A Princess for the Witch Doctor (Legends of Rahasia Book 3)

Chapter Thirty

Ryu takes the old lady's hand in his and clasps it fondly, placing a gentle kiss on her cheek. "Ratu, thank the gods you didn't get harmed in the riots."

"No, but the rioters are still smarting from where I fought back." She waves airily, her guards chuckling with her as she nods to her walking staff. "And I got my best fighters out there helping the civilians out. Alhamdulillah, nobody else needs to suffer."

"Nenek, for your walking staff." Another guard helps her with the staff, handing her a separate band to tie around her wrists, bowing to her before he even acknowledges Emperor Elio. A twist of the wrist, and a hidden blade swings from an inner compartment. It shines just as brightly as the wicked gleam in Ratu's crime-lord eye.

Just a walking staff. What a joke. It has a blade!

Her guards are all Jiwanese, as well. Browned skin and the same petrifying symbol of the dragon, most in neck tattoos or batik scarves. Women choose to tie scarves around their hair, and others adopt simple Rahasian styles, with hair tied back like fighters do.

"Nenek..." Boaz mumbles, stepping forwards cautiously, shuffling papers in his hand. "Let me see if I'm hearing that correctly. They all call you grandmother?"

She laughs, the sound just as bold as the rest of her. "Yes." She spreads her arms wide. "They are all my children. My grandchildren." She places her hand fondly against the cheek of a young male fighter, the tattoo running along his neck and shoulder blade. "This darling I helped off the streets. Orphan. His merchant parents jailed for not having trading permits." She clasps another girl's forearm, about Zahra's age. She bares her teeth, a wolf. "This one was a stowaway in a caravan. Would've gotten sold off in a back-alley deal if I didn't raid it to free her."

"Stole some gold from their supplies too." Boaz mumbles. "I remember talking that one over with the caravan's owners, to record it in accounting." Elio and Ryu shoot him a nasty glare, but dearest Uncle Bo remains oblivious. "What? I know I might look otherwise, but I do hate paperwork."

"Your fine caravan people stole her from her parents. I'll call it even." Ratu shrugs, holding her hand palm-out, as though to keep her loyal, orphaned army from ripping my bookish uncle to shreds. "I do what I do because the Empire isn't doing enough for my people. I murder. I cheat. I steal. And I do it all because sometimes the law isn't enough when it's against you." She turns to Elio, who's standing beside Ryu. The emperor's working his jaw, tense as Ratu's dark eyes bore into his. The sun, and the woman in the shadows, fighting back at him.

Elio steps forwards, hands out consolingly. "Ratu. I assure you. We didn't foresee this violence either. The actions of those rioters are not representative of us."

"Then who is at fault?" Ratu still speaks calmly, but she may as well be shouting for how her words echo in this silent chamber. "The Empire is a center for the world. Ever since I fought for you in those wars, you promised it'd become more tolerant. Well, those wars are won. Now, there's another. And it's not blamed on the gods or the golems, it's blamed on us. When will it end?"

"Ratu," Consort Ryu wraps one arm around her, leading her to the side, where one of our palace servants gets a chair for our guest. Ryu kneels beside her, a hand on her shoulder as she shakes with silent rage. "Jiwa has threatened war with us because we caught a Dukun. You might know him as a servant of Rangda."

"Rangda," Ratu's eyes go wide. "The demon queen of witches and all that's evil." She spits. "Setan! Dukuns and blood magic, how horrible. He isn't one of ours, not a slaughterer like that. We take no credit for him."

"I know that, Ratu. I know. Our daughter," he points to me, and everyone's eyes burn into mine. I lower my gaze, feeling very hot underneath all their scrutiny. Their judgment. "Princess Arnina captured him. But he's a Jiwanese citizen, and they want him back. Our people want him executed for his crimes." He straightens, gestures to his half-brother, Boaz. "We're sure they don't want this murderer back. To avoid a war, we want to send a diplomat, Scholar Boaz, to clear up the situation."

Ratu considers, leaning back, her hand twisting the staff with the hidden blade. Blade. Staff. Blade. Staff. Weapon. Calm. Death. Peace. Decisions. War.

"And what about my people, to stay safe from your rioters?"

"We shelter them here." Emperor Elio speaks up, smoothing his beard as Ryu leans slightly into him. They lean on each other, supporting like a tree and its roots. "Healers. Food. Whatever supplies you need until the situation dies down."

Ratu shakes on it, clasping the Emperor's forearm in hers. Everyone seems appeased for now. Except for Uncle Boaz. He looks sick to his stomach.

***

Better find out what's wrong with Boaz, or I might not get the chance for a very long time. And I can't have that regret.

I skirt around the edges, exiting with Zahra. "What's wrong?" I lean my head to his.

He turns to me, his hair spilling from its ties, framing his thin face. The spectacles can't hide the fear in his eyes. "I don't know." He pulls away from me, heading for the door. "I don't know, and that scares me."

"Bo!" I hurry after him. Gods, he's slippery as a serpent for how quickly he exits social situations. "Bo! Wait." He turns around, that same, slow look of dread coming over him. I hug my arms around him. "Thank you. For the library."

He puts his hand on my head, ruffling my hair. Zahra looks bemused as my hair sticks up like straw from the action. "Arnina, take care of the archive while I'm gone." He grins at me, and I match his embarrassed smile. "Knowledge is power..."

I know what he'll say, predicting it. Predicting him. "And we are its keepers."

If only I could predict it all. Yet, like Boaz, I'm left in the dark.

***

Readers,

What do you think of the escalating situation?

Side note, sh*t's about to go down.

Best

Sophia