The First Kingdom (The Bolaji Kingdoms Prequel)

CHAPTER 23

SANEE WASN'T AT ALL SURPRISED when Poge returned with the others with the news they hadn't found Adera nor any sign of mermen in the area. Jiden and Neke seemed just as disappointed as Poge. He put a hand on Poge's shoulder.

"We'll get her back, don't worry."

"It's my fault. If I had stayed awake, this wouldn't have happened," Neke said as he stared at the ground.

"No, I suspect her people were following us the minute we touched Karmir. They were just waiting for the right moment to take her." That was the truth of it and he had no blame for anyone other than himself.

Sanee went to the water as soon as Dag was ready.

The device seemed simple enough. In one hand, he held a piece he would speak into. Tubes attached the device to shells. Dag promised this would amplify his voice as he spoke into the water.

Sanee started with every greeting he could think of, and the water remained as undisturbed in the night as it was in the day. He spoke about their offer of peace and the treaty they proposed. At one point, he demanded to see the chief of the mermen. He even begged to see Adera. Nothing worked.

His mother brought him food, but he soon stopped eating. Despite his father's support, he didn't come to the water to check on his progress. Sanee supposed that was a good thing, since he hadn't made progress anyway.

Sanee couldn't figure out what to do. How was he supposed to get Adera back if they wouldn't listen to him? There was only one thing left to try. He placed a hand on Adera's gift, the shell necklace, and spoke to their hearts.

Sanee lifted the device to his mouth and his voice cracked on the first note. He shook it off and sang from the heart. It was the song that Adera had taught him long ago. A song without words. Only a tune, but it had spoken to him and he hoped that it spoke to them.

He sang for over an hour before he needed to rest. When his mother brought him warm broth for his throat and a juice with an acidic quality, it seemed to revive his tone. He lifted his chin and began again. Every time he grew tired, there was someone there with something hot to help him continue. After a full day of singing, he lost his voice. He whistled for a while. But then his lips grew dry, and he had nothing but cracked lips to show for it. Then he switched to humming the tune. Dag had been with him so long, he knew the pattern of the tune and hummed along without thinking about it.

He stopped when Sanee stopped.

Sanee's legs buckled under him and he knelt at the shore, his eyes burned from staring out into the sun reflected waters.

He blamed Thelion for the tears that streamed down his face. He started humming again.

When Poge joined him, he thought he heard something of the original tone. It turned out she had a beautiful voice. Neke and Jiden hummed along when Dag began again. Soon, they were all taking warm soup to heal their sore throats.

Occasionally, his brother would come out and try to get him to leave the water's edge, but he refused. No one could move him from the water for anything. He hummed and hummed, and when he thought he couldn't continue with another note, his mother brought him something to drink so he could hum along with the others. Now with all of them humming, the tune never stopped. When his mother grew tired, she left them. He was glad of her effort and it warmed him she cared. His arms still ached for the missing Adera, and he wondered what would happen if he dove into the water and tried to get her.

Less than half an hour later, the guard joined them. Their humming was discordant at first, since they hadn't heard the entire tune, but soon their voices lent themselves to the sound. His brother came down, as did the entire community. The nation of Karmir stood at the shores of the water, singing to the waves, and for the first time Sanee realized what this meant. He and Adera's dream was happening, but she wasn't there to see it. A tear fell from his eye, but he continued, not afraid of what the others would think of him.

When at last his father the chieftain stood with them, the crowd grew louder. Sanee didn't need the hum of the shells anymore—their combined sound rippled the water.

When the water whirled in front of him, he thought he'd imagined it. Only when those around him started to fidget anxiously did he realize it was real.

This must be the mermen's response at last. They would return her to him or he'd die trying to get to her. The crowd continued singing despite the sight of a dozen mermen rising up out of the water with weapons at their sides. The Karmirian guards grew restless, but Sanee raised a hand and they continued singing with their weapons sheathed.

Then, as in his dreams, Adera came up out of the water and she ran to him, throwing herself into his arms. Her tears mixed with his as he kissed her face.

The crowd didn't cease singing until the mermen had lowered themselves back under the surface of the water. Then a cheer erupted that swept the entire beach and Sanee along with it. He couldn't be happier to have her back.

"Will the Majiwa join us?"

She shook her head.

A cease fire was better than nothing.

Adera looked up at his face, as incapable of looking away as he was. "You hummed a song, do you know to whom it might belong?"

Sanee looked at her in surprise. "No, I remembered the tune from when I was a boy. I had no idea it originated from your people."

With a smile, she said, "I sang that song to you, even before I knew. The meaning of the words, were like nothing you've ever heard."

"What do the words mean?"

"The song of my heart fills me with joy that we will never part. Forevermore we are one, until the setting sun is done."