The Courier's Quest

by T. S. Valmond

  5

  LADI REACHED ISHOLA WITH MERRICK by nightfall. Right away, they welcomed her. The rest of the Wola who walked the grounds around the cabin where Tarrick took residence acknowledged her with smiles and nods. The small, unassuming building was just a cover for the underground caverns underneath. Around the grounds, Ladi gazed up at the trees filled with Wola who preferred to avoid being on the ground. They built up their perches with small tree homes where they could rest free from wanderers who might stumble upon their location.

  They entered the cabin and when the floor opened below her feet, Merrick led her down a set of cavern stairs. Moments later, she reached the underground chamber, Tarrick's office. He had a large wooden desk where he stood and worked. He'd explained to her before that it made room for his large wings. Ladi had learned she probably wouldn't like them as much as she once thought. However, she did like the wide rooms and tall workstations that accommodated their wings.

  Merrick stood at the door as she approached Tarrick. He embraced her in his Wola way with his wings surrounding her, and she touched her forehead to his. Then they took a step back, and she lifted her fist to her chest and he did the same in the way of the humanoids.

  "How did it go? Did they believe you?" Tarrick asked. As an ambassador and council member for the Wola, his opinion mattered most.

  "I left her at Central. I couldn't risk them getting this back." She held up the small package.

  Tarrick sighed.

  "I'm not sure you're going about this the best way. I don't understand why you don't just tell her."

  "You don't understand, it goes against everything she knows about the Courier's Keep. I can't just walk up to her and say the couriers are being manipulated or, worse, that they're involved in a conspiracy against the beasts of the realm."

  "I don't see why not. She seems much more reasonable. She's no longer the princess incumbent. Plus, you are a close friend. She cares about what matters to you."

  "No, she doesn't." Ladi looked down at the package. "She cared about my brother. Everything she does for me is really in memory of him. She's just like the rest of them. She won't understand unless she can see it for herself."

  Tarrick nodded to Merrick, who left them alone. Tarrick motioned for Ladi to sit down.

  "Sit down, you're wearing a hole in the floor with your pacing."

  "It helps me think."

  "It helps you worry. Now, please." He gestured to the gray, low-backed seat. He sat down beside her and turned to face her, allowing his wings to expand behind him in their natural resting position.

  The feel of the soft cushions did wonders for her as she sank into them. She was worried and it was showing.

  "You have the Wola."

  "Right now, I just need for Rasha and Jak to understand. When they realize what's going on, I think they will be on our side." Ladi bit down on her lower lip.

  "How do they feel about the eleventh kingdom?"

  "They don't understand the discrepancy the way we do. The prejudice against the beasts is very high. Most of our fighters and soldiers were in the war, but not everyone saw how the freed beasts came to our aid," Ladi said. She ran a hand over her face.

  "If your brother were here, what would he do?"

  "He'd trust Rasha."

  "Do you trust her?"

  "I think so, yes. I know her and Jak would do anything to protect the kingdom, she said as much when I spoke with her. Once she's convinced of the threat against your people and the beasts, she'll act."

  Tarrick nodded.

  "That is also my perception of her and Jak." Tarrick leaned forward and took her hands. "What now?"

  "I need to go to where the worst of the prejudice is happening and find out if the rumors are true. If the beasts or Wola are in danger, someone needs to do something."

  "I will give you all the help you need. But first, you should rest and bathe. I believe it's been too long since you've touched water." Tarrik's nose scrunched up.

  "Poobari's prison isn't the place to get clean. I'll attend to it right away, Ambassador." Ladi stood up.

  Tarrick allowed Ladi to leave with Merrick and one other Wola. They were to investigate what was happening with the beasts who had travelled south of Tero Joro and into Vol, Buku, and Winaka. Merrick was seeing another Wola, her name was Erima. She accompanied them and took turns carrying Ladi. They reached the border of the southern kingdoms before dark, where she asked to be let down. There were several small towns on the way, but the beasts would stick to the outskirts. That's where the Wola followed her as she marked tracks and followed trails she thought might belong to beasts.

  Ladi lifted her ear to the wind and away, listening for any sounds out of the ordinary. She heard growling and snarling a short distance ahead of them and lifted a hand to signal the Wola to stay back as she tracked the sound.

  She soon caught up with the source and saw a large patch of grey in the shuddering brush ahead. In front of her, the grey stopped moving long enough for her to make out the figure.

  "Ladi, I'd know your scent anywhere," growled Browl.

  Ladi parted the thin branches and stepped through the leaves where she found Browl surrounded by a litter of grey and brown cubs. The interruption didn't bother the cubs as they continued to launch themselves at their father, nipping and tugging on his ears and tail.

  "Well, someone has been busy." Ladi laughed and went to scratch him behind the ear. But a sharp high-pitched bark had the cubs retreating behind him and to his left.

  "It's all right, she's a friend," Browl said to the brownish figure in the trees.

  The female wolf whined and he growled back at her. She stepped out of the woods, nipping at her cubs to stay behind her.

  Ladi raised a fist to her chest, saluting in the Tero-Joro way.

  "I'm Ladi Luduru”

  * * *

  "She was our freedom fighter," Browl said, giving his mate a reassuring push forward with his nose.

  The female nodded but remained silent.

  The trees behind her shifted as Merrick and Erima stepped through.

  The female hunched down growling at them and gathering her young.

  “Merrick and Erima are with me," Ladi said gesturing to them. The Wola didn't move forward but bowed their heads.

  "The Wola helped fight off the masters," Browl said nudging her with his nose.

  * * *

  "Grella is my mate. He used his teeth to gently pull a pup off of his tail. He then plopped him unceremoniously in front of Ladi.

  Ladi bent down and scratched the cub behind the ears, but Grella's back stiffened. Seeing the change in her, Ladi straightened deciding it was best not to upset the nervous wolf with any sudden movements.

  "I've come to find out how the beasts are living here. Have you run into any trouble?"

  He looked up into the trees and sniffed the air. "Come," Browl said. "Let's not talk here, it isn't safe."

  Browl and Grella moved through the trees and Ladi ran to keep up. The dense brush hung too low to allow the Wola to fly unseen, forcing them to run alongside her. They came to a small clearing where a large river with sparkling blue water ran in their path. The roar of the falls nearby was tremendous. Little would be heard above it. Several other beasts drank from the flowing stream. Ladi saw a family of white bears, two dragons, and another family of grey wolves who all looked up from their drink and noted the humanoids. The other family of wolves moved off, but the dragons stayed, as did the bear family. Ladi recognized the white bear. It was Osa and her cubs.

  Ladi waved to them with a smile. They moved in her direction. Out of captivity, the bear cubs had healthy white coats, and the two looked happier than she'd ever seen them. She reached out and they welcomed her with several bear cub licks and rubs.

  "Boys, enough," Osa said as she sat down on the riverbank. She looked from Ladi to the Wola. "Friends?"

  "Yes, these are the Wola. They were a huge part of the effort to end the war and they have been g
ood friends to me ever since."

  Osa nodded to each of them. Despite her sons’ curiosity, she kept her cubs within reach.

  "There have been rumors of trouble. We're here to investigate."

  Osa said nothing but looked to Browl.

  "Yes, here it is less rumor and more fact."

  "What have you seen?" Ladi moved so she was sitting between Osa and Browl while their cubs moved off to play together nearby but out of easy listening.

  "Not everyone accepts us," Osa said.

  "They prefer their own kind," Browl said. "As do some of ours." His eyes never left Grella as she watched over the young cubs. She showed no interest in discussing matters with Ladi and the others.

  "Hunting has been difficult." Osa's voice was soft and quiet. "We can eat fish and berries. Many cannot."

  Browl hung his head and shook it from side to side.

  "It is difficult to know the domestics from the prey."

  Ladi understood their dilemma now. Many of the beasts were hunters like Rasha’s Temi. Their relocation forced them to learn which animals were acceptable to hunt and which were domesticated and cherished by their owners.

  "There have been accidents," Osa said. "However, not all have been forgiving."

  Ladi's heart sank. She'd hoped that her effort during the war would bring the beasts and the humanoids together to the same side. Now, it seemed that despite her sacrifices, the beasts still struggled.

  "That's not all of it." Browl moved closer to Ladi. "They have taken some of our kind."

  "Whole families disappearing in the night," Osa said then smiled as her sons returned to her side. "Sleep is difficult when you can only close one eye."

  Ladi understood the sentiment and wondered what to do about it.

  "Have you told anyone?" Ladi asked.

  "Yes, we've spoken to those from our encampment and warned many others, but we're not sure it's enough," Browl said.

  "Have you told the humanoids, Prince Bashir?"

  Osa and Browl looked at each other, the confusion clear in their expressions.

  "We don't know this Prince Bashir, but we know you. We would have sent word of our troubles sooner except we had no way to reach you."

  "I blame myself." Ladi shook her head. "I thought I was doing the right thing by going to the Courier's Keep for training. Now I know better. I believe they may be part of a conspiracy to cause you harm and I plan to stop it."

  Osa moved closer.

  "Ladi, we aren't defenseless, you know."

  "I know, but I also wouldn't turn my back on a friend in trouble. Someone doesn't want you to be a part of the Bolaji kingdoms. Even the Wola haven't been fully welcomed."

  "We are partially to blame," said Merrick. "We've chosen to remain independent in many things and made ourselves autonomous. So, some view us as competition when providing similar services and products."

  Ladi didn't see the logic in that. They all should learn from the Wola, not compete with them.

  "Our hunting is more cunning than most are used to. It frightens them," Browl said.

  "Proper hunting grounds are needed, but that's no reason to do you harm. Do you have any idea where they are taking them?"

  "No," Browl said, shaking his head.

  Osa shook her head too, then said, "I fear for my little ones, and I don't have to tell you what I'm willing to do to protect them."

  No, she didn't. Ladi remembered all too well how she'd fallen after she'd been slashed across the back by Osa. The bird-men and the bull-men masters had forced Ladi and Osa into a grand arena to fight for their entertainment. When Osa had refused, they'd threatened her children.

  Ladi still bore the scars and the dreadful memory. But now she only nodded.

  "There is talk that the beasts may have been taken further south. But where they may have gone from there, we can only guess. Perhaps back to the territory of the masters." A growl behind Browl had them all turning toward Grella.

  Ladi sniffed the air and she caught a hint of something metallic, something not from nature. The others scattered into the trees without a word. They would defend themselves but they wouldn't start a fight or risk a frontal assault with their young around their ankles. Ladi nodded to the Wola who took to the sky to get a better view.

  In seconds, something shot through the sky above them and lassoed around the wings of Erima. She cried out but her cries were cut off as she was pulled back down to the ground.

  Ladi raced through the trees to catch up to those who had taken her. Merrick followed from above, reaching them before Ladi could. She arrived just in time to watch them throw another lasso around Merrick's wings. They dragged him down to the ground and into a separate cage

  "Looks like we're going to get two for one, boys."

  Ladi watched the two men from the safety of the dense green trees around her. Merrick didn't let his lack of flight stop him from punching one man down and kicking the other, forcing him back. His mistake was taking his eyes off of them for a moment to reach for Erima's ropes. He had it in his hands when he stopped.

  Ladi didn't see or hear anything amiss, but Merrick reached up to his neck and he pulled out a small dart.

  He watched it fall to the ground before he toppled over.

  Erima yelled, calling his name, piercing the air. She, too, paused suddenly and looked down. A thin needle poked out of her leg, but before she could pull it out she collapsed as well.

  Ladi strained to see what happened.

  The younger man held something in his hands, some kind of thin tube he quickly stashed in the pocket of his vest. The two men groaned and sweated as they pulled and shoved the Wola into a large metal cage. It wasn't unlike the ones she'd seen before, when the bull-men and bird-men kept the beasts imprisoned and forced them to fight each other. The two men congratulated each other before getting into the motorized vehicle and moving off, pulling the cage on wheels behind them.

  She'd never be able to keep up with them without transport, but she ran after them anyway. Whoever they were, they had the answers to what was happening to the beasts. Ladi was determined to find out who was behind it all.

  She pulled out her communicator to send a message to Tarrick. He needed to know what had happened to the others. She wouldn't ask him to send more Wola, it was dangerous and she blamed herself for the two they'd caught. They were her friends, and they'd believed her when she told them that things were not as they should be for the beasts. Before she could send the message, she felt a sting on the side of her neck.

  "Oh," she said as she watched the same small dart fall out of her hand. She felt herself falling and waited for the jarring ground to slap her in the face, but she never felt it.

  6

  RASHA AND JAK MADE THEIR way back to Ishola together for the first time since they met almost two years ago. The last time Jak had been in Ishola it had still been called the Wilds and the Wola were in relative isolation. Now it was the center of all things government related. The council and the reigning prince lived at the newly built palace and the Wola roamed freely throughout the now eleven kingdoms of Bolaji.

  Jak had been instrumental in bringing them into the fight those many months ago. He'd helped to seal their victory against the beasts in what they were now calling the Beast wars. It had been a difficult year to put behind them. Jak had returned home to bury his mother and she wondered how he felt now as they flew toward the place where they'd buried her. Instead of asking him she decided to ask him about something else that she'd always wondered about.

  "What are those markings on your neck? Do they stand for anything?"

  Jak's cheeks blushed. Was he actually embarrassed?

  "It was from a long time ago, another life."

  "Tell me about it."

  "When I was still young, before the Courier's Keep, I was a part of a group of boys who sort of ran havoc in the streets of the Wilds. We had a bit of a bad reputation."

  Rasha's eyebrows drew together.

  "
You were bandits?"

  "I was young and impulsive, lashing out against my mom and the people who'd raised me. They were all boys around my age and they've got a history of sticking up for one another no matter what. At the time I needed that."

  Rasha thought about it. Then realization dawned on her.

  "You were a Triple B?"

  Jak rubbed the back of his neck his cheeks still pink.

  "You're looking at a former Bad Boy Bandit."

  "They're notorious for being kidnappers and thieves."

  "It's been many years since anyone has been kidnapped. That died out almost a hundred years ago. But the general thieving and mischief remained." Jak shook his head. "We started to mark ourselves over a decade ago to signify our allegiance to the group."

  Rasha shook her head.

  "I always wanted to be a part but they have that silly rule." She looked at him out of the side of her eye.

  "Yeah, that no girls allowed rule. That's eventually why I left too."

  "Traitor to the cause," Rasha said.

  "Yes, it's difficult to get married and stay with the Triple Bs."

  "I would think so. Who wants a husband who is a professional thief?"

  "That was the year I enrolled at the Courier's Keep. I'd had a perfect record up until," Jak caught himself and then stopped.

  "What happened? Why didn't you deliver that package all those years ago?"

  "I suspect for the same reason Ladi won't deliver this one. I found out what I was carrying. There's a reason they don't want you to know. But I've reconciled myself to that now and my ideals have changed to a more realistic version of what they once were."

  "Do you remember what it was?"

  "Yeah, it was poison. The kings of Vol and Buku were still feuding. They were sending each other poisoned gifts in the hope that one of them would be stupid enough to accept the gift and die."

  Rasha shook her head. The early tribal wars among the kingdoms hadn't been much different.

  "I decided then and there that I wouldn’t deliver poison from one kingdom to the other because it was disloyal to the king accepting it. I chose to be loyal to all and not to one. Eventually after several sessions the council and Keep agreed with me and I was exonerated despite my rebellion but it still tainted my record. The break from courier life helped me to regain my focus. I examined why I had become a courier in the first place. I refused to be an ignorant player in anyone's gang or war again. Then the king of Sidoa of the tenth kingdom chose me for a covert mission. I was to follow his daughter in a crate to make sure she made it to Adalu for the Choosing. That's when I met you."