The River of Sand

by Kobe Bryant

  Pretia gave Rovi a worried look. Surely this man wasn’t talking about opening the prison. “Perhaps there is still time to convince you,” the man said. Then he held out his hand, first to Pretia, then to Vera. “I am Fortunus.” He mentioned no last name, like a Star Stealer. But his clothes looked to be made of heavier material than Pretia would have thought comfortable in the heat of Phoenis.

  “Are you a Star Stealer?” Vera asked the man bluntly. “You look too old.”

  “In another life,” he said.

  “I’m Vera Renovo,” Vera said.

  “Renovo,” Fortunus said. “That is a famous name.”

  “My brother is famous,” Vera said, “but soon I’ll be the more famous Renovo.”

  “So I’ve heard,” the man said.

  “You have?” Vera sounded delighted.

  “Even down here I keep tabs on the games. You have nine medals. That is a record. Almost.” He smiled.

  Vera cocked her head to one side. She was looking at the man strangely. “What do you mean?” she asked.

  “Just what I said. That’s almost a new record.”

  “Vera, we don’t have time to talk about some old athlete no one cares about,” Rovi said. “Pretia will be safe down here. Let’s go.”

  “Pretia will be as safe as the rest of us,” Issa said. “I’m not sure how much longer we can stay, though. We are going to need to move soon. We’ve heard the guards may raid the tunnels.”

  “What happens then?” Pretia asked.

  “Then we move. We flee the city,” Issa said sadly.

  “Wait,” Rovi said. “You’d run without the rest of the gang? You’d leave them in Hafara?”

  “If we get chased out of the tunnels before we can figure out a way to get into the prison, we’ll have to,” Issa said. “But I hope it won’t come to that.”

  Pretia looked over at Vera, who was still studying the older man like he was part of a larger puzzle. “I thought Star Stealers didn’t care about sports. How come you know so much about Junior Epic records?” Vera asked.

  “There are things about the games that still interest me,” Fortunus replied. “But I have long believed that there should be no sports for anyone until there are sports for all.” He swept an arm around the alcove. “And that is not yet true, as you can see.”

  “What did you say your name was?” Vera asked.

  Pretia nudged Vera. Why was she bothering this man?

  “Fortunus.”

  “But that’s not a Phoenician or Star Stealer name,” Vera insisted.

  “What’s in a name?” Fortunus said lightly.

  “A lot, I think,” Vera said. “Rovi, what’s the Phoenician word for fortune?”

  “His name is Fortunus, not Fortune,” Pretia said. She glanced nervously at Fortunus. But he was smiling knowingly.

  “I don’t speak Phoenician,” Rovi said.

  “Farnak,” Issa said. “Or Farnaka.”

  A triumphant smile broke across Vera’s face. “It’s nice to meet you, Farnaka Stellus.”

  “Very clever,” Fortunus chuckled, inclining his head.

  “I knew it the minute you said that thing about sports for all. That’s what you said on the medal podium right before you disappeared,” Vera crowed. “Farnaka,” she said almost to herself. “I’ve been hearing that word every day, over and over again when Sandlanders say their Grana Prayer: May the gods grant us the fortune to compete with grace. It never occurred to me that you might have changed your name.”

  “You didn’t have much to go on. They removed almost all trace of me from the record books, and I removed all trace of myself from Epoca. I’m Fortunus now, no last name. No house. No heritage. No loyalty to kings or queens. No obligations except of my own choosing.”

  “And no interest in sports,” Vera said, “even though you were the best.”

  “The best doesn’t matter if what you are best at is not something everyone can at least attempt to do. It doesn’t feel powerful or satisfying,” Fortunus said. “We cannot live in a world guided by values that don’t apply to everyone. The Orphic People have no place and no rights in Epoca.”

  Pretia looked at her feet. Her parents had guarded and upheld this tradition. Sure, they wanted to use her birth to unite the people of Epoca in new and deeper ways, but that unification didn’t apply to Star Stealers and all the groups like them.

  “But you were a superstar,” Vera continued. “How could you give it up?”

  “Talent and fulfillment don’t always go together,” Fortunus said. “The more I saw that sports don’t solve all of our problems, as much as we are led to believe they will, the more I started to understand that perhaps sports aren’t the answer to everything in Epoca. They give us the skills we need to survive and thrive. They teach us many important and indispensable things. But there are limits to what sports can accomplish. And they don’t help everyone. Which is why I threw my lot in with the Star Stealers. They are not allowed to play sports. And they don’t believe in the sanctity of sport.”

  “But I do!” Vera said.

  “I don’t expect everyone to try and change the world,” Fortunus said. “If you break my record, you will have done your part.”

  “How?” Vera asked.

  “Epoca puts too much faith in labels—Dreamer and Realist. You are the first Replacement to win Junior Epic Gold. You have made your own history. Once you are in the record books with all those medals, you can continue to make more. Especially if you cast off your label as a Dreamer. Deep down you are both things, Vera. It’s what makes you great. And you, too, Rovi. You are two things as well.” Then Fortunus clapped his hands. “Now, you two should go. Leave your friend with us. We will keep her safe.”

  “I can’t believe it,” Vera said. “I can’t believe I actually met Farnaka Stellus.”

  “There is no Farnaka anymore,” Fortunus said.

  “For me there is,” Vera said. “Maybe not for anyone else. But I’ll remember him. And,” she said, lowering her voice, “I also remember what he did.”

  “Now that is important. When they erased me from the record books, they took my reasons for quitting sports with them. So remember it. And one day, maybe you will be able to tell the real story.”

  “But first, I’m going to break your record,” Vera said, grinning.

  “The record is yours if you can manage it. And think about what you will do in the future, when you have the eyes of the entire nation of Epoca on you.”

  “I promise,” Vera said. “But right now I’m all about sports.”

  “May they serve you well,” Fortunus said.

  Vera turned to Pretia. “Okay, Pretia. Don’t get too stiff down here. Maybe jog in the tunnels or something.”

  “I’ll try,” Pretia assured her.

  “And we will see you in two days,” Vera continued. “The 4x400 is the last race of the games, at nightfall. I’ll meet you by the athletes’ entrance to the Crescent Stadium fifteen minutes before the race. It’s cutting it close, but we can’t risk your being seen.”

  “Deal,” Pretia said.

  “You’ll be safe here,” Rovi said. “Issa takes care of everyone.”

  Pretia watched the boys hug.

  “See you in two days,” she said as Vera and Rovi headed for the door.

  Before they ducked into the tunnel, Fortunus called them back. He shook Vera’s hand like an equal on the field. Then he pulled Rovi into an enveloping embrace. When he let go, Pretia’s friends trotted off, leaving her in the alcove with the Star Stealers.

  Pretia stood in the center of the dim room, feeling out of place. Issa shuffled off to a corner and sat on a blanket with a girl about Pretia’s age. Only Fortunus remained at her side.

  He lowered his voice so only Pretia could hear. “They don’t know who you are, Princess, but I
do. And I know that, like Rovi and Vera, you are also two things at once, but in an even more remarkable and important way. You have greatness in you that transcends your talent on the field. There is so much you can do with it.”

  Pretia glanced nervously at the Star Stealers. “If they knew, they would hate me.”

  “Not necessarily,” Fortunus said. “You are in a position to help them simply by understanding them. Try to see the world through their eyes. You are more like them than you know. There is a depth and power in you that perhaps you have yet to understand. You can see the world through two sets of eyes. You can be the one to understand those who have never been understood. But you are afraid.”

  “What do you mean?” Pretia asked.

  “You are hiding from something,” Fortunus said in a whisper. “What is it?”

  “My parents,” Pretia replied. “They don’t want me to compete. But I want to run one last race. I need to.”

  “Are you sure that is all? Are you sure you are not hiding from something in your nature and in the nature of the land you are meant to rule?”

  The mysterious man held her gaze.

  “No,” Pretia said. She knew this stranger was right, though. She was hiding from more than her parents this time. That was the reason she’d originally run away, to Ecrof. But now she was hiding from her duty to Epoca, from the burden of her birth. She wasn’t just hiding because she wanted to help House Somni, she realized, but because she was starting to suspect that she might not be able to do the precise thing she was born to do. At least not as her parents imagined she should.

  22

  ROVI

  A PROBLEM

  “Just act normal,” Rovi whispered to Vera as they entered the dining hall the next morning. He zipped up his Ecrof track jacket and brushed off the sand and dust that he’d acquired from scaling the back wall of the village one last time. “And whatever you do, do not mention Farnaka whatever his name is.”

  “Game face,” Vera replied. “Promise.”

  Rovi filled his tray, and he and Vera moved to a quiet corner of the cafeteria. Was it his imagination or were people looking at him strangely? He turned his back to the room and began to shovel lavender oats into his mouth.

  “They’re staring,” Vera said. “Everyone is staring.”

  “Ignore it,” Rovi said. “Just keep eating.”

  He forked up another mouthful of oats.

  “Is it true?”

  Rovi nearly choked with surprise as Virgil appeared at his side.

  “Yeah, is it?” Eshe was suddenly standing next to Vera.

  “Is what true?” Vera asked dismissively.

  Eshe lowered her voice to a whisper. “Is Pretia missing?”

  “That’s what everyone has been saying,” Virgil added theatrically.

  Rovi shrugged. “I have no idea. I’ve been busy training.”

  “Yeah,” Vera added. “Me too. Aren’t you guys aware that these whole games might come down to our final race?”

  “I am,” Eshe said. “I’m on your team. Pretia’s on the team, too, remember?”

  “Of course,” Vera said. “So is Rovi, and no one is worried about him.”

  “So is it true?” Eshe demanded.

  Vera stood and picked up her tray. “My advice? Less worrying about rumors, more focusing on the relay.”

  She hurried toward the exit. Rovi followed. “Chill out, Vera,” he said. “We’re supposed to play it cool.”

  “Ugh,” Vera sighed. “Eshe is just so—so intense. I mean, is winning all she cares about?”

  Rovi couldn’t suppress a laugh. “Vera, have you looked in the mirror?”

  “No, why?”

  “Uh, never mind. Let’s check the leaderboard.”

  Together, they crossed the village. The leaderboard, which had been totally empty weeks ago, was now almost entirely filled with scores and stats. Vera was firmly in the lead with her nine medals. Ecrof and Dynami were tied for most academy medals. And House Relia led House Somni by three medals, 72–69. There were only three events left—the mile swim, the hurdles, and the 4x400. That meant nine medals. The Dreamers would need as many of those as they could get.

  Vera stepped closer to Rovi. “Do you think she’ll be okay?”

  He glanced all around him before answering. “Pretia will be fine. I trust Issa. Now remember what we agreed on: Keep a low profile. Train, eat, and act as normal as possible.” They exchanged a low five.

  “Got it,” Vera said.

  “And if anyone asks about Pretia,” Rovi added, “the last person we know who saw her was Eshe in the health center when the royal guards took her away.”

  “Perfect,” Vera agreed.

  The village was teeming with guards. There were guards in the cafeteria. There was a guard on the van to the pool. There were guards surrounding the Royal Baths.

  Rovi had to work hard to appear calm. He cheered wildly for the Dreamers in the mile swim. Vera did the same. The Dreamers took two of the medals.

  “What happens if there’s an overall tie between the houses?” Rovi asked Cleopatra Volis on the van ride back to the village.

  “Victory goes to the house with the athlete who has won the most individual medals—which is us,” Cleopatra explained. “Unless something miraculous changes. Or Vera’s medals get taken away for some reason.”

  “Rex Taxus can’t catch me,” Vera said. “He has seven but is only entered in one more race. I have nine already.”

  “If there’s a tie, you’re the tiebreaker,” Cleopatra said. “So stay out of trouble!” she added jokingly.

  Vera and Rovi exchanged a worried glance. Vera would be in trouble if the officials found out that she’d snuck away from the games. It would put her medals in jeopardy.

  “Only one more day,” Rovi whispered.

  “I wish we could check on her,” Vera said.

  “She’ll be at the stadium tomorrow as promised,” Rovi said. There was no chance he was risking another trip into the tunnels. Not with all the guards crawling everywhere.

  * * *

  That night, Rovi slept badly. He was certain someone was outside his room. He tossed and turned until the first sorna horn sounded. He took a long shower to wake up and loosen his limbs. He needed to focus on the event at hand, the relay. The torrent of hot water provided a momentary distraction from all his anxieties. Today was the last day of the games. At noon the hurdles would kick off the day’s events, which would finish at nightfall with the final heat of the 4x400. Rovi knew he could only relax when he finally saw Pretia again and they had run their last race.

  Rovi toweled off and dressed in his tracksuit, then headed back to his room.

  No sooner had he closed the door than someone knocked. “Rovi, are you in there?” It was an adult’s voice. Rovi’s heart skittered. Breathe, he urged himself. Breathe.

  He opened the door.

  Satis stood outside. Behind him were two Phoenician guards. And behind them was Janos.

  “May we come in?” the Visualization Trainer asked.

  Rovi nodded. The adults stepped into the room.

  “Rovi,” Janos said, “you have heard Pretia is missing?”

  “I—um—there were rumors.”

  “You haven’t seen her?” Satis asked.

  Rovi could feel his palms start to sweat. What if they had found his Memory Master? “No.”

  Janos eyed him curiously. “And you haven’t thought it odd that you haven’t seen your friend? Now is not the time for heroics or lies, Rovi.”

  “I’ve been busy—um, training,” Rovi said. He didn’t sound remotely calm.

  “When was the last time you saw Pretia?” Satis asked.

  Rovi looked from the kind face of his favorite teacher to the stern faces of the guards. Frantically he counted backward in his
head.

  “I saw her . . . when was it? The days sort of blend, with so much going on.” Think. Think, he commanded his rattling brain. “I saw her the morning Vera broke her brother’s record. She was on her way to the health center.” He hadn’t seen her, but Eshe had mentioned to him that she’d seen Pretia rehabbing her calves.

  “Now, Rovi,” Janos said, “you know Pretia has run away before. Do you think she’d do it again?”

  Breathe. Think. Focus. What was he supposed to know and not know?

  “Why would she run away after winning gold?” Rovi said. “She’s a Junior Epic hero. Anyway, I’m sure she wouldn’t do anything to risk our final event. She wouldn’t do that to me and Vera.” He paused. “Or to Ecrof or House Somni.”

  Satis and Janos exchanged a glance. Had he fooled them?

  “So you can think of no reason she might run away?” Satis asked.

  “No!” Rovi insisted a little too emphatically. “No way,” he added more quietly. “Pretia loves the Junior Epic Games. She’s probably just lying low and getting focused or something.”

  Janos stepped forward. “Do you know of anyone who might want to harm Pretia?”

  This time Rovi didn’t have to lie. “What? No! Of course not.”

  Was Rovi imagining it or did Janos look a little sheepish?

  “Not any of your—er—associates?”

  “Associates?”

  Satis cleared his throat. “He means the Star Stealers. Do you think any of them would try to hurt Pretia?”

  “Definitely not. And they’re not my associates—I’m a Dreamer, as you know. But in any case, Star Stealers don’t hurt people,” Rovi said. “Why doesn’t anyone understand that! They’re just kids, remember?”

  “Well, Rovi, they might not want to hurt Pretia, but they might want to harm the games, and kidnapping Pretia could be a way to do that,” Satis said calmly.