Kellan hesitated. “From your lips to the Goddess’s ears,” he said.
The man nodded at that, then waved a hand at someone behind him, and the gates opened. They entered the city, the glow of the distant fires lending a bizarre sense of warmth to the otherwise dark night. The lead Indlovu sent three full-bloods with them. They were told to go the Indlovu Citadel and nowhere else. This was a directive from Inkokeli Odili himself. No one was allowed to be on the streets of Citadel City until the enemy coming for their gates had been repulsed.
The full-bloods took up positions at the front, middle, and rear of their party.
“What do you believe now, Okar?” Tau whispered, saying Kellan’s family name in the same way the Indlovu at the gates had.
“I’ve admitted it, Lesser,” Kellan said. “Odili seeks to overthrow Queen Tsiora.”
“He’s filled the city with military loyal to his cause,” said Hadith.
“It’s not over,” said Kellan.
“It’s not?” Themba said. “Seems over.”
“It’s not,” Hadith said. “Odili’s wing are still sieging the keep, and that means the queen is alive. They wouldn’t waste time fighting for anything or anyone less. Killing her is the only way he can secure the queendom under his control. He’ll have to get it done quickly, though.”
“The hedeni,” said Themba.
Hadith nodded. “Odili has to kill Tsiora soon. He has to end the siege and set his men to the defense of the city.”
Tau didn’t think the odds made sense. “Is Odili that stupid? The Xiddeen are invading. He can’t stop them with a few wings of full-bloods.”
“That’s not all he has,” Zuri said. “The KaEid will be with him. Once the queen is dead, she’ll command the Gifted to call Guardians to our defense. Odili only needs to hold the hedeni back until the dragons arrive.”
“So, we all die tomorrow or the next day, instead of tonight,” said Tau. “If Jayyed was right, we cannot defeat the Xiddeen in an all-out war.”
“We have to save the queen,” Kellan said, looking from face to face. “She needs us.”
“Kellan’s right,” Zuri said. “Queen Tsiora is for peace and was betrayed by the same women and men who betrayed the hedeni. If she can convince their shul and warlords that she had no part in the attack on the Conclave, then peace might stand.”
Hadith frowned. “More ‘ifs.’”
Tau agreed with Hadith. “This is our hope? Would we honor peace if the Xiddeen destroyed Palm or Kigambe? Would we forgive them if they murdered every woman, man, and child in Kerem?” Tau’s question cut hard because it was easy to answer. The Omehi would not forgive.
“The queen is the hope we have,” Zuri told Tau.
“I’ll fight,” said Kellan. “I’ll go to her aid.”
Tau was incredulous. “Fight who? With what? The Indlovu have the keep surrounded.”
“The queen has her guards. The queen has my uncle,” Kellan said.
Tau hated feeling so helpless, but their helplessness was a reality. “They can’t hold against a wing of full-bloods. We have no way to break the siege or get to the queen.”
“That’s not true,” said Zuri. “The youngling.”
Tau did not like where this was going. “The youngling beneath the Guardian Keep?”
Kellan looked lost. “There are Guardians in the Guardian Keep?”
Zuri nodded.
“Why are there Guardians in the Guardian Keep?” he asked.
Zuri didn’t answer that. “The youngling tunnels. We can bring fighters through the Gifted Citadel and into the keep.”
“Excuse, Lady Gifted,” Yaw said, “but we’re not being taken to the Gifted Citadel.”
Uduak grunted, drew his sword, and leapt onto the back of the full-blood leading them, bearing him to the ground. The full-blood called out and Uduak knocked him unconscious. The full-blood near the middle of the line pulled his blade free of its scabbard, but so had most of Scale Jayyed. He looked at the sharp bronze aimed at his chest and dropped the weapon.
Scale Osa made up most of the rear, and they did not understand the confusion, but the full-blood with them had seen enough. He took off running.
“He’ll tell the ones at the gate!” said Yaw.
“It won’t matter,” Hadith said, pointing to the unconscious Indlovu. “When Uduak hit that one, we chose sides.”
Uduak brushed himself off. “Right side.”
“Fighting for the queen, a Royal Noble, is the right side?” Themba asked.
“We have to hurry,” Zuri said. “We don’t know how much time the queen has. If Odili kills her, this is for nothing.”
“Eh, we’ll also be hanged as traitors, don’t forget that part,” Themba said.
“Themba,” muttered Hadith, “always seeing the sunlight.”
“Just want to make sure everyone understands the urgency, is all,” Themba told him.
“Kellan!” One of the initiates from Scale Osa, a bulky brute with a block for a jaw, had marched his way through Scale Jayyed and up near the front. “What’s the meaning of this?” He pointed at the unconscious Indlovu. “Have you turned traitor too?”
“Chidubem, these full-bloods are working with Odili to overthrow the queen,” Kellan told his sword brother.
“Guardian Councillor Odili, you mean?” Chidubem said.
“They’re sieging the Guardian Keep. We need to get to the queen before Odili can—”
“No! I don’t want to hear this.”
“It’s a coup!”
“It’s Royal Noble business.”
“You can’t be serious,” said Kellan as the rest of Scale Osa and Scale Otieno came within earshot. He raised his voice, speaking to them. “Odili seeks to murder our queen. This Gifted knows a way that we can come to her aid. Brothers, you are needed, called to—”
Chidubem shouted him down. “Shut it, Okar! I’m not fighting against Odili and full-bloods on your word and the word of Lessers. Who knows why Odili has chosen to siege the keep?”
“The queen—”
“We heard,” said Umqondisi Otieno, moving through the men and standing nearby. “She wants to surrender.” Then, raising his voice, he pointed to Chidubem. “Hear me! Like this initiate, I will not fight against my own. However, I will not hinder Okar or these Lessers either. Go your way and I will go mine, with my scale.”
Kellan tried again. “Who will join me? Who will fight for the queen?”
A voice called from the crowd. “Chosen don’t surrender.”
Otieno walked away. “I’m for the Indlovu Citadel, as I was ordered to do on the authority of the chairman of the Guardian Council.”
He left. So did the Indlovu. All but one of them. Jabari Onai held back and tried to make them see sense.
“Tau, don’t do this,” he said. “It’s madness. Kellan, come with us. This is not our affair.”
Tau said nothing, but it was disturbing how different Jabari seemed. He was still bigger than Tau. He always would be. It was just that he no longer seemed that way.