The First Kingdom (The Bolaji Kingdoms Prequel)

CHAPTER 15

SANEE AND THE TWINS FOLLOWED the gagged and bound boys to their camp. They walked two feet in front of them and stumbled often. When they reached the edge of the camp, the twins took to the trees and Sanee walked their two captives in alone. He didn't want to be ambushed.

The alarm was sounding before they reached the encampment of tents and sleeping areas. Boys scattered in all directions. Sanee almost went unnoticed. A thin boy a head shorter than Sanee with yellow hair stopped dead in front of him and screamed for help. His voice fell in the annoying place between boy and man.

A taller boy with white hair and pale skin stepped out of a small building and looked around at the commotion. He pulled a kind of wooden whistle out of his pocket and blew into it. The boys dropped what they were doing and ran back to the center, all standing between the taller boy and Sanee. Using his knee, he helped both of the boys in front of him to their knees. Still gagged, the boys struggled to speak.

The pale boy with the white hair held up a hand and all of their exclamations and excited chatter ceased.

"Red-man. Why have you captured my people?"

"They were guarding a campsite we came across last night."

The boy's face cracked into a smile.

"You are Karmirian. There is a Karmirian among us. You are welcome, friend." He gestured to the young Karmirian boy who stepped forward and Sanee tried to remember if he knew him. The boy looked back at him with confusion. It seemed he was trying to place Sanee as well.

"The girls, do you have them?" Sanee asked, sparing the Karmirian a glance before looking back at the pale boy.

"Girls? What girls?"

"A green girl you captured from her camp last night and another, she is blue." Sanee gave only the details that the boys he'd captured gave. He didn't want to tell these bandits they'd let a mermaid escape. The fascination with Majiwa went beyond just infatuation for some.

"Where are the girls you captured?" Sanee repeated, his black eyes staring down the leader.

The pale boy's expression changed. The smile on his face didn't reach his eyes as he spoke.

"There are no girls here. Are they special to you? Perhaps we can help you find them."

Sanee scanned the camp and looked at the faces of the boys. Some of whom woke up with adrenaline and now stood swaying with lack of sleep. He saw the bindings, long white strips of material were still at the base of the tree in the center of their camp. The green girl had gotten away, most like with Adera's help. They weren't here. The one wouldn't leave without the other. Which meant they were gone, heading north, as her note said.

"That won't be necessary. Your people are free to go." Sanee lifted one boy at a time and pushed them into the others. Their friends unbound them and both boys glared at him.

"Is that all?" The pale boy asked, moving to look over each boy. He noted the injuries and then turned to Sanee.

"He's not alone," the boy said as he looked around as if the twins would jump out at him.

It was Sanee's turn to smile.

"You have your people back. I have somewhere else to be. I hope I don't have to remind you that if you happen to come across one or both of the girls again, I'll be back for a visit and things won't be so friendly."

The young Karmirian spoke up before Sanee turned away.

"He's the prince of Karmir." The declaration forced him to turn back to the young Karmirian and look him in the eye. The young man still didn't look familiar. The question now was what would they do with that information?

"Where are you headed, prince? Shouldn't you be home getting ready to become the chieftain?" The pale boy asked, taking a menacing step forward.

This was what Sanee had wanted to avoid, being far from home. With the recognition would come the demands. They could demand his father pay them for his safe return as a hostage. The leader might demand something from him to avoid being turned in to his father. Or he could do both.

"No, I'm no longer the prince. I renounced my inheritance. My younger brother has already taken my place," Sanee said with more confidence than he felt.

The young Karmirian didn't contradict him, so he turned again to leave.

"Wait." The pale one stepped forward. "We could use someone like you."

"I'm sure you could," Sanee said with a sneer on his lips.

"No, I mean, we're growing. Soon, we'll need more leaders to take control as we expand beyond this wood. There are already others with groups as large as fifty."

"Of boys?"

"Young men," the pale one said. Then he threw an arm around Sanee's neck as if they were old friends. "Listen, you might run into more trouble. But if you're one of us, then you can renounce your role as prince for real and become a true leader."

In a swift move, Sanee grabbed the boy's hand and twisted him until he held the arm straight and the other boy was on the ground in pain.

"I won't join you."

The other boys in the small pack raised their weapons only to have warning arrows shot in their path.

"Stand back," their leader said. They obeyed with some reluctance.

"I won't hurt him, but I am leaving. If any of you follow, you'll get no more warning arrows," Sanee said loud enough for the twins to hear from the trees. He released their leader and stepped away. Then he turned and walked back into the woods.

He wasn't followed.

****

It ain't easy being a prince. And Sanee has more trouble in his path than he'd like but he has no idea how bad it can actually get. 

This is a great example of me writing yet another character that doesn't want to fit into a particular mold or lifestyle. 

If this is the first story of mine you've ever read then get used to it. None of my characters ever do as they're told (especially from me) or as they were raised in this instance. 

What a rebel. (I think I should start a little club for my rebels there are so many!)