He Calls Me Unnie

Chapter Two

Bay returned from their errands with her head hung low, while Pike lifted her chin as if nothing had happened–as if their errand had gone exceptionally well, even. Pike noticed her friend's despondence.

"Relax, I have our story straight. Just let me do the talking."

Bay didn't respond. She wasn't entirely confident in her friend's ability to come up with a convincing lie, and if they were caught lying, they'd be in even more trouble than if they'd just told the truth in the first place.

The kitchen was quiet when the girls returned to it. Only the head cook, Salima, was in the kitchen.

"Good. You girls are just in time," she said. "I was about to start on supper." The old woman's eyes creased at the corners as she smiled. "Did you find everything we need for supper tonight?"

"What are you making?" Pike asked.

"I'm making lamb stew, but Master Undulu asked especially for a fruit tart tonight. I hear he's not doing so well lately–been under a lot of stress in court. If you're good, you girls might get a bite."

Bay's fingers trembled. Pike set her empty shopping bag on the counter, but Bay held hers close to her body.

"There might be a problem with the fruit tart tonight..." Pike began.

"What is that, dear?" Salima said as she went about laying out the utensils and dishes needed to cook that night's meal.

"We were attacked on the road. Young Akintola boys threw stones at us, robbed us and ran away." Pike nodded to Bay. "Show her what's left."

Bay unlatched her arms and laid her bag out on the table. What was left of the grapes tumbled out. Out of everything they had bought only the oranges had survived. They rolled out of her bag and onto the counter behind the grapes.

Salima abandoned her task and hobbled over to them. "The master won't like this. A feud has been heating up in court between the Undulus and the Akintolas. This goes to show how bad things have gotten in this small empire of ours. Are you girls okay?"

"The master?" Bay said. "Why does he need to know? He's so important, what does it matter if we got robbed?"

Salima took a seat beside them on a stool. "This is bigger than highway robbery, Bay. The country is on the verge of civil war. Half of the courtiers are siding with Master Undulu, while the other half is siding with Master Akintola, and the citizens are just as divided!"

Bay had heard about this division. The emperor was growing old, and without a child, there was no one to inherit the throne once he died. It was time for him to choose a successor from among his courtiers, and her master and Master Akintola were the two prime candidates. Master Undulu was not a cruel master. She couldn't imagine him becoming hostile to obtain the throne, but that didn't mean that the people around him and supporting him wouldn't be. And she had heard a lot about the Akintola clan. They were warriors, rugged and violent by nature. She could imagine from their reputation that they would put up a fight for the throne.

"There's really no need to tell the master," Bay said. "We're okay. Aren't we, Pike?"

"Yup, perfectly fine. No reason to get upset."

"Well, I'll let the mistress know anyway. She ought to know why half a week's worth of groceries went missing, and the master will want to know why he's not getting a fruit tart tonight!" Salima stood from her stool and made her way across the kitchen to the stairs. "You girls start chopping whatever vegetables we have left over while I go talk to her."

They watched her until she disappeared into the staircase and heard the upstairs door close.

"Pike."