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

Chapter Twenty-Nine

            "A war against who?" I blink a couple times, wondering if I'll bear witness to another Divine War, a rebellion against the gods. For some reason, that thought thrills me.

"Against Jiwa, dear niece." Advisor Boaz points to a map of the world, pointing to the vast island kingdom. "It seems that our imprisonment of their witch doctor, the nameless Dukun, is some form of political aggression on our part."

A misunderstanding. Their Dukun attacked us first, but I suppose wars have started for lesser reasons.

"The Jiwanese evacuees have more than sufficient housing in our guest quarters." Emperor Elio grimaces, turning away from my shocked expression and back to Advisor Boaz. "I doubt we'll be throwing any parties for a long time."

"But, we'll need to soothe the populace." Boaz counters, his hair loose from the regular bun, falling around his face, making him look out of sorts and confused himself. "We have to soothe them. These riots, we're already against golems and witch doctors and other supernatural forces. Do we need to fight one another?"

Ryu steps between them, a hand on both their shoulders. "We have tried to establish a new Empire, a reign where everybody benefits. A diplomatic discussion might be in order."

Zahra growls, hand on her scimitar, mimicking the warrior Elio's actions. "But in trying to please everybody, we've spread our power too thin. Our military's dwindling. Thieves and criminals are better organized than us. We're vulnerable."

The word "vulnerable" hangs in the air. Elio screams, his rage echoing throughout the chamber. "When I rejected my father's old ways, I've always been accused of making our kingdom weak. I should have listened to the god of war. Maybe a show of force is the only answer."

"We do not need the gods." I counter. "It's so simple, don't you see? If it's a misunderstanding, then we send someone to explain they got it wrong."

Elio laughs, his voice booming. Ryu sighs, placing his head in his hands. "It's not that simple." Boaz flushes. "Rulers don't like hearing they're wrong."

Elio raises an eyebrow at that. "I can always get a new Advisor if you disagree with me, Bo."

Zahra sighs. Rulers are children. We see your point.

"Not a regular person, then, a diplomat." Ryu crosses his arms, leaning towards Boaz. "How about you, Advisor?"

Boaz pushes the stem of his spectacles further up his nose, nervously fiddling with the rims. "I... Well, I think that...that...."

"I think that we shouldn't speak about the Jiwanese Rahasian people without their front-runner in the negotiating room." An old woman, eyes fiery still even in age, enters the throne room. Lufti and a few other guards attempt to hold her back, but large men and women wearing Dragon Veils threaten them with daggers at their necks. It looks to be a full-on brawl until Emperor Elio smiles a thin smile at the intruder.

"Well, if it isn't Ratu, Queen of Thieves." He stops pacing long enough to clasp her in a familial embrace. She has sunspots and wrinkles, arms that tell of battle scars and muscle that's masked by the passage of time. "I was wondering if you'd become a god too, a local legend."

"Just a criminal, a leader..." The old woman responds, wearing a simple veil that bears a fearsome dragon upon it, its jaw roaring around the cloth framing her face and neck. She waves to her guards, who back off when ours do. "And, most importantly, an old friend."

***

Readers,

Welcome Ratu, Queen of Thieves. An old, local legend. She's a badass grandma.

Best,

Sophia