The Courier’s Collection

Chapter 35

35

The dining hall was filled. There had to be more people there than were staying at the palace. Young men and women were mingling all around the table until the prince arrived. The immaculate table was decorated with flowers, gold-rimmed plates, and above it all, a large chandelier that dominated the room. The girls were all atwitter about Rasha and how she’d chosen to wear her courier clothes. There were even whispers and disapproving looks from the servants. Lu couldn’t imagine what her parents would think of this. “If you’ll both excuse me,” the prince said as he bowed to Lu and Jak. He took Rasha’s hand, and he led her away to the end of the table where he sat her down next to him. Chiza was placed on the opposite side of the table from him.

“How are you feeling about dinner now?” Lu asked Jak.

Chiza gave Rasha a strange look as she sat down. Lu watched Chiza from across the room. She’d be sitting directly across from the prince. Something in his stomach churned at the sight. She looked up and met his eyes. There was a longing there. He didn’t want to sit through dinner like this.

He didn’t have to sit for long. A guard approached him.

“Sir, you need to come with me, there are some strange noises coming from your rooms. The beastie sounds upset.”

“I’ll see to him right away,” Lu said.

“Traitor,” Jak said under his breath.

Lu shrugged, but gave Jak a smile, bowed toward the prince, and met Chiza’s eyes.

Then he walked as fast as his legs would carry him. When he reached their suite, he heard Temi inside growling and knocking things over.

“What the yahtz?” he wondered aloud as he reached for the door. Temi growled and bolted. He was down the hall and out of sight before Lu could get him back.

“What’s gotten into you?” Lu picked up his tracking device. He pulled up the bio-signatures and found Temi’s red dot running toward the back of the palace, into a line of other red dots.

“I hope it’s not my fault you left so early?” Chiza said from behind him placing a hand on his shoulder.

“No, we have a problem,” Lu said looking down at the device.

“Yes, we do,” Bashir agreed as he stepped out of the shadows. “Is there something you two need to tell me?”

Chiza’s face went slack, and she opened and closed her mouth, unable to find the words.

“Yes, Your Grace. But that can wait. For now, we’ve got something of a bigger problem. There are intruders entering the castle from the north gate.” Lu tilted the device so that the prince could see the evidence for himself.

“Guard!” Bashir yelled directing the men to go to the north gate. The screams coming from the dining hall set the three of them in motion.

Rasha watched Lu leave the table and then Chiza. The prince had seen them too, because soon after Chiza jumped up to follow Lu, Bashir excused himself.

“Bashir, wait,” Rasha said.

“This won’t take long, I promise.” He lifted her hand to his lips and placed a kiss there. The kiss didn’t go unnoticed by Jak, who glared at them from the other end of the table. Rasha shook her head, but he looked down and stabbed a piece of meat on his plate. The princess next to Jak took notice of his mood and looked like she was trying to cheer him up. Her red ponytail was high on her head but reached her shoulders, where it bounced in big curls.

Rasha knew she didn’t have much time before she’d have to explain to Jak what had happened between her and Bashir in the gardens. The queen sat on the opposite side of the table and smiled at Rasha. She was about to say something to her when the rumbling started. The girls gasped and panicked as the ground shook beneath them.

Rasha couldn’t place the sound…. It reminded her of a stampede of tuskins. When the door flew open and they saw what made the sound, it was much worse. A wolf filled the doorway, growling as it entered. The guards did their best to hold him off, but directly behind him was another large beast. This one, a dragon, stomped into the room and devoured the king in two pieces. His wife stood speechless with her husband’s blood splattered on her face. She was mauled by a large white bear that stood even taller than the wolf when on two legs. The beasts went after everyone in the room. The bear slashed his claws across Osika’s chest, killing her. She fell onto the heap of bodies forming around the table.

Rasha pulled out her swords and leapt across the table, killing the white bear, before she jumped down on the far end of the table with Jak. The beasts were busy devouring everyone in sight. Jak grabbed her hand and managed to slip out the door behind a beast that had a bull’s head on a man’s body fighting off two guards.

They stumbled out of the doors, covered in blood and panting.

The Prince arrived with Lu and Chiza right behind him. “Run!” Rasha yelled to them She slipped on the blood and was skidding helplessly until Jak grabbed her arm.

“Who is it?” Bashir demanded.

“Not who, what!” Jak shouted. “Beasts of every kind. They killed the princesses and your parents. We fought, but the princesses were defenseless against them.”

All of them backed up into the foyer.

“Where are the guards?”

“Most of them are still out patrolling the border. I sent them out moments after I heard about your encounter. They haven’t returned,” Prince Bashir replied.

“How many beasts are there?” Lu asked.

“Maybe half a dozen. But they’re huge and some of them can speak,” Rasha said as three beasts entered into the foyer. A birdlike man flew in. Another stomped in, the one with the body of a man but the head of a bull. The third was the largest grey wolf he’d ever seen.

“Where are your friends?” Jak yelled, holding out his long sword, still bloodied from the battle in the dining hall.

“They weren’t given the warm welcome they deserved.” The bird-man spoke in a high-pitched voice. The feathers on his wings were tipped with talons. The face of the beast was like a man’s, but instead of a nose he had a horned beak.

“Well, come and get a real Bolaji welcome,” Jak challenged.

“Bolaji is more than your feeble kingdoms and it’s time you learned that,” the bird-man replied. His talons clicked on the marble floor as he hopped around. Then, with a nod, he signaled the other two beasts.

The wolf got down on all fours and lunged at Jak. Chiza screamed as the impact hurled Jak backwards. The bull-man came toward Rasha and she had her swords ready. He was slow and a little clumsy, but powerful. One blow had Rasha seeing stars as she landed on her backside. She used her legs to kick his legs out from under him. He hit the floor so hard, it floor cracked under him. He scrambled up, but not before Rasha leapt up, and with one boot landing on his face, knocking him back, away from Chiza and the others.

She sliced the bull-man across the chest with both swords, finishing him. Rasha turned toward the bird-man, but it was too late. He was heading for Chiza and Prince Bashir. Chiza screamed and at the last moment, Lu jumped in front of her, the bird-man’s talons ripping across his chest instead of hers. Still in the air with his wings flapping, he took aim again and went after Chiza. Prince Bashir pushed her behind him. But they were against the wall with nowhere to retreat.

“No!” Rasha screamed and she dived for the bird-man.

In the same instant Temi leapt from the ground, onto his back and sank his teeth into its neck. While he writhed, Rasha leaped and sliced his belly open with her swords. They fell to the ground together.

Jak delivered a last stab to the wolf and, still panting, ran to Lu. He was fading fast.

Chiza leaned over him, covered in his blood.