“You know I do.”
“I need you to slip it to me without anyone seeing you. I’ll do the rest.”
“You still don’t trust Jak?”
“I don’t trust anyone who has secret liaisons in the woods with the men trying to kidnap the princess.”
“To what end?”
“I don’t know, but I think we need to be cautious.”
“We won’t get much out here. We’ve got no working communicators.”
“He may not use one.”
“I’m not trying to sound condescending, but have you considered just asking him?” Lu asked.
Rasha had considered it. Considered it and dismissed it as another chance for Jak to use her emotions against her. “Just get it for me, and don’t let Chiza see you,” Rasha said with a knowing look.
Lu gave her an indignant look before he turned to go back. Temi came over and looked up, expecting something.
“What?” Rasha asked
Temi growled and moved closer then sat and stared up at her.
“You want something?”
Temi gave her another growl. At a loss for what else to do, she stroked Temi under the chin before heading back.
“Your beastie is getting almost too big to carry,” she said to Lu. He was digging something out of his pack and, as she hoped, she got Chiza’s attention with her remark.
“He’s so big now, I can’t believe it. I wonder when he’ll stop growing,” Chiza said.
“It won’t be long now. We should see his true size. Did you take care of beasties at home Chiza?” Rasha asked, looking at Chiza to keep eye contact with her.
“Not really. We weren’t allowed animals inside our home. My mother thought it uncivilized.”
That was a word she hadn’t heard in a long time. Rasha recalled her own mother using just such a term to describe her only daughter.
22
The sun was just above the horizon to the south when they packed up and continued east. They reached the Ridge an hour later. The Ridge was a low mountain range and a natural separation between the Wilds and the ten kingdoms of Bolaji. Their peaks, though not high, were grueling to travel on foot. The animals they’d brought would have just as hard a time navigating the rocks with their wide legs.
“The ridge is treacherous,” Lu pointed out.
“I know, that’s why no one will follow us there,” Rasha said.
“We could cross the ridge and make our way on the other side,” Jak suggested. They both looked at him with disbelief.
No one said anything for almost a full minute as they all considered the possibility.
“I don’t like it,” Rasha said at last. Chiza nodded in agreement, though she didn’t have a vote.
“I do. It’s brilliant. We’d have the best of both worlds. No one wants to deal with the Wilds and they won’t be able to track us through the desert. I think we should do it,” Lu said.
“Are you getting any communications?” Rasha asked him.
“Nothing. I’m still blacked out. Nothing going in or out. It won’t be better on the other side of the Ridge, but it also means we’ll have less of a chance of being traced or tracked.”
“There’s nothing on mine either,” Rasha said looking at the blank square.
“So, are we agreed?” Jak asked.
* * *
They took a few hours to traverse the Ridge. The tuskins had been hard to convince to navigate the rocky landscape. The Wilds close to the Ridge were desert lands made up of hard-packed and cracking dirt and a layer of shifting sands.
Their view was broken by a scattering of trees, bare branches reaching up to the sky as if to petition for more rain. The terrain wasn’t as rough but, although dry, they were far from warm.
Jak led the way. He knew where to stop for water, where to rest, and where to set up camp for the night. This time of year, the night winds were cold, the four of them (along with Temi) huddled together for warmth.
“How do you know so much about this place?” Lu asked.
“This is the route my mother took when she fled Winaka, the seventh kingdom, to raise me in the Wilds.”
If he’d said he’d been born with two heads and two horns they couldn’t have looked more shocked. Rasha clicked her tongue for her beast match the pace of Jak’s.
“You were raised in the Wilds?” she asked. She didn’t hide her surprise any more than the others.
“Yes. It’s not how people describe it. Just because we don’t abide by the laws of the ten kingdoms doesn’t mean we run around nude with spears in our hands.”
Rasha stifled a laugh. Jak looked at her sideways.
“What? Were you imagining me in the nude?”
Rasha’s mouth fell open in shock, but she recovered and rolled her eyes. “Not in the least.”
Chiza giggled somewhere behind them, which only encouraged her.
“That said, I’m sure that your thin legs wouldn’t look too bad.”
“My thin legs?” Jak looked down at his legs with concern.
“I’m sure with a little spear hunting you could improve on them,” Rasha told him as her tuskin overtook his.
23
Lu and Jak wouldn’t stop singing and it was making Rasha’s teeth grind together. Their fluency in the language of the mermen was astounding; even she had to admit that it was skillful. They encouraged her to join but she refused. Singing was not a skill she’d learned. Chiza didn’t sing along, either. She enjoyed it though, because she clapped with enthusiasm after every single song. By the time they reached the border between the Wilds and Chilali, Rasha knew she couldn’t go any further. Things would change tomorrow, and she needed one night of peace to prepare herself.
The sun hadn’t gone down yet, but Rasha could already feel the cold creeping into her bones. She pulled the cloak tighter around her ears and neck. Jak rubbed his hands together and blew into them. Lu busied himself with making the fire as Chiza danced in place hopping from one foot to the other and rubbing her arms. They were only one kingdom away from Adalu and then this whole delivery would be behind her.
“You know you’re irresistible when you get that worry line down the middle of your forehead?” Jak asked.
Rasha looked up as he spoke. She’d been so far in the back of her mind she hadn’t understood him at first.
“What?”
“Where were you just now?” He reached up and touched her face with the back of his hand. “You have nothing to worry about.”
Rasha pulled away from him. “Not now.”
Lu caught her eye as she gathered more wood for their fire. The trees in this part of the Wilds were thriving, and although most of them were bare, a few kept their bright foliage She brought the wood she’d collected to Lu, who added it as needed to his growing fire.
“What’s wrong with my purple princess?” Jak asked.
Rasha’s head snapped up, as did Chiza’s.
“Don’t call me that,” she growled.
Jak held up his hands and shrugged.
“Have you ever known a girl so disagreeable?” he asked Lu.
One look from Rasha and Lu held his tongue. Lu, Chiza, and Jak ate while discussing the change of scenery. Rasha kept to herself. She even sat a little apart from the others. Rasha couldn’t get out of her own head. The thought of her home in Chilali weighed on her. Would they still be angry with her for leaving? What would her parents say? Did they know of her reputation as a courier? Did they even care about her accomplishments?
Rasha stared at the fire but found no answers there. The smoke rose into the night and then dissipated into the black. Above them, the constellations brightened the heavens. The two moons were doing their best to brighten the night and doing a fine job. The blue moon hung in the east and seemed to be right above them, while the orange one to the south seemed to kiss of the horizon.
“Rasha, would you like more?” Chiza asked.
Rasha looked down at her plate. She hadn’t touched it. She
shook her head. Most of the night she’d kept to herself and gained inner calm, despite her lack of appetite. Instead of waiting for him to come to her again, she called Jak over, making it clear she had something important to tell him. He gave her a wary look, but shrugged and joined her. She couldn’t blame him for being confused, she’d snapped at him most of the day.
24
The warm fire couldn’t compare with the warmth Lu felt inside. Chiza talked less and less of her preparation as one of the chosen and more and more of her own dreams and wishes. Lu didn’t know what it would mean for him, but he braced himself to do something he’d never considered before.
He’d found a small white flower and tucked it away. Now he pulled it out of his pouch. Temi growled at him and shook his head around, pawing at the ground.
“Go on, there’s no reason to be jealous, my friend, this is for the lady.” He held the flower between his finger and thumb and tucked it behind Chiza’s right ear. The contrast between the flower and her ebony skin and black hair was stunning. He started to tell her so, but his hand itched.
“Oh no, what’s the matter with your hand?” Chiza asked. She grabbed it and looked it over.
“I don’t know.” Lu stood up, out of instinct wanting to run from his limp and useless hand. It had doubled in size and he couldn’t move his fingers.
“What in the yahtz?” Rasha asked as she saw Lu stumble backwards.
Jak came running. “What happened? What did you touch?”
“Nothing, I picked a flower earlier and when I pulled it out just now my hand itched and now I don’t feel anything. The numbness is traveling up my arm,” Lu said as his arm went limp. "I can’t lift it." He felt his wide eyes get wider.
“When you picked it earlier, were you wearing gloves?”
“Yes, I was.”
“That explains why you didn’t experience any effects until now. What did you do with the flower?”
“I gave it to Chiza.” As one they all turned toward where Chiza was sitting and saw her lying by the fire. Jak dashed around the fire and over to her. He snatched the flower off of her ear and threw it into the fire with one gloved hand.
“Rasha, I need you to come here and hold the princess up like this, keep your gloves on.”
Rasha did as asked and though she looked uncomfortable, she squatted down and lifted Chiza’s head and shoulders onto her lap.
“Her breathing is shallow,” Rasha said.
Lu felt his insides drop. Then his leg weakened under him and he fell to his knees. What had he done? This was all his fault.
“I need to hurry or we’ll lose them both,” Jak said as he turned away.
“Where are you going?” Rasha asked her voice shrill. That meant she was more scared than angry. Lu had only heard it once before.
“I’ll have to get the antidote. The plant is one I’ve seen before but in the dark it’ll be harder to find. I need to hurry. Lu, prop yourself up against Rasha, she won’t be able to lift you and soon you won’t be able to crawl,” Jak said as he turned back and half dragged Lu to Rasha’s side. “I’ll be back as soon as I find it.”
“There’s a light, in my pack. Take it.” Lu’s body was slowly numbing. He couldn’t feel his legs at all.
“I’m sorry Chiza, darling, you don’t deserve this. I already miss what we could have been.”
“Shut up, you’re not going anywhere, so stop saying goodbye,” Rasha snapped.
Lu heard the fear and anger in her voice, shrill again. It was strange what you could hear when your body was so quiet. The numbness was reaching up to his waist. His stomach and chest would be next.
“Rash, I think I was in love with her,” Lu confessed. Saying the words felt good, like he’d relieved something pressing on his chest. Another pressure replaced it but this one he couldn’t lift. Temi had moved in and rested his head on him. He whined. Had the little beast tried to warn him about the flower? He wanted to put his hand out and reassure Temi, but the other hand was numb now too. Temi had been loyal and helpful. If only he’d been paying attention.
“Of course you are, you pumseed.” Rasha’s reached out, and he didn’t feel her fingers, but saw them as they dug into his numbing chest. His breathing was ragged now. He didn’t know if he could stay conscious.
Something wet fell on his face. It was raining. Fitting. A quiet rain for the overwhelming sadness he felt. He’d killed himself and Chiza with a pretty flower. When the black came, he welcomed it.
* * *
“Where the yahtz have you been?” Rasha screeched when Jak returned.
“Finding it took me more time than I’d hoped. I’m sorry.” He had a hand full of green leaf clusters.
“What do I do?” Rasha asked, feeling helpless with the weight of her friends resting on her legs.
“Nothing, these are poisonous to anyone who isn’t affected by the white flower. He pulled off several leaves and put them inside of Chiza’s cheek and did the same with Lu on Rasha’s other side.
“How long does it take for it to work?”
Chiza coughed on the leaves. She gasped and then chewed on the leaves in her mouth.
“Good, that’s good, chew them up until they’re pulp, but don’t swallow.
Beside her Lu let out a similar gasp, and then he chewed the leaves. Jak threw the rest of the leaves in the fire. They crackled before they went up in smoke.
Lu and Chiza each sat up and eased away from her, testing their limbs and smiling around the green in their mouths.
“You should both be fine now. Spit out the pulp and rinse out your mouths with water.”
“How did you know what to do?” Lu asked.
“This is the Wilds, I grew up here. There are many natural dangers here. Most people only think of the lawless, but they don’t think about the untamed nature that surrounds them. Jak raised his hands palms up and spread them, encompassing everything outside of their fire.
Lu turned to Chiza after they’d both spit out the remaining leaves and spoke in a voice Rasha had never heard Lu use before.
His voice husky and deep, he said, “I’m so sorry, please forgive me. I only wanted to make you smile.”
“You made me smile and I don’t blame you. How could you know they were poisonous?” Chiza smiled to prove it. “Next time don’t kill me.” That made them all laugh. Distracted most of the evening, Rasha had time to think now that morning was just a few short hours away. They’d have a long day tomorrow. She needed to sleep.
Jak was the first to lie down, exhausted from searching the woods. Temi hadn’t left Lu’s side, and neither had Chiza. Lu was taking the first watch, but it was like the three stayed up watching each other, afraid to close their eyes. Rasha watched them huddled together for a moment. Focused on each other, they’d never notice when she placed the listening device on Jak. She wanted to trust him. After what he did for them that night she almost did. Rasha moved closer to Jak. She kneeled close to him and when she was a breath away, she reached out to place the tracker on the collar of his cloak. Jak’s eyes flew open and his hand snaked out and caught her arm.
25
Jak held her arm and Rasha’s fingers closed around the device. He wasn’t looking at her hand. He stared into her face. Rasha struggled for control over her own features. She only hoped he couldn’t read her plan, written all over her guilty face.
“I knew you couldn’t resist,” Jak said as he pulled her in and kissed her hard.
Rasha’s body went limp, and instead of pulling away she melted against his side. He turned toward her, cradling her head in the crook of his arm, and kissed her again. He bit her bottom lip, and she felt a sigh escape her lips. This only encouraged him and he tangled his fingers in her hair, keeping his mouth firmly on hers. When they came up for air, she looked in his eyes and wasn’t sure what she saw there. They were half closed, and he smiled as he settled in and fell asleep with his arms wrapped protectively around her.
Rasha only had to shift to place the t
racker inside the collar of his coat. Once it was connected, she closed her eyes and pushed the sick feeling of betrayal in her stomach down.
* * *
They’d been riding against the northern winds for most of the day when they finally entered Chilali lands. Rasha had willed sleep to come, but, in the end, didn’t sleep at all. The others were careful to avoid her, as she was still prickly. With the wind in their faces they were less inclined to make small talk. The small communities of people they passed weren’t out in the elements. Many of them looked out from their windows and doors to see who would be foolish enough to be traveling north this time of year. Rasha was careful to keep her own face hidden.
“We’ll need a place to rest for the night,” Jak called out against the wind.
“This is Rash’s territory,” Lu said and then turned to Rasha. “Is there someplace out of the way we can take shelter?”
Rasha started to say something but then bit her tongue. Chiza was giving her the wide eyes of a conspirator. It was obvious she wanted Rasha to tell the others about her status. Rasha shook her head and straightened her back.
“I know a place,” she said and rode to the front. Her mind raced. How would she be received after a two-year absence?
Avoiding the populated areas became more and more difficult. Chilali had many developed areas, and, like in Adalu, the city center had grown and spread, while the outer edges were only a little less populated. Rasha steered her tuskin to a home that sat on the west edge of a small community. Rasha rode up to the door and gave a high three-note whistle.
It didn’t take long for the door to open. A plump woman with purple skin and a long white braid came out with a long sword in one hand.
“What do you want?” The woman asked, squinting at her.
“It’s me, aunt,” Rasha said, raising her hands but not getting off her beast.
The Courier's Code Page 9