She finished her work and took off her apron, throwing it into the large laundry barrel. The cleanliness in the king’s kitchens was impressive, considering how big they were and how many people moved through them each day. Gavi had seen the mess and muck of the lower city, though, and he knew the comfort of the palace was a thin veneer over the misery in the rest of the city.
“Make sure the lamps are out before you go,” the cook told him. “Tomorrow you’ll start with the stew, okay?”
Gavi smiled at her. “Of course,” he said.
She lingered and watched him for a moment, and in his mind he urged her to leave.
“You’re an odd servant,” she said. He slumped his shoulders and tried to look more like a servant, and after a shake of her head, she left the kitchen. He breathed a sigh of relief. After a few minutes, watchful Ben would come to eat, and Herrith and Lena would come too, so they could meet together. It had become their ritual. Poor Ben had been waiting a long time today.
Gavi wanted to see his friend, but he also wanted to know if Herrith had any news. Today Herrith had gone down to the lower tier of the city for the first time in a week. All that time, Isika and Jabari and the others had been working on their plan. Gavi wanted to know what it was.
Gavi knew he was meant to be in the palace—one of the team who had their eyes on Aria—but he missed his brother and friends more than he could express. He missed the fun that radiated from Jabari, bringing everyone around him into the joke. Herrith and Lena were great, but they were grave, and even Ben was serious for his age. Gavi missed the lightheartedness of his youth. He was just starting to realize that it didn’t come to him naturally, as it did to Ivy and Jabari. He needed them to bring it out in him.
He started to make Aria’s stew. Each night he made her favorite soup. Lena said she barely touched any food except his. He carefully stole into the kitchen gardens when he could to take the fresh herbs that he knew would nourish her. He used his own dried mushrooms and spices. And sometimes he carried it in to her. He was careful only to talk to her when she was especially lucid, so she would know not to betray him to a passing guard. Somehow she still hadn’t told her father that he was in the palace. It was a dangerous game to play. She had whole days where she barely inhabited her own skin.
Shaper! He cried, as he often did when he thought about what Aria was going through. What do we do? How do we help her?
There was a quiet knock at the back door of the kitchen. When Gavi opened it, all three of them were there. Herrith was shaking his head as he walked in.
“It is foolish of us to arrive together,” he said to Ben. “You were supposed to already be here, young one.”
“It isn’t his fault,” Gavi said lightly. “The cook left late today. He’s been waiting a while.”
He retrieved Ben’s plate of food and handed it to him. Ben sat on a short stool and began to eat, barely pausing for breath.
“Should we wait for him to be finished?” Lena asked.
“No,” Gavi said, as Ben shook his head. “We don’t know how much time we have. Our starving boy can listen and eat at the same time. Herrith, do you have news for us?”
“Much news,” the older man said. He settled himself on a stool in a corner of the kitchen while Gavi kept one eye on the soup simmering for Aria. “I told them that we have Benayeem.” He looked up at Ben. “Isika burst into tears.”
Ben nodded, chewed, and swallowed. “I knew she would be worried. I am thankful she knows now.”
“Brigid was missing for some time, but she was found in a hospital in the deepest part of the lower city. She was trying to make sense of visions she had seen, and someone picked her up as a crazy person and committed her. Enfa managed to sneak her out.”
Gavi and Ben stared at him with their mouths hanging open.
“Well,” Gavi said, after a moment. “That is a lot of news.”
“That’s not all. Isika and Jabari have made a plan.”
“Yes?” Gavi said, when Herrith paused.
“They will split up. Some will rescue Aria from the Desert King while the others spring the captives out of the stadium prison.”
Gavi was shaking his head, holding up a hand.
“They are going to what? Rescue Aria? But she came here of her own accord. She isn’t planning to leave. Are they going to forcibly remove her?”
“That seems to be the plan.”
Gavi frowned. He felt a familiar old anger rise up in him at the presumption of the plan. He turned and spiced the soup, then stood and crossed his arms over his chest. He looked at Herrith.
“They can’t do that.”
Herrith watched him. “Who will stop them?”
“I will,” Gavi said, extinguishing the fire under the pot of soup. He reached and took a large clay bowl from a high shelf, ladling the soup into the bowl, then handing it to Lena with a spoon. “She’ll like this one,” he said. He glanced at Herrith again. “When are they next meeting? When can I talk to all of them at once?”
* * *
A few days later, Gavi hurried down the narrow streets of the lower city, which baked and stank in the sun. He had told the head cook he needed to look for ingredients they did not have. The hottest part of the day was the easiest for moving around undetected, because most people slept and there were few people on the streets. He adjusted his ser. The sun was unrelenting. He slipped along the streets quietly and eventually stood in front of the blue door with the circle symbol. He knocked. The door opened to reveal Jabari, who quickly pulled Gavi into a hug, shutting the door behind him.
“Brother!” Jabari said, his white grin splitting his face. “It has been so long!”
Gavi soaked the warm welcome of the room into his skin. His brother, radiant Isika who shone with life even when she didn’t know it, Ivy, his cousin sister, and Deto, an old friend were there. Brigid was in the corner on a mat, looking paler than usual.
“Are you okay, Brigid?” Gavi asked. “Herrith told us what happened and we couldn’t believe it.”
She smiled faintly. “Much better,” she said.
“How is Ben?” Isika asked while Ivy and Deto were in line for their hugs. “Why has he not come back yet?”
“He’s fine. Don’t worry about him. He’s strong and growing stronger. He spends his time in the palace listening for who might be sympathetic, who might eventually be convinced to join the Circle. He does good work. He also listens for times when it might be easier to speak with Aria.” He paused. It felt wonderful to be in a safe place, to be on good terms with the people he loved, and if he knew Jabari and Isika at all, he knew that they wouldn’t like what he had to say. He sighed.
“Aria’s the reason I have come,” he said, jumping straight in. “Don’t go through with your plan. It won’t work.”
Jabari took a step back, crossing his arms over his chest. “What do you mean it won’t work?”
“You can’t take her by force. She will never be healed if you do.”
“Are we supposed to leave her here?” Isika said, her voice rising.
“I will not leave her,” Gavi said in a low voice.
“Wait, what?” Jabari’s face was shocked. “You’re planning to stay here? You know we’re getting the prisoners out and then leaving, right?”
“I will stay with Aria as long as she needs me.”
“You’re going to leave us?” Ivy’s voice was a whisper.
“No,” Isika said, shaking her head. “No one is staying. We are taking Aria, whether or not she wants to come, and we are going home to Azariyah.”
“Isika, no,” Gavi said. “You don’t know how it is to be a rescued one.”
“You think I don’t understand you, brother?” Jabari asked, pain in his voice.
“How could you understand, loved as you are? How could you know what it is like to live, knowing that you were thrown away?” Gavi asked him. He cleared his throat, upset that his voice was cracking.
“You were loved too! You
were chosen!” Jabari took a step toward Gavi, but Gavi moved away, determined to make Jabari hear.
“Can being chosen make up for being rejected?” he asked. “Is one more powerful than the other?”
Deto and Brigid were looking at each other. Deto nodded.
“What he says is true,” Deto told Jabari. “It is a heavy poison. It doesn’t go away, but seeps through most of life.”
“But what does it have to do with our plan?” Jabari said. “So she is under a heavy poison. All the more reason to get her out of here and back to Azariyah where she belongs.”
“No, brother,” Gavi said. “The song that rejection sings to her is that she doesn’t belong, that she will never find a home. That’s why she came to her father. Trust me. I understand her. I’m waiting for the right moment. For Aria to heal, peace needs to come from within her. We can’t just steal her.”
Jabari stared at Gavi like he didn’t know him, then turned abruptly and began pacing. Isika sat on a stool with her head in her hands. Deto and Brigid sat as if frozen, immense sorrow on their faces.
Suddenly Jabari turned to Gavi, fists clenched. “No, brother!” he said, and his voice was loud enough to make Brigid flinch. “The moment is now! We cannot allow this! If she gains power she could try to destroy Maween. Don’t you see how much poison could come from her betrayal if she is actually named heir!”
“So are you doing this for her good? Or for the good of Maween?”
“For both, brother! Listen to yourself! What are you saying?”
Gavi shook his head sadly, gazing at Jabari. “I don’t want to fight you, Yab. But you are wrong. You need to reconsider your actions.” He glanced at each of them, pain lancing through him at the sight of their faces. “Keep well, all of you. I must get back now.”
He let himself out. No one tried to stop him or follow him. As he hurried back to the palace he felt that he had never been more alone.
Chapter 31
Jabari was in the city stables, going through the motions of taking care of the horses, but his mind was far from the task. He couldn’t believe that Gavi had come and told them that breaking Aria out of the Desert City was the wrong thing to do. Stay in Dhahara? Stay?! Impossible. They had been brainwashed, both of them.
What about Ben? Would Ben be brainwashed also, now that he was in the palace? What about Herrith? Jabari didn’t know who he could trust anymore.
Isika’s horse, Wind, turned his head suddenly and nipped at Jabari’s arm. Jabari loosened his grip on the brush when he realized how hard he was pulling it through the horse’s mane.
Sorry, friend, he said.
You are angry, the horse replied.
He was angry. He was angry with Gavi, at Jabari’s side as long as he could remember. How could Gavi leave him? How could he imagine that Nenyi wanted him to stay in this poisonous city? How could he have alliances away from Jabari and his family, the people who had rescued him? And for that matter, how could the rescued ones band together like that and say they had never felt loved? Not as loved as Jabari? Jabari didn’t have something they were lacking! They were all loved! What was the point of loving rescued ones if they turned on you and decided to stay in evil cities with evil kings?
Wind turned and kicked the stable door, hard, and Jabari realized he should put the brush down.
I’m sorry, friend, he said again.
I am glad I am not on two legs, Wind said. You have tangled minds.
Jabari felt like there was a stone sitting in his gut. He sighed. We will come for you in two days. You need to look very good, so try not to get dirty before then.
We are standing in a stable, and sometimes they let us walk in the yard. I don’t think we will get dirty.
Good.
Jabari left the stables and started to walk across the city in the growing twilight, feeling the familiar heaviness that had settled on him since he came here. Somehow he was luckier than everyone who had been born in this city. But that thought made him think he was undeserving, and he shrugged it off, even as he stooped to help a thin little girl who was having trouble picking her brother up. Jabari picked up the toddler and held him while the girl tied him in the cloth on her back. She grinned at him, then raised her hand for a coin. He gave her one reluctantly, not even sure he knew where the reluctance came from. He had enough to spare.
Heavy, it was so heavy. The houses rose on either side of the road, corners jutting where no one had bothered to match them up, water dripping from ledges where people had thrown their dregs after cleaning laundry or dishes. He heard the crying of hot little babies who couldn’t sleep, the shouting of cranky men after a long day of work.
As he rounded a corner he came upon a crowd of angry people who were clustered around a boy younger than Ben. A man advanced on the boy with a raised club.
“What are you doing?” Jabari cried, already pushing through the crowd, toward the boy.
The man with the club lowered it. He turned to look at Jabari with a scowl on his face.
“Who are you?” he growled. “And what are you doing on this street after nightfall?”
“I’m just a stranger coming from the stables, no concern of yours. What are you doing to that boy?”
“We’re the guards, stupid,” another man said, and spittle flicked from his mouth as he came closer to Jabari. Jabari flinched, noticing two other men who left the crowd to walk closer to him. Four. There were four of them. “Everything here is our concern. That boy is a thief.” He turned to point at the boy, but he had taken his chance and run. Jabari grinned, but the malice of the guards made him refocus. He would need something special to get out of this mess.
Keethior? he called.
Out loud he said, “That’s how you guard the city? With brute force?”
“A language all people understand,” the man with the club said, his face contorted with anger, even while he grinned with broken teeth. “As I’m sure you do as well. And we have an empty spot where we had a thief. How nice of you to take his place.”
Keethior!
I don’t answer to you, son of Andar. How many times do I have to remind . . .
Isika! Can you send Keethior to help me?
There was a flurry of activity in the animal speech part of his mind, and Jabari got himself ready as the four men lunged at him.
He dodged the first, then kicked his legs out from under him, as the man with the club roared and came toward him, attacking with his club. Jabari tried to dodge it, but the club caught him over the eyebrow. Instantly, blood sheeted down his forehead and into his eyes, as pain erupted in his head and he stumbled. Another man used the opportunity to catch his arm and twist it behind his back. Jabari gasped, caught against the wall, unable to move without breaking his arm.
And then there was a roaring sound, like a mountain falling, and a cold chill of fear and strong wind blasted through the space. Jabari looked up as the man released his arm and through the blood in his eyes he saw a flurry of feathers and glimpse of two sharp beaks stabbing at the men. It was only a few moments before they fled, wailing as they went.
“Nenyi’s skies!” Jabari said, his words slurring as he tried to stand. “I’ve never seen you do that before.”
“Stupid boy,” Keethior said. “What have you done? You may as well have walked into the king’s chambers and told them where you were!”
“Now, now,” murmured Eemia, and Jabari stood a little straighter.
“You wouldn’t have been able to watch a young boy take a beating either,” he said, limping down the street. The houses were dead silent as everyone stayed inside and prayed that the commotion would pass by. “Oh wait, you probably would have. I forgot who I was talking to. Not you, Eemia.”
They were at the door. Jabari barely touched it before Isika flung it open and shrieked at the sight of him. She pulled him inside. He winced as the force jolted him, reminding him that he was close to passing out. She helped him over to some cushions that Mara pulled together.
He told them briefly what had happened and Mara’s lips grew thin. She went to get some water from the kitchen and came back holding a towel.
“If Keethior had come the first time I asked, I may not have taken a club to the face,” he said, looking at Isika, who had tears in her eyes as she stood with her hand on his shoulder.
She whirled and faced Keethior.
“No,” Keethior said. “I am not his to beckon and send. If he wants to get into trouble, he can sort it out.”
“He is like a part of my heart, Keethior. You may guard him like you guard me.”
Jabari’s heart jumped and sped up. The room was silent. Isika went on. “As Benayeem is a part of my heart, or Aria.”
“I can’t guard everyone, Isika,” Keethior said, his voice sullen. “So you have to choose who is a part of your heart.”
Isika wouldn’t meet Jabari’s eyes after that, though he wanted her to, but he was distracted anyway by the painful medical work that Mara was attempting. Finally she said, “He will be fine. He’ll have quite a scar, though.”
Brigid gasped from the corner and Ivy said, “Oh no, Yab. Your perfect face. Do you want me to get Gavi?”
Gavi would have been able to help Jabari instantly. But it was Isika who came forward, finally meeting Jabari’s eyes. He felt a sharp twinge near his heart.
“No need,” she said. “I’m sorry. I don’t know where my head has been.”
“Isika, if this kind of magic will wipe you out, don’t do it,” Jabari said. “The naming ceremony is in three days and we need you.”
“We need you too. I’ll be fine.”
She came very near, near enough that Jabari could feel her breath on his cheek, and leaned her forehead gently against the unhurt side of his head. He sucked in a breath. Magic. He could feel her wild, unfiltered magic, connected to the very deepest parts of the earth. It moved around him and enveloped him. He smelled fresh earth and sweet flowers, rain on the desert floor. When she sat back, a few minutes later, she smiled at him drowsily and he realized that he felt no pain. He touched his head and found the tiniest ridge, a thin scar.
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