes, your highness," the rider said, then started walking toward the door. "I'll get him here as soon as possible."
The twins dashed down the hall to a hiding spot as the door swung open and the rider exited. They made their way toward the garden and tried to look as if they hadn't heard anything unusual.
This makes me feel even more uncomfortable about leaving, Adaku transmitted.
Me too, Abaze transmitted.
I don't think mom is sick, Adaku transmitted, she's been fine, and she would tell us if something was wrong.
It's probably lies to incite some sort of action, Abaze transmitted, but I'm not going to waste my time complaining about it. There isn't much in our power to stop something like that. I'm going to go see Mitaire.
It might be best to cut that off now, Adaku transmitted. If father finds out about you two, he'll not only punish you, but he'll also have Mitaire and her entire family punished.
I love her, Abaze transmitted. I'm not going to let that happen. We've always been safe and unless you say something about it to mother or father there's no reason they should discover.
I would never, Adaku transmitted. Though I think you're playing a game that cost you dearly. I have no ill intent toward Mitaire. I'm quite fond of her myself. I promise it will be between you and me. Blood is all that matters.
Blood is all that matters, Abaze transmitted. Then checked around for any guards or servants and snuck out of the garden area.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Texas, Earth
Sunday, September 25th
Just after 11:00 AM, Kandice got out of the shower to the sound of her phone ringing. The missed-call notification popped up—it had been Lance.
A couple seconds later, a text came in.
Lance: It's done. Come over when you get this.
Her excitement level neared that of learning to be an oboroten. Life had gone from dangerous and repetitive to dangerous and unpredictable. It was time to see if they could actually make gold, and how much the batch created.
Though excited, she took her time picking out clothes. It wasn't important that she rushed to get there. Thirty minutes later, with jeans and a shirt on, her hair in a ponytail, she finished applying her lip-gloss.
When she stepped outside her front door, her upstairs neighbor was on the stairwell.
He said, "Hi."
Kandice locked her door. "Hi," she said without glancing at him.
Is it too much to ask to live in peace and not talk to my neighbors?
After only a few days, it was clear her next place would need to be a house. Now that she knew meeting The Council was in her immediate future, it left her extended future more confusing. Moving around all the time like Lance and Slava wasn't appealing, but deep down she knew it would end up happening.
The neighbor followed her into the parking lot. Kandice started her moped and sped away before he had time to approach. He may not have followed with her in mind, but regardless, it made her uncomfortable. She knew she could take him in a fight, but the last thing she wanted was to draw attention to herself.
When she got to Lance's, he wasted no time showing her to the garage. Slava was hammering away at what looked like a giant chunk of gold. The ringing sound bounced off the garage walls, amplifying itself. Sparks flew in the air, and the lump kept rolling into itself. Kandice's mouth fell open.
"Is . . ." she started, still in shock. "Is that all gold?"
"No." Lance laughed a little at her reaction. "The outside looks like gold, but it's only the core that's pure. Most of it is random metals, tinted a gold color."
"Oh." The disappointment lingered in her tone.
"Take over." Slava handed Lance the hammer.
Lance used the back end of the hammer to pry open a crack in the chunk of metal. He then put a screwdriver into the crack and whacked it with all his might. The plastic handle broke off, but the metal split apart, revealing the gold core. Kandice could tell the difference as the inside was a deeper color. There were ripples in the outside metal that made it appear water-like.
Lance used the metal part of the screwdriver—the last part left—to start hammering out chunks of gold with care.
"It's very soft," he said. "It's like cutting butter straight out of the fridge."
Kandice laughed at the thought. "How much is there?"
"Not sure yet. At least a kilo."
Kandice tried to do the math in her head. "So about two-and-a-half pounds?"
"Something like that," he said. "Regardless, it's more than enough to get you a car, and pay the hackers."
"Let me call Blake."
"See if he can help sell this, too. We all need to sell it at different places."
Kandice dialed Blake's number. It went to voicemail, so she left a message. "Blake, call me when you get this. We're ready to-"
She stopped talking because Lance was waving his hands, telling her to stop.
"Just call me." She hung up.
"Don't talk about gold on the phone," Lance said. "Ever!"
"Why?"
"It's one of those keywords that will cause people to look into us. Gold is used as currency by drug dealers and gun runners. So, it's best not to talk about it."
"Oh, Okay."
* * *
It was around 5:00 PM when Blake got to Lance's. He'd woken up late, but called Kandice first thing. Lance and Slava had finished digging out the pure gold from the giant chunk of metals. It weighed in at just under three pounds. Lance mentioned it was one of their better batches.
Slava divided up the gold into one-ounce segments. Then used a leather seal that morphed them to look like a coin he kept on him. The front had a royal lion with a pronged tail, and the back had a two-headed eagle with a sword in its talons.
When Blake sat down in the living room, Slava divided up the coins. They each got eleven, except for Slava, who kept twelve.
"The plan is to sell these at pawn shops and cash-for-gold places," Lance said. "We have to spread out and hit all surrounding cities. Only two shops per city and two coins per shop. This will prevent raising too much suspicion."
Kandice and Blake both nodded in agreement.
"Slava will sell north. I'll go way south," he said. "Blake, you go west, and Kandice east. The key is to be confident. Tell them they're coins from your parents, or grandparent's collection, and that you need the money for school. You want to sell, not pawn. You should accept nothing less than $1,250 a coin. That's well under value. Any questions?"
"When do we sell them?" Blake asked.
"Tomorrow," Lance said. "We should all meet back here before dinner. I'll take the cash and convert it into prepaid credit cards. I'll give you what you need for your Bitcoins, Blake."
"Can I keep one?" Blake asked. "They're really awesome looking."
Kandice could tell Lance was thinking about it.
"Sure," he said. "We can spare one. But that would cover your finder's fee."
"Damn," Blake said. "Well, that's fair."
They hung out for a few more hours, talking about how they were getting close to taking down the mayor. Lance and Slava made their best dinner yet. Between the four of them, they finished a bottle of vodka, though Blake and Kandice both paced themselves. Kandice never got drunk, and Blake seemed fine—his speech never became sloppy, at least.
It was well past 10:00 PM when they called it a night. A good sleep would be
important for tomorrow.
"I'll try to nap," Blake said, "I've only been up a few hours, but regardless I'll sell the coins tomorrow."
Kandice followed behind him until they hit the main road. He went left, and she right.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Sapphire Nation, Fencura
What felt like hours to Ren passed with him floating in the center of the sphere.
"What do you want from me?"
"Nothing," they said in unison.
"How do I pass then?" Ren rubbed his face with both hands. The stress of the trial was wearing him down. "Is that it? Am I supposed to admit defeat? Is this a test of my endurance?"
"This is your trial," they answered.
For what felt like hours, they answered each of his questions in unison with cryptic replies that left Ren less informed than before asking the question. He remembered a phrase he'd learned since coming to Shinzo, Death before dishonor.
So many were counting on him, all of Pearl Nation, even those who didn't know it or care to admit it, like Johnathan. Removing the stigma of the Pearl Nation would ensure Ren's place in the history books forever. He'd always be the orphan who redeemed them, rather than the orphan with no prospects. Then there was Shaya and her need to rebuild Clan Kaito. For some reason she placed her trust in him, and he in her. She and Akio were the first true friends he'd ever had, and he realized just what death before dishonor meant.
"I'm ready," Ren declared and shift his hands from circle to square.
The sorcerers were floating above Ren, rotating in and around the Amethyst lanterns. While he laid against the hard metal of the sphere.
"Ready for what?"
"Ready to begin."
"Welcome, Henry Balton!"
Blackness filled Ren's vision, and then he opened his eyes to find himself in a brightly lit room. Slowly, his eyes adjusted, and he realized the room was in fact inside the Emperor's palace. Guards stood watch around the room, and the tapestries along the walls were more ornate than any others he'd seen on Shinzo. Like the stone murals in the Noble's Quarter, these tapestries showed wonderful oceanic scenes: whales, dolphins, octopi, and many other forms of sea life. Hanging from the far north wall was a giant sea turtle which stretched twenty feet from floor to ceiling. Undoubtedly enchanted, because the ocean moved around the turtle as it swam above the colorful stones Captain Kaito had pointed out on their way to Shinzo.