by Aisha Saeed
“So,” Diana said. She sat down next to the boy. “You know my name. But I don’t know yours.”
“Oh, right.” The boy’s smile faltered. “My name is Augustus.”
“Augustus,” Diana repeated. “It’s a nice name. Not from the Scholar community, though, is it?”
“Oh yes. I mean no. You’re right. I’m originally from Sáz. My family is…They’re poor. I work as a servant, and that way I c-can send money home.”
“It must be awful to live so far from your family.”
“It’s honest work, and, well, we need it. Besides, it could be worse,” the boy said. He studied the ground.
“I’ve heard of your lands,” Diana said. “You build chariots for the gods, don’t you?”
“Yes!” He nodded. “We make brilliant chariots. All sorts. For parades and festivities and for the more practical ruling needs the gods may have. It’s our specialty.”
“And you make potions in your spare time?”
“Chariot making runs through my blood, but it gets dull sometimes. There are only so many different ways to make them. Sáz sits on a former volcano, and the area is rich in plants and minerals—perfect for potion making. Mr. Broderick, our town’s apothecary, let me study under him and learn how to make them. Mr. Broderick says—I mean…he said—back when I lived on Sáz, that I have a real knack for it.”
“Must be nice. To be gifted at something,” Diana said. She wasn’t sure if she could say the same for herself.
The boy looked up at her then.
“Sáz isn’t too far away,” he said. “I brought a chariot with me. Uh, snuck it in the hull so no one would discover it. Thought I’d visit my family while I was here.”
“It can fly all on its own?”
“With a certain potion, yes.” He patted his pocket. He looked at her and hesitated. “I’d love to take you to Sáz and show you around tonight, if you’re interested.”
“Tonight?”
“You’d love it,” he said quickly. “I think it’s statistically impossible for anyone not to.”
“Oh. Well…” Diana blinked at the unexpected invitation.
“There are rubies and other gems there,” he said, nodding to the emerald-decorated sword tucked into her belt. “You have some lovely waterfalls here—more than I’ve ever seen in one spot before—but we have interesting natural formations and sights back at Sáz. And the chariot can fly exceptionally high with my newest potion. Would be fun to fly above the clouds, wouldn’t it? I could have you back by morning.”
Earlier this evening she’d told Sakina how stuck she felt. Now here was a boy offering her a trip to a brand-new land and urging her to join him.
It was tempting.
“I’d love to,” she finally said. “But this is a busy week. I can’t worry my mother by disappearing on her.”
“Oh,” Augustus said. His expression fell. “Well…”
“But you should go. If I see any of the Scholars heading over to the ship, I’ll distract them. They won’t notice you’re gone.”
“Thank you. Maybe tomorrow evening, then,” he said. “My injuries should be fully healed by then.”
Diana told Augustus she’d check on him the next morning. She promised to drop by with breakfast and freshly squeezed orange juice.
“Thank you,” said Augustus.
“It’s not a problem,” she said. “Really.”
“Well, thank you all the same. For your kindness. Been a while since I was shown any.”
Diana studied the boy’s face, his pained expression. Stepping off the dock, she headed toward the forest. Her cheeks burned with frustration. If Queen Khadijah took a boy so young as her servant and treated him badly, why didn’t Sakina stop her?
She needed answers.
Suddenly Diana stopped walking.
The Lasso of Truth. It was the one object that drew out the truth, no matter what.
Quickly, Diana turned from the palace. She hurried through the coliseum instead, racing past the empty seats and the rose gardens.
She headed straight toward the armory.
It was time to ask some hard questions. With the Lasso of Truth, she’d get to the bottom of things once and for all. Queen Hippolyta definitely would not approve of Diana removing the lasso from the armory without permission, but if she used it on Sakina or her mother, it would reveal all without leaving any room for doubt. Diana needed to know if Augustus was telling her the truth.
His life could depend on it.
The white walls of the armory loomed in the distance. Diana hurried toward its nasturtium-lined entrance and turned the door handle. All along the armory’s inside perimeter hung the rarest of weapons and swords. Warm torchlight shone down upon them; placards beneath each one signified their importance. Diana could lose herself within the armory most days; there was so much to see and try out. But tonight was different. She was here for exactly one thing.
And there it was.
The Lasso of Truth glimmered beneath the torchlights across from her. Walking up to it, she hesitated. It’s not that she’d never handled the lasso. She’d run her hands over the intricate knotting in the past when no one was looking. But those times didn’t count. Not really. She’d never used the lasso on someone to find out a necessary truth. And she never could have imagined she’d ever need to use this lasso on her best friend.
Diana lifted the lasso from its perch. It looked like any ordinary rope, but as soon as her hands touched it, the thick lasso began to glow. She glanced down at it and hesitated. She was allowed to wander the armory and explore as she liked, but her mother would not be happy if she found out Diana had removed the lasso from the armory without asking first—and to use it on one of their closest allies! But the Lasso of Truth was a source of answers, and answers were what she desperately needed. She tied the lasso to her waist belt and vowed to be as careful as possible with the rare heirloom before she walked out of the armory and back into the night.
As she entered the palace, Diana paused in the gleaming marble foyer. The strangest thing echoed through the normally bustling palace: silence. A short while ago, every inch of this place had been brimming with music and laughter and conversation. It was too soon for everyone to have retired to their rooms for bed, but maybe she’d caught a lucky break. If Sakina was asleep, it would be the most painless way to get the truth out of her. But when Diana went to her bedroom, both beds were still perfectly made. Sakina wasn’t there.
Diana poked her head out of the room and scanned the corridor. The doors to the guest suites were opened wide. She passed each of them and saw that they were empty. Every last one.
Where is everyone?
Diana hurried downstairs toward the guest hall. Maybe they were still there. Sure, she’d never heard it this quiet during a Chará festival, but perhaps they were playing some kind of game. Or meditating. It was a little late for such things, but odder things had happened at festivals past.
She gripped the handle to the guest hall door and glanced at the lasso at her waist. It was too big to tuck under her clothes and too important to let out of her sight, but if she ran into her mother with it attached to her waist, she would be in big trouble. Best to avoid her mother as best she could, Diana resolved.
The first thing Diana noticed once she stepped inside the guest hall was the scent filling the room: bittersweet, like the rind of an orange. She clasped a hand to her nose; her eyes watered. Glancing around the room, her arms fell to her sides.
She was dreaming.
She had to be.
All the women were here.
Every last one.
Their eyes were closed. And none of them were moving.
Diana wheeled around and stared at the women surrounding her. Her stomach twisted in knots. They were here, just as she’d left the
m. Except now, besides the light movements of their breath, none of them moved a muscle. A woman in a chiffon dress sat across from her, perched in a high-backed chair, her eyes gently shut as though in deep meditation. Another sat by the window, her cheek pressed against the smooth glass, her eyes closed. How had everyone fallen asleep so suddenly?
“Hello?” Diana called out, her own breathing growing more rapid. “Can you hear me? Can anyone hear me?”
No one responded. The candlelit chandeliers shone brightly overhead as dread filled Diana’s heart.
Queen Khadijah sat on a velvet sofa, her hands clasped primly in her lap. Her eyes were shut. All around her, motionless women sat in chairs and reclined on chaise longues. Some were even asleep on the cool marble floor.
Diana startled when her eyes landed on her mother. She lay on a chaise longue by a window.
Seeing the queen’s unconscious face, her hands limp at her sides, Diana’s chest filled with a new fear.
What if all the women weren’t sleeping? What if some of them were…
Rushing to her mother, Diana pressed her fingers against Queen Hippolyta’s wrist. To her relief, her mother’s pulse beat steady and strong.
“Mother? Wake up.” Diana squeezed her mother’s arm and clasped her face with her hands. “The palace is on fire! The armory, too! And I lost your crown!”
Diana swallowed. Her mother didn’t move. She didn’t respond at all.
“Mother!” Diana’s pleas grew more frantic. “Please wake up. There’s something important I need to tell you. It’s an emergency.”
But none of her words got through. The queen’s expression remained peaceful and unchanged. Panic bubbled inside Diana. She pushed back tears. Even if they did not see eye to eye on all matters, her mother was the one person who helped everything make sense—who righted wrongs and brought back order if things were getting out of control. How was Diana going to fix any of this without her?
Dashing into the kitchen, Diana drew a sharp intake of breath; the scene was the same as in the guest hall. Thelma was slumped over the sink, a porcelain dish and sponge still in her hands. Two other cooks were sprawled and snoring on the marble kitchen floor. The same bitter smell of orange rinds clung thick to the air.
Diana breathlessly raced into each of the palace rooms. She checked the closets, the solarium, the bathing rooms. There had to be an explanation. A palace of people didn’t pass out at the same time, without any reason. Something—someone—did this to them. Someone attacked the palace. Someone tried to hurt Diana’s family and friends—oh!
The thought jolted her. There was one person still unaccounted for: Sakina. Where was Sakina?
Hurrying into the darkness outside the palace, Diana raced down the sandy path and into the forest. She sped toward the burrow, but, save Binti and her sleeping babies, there was no one there.
“Sakina!” Diana called out. “We need to talk! Where are you?”
Sakina did not appear. But Mira did. Darts of silver light shot through the night sky. She fluttered her wings and approached Diana, chirping in a high-pitched squawk. Swooping down, the bird tugged Diana’s sleeve. Diana understood.
“Light the way, Mira.”
Diana raced behind the bird, clear to the other side of the trees. Stepping out of the woods, Diana looked around. They were not far from the docks. Mira flew toward the Scholars’ ship.
Inching closer, she heard a deep growl. Diana’s stomach sank. The sound meant only one thing. Hurrying to the dock, Diana looked around—and paused. There she was. The snow leopard, crouched low and facing the boy. Even from fifty feet away, Diana could see the cat’s sharp teeth bared at him. And next to the snow leopard stood Sakina. Her arms were crossed. Her back was to Diana.
Sweat dripped down Augustus’s face. His cheeks were pink and flushed. His body was pressed against the side of the ship, leaning over the small gap of water between the dock’s edge and the boat.
“I think your five minutes are up,” Sakina said coolly to the boy. “So what’s it going to be? If you can’t do what I need you to do, then this conversation is over. And trust me, when I tell her I found you out here, you won’t like what comes next.”
Diana blinked back tears. So it was true? The boy had been telling the truth?
“P-please,” the boy said with a trembling voice. “Don’t hurt me.”
“I won’t lay a finger on you,” Sakina replied. “But Arya could use a good meal.”
Arya snarled and took a step forward.
Diana gasped. She’d known Arya since the snow leopard was a tiny little thing. Around them she mostly acted like an overgrown kitty. Diana had forgotten how powerful the creature truly was. And judging from the way Arya glared at the boy, it looked like she was eager to eat him for dinner.
“Stop!” Diana cried out. “Arya! Don’t do anything!”
Sakina turned to look at Diana.
“Diana.” She frowned. “What are you doing here? Did Mira—”
But before Sakina could complete her sentence, Diana ran toward them. She leapt in front of Augustus, shielding him with her body.
“What are you doing?” asked Sakina.
“Don’t hurt him,” said Diana.
“Hurt him?”
“Yes. I think he’s been through enough, don’t you?” Diana asked, biting her lip.
“What are you even talking about?” Sakina put her hands on her hips. “Hurt him? Why would you think I’d do anything to him?”
“I heard you with my own ears. You told Arya to get him.”
“That? I was only trying to scare him,” she said. “You know Arya doesn’t eat people.”
“Fine. But you have to leave the boy alone,” Diana entreated. “You and your mother can’t continue mistreating him.”
“What? Me and my mother?” Sakina repeated. She crossed her arms. “What exactly have we done to him?”
“He told me everything. About Queen Khadijah’s angry side. I saw the bruises for myself. I still can’t understand it. Did you not know? Because if you did know, why didn’t you stop it from happening?”
Sakina looked at the boy and then at Diana.
“Is that what he said?” she finally asked. “That we treat him poorly?”
“Are you saying it’s some sort of misunderstanding?” Diana’s voice wavered. “Because, honestly, I would love for some sort of explanation to clear all of this up.”
“Diana,” Sakina said slowly, “I’ve never seen this boy before in my life.”
Diana looked toward Augustus. He stood still as a windless night.
“I can explain everything,” the boy finally said.
Diana just barely stopped herself from gasping. Augustus had lied to her?
“Is it true?” Diana asked him. “You really don’t know Sakina?”
“M-maybe. Okay. Fine. Yes. It’s kind of true,” he said hesitantly.
“Kind of?” Diana took a step toward him. Her eyes narrowed. “It’s either true or it isn’t. Pick one.”
“Well, truth can so often be a relative term. Though if we’re sticking strictly to the facts, then I suppose, technically, we can unambiguously say it’s…ah…”
“Augustus?” Diana put her hands on her hips. “Out with it.”
“Okay. Fine! It’s true. I don’t know her!” He ran a hand through his hair and frantically looked at the two girls. “B-but I have a good reason for why I said I did! Give me a chance to explain. Please.”
Diana’s brows furrowed. If he wasn’t with the Scholars, then how had he gotten here? How had he accessed the secret coordinates? Where had he come from?
“We’re all ears,” Sakina replied.
“Why in the world would you lie about something so serious?” Diana demanded. “I heard you before and you said…”
&nb
sp; Her voice trailed off. She glanced at the pouch tied to his waist—the one with many different compartments that contained potions and ingredients. Realization dawned on her. She’d saved this boy’s life from a falling ladder. She’d brought him food and water. And yet…
“You,” she said, putting the pieces together. “You did it. Didn’t you?”
“Did what?” Sakina asked.
“He enchanted all the women,” Diana said. Her eyes remained fixed on the boy. Anger pulsed through her veins. This boy had attacked her home. He’d come here and hurt her people. Her hand lowered to grip the hilt of her sword.
“Enchanted?” Sakina said. “Is…is everyone okay?”
“Every last person at the palace is asleep,” Diana responded, her gaze focused tightly on Augustus. “The cooks. The metal welders. The painters. Our mothers. They’re all unconscious. It was you. But why? What are you doing here? What do you want?”
Augustus said nothing. And then his eyes narrowed.
Before Diana could move, he lunged toward her.
In an instant, Arya snarled and leapt on top of Augustus. She toppled him to the ground and pinned him firmly with her paws.
“Ow!” he shouted. “No! Please! Get off me!”
Flattened against the dock, he struggled to move, but the snow leopard growled loudly until he grew still.
Anger flooded Diana’s chest. The boy had lied to her. And worse—her cheeks burned—she’d believed him. Who was he? It was time for answers.
“Let him up, Arya,” she said evenly. “I’m ready.”
Arya reluctantly stepped to the side. Groaning, the boy rubbed his chest and stomach before standing up unsteadily.
“Listen….I can explain,” he said, his hands up, palms facing out.
“Yes, you definitely will.” Diana gritted her teeth. “I’m going to make sure of it.”
Before he could say anything more, she reached for the lasso. A flicker of doubt crossed her mind. She hoped it would work.