“Well, what if we can get some of the Kipaji warriors on our side?” Kavu floated. Skepticism surfaced emphatically on Dimka’s and General Nyoko’s faces. Kavu continued, “I know it sounds crazy, but I may be able to swing it.”
“How?” Nyoko croaked. “There is no one more loyal to Kipaji than its warriors. Why would they ever turn against it?”
“You’re right. The warriors will never turn against Kipaji,” Kavu acknowledged. “But what if they didn’t realize that’s what they were doing? What if they thought they were protecting Kipaji?”
Wilem chimed excitedly, “I like this kid! Say more.”
“Since the Choma chief’s wife died, he’s been trying to change how things are done in Kipaji. According to him, Kipaji is way behind the times, still using archaic methods like animals for transport and agriculture instead of machinery. He wants Kipaji to become technologically advanced, on par with Western countries. He believes that if it was, his wife would still be alive. I didn’t understand what he was saying at the time, but now I do. Somehow his wife must not have received the nectar.
“So, what if Pharma promised the chief a certain percentage of its profits from the medicine? He could convince his warriors that the money will modernize Kipaji so no more of their kin suffer and die needlessly. If the warriors are true to their sworn duty, they will recognize that their oath of loyalty to Kipaji compels them to help bring about this advancement.”
“Well, I’m convinced!” Wilem asserted. “We can offer the chief five percent. If he balks, you have my permission to go as high as ten percent, but no more.”
Dimka liked the plan as well, but cautioned, “Kavu, this is an extremely delicate matter. If you’re wrong about the chief and he informs the Council, Kipaji will cut off our energy supply.” Dimka had an even graver concern, which he elected not to mention: Failure of the mission would also mean that he would have seen the last of the elixir. Milpisi would surely never administer it to him or his family ever again.
Kavu took a sobering breath. “I understand what’s on the line, sir. I won’t fail you.”
General Nyoko and Wilem exited the presidential study, energized by the thought of having the world’s most precious resource within their grasp. Kavu remained seated. He had been debating all morning whether to ask Dimka about what happened that night on the bridge almost fifteen years ago.
“Sir, could I please have a word?” He unconsciously rubbed his chest where the bullet exited. “There’s something I need to ask you.”
“Of course, son. But before you ask, I want you to know how proud I am of you. You’re a first-rate soldier. You know, one day you’ll be sitting right here.” Dimka padded the armrest of his chair. “This country will achieve its greatest heights with you at the helm.”
Kavu beamed. “Thank you, sir.” He tightened his posture, saluted, and headed for the door.
“Kavu, aren’t you forgetting something? What is it that you wanted to ask me?”
“Oh, it’s nothing important, sir.” Kavu marched out with a bounce in his step.
General Nyoko waited just outside the study. He drew Kavu into a side room. “When you’re in Kipaji, I want you to capture D’Melo and bring him to me.”
“With all due respect, sir,” Kavu said. “Why is this necessary?”
Nyoko stiffened. He didn’t take well to subordinates challenging him. “D’Melo has information that’s detrimental to the future of Malunga. That’s all you need to know.”
Kavu remained silent, realizing this was about the evidence against President Dimka that D’Melo had mentioned.
“I know D’Melo’s your family,” Nyoko said. “You have my solemn promise that we won’t hurt him. We only want to find out what he knows. This may be our only chance. Once he returns to America, he’ll disappear again.”
“Sir, he’s not my family. The president and Madam Dimka are my family.” Kavu glanced toward the study. “Does the president know about this?”
“No, and we must keep it that way. If this goes sideways, the president can’t be blamed for something he knew nothing about.”
“Makes sense, sir.” Kavu saluted. “Rest assured, I will bring D’Melo to you.”
D’Melo stretched lazily toward the control panel and switched off the ANC. The rumble of the waterfall flooded the room. D’Melo’s “morning person” energy was eluding him. Typically, he rose early, eager to “catch the worm,” as Baba always said. But today, he dawdled. Being at odds with Zara weighed on him. “But he’s my brother,” he contended to himself, repeating his case for why he was on the right side their quarrel.
He grudgingly peeled back the covers and dragged himself to the bathroom. The doorbell clacked. He freshened his breath hastily and shuffled expectantly to the door. He hoped to find the glimmer in Zara’s emerald greens had returned. Instead he found an empty porch. His eyes canvassed the forest for who may have sounded the bell. As he started back inside, his foot skated on an envelope. Cautious curiosity quickened his pulse. He slipped a handwritten note from the envelope.
The note read: “I will come to the funeral.”
D’Melo shook a delighted fist. “Yes! I knew it!”
The note continued: “But first, I need to talk to you in private. Please meet me at Warriors Rock at 10 a.m. You can’t miss it. It’s a huge boulder with the Kipaji crest engraved on it. It sits at the eastern foot of Choma Mountain, near the Malungan border. I’ll be there waiting for you.” The note was signed, “Your brother.”
D’Melo scrambled to get ready for the day, then dashed for Warriors Rock. When he arrived, there was no sign of Kavu. He peered around the boulder into the Malungan forest.
“Rrrrr!” Kavu grabbed him. D’Melo jerked, letting out something of a squawk.
“You . . . you should have seen . . . your face,” Kavu laughed raucously, barely able to get the words out. “It was like you thought there was a real lion behind you.” Kavu’s immensely amused gaze dropped to D’Melo’s traditional pants. He reached for them. “Let me see if you wet yourself.”
D’Melo couldn’t help but to join Kavu’s howling laughter. “You scared me, man. I don’t know what’s in these woods!”
Kavu finally composed himself, then said gravely. “Listen, I don’t have a lot of time.” His eyes darted suspiciously with each sound. “President Dimka is planning to take a sample from the Tree.”
“What!” D’Melo’s heart raced in panic.
“There’s this businessman who’s planning to develop medicine from it. They’re sending soldiers into Kipaji after the funeral for when Milpisi unveils the Tree.”
“Wait a minute,” D’Melo said. “How do you know about the Unveiling?”
Kavu’s eyes lowered apologetically. “There’s a person in Kipaji who’s been feeding me information.”
D’Melo inclined his head incredulously, rain misting his face. “It’s the Choma chief, isn’t it?”
Kavu confirmed with a slight nod.
“Well,” D’Melo said confidently. “They’ll never get past the Kipaji warriors anyway.”
“They won’t have to. The chief has convinced his warriors to allow the soldiers passage.”
D’Melo squeezed his forehead anxiously. “I understand the chief wants change in Kipaji, but,” his face hardened, “why would he risk its future for Dimka and this businessman?”
“He’s not doing it for them. He’s doing it for Kipaji. The chief doesn’t want any more Kipajis to die because of antiquated technology.”
The depth of Kavu’s knowledge of Kipaji was unsettling. D’Melo suddenly remembered Zara’s caution. Could Kavu be the spy? Is he trying to gain my trust to get information out of me? D’Melo blurted, “Why are you telling me this?”
“Why do you think?” Kavu exhorted, with a tinge of irritation. “You’re my brother! And your life is in danger.
Do you think they’re only coming for the Tree? They’re coming for you, too. You’ll be tortured for information about the evidence you have against the president.” Kavu paused. “D’Melo,” his voice quivered, “they’ll never let you out of here alive.”
Kavu took a measured breath. “I’ve thought a lot about what you said Baba and Mama did that night on the bridge.” The sound of “Baba and Mama” coming from Kavu’s lips rang melodiously in D’Melo’s ears. “I knew what you were saying was true, but I just didn’t want to believe it. How can I accept that my supposed father tried to kill me and then adopted me just to save himself?
“You know,” Kavu fingered the scar on his chest, “the nectar healed my body, but it didn’t heal the scar in my mind. I often have this dream where I’m running frantically to Mama. She’s holding out her arms and crying. But strangely, the harder I try, the farther I get from her.” Kavu released a shuddering breath, his eyes moist. “Suddenly, I can see the terror in her face, as if she is right in front of me. She stretches a desperate arm toward me. Just before she latches on, a lightning bolt rips fire through my chest.”
D’Melo wordlessly wrapped him in a tender embrace. He could feel Kavu absorbing the warmth between them, as if he had been yearning for it his whole life.
Kavu abruptly backed out of D’Melo’s clinging arms. “D’Melo,” he cautioned, his eyes intense. “Be ready for them, and please be careful. They’re dangerous people.”
“I’ll be okay,” D’Melo said confidently. “I’ll alert the Council. They’ll make sure the warriors are prepared.”
Kavu pressed his lips together. “Yeah, you could do that,” he said tepidly.
Kavu’s lukewarm response made D’Melo realize the flaw in informing the Council. “Dimka will know that you warned me,” he deduced out loud.
“Hey,” Kavu replied. “But if that’s what you think is best, then so be it.”
“They’ll kill you. I’m not gonna let that happen.” D’Melo puffed his cheeks pensively, then decided, “I won’t tell the Council. We’ll let it play out.” D’Melo devised a plan on the spot. “Before the Unveiling, I’ll have Milpisi pulled away on some fake emergency. While everyone waits for him to return, I’ll alert the warriors that I saw Malungan soldiers in the forest. The warriors will easily handle the soldiers, and no one will suspect that we knew in advance. What do you think?”
Kavu nodded, impressed. “You’re really good at strategizing. You’d make a great general.”
D’Melo smiled. “A week ago, I would never have imagined that I’d be concocting plans to save Kipaji.”
Kavu froze. His eyes jerked toward the Malungan forest like an antelope sensing a prowling lion. “I’ve been away too long. They’ll start suspecting something.”
D’Melo clutched Kavu’s arm. “Hey, come with us.”
“To America?” Kavu said doubtfully. He looked away, gazing with reverence at the pristine woodland, flourishing with the energy of life, then at the majestic summit of Choma Mountain. He exhaled absolute contentment. “This is my home,” he said. “There’s no place like it in the world. I will never leave here. Instead of me going, how about you stay?”
“You know I can’t do that. It’s not safe for me.”
“Well, one day, I’ll make sure that it is.” Kavu grasped D’Melo’s shoulders. “When that day comes, you must return home. We will join forces and together make peace in this region.”
Just the thought of reuniting with his brother washed away, but for a fleeting moment, the tension mounting in D’Melo’s mind. “That sounds like the best plan I’ve ever heard.” They clasped hands, sealing an unspoken promise.
“Okay, brother,” Kavu said. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” He lifted his gaze to the darkening sky. “I hope the weather turns in Baba’s favor.” Like the superiorly trained soldier that he was, Kavu weaved stealthily through the drizzle to the Malungan forest. Just as he was about to enter, he spun back to D’Melo. He raised a fist of solidarity, then vanished into the thicket.
D’Melo absorbed the moment, relishing having his brother in his life. But the bliss was short-lived. His mind pivoted to the impending attack on Kipaji. He hastened to the rondeval. When he arrived, Zara and the boyz were mulling the fine details of the plan. Their execution and coordination would need to be flawless. Their lives and the fate of Kipaji were at stake.
“Hey guys.” D’Melo’s eyes fixed on Zara, seeking assurance that their relationship wasn’t in tatters. She returned an emotionless gaze, not exactly the response he was hoping for. He sighed before launching into what would surely stoke Zara’s ire even further.
“There’s been a slight change of plans,” he announced. “We need to move the timing up. You guys will slip away during the funeral instead of after.” Zara narrowed her eyes, skeptical.
“But,” Jeylan said, “if we leave while the funeral is still happening, it’ll be obvious that somethin’s up.”
“Maybe,” D’Melo acknowledged. “But there will be thousands of people there. If you guys spread throughout the crowd and position yourselves toward the back, it’ll be less noticeable, especially if you sneak away at slightly different times.”
“Alright,” Kazim acquiesced. “But why the change?”
“It’s just the best way to keep everyone safe.”
The boyz shrugged, accepting the new plan. But Zara wasn’t as easy to persuade. She waited for the boyz to leave the room. “So what’s the real reason?”
“Like I said,” D’Melo replied, avoiding her eyes. “It’s safer for everyone.”
“You saw Kavu, didn’t you?”
D’Melo attempted to defuse Zara before she exploded. “I was right, though! Kavu’s legit.”
“How do you know that?” Her cheeks burned pink.
“I just know,” he shot back in knee-jerk fashion.
Zara bit her lip, clearly struggling to hold back the verbal missile firing up on her tongue.
“Kavu asked to meet,” D’Melo explained. “He wanted to warn me that Dimka is sending soldiers into Kipaji.”
Zara’s eyes widened.
“After the funeral, when Milpisi unveils Haya, they’re planning to steal a sample from the Tree. That’s why you guys have to retrieve the recording and get out of Kipaji while the funeral is still happening.”
“Oh, my God,” Zara’s breath shallowed with anxiety. “We have to let the Council know.”
D’Melo shook his head regretfully. “We can’t. If we do, Dimka will know that Kavu warned us. He’ll kill him.”
Zara stood abruptly and paced the living room. “Well, we have to at least let Milpisi know. He can help us figure something out.”
D’Melo slumped in his chair. “Can’t do that either.”
“Are you kidding me? You’re not planning to tell Milpisi?”
“Believe me, I’ve thought about this.” D’Melo let out a plagued sigh. “Even though my plan will ensure that nothing happens to the Tree, Milpisi won’t risk it. He’d warn the conjurers. I can’t let that happen. Kavu put his life on the line for me.”
“You do realize that when the soldiers come for the sample, they’ll kill Milpisi.”
D’Melo said vehemently, “I would never put Milpisi in danger. When it kicks off, he’ll be safe and sound, nowhere near the Tree. The conjurers will easily take care of the Malungan soldiers, and it will all be over before Milpisi even knows what happened.”
“You can’t know that for sure! Things may not go as smoothly as you’re envisioning. And, how do you know that Kavu isn’t telling Dimka right now what your plans are?”
D’Melo’s jaw muscles tightened.
“You’re putting Kavu ahead of Milpisi, the boyz, and me!” Zara spat, fire in her voice. “What did he do to deserve that place in your life?”
“He didn’t have to do anything.” D’Melo glared
. “He’s my brother! Why can’t you understand that?” He rose brusquely, toppling his chair, and stomped away.
Chapter Fifteen
The Darksome Night
The stillness in the rondeval was unnerving. Usually by midmorning, the boyz’ antics were in full swing. But that morning, they mulled anxiously over the plan while packing. They left a change of clothes in the closet and a few unlaundered shirts strewn about—a tidy room would have made their early departure too conspicuous.
D’Melo should have been packing too, but instead he sat motionless on the side of his bed. The weight resting on his shoulders was paralyzing. Hanging in the balance were the future of Kipaji, his friends’ lives, and one other little thing, the preservation of the world’s most precious resource. And none of this was made any easier by it all unfolding on the day he was to say goodbye to his father forever.
Zara entered the rondeval. She brushed the rain off her backpack. Outside, a steady drizzle was falling.
“That’s it?” Jeylan observed. “Just one backpack? Remember the Thanksgiving tournament? You brought like seven suitcases!”
“Dude,” she shot back, lips pursed. “It was only three.”
“But still, girl. It’s an improvement.”
“Not really,” Zara confessed. “I still have five suitcases in Malunga.” She chuckled. She added her backpack and a change of clothes to the boyz’ pile in the closet.
“I’m gonna miss this place,” Marley mused.
“Word,” Jeylan and Kazim concurred.
Zara swiveled toward the doorway thinking, or perhaps hoping, that she heard D’Melo coming, but he wasn’t there. Her heart sank.
“Yo, girl,” Jeylan said. “I don’t know what’s goin’ on with you and D, but y’all need to squash it. That dude ain’t been right since yesterday. We need both y’all with clear heads for this plan to work.”
Zara headed toward the door, feeling glum. “I’ll see you guys at the funeral,” she muttered, her voice wobbly.
Spirit King: Return of the Crown Page 30