THRONE OF ASHES

EPISODE 7: THE KEY WITH RED STRING

Jatau woke at four as Jatau.

His shaved head was cold. His mat in storage room was thin. He held blue dagger under sack.

He listened. No child footprints tonight. Amin slept in Zara's room, not in tunnel. Safe.

Mama Nari kicked sack.

"Jatau, up. Fire."

Jatau made fire. He made tea. No poison today. Baka washed pots with one hand, hate in eyes, little finger gone.

At 5 a.m., Kuro came to kitchen door, not inside, just passed. He looked at Jatau and touched his own waist. Signal — key?

Jatau nodded small.

At 6 a.m., drums beat. King Harun came to Great Hall. Better today. Jalen still locked. Today was third day. Tomorrow Jalen would be released.

Zara came, blue robe, hair covered. She looked tired. She had washed Amin all night, hidden him in her wardrobe.

She gave Jatau a look — come to my room after breakfast.

After breakfast, Jatau carried books to Zara's room again. Excuse to talk.

Inside room, wardrobe closed. Amin inside, sleeping. Zara had given him her bed last night, she slept on floor.

Zara closed door.

"Did Kuro get key?" she whispered.

Jatau said, "He touched waist. Maybe yes."

At that moment, Kuro entered without knocking, as always.

He closed door, took from his cloth a key. Iron key with red string. Old string, red faded.

Key of Stone 7.

"From Jalen's room," Kuro said. "Under pillow. He sleeps with it. I took while guard gave him water. He was drunk, guards gave him palm wine to make him sleep deep."

Zara took key. Held it.

"Two keys now. Blue string from Amin — Stone 1. Red string from Jalen — Stone 7."

Kuro said, "Five more keys. Each keeper has one. Keepers are old men. They live near each stone."

Jatau said, "Where is Amin?"

Zara opened wardrobe. Amin slept inside, curled like cat, clean now, face washed, wearing Zara's old boy cloth.

"He slept all morning. He ate three breads," Zara said, smiling.

Amin woke, rubbed eyes. Saw Jatau, smiled.

"Jatau! You have same head as me now!"

Jatau touched his shaved head, smiled too. First smile in many days.

Amin said, "Sister says I am prince. But I don't want to be prince. I want to be shadow like Jatau."

Kuro said, "Shadow must learn to be silent. Can you be silent, little prince?"

Amin nodded fast. "I was silent in goat hut for two years. Auntie beat me if I talked."

Silence in room.

Zara hugged Amin.

Kuro said, "Tonight we open two locks of iron chest under throne. See true crown."

Jatau said, "What if chest has curse?"

Kuro said, "Chest has no curse. Only old crown. But opening two locks only will not open chest. Need seven. But we can look at locks, learn."

Night came.

Kitchen closed. Jalen still locked, but tomorrow release.

At 11 p.m., four shadows met in small stone room behind Stone 7.

Zara, Kuro, Jatau, Amin.

Amin was excited, not scared. He knew tunnels better than anyone, because he lived in them three days.

He led them to Stone 1, behind throne.

They moved throne, opened trap door, went down ladder to round chamber with iron chest.

Seven locks on chest. Each lock had color string mark.

Lock 1 had blue mark. Lock 7 had red mark.

Zara took blue string key from Amin, put into Lock 1.

Click. Lock opened.

Everyone breathed.

Kuro took red string key, put into Lock 7.

Click. Second lock opened.

Five locks left closed.

Zara tried to open chest lid. Lid moved a little, but not open, because five locks still locked.

Inside chest, through crack, they saw gold shine. True crown.

Amin whispered, "Gold!"

Zara whispered, "True crown of Zaria-Kan. Before seven stones. My mother's mother's crown."

Kuro said, "We need five more keys. Keepers."

At that moment, above, footsteps. Not Jalen. Many boots. King's guards.

King Harun's voice, loud, angry, from Great Hall: "Where is my daughter Zara? Where is her wardrobe boy?"

Zara froze. "Father knows?"

Kuro said, "Someone told. Baka?"

Jatau said, "Baka hates me. He saw me go to Zara's room with books. He told."

Amin started crying quiet.

Zara said, "We must go. Now. Through tunnel 3, to potters' quarter. Amin, lead."

Amin led, quick, small body fast in small tunnel. Tunnel 3 was narrow, adults had to crawl, but Amin could run.

They crawled to potters' quarter, to broken wall, to old potter woman Rabi's yard.

Rabi was awake, making pots at night. She saw them and did not shout.

She said, "More dead boys?"

Zara said, "Rabi, hide this child. He is prince Amin, first queen's son, alive."

Rabi looked at Amin. She knew first queen. She knelt.

"Little prince," she said. "I will hide you in my clay pit. No guard looks in clay pit."

Amin hugged Zara. "Sister, will you come?"

Zara said, "I must go back. If I run, father will think I stole crown. I must face him."

Jatau said, "I will go back with you. I am Jatau, kitchen boy, I was with you to carry books."

Kuro said, "I will go back too. I am general, I can say I was checking throne trap door."

They left Amin with Rabi. Rabi covered him with straw and clay pots.

Three shadows ran back through tunnel to Great Hall.

In Great Hall, King Harun stood with ten guards, and Baka with bandaged hand pointing.

Baka said, "There! Jatau and Princess and General, they go under throne! They want to steal true crown!"

King Harun's face was red, gold teeth showing.

"Zara! You go under my throne? You know law says no one goes under throne! Only King!"

Zara knelt. "Father, I—"

King slapped her. Hard. Zara fell.

Jatau moved forward to help, but Kuro held his arm.

King said, "Lock Zara in her room. Lock General Kuro in guard prison. And this shaved kitchen boy Jatau — who is he? He looks like Kael, dead sweeper."

Baka shouted, "He is Kael! He is Kael! Shaved head but same scar on left foot! I saw! He is dead boy alive!"

King looked at Jatau's left foot. Scar.

"Is that true? Are you Kael?"

Jatau had two choices. Lie again, or tell truth.

He looked at Zara on floor, cheek red from slap. He looked at Kuro, hands tied by guards.

He said, "Yes. I am Kael. Son of Lila. Washerwoman. You said I died. I did not die. I lived."

Hall silent.

King Harun said, "You burned Stone 7? You stole gold?"

Kael said, "No. Jalen put gold in my mat. Kuro saved me."

King looked at Kuro.

Kuro said, "Yes, my King. I saved boy because he saw nothing. Jalen wanted him dead because boy saw Jalen pay Baka to poison you."

King remembered stomach pain yesterday, goro in tea, Baka's confession.

King looked at Baka. "Is that true? Jalen paid you?"

Baka nodded, scared now. "Yes, my King. Prince Jalen paid me one gold to poison your tea."

King's face changed. He understood.

He said, "Where is Jalen?"

Guard said, "Locked in room, my King."

King said, "Bring Jalen."

Guards brought Jalen. Jalen was drunk, hair messy, eyes red.

King said, "Jalen, did you pay Baka to poison me?"

Jalen laughed, drunk. "Yes, father, I did. You live too long. I want big throne."

King Harun's hands shook.

He said, "Take Jalen to Stone 7. Law says son who tries to kill father loses tongue."

Jalen screamed, "No! Father!"

Guards dragged Jalen to Stone 7.

Zara, still on floor, shouted, "Father, no! Don't cut tongue! Lock him only! He is your son!"

King said, "He tried to kill me. Law is law. Blood before crown."

Kael — Jatau — stood and said loud, "My King, law says blood before crown, but true crown has no law. Under throne, there is iron chest with true crown. If you wear true crown, you can make new law. You can forgive son."

King looked at Kael. "True crown? Under throne? How you know?"

Kael said, "First queen knew. She told Zara. Zara told me. We opened two locks tonight. Blue and red keys."

King was silent. He knew about iron chest. He locked it himself twenty years ago.

He said, "You opened?"

Kuro said, "We opened two locks, my King. To show you. Not to steal."

King stood. He walked to throne, moved throne himself — strong old man — opened trap door.

He went down ladder, guards with lamps following.

In round chamber, iron chest with two locks open, five closed.

King touched chest.

He said, "True crown inside. I locked it because I feared it. I feared woman would wear it and be King."

He looked at Zara.

Zara knelt in chamber, tears.

"Father, let me wear it one time. I want to be King, not queen. I want to protect Amin."

King said, "Amin? Amin is dead."

Zara said, "Amin is alive. He is in potters' quarter with Rabi. He is eight. He is your son, first queen's son."

King's eyes widened. "Amin alive?"

At that moment, small voice from tunnel 3: "Father?"

Amin came, led by Rabi, who followed because she feared guards would kill child if alone.

Amin ran to King, hugged his leg.

"Father, I am Amin. I lived in goat hut."

King Harun, sixty years old, gold teeth, big belly, fell to knees and hugged small boy.

He cried. Old king cried.

"My son lives. My first queen's son lives."

Jalen, being held at Stone 7 above, shouted, "No! He is not! He is fake! I am only son!"

King shouted up, "Jalen, you are second queen's son. You tried to kill me. You are no son now."

King stood, holding Amin.

He said, "Law says blood before crown. Today blood returns. My blood. My son Amin lives. My daughter Zara lives. My son Kael—"

He looked at Kael. "Kael, son of Lila, you are not my blood, but you saved my daughter, you found my son. I make new law with true crown, when we open it. But tonight, I make small law: Kael is free. Not slave. Free man. And Jatau name dead. You are Kael again."

Kael knelt. Tears in eyes. Free.

Zara smiled through tears.

Kuro smiled, blind eye white but good eye wet.

Rabi cried.

Baka, with one finger gone, looked at Kael with hate but also fear.

And from above, Jalen screamed as guards cut his tongue? No, King shouted, "Stop! Don't cut tongue! Lock Jalen in tower for one year! New law!"

Guards stopped.

Night ended with King holding Amin, Zara holding Kael's hand, Kuro holding iron chest with two open locks, and Rabi holding her empty pots.

Five locks left.

True crown still locked.

But tonight, a family that was dead was alive again.