Chapter 40

On the command of his daughter, Agon was gone to retrieve his mother. The women were back aboard the Storm’s Bride and sat around the large table in the captain’s cabin.

“Are you really sure my children will be safe among these ... these patch-men?” Irja asked.

“The patch-men would never harm your kids and you also can trust Kuwasi will have an eye on them,” Rhaseris placated.

“I left my little children playing among pirates and monsters,” Irja whined. “I have to be the worst mother ever.”

“Nahseyra and your boy - Hamsun, right? - didn’t look like they were afraid of the patch-men,” Anseyla easily dismissed the mother’s concerns. “You need to get used to them, as well. Now let’s talk about the real problems we’ll be facing all too soon.”

“You mean the problem that my family is held hostage and forced to travel into a war zone?” Irja asked with a raised voice.

“That’s because every time we turn around someone of your family is stabbing a knife in the back of one of mine!” Anseyla replied even louder.

“If your family wouldn’t have come to Ibanee, there wouldn’t be a problem!”

“Your family came to Katerra first and your husband’s mother tried hiring assassins to kill my girlfriend!”

“Only a moment ago you were among the people demanding my daughter and I save Luwani!”

“Don’t remind me,” Anseyla grumbled. “I want to dig a deep hole, bury the conniving hag and forget about it.”

“Then why don’t you do it?” Irja asked.

“For the same reason you decided to help her,” Rhaseris intervened. “Luwani has two children. Agon and Anjatta whine and complain about her but do everything to save her when her life is at risk. I believe they’ve become so used to their mother’s lies and deceit they don’t even care anymore how many others will have to die because of Luwani var Dosha’s betrayals.”

Since Agon wasn’t around to share the blame, everyone at the table looked at the younger sibling.

Anjatta lowered her gaze. “I’m sorry,” she said.

“No Anja, I won’t forgive you,” Rhaseris coldly replied. “In your tireless efforts to save your mother you committed a crime much worse than anything Luwani did. When your mother arrives here she might be tried for treason against the crown. Nahseyra is the Queen of Ibanee and she might forgive her granny or maybe she won’t. I don’t care. I care about you, Anja,” She said and rose from her chair. “Your mother didn’t pledge her life to Jabbit but you did. You did and you betrayed the god I serve. I am his First Priestess and I swear you will atone for your sin.”

Anseyla, Shinta, and Irja watched speechlessly as Rhaseris left the cabin.

“Dammit, I didn’t see that coming,” Shinta commented.

“That wasn’t a spur-of-the-moment comment,” Anseyla opined. “Rhaseris tricked us. She knows the contents of the letter. If she tells Eva or Sybil about it, they’ll kill Luwani. Anja will do everything to save her mother which means she will have to do whatever Rhaseris dishes out as ‘atonement for her sin‘.”

Shinta nodded. “And we can’t say anything or we’ll be hung up next to Anja as co-conspirators,” she added.

Irja paled. “I hope you meant that figuratively.”

“I never thought our little Princess could be that cunning,” Anseyla sighed. “Although I wonder what she is trying to achieve. Maybe it’s jealousy,” she mused.

“Jealousy?” Irja asked. “Jealousy about what?”

“Jealousy about a god’s affection,” Shinta answered.

“Oh,” Irja exclaimed. “I didn’t know,” she apologized.

“No,” Anjatta objected. “I’ve seen Rhaseris when she was jealous but this isn’t about jealousy.”

“Then what’s it about?” Anseyla asked.

“It’s exactly what she said it is,” Anjatta answered. “I betrayed a god and Rhaseris is his First Priestess.”

“Oh”

This time it was a three-voiced exclamation and a period of silence followed.

The carriage arrived at the piers and Agon opened its door to help his mother descend. Luwani var Dosha took his offered arm but didn’t seem to be thankful for her son’s help.

“How can you be so callous, my son?” Luwani complained. “I’m not up to facing the strain this sea passage will put on my weakened health. It will be a torture for me and might very well result in your mother’s death.”

“I’m still only a lowly soldier, mother,” Agon calmly replied. “I received my orders from my Queen and I obeyed. That’s not callous, that’s my duty - and here she comes,” Agon said, smiling at the little girl scurrying toward them.

“Granny!” Nahseyra screeched. “You have to come with me; I want to show you the soldiers on our ship. They are called patch-men and they look really scary. Kuwasi says they are the Alorian Guard and they protect the rightful Empress of Aloria and because the Empress of Aloria and the Queen of Ibanee are allies, they will protect me, too, because I am the Queen of Ibanee.”

“That’s nice, Nahsie,” Luwani replied. “But I feel very weak and still your father cruelly forced me to come here. He said he did it on your command but I can’t believe you would do that to your sick granny. Please, darling, will you allow your old and weak grandmother to return home and rest?”

“How dare you!” Agon thundered. “Nahseyra has to face the Nameless Son and she will repeat your lies!” He grabbed his mother’s arm and dragged her toward the Storm’s Bride, none-too-gently. “There are some women waiting for you aboard the ship. One of them is my wife and one is your daughter. You may try and lie to them, mother, but I’ll tear out your tongue before I allow you to endanger my daughter!”

Walking up the gangplank they encountered Rhaseris on her way down. She smiled at the pair as she passed them.

Jabbit and Evanis returned to the pier as Sybelien appeared out of nowhere and joined them.

“Finally!” She greeted them. “Everyone is waiting for you two. Even Luwani var Dosha arrived before you. The ships are ready to set sail.”

“Luwani is aboard?” Evanis wondered. “How did that happen?”

“The little Queen demanded her granny’s appearance and her poppa made it happen. Luwani is in the captain’s cabin with Shinta, your sister Anjatta, and Irja, Agon’s wife.”

Evanis carefully regarded Sybelien. “You were waiting to intercept us,” she voiced her suspicion. “What’s the matter, Sybil?”

“I don’t know but something is up,” the blonde answered. “I’m pretty sure it’s about the message - at least partly.”

Evanis glared at Jabbit. “Tell us what’s written in the bloody message!”

“I told you I can’t read so I don’t know what’s written in the message,” Jabbit replied, looking ahead at the approaching Rhaseris. “Maybe she does.”

“I saw the message,” Rhaseris revealed as soon as they met.

“What’s going on, Princess?” Evanis asked rather confused than demanding.

“It’s a conspiracy,” Rhaseris declared. “Luwani var Dosha wrote the letter. It’s a message for the Alorian High Priest. Luwani warns him of our return to Katerra and is giving him an estimation of the time for our arrival.”

“The bitch is dead!” Evanis swore and immediately stormed off toward the Storm’s Bride.

“The others are trying to figure out how to save Luwani once more, am I right?” Sybelien calmly asked.

“Yes,” Rhaseris simply answered.

“Did you tell us about the message because you don’t want Luwani to be saved?” Sybelien asked next.

“No,” the Princess answered. “I don’t care about Luwani var Dosha,” she stated and turned to Jabbit. “I want Anjatta.”

Jabbit smiled at Rhaseris. “You are a good Priestess.”

The women at the table looked up as the door to the cabin opened and Luwani var Dosha was pushed inside.

“Here she is,” Agon curtly declared, slamming the door shut as he left again.

“What’s gotten into Agon?” Luwani asked the women sitting around the table and staring at her. “He’s treating me like a criminal.”

“It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance, your Majesty,” Shinta dryly remarked. “As to your question, I think it could be argued that you are a criminal - guilty of high treason.”

“Anja, who is this woman absurdly accusing me of such a heinous crime?” Luwani asked.

“The woman is Shinta sun Osha, a former pirate captain of Danjapur and now a warrioress in the service of the Nameless Son.”

“I serve Jabbit,” Shinta corrected with a smirk. “My divine employer doesn’t like to be called the Nameless Son.”

“That’s true,” Anjatta confirmed. “Jabbit declines to be addressed as the Nameless Son but you, mother, you can’t deny being guilty of treason. We read the message you intended to send the Alorian High Priest.”

The matriarch’s eyes widened. “Ridiculous! I never wrote such a message.”

“Stop lying, Luwani!” Irja shouted. “We all saw the letter you wrote!”

Luwani paled. “That’s ... that’s impossible,” she stammered.

“Why do you think it is impossible, mother? Do you think it’s impossible for a god to know what he isn’t supposed to know? Or is it impossible for a god to intercept a flying pigeon?” Anjatta asked. “Your stupidity is the only thing which seems impossible to me!”

Luwani slumped to the floor. “He’ll kill me,” she whined and tears filled her eyes.

“I’d place my bet on Evanis killing you first,” Shinta airily remarked.

“I bet on my girlfriend,” Anseyla countered. “Sybil isn’t as easy to sidetrack as Eva.”

“Stop crying and get up off the floor, mother,” Anjatta commanded. “You should have thought about the consequences of your actions before you sent the message to our enemies. Now it’s too late and crying about what you did doesn’t help anyone; it’s just annoying.”

Luwani scrambled to her feet, then stumbled past the table to a bunk at the far side of the cabin where she lay down and disobediently continued to cry.

“Are you sure Rhaseris won’t tell Evanis or Sybil about the content of the message?” Shinta asked.

“No, I’m not sure,” Anseyla answered, “But I think she wants to keep the message as a threat against Anjatta. That’s what I...”

The door flying open interrupted Anseyla’s faulty analysis of the situation.

“Where is she?” Evanis shouted.

Sybelien, Rhaseris, and Jabbit followed Evanis’ wake to the Storm’s Bride at a much slower pace.

“They are in the cabin at the stern,” Rhaseris directed as they boarded the ship and Jabbit turned to the bow.

“I know,” he replied. “I want to talk to someone else first. We’ll join you in a little while.”

Sybelien and the Princess watched him approaching the little queen sitting on the deck with her back against the main mast and stroking the rabbit in her lap.