Page 115 of Ashes of Gold
I take a deep breath and keep going. “I-I’d hoped raising the Ancestors was the way to go, that they could fix this. And in some ways they helped. We know your magiccanbe restored, that we have to return the stolen onyx on the traitors’ wrists to the earth. But it didn’t fix everything. It’s not what I’d envisioned would happen.” I huff a breath and steady my feet. “We can’t fight each other anymore. I’vebeensaying that, but until we have a leader that unifies us, we’ll continue to crack from the inside. I get that now. And we really need to turn our eyes outward—tothem.”
I point east, toward the Chancellor’s tower, an ivory emblem in the distance. “The true enemy. So I’m asking you now to trust me. Not because I have all the answers. Not because I do everything right. But because I’m not giving up on this fight. And I have a pretty good plan this time, I think.”I hope.“But I can’t finish itwithout you, Bati, your wisdom. And you, Rojala, your precision with a blade. And you Bri, your gadgets. All of you. My people. My family.” Jhamal’s name hangs on my tongue and somewhere inside me pangs with sadness. “We rise from the ashestogether.”
I blow out a big breath.
“So, I ask you to swear your loyalty to me and I promise you, I’ll make a way out of this for us or die trying. If you would have me… I humbly ask for the honor of serving as your Queen.”
Leaves rustle under Bri, Julius, Rojala, and a few others who plant on their knees in fealty, bowing their heads. Others follow, nearly all the Macazi, Joshi flicking a tear from his cheek. The Ghizoni kneel in waves and a flutter cinches in my chest. I stand a little straighter. But the Beerchi still stand. Shaun unfolds then refolds his arms.
I swallow. “This does not have to come to blows, Shaun, please.”
“I cannot honor your claim. You must prove yourself first. It is not personal, it is just the Beerchi way.” He raises his blade. “I’m sure you understand.”
“Final warning, Shaun. Put your blade down. Tell your men to stand with me, unified. And submit yourself for punishment for the murder of our Yakanna sister.”
The crowd explodes in whispers.
“For the last time, the Yakanna girl. You do not know what you speak of. I never touched Doile. If you must know, she is my brother’s effija.”
Effija? Promised? Like, betrothed?
Shaun’s nostrils flare, his chest rising and falling. “You do not know me to judge me. I would never touch a hair on my sister’s head. Even Kai. I would fight her in combat but never end her. She is my sister. Beerchi are loyal.”
“Loyal,” his brothers echo.
“S-so who did this?”
“It is not honorable to accuse without proof, but if anyone touched Doile, I would bet my beard it was Kai.”
Chatter erupts and my insides do flips. I want to believe better of her. But first Jhamal. Now this…. It doesn’t look good.
“I was too quick to judge and for that I’m sorry. I won’t judge Kai either until she is present and can speak for herself.”
Shaun dips his chin in respect and for a glimmer of a moment I think he really sees me. Or at least sees who I believe I can be. His coquella steps forward and sets a hand on Shaun’s back. The two share a look and coquella takes a knee.
“It has to be unity, brother. Somewhere in all this we’ve lost sight of the way. This is not who we Beerchi are.” He shakes his head. “We are might and pride, but like you say, Shaun, we areloyal. The Ancestors have spoken. Kneel with me, brother.” Shaun’s coquella lays his curved blade at my feet, folds forward, bowing fully.
Words escape me. My skin tingles all over.
With one Beerchi sworn to me, the rest, one by one, follow suit, cloaks on the ground, a pile of curved gold metal at my feet. Shaun is left standing alone. He blows out a breath, shuffling on his feet for several moments. Then he slips off his rings and unlatches his cloak. His chin never dips. In fact, he raises it. He hesitates another moment but kneels.
And finally, I can breathe.
“Thank you.” I dig for my voice, but I’m all shock and stutters. I’ve done it. I’ve asked them to follow me. I’ve vowed to lead them and they’re trusting me. A crowd of silent stares wait, staring, unblinking. “The plan. O-oh, right. So, we will lure the Chancellor and his meninsideour lair.Let them think they found us. But the walls will be lined with lead, so their stolen magic will not work.” Gasps pop like firecrackers. “But the trick is,mymagic won’t work either.”
Many eyes widen in fear.
“We have the fiercest warriors on the island,” I say.
“Ya!” they cry.
“Theironlyadvantage is that they have magic. When we strip them of that, they are nothing. They stand no chance! So we fight them as equals. And as their onyx is removed, Bri and Julius”—Bri waves her hand and Julius throws a chin up—“will collect the onyx and get it to the grave site.” I explain how the lead worked for the Macazi and heads nod in understanding. “Let’s gather up and head back. It’ll be too bright to be out here soon.”
People jostle around me. The Seer meets my eyes. I nod at her and she smiles in return. I settle down in the dirt on my knees, palms up, in the posture of prayer and gratitude to the Ancestors. I can’t leave this site without sending up a prayer for favor as we walk into what’s next. Thanking them for believing in me, for pushing me to do what I didn’t believe I could. Zora crosses my mind, and I think of how she used to feed me the words when I’d forget. But the words come to me easily when I reach for them this time. Some Ghizoni join me, echoing my prayers, while the Macazi wait in neat lines in silent reverence.
When the prayer is done, I catch myself looking for Jhamal when Julius’s face slips into view.
“I’m proud of you,” he says in earshot of Rojala and Bri, who come over too.
