When I become Queen, Kimberly will become my second-in-command. Unlike my grandmother, my mother never had a second daughter, so Kimberly has always been my sister.
When morning comes, Kimberly and I ride to the river with our mothers. The pollution has spread.
"You will ride to each village," my mother instructs me. "You will warn each head of the village, and we will move closer to the border of the Fiyori. You will meet me there by sundown."
I nod. My mother is like that. She gives a command, and she expects it to be followed. She does not ask questions, only expects action.
"Look after your cousin," adds Aunt Genevieve, "and do not touch the polluted water. Neither of you."
I nod and turn Ripple to travel with the course of the river. Â Fortunately, the pollution seems to be limited to our village and Flushing village right now.
"We will start at the Marshbrush village."
We must travel fast if we will be back by sundown. Fourteen villages spread throughout the marshlands, weaving in and out between the Fairylands and the Wolflands. Changes in landscape mark our borders.
As we pass a tree at the edge of our village, we grab our spears and pick up a trot.
"There is no way we are going to be able to get to all the villages by sundown," Kimberly whispers.
"I know." It is a test; my mother expects me to solve the problem.
I send out an alarm call, mimicking the crow. Avi picks it up, then Sundance; our trip is echoed with the voices of birds, sending calls through the Marshlands. The leaders of the closest villages meet us shortly after. Â We dismount in a clearing.
"What is going on?" asks Jack, head of the Marshbrush village.
"I need you to send out patrols to as many villages as you can. Avoid the water upriver. It is polluted by the king's new war technology. "
"What? What are we going to do, then?" Jack exclaims.
"Watch your tongue and remember to whom you speak, Sir Jack, " Kimberly snaps.
"Excuse me, Princess, but this means death for us. Do you have a plan?" snaps Jack sarcastically.
Respect must be earned; it is not inherited.
Kimberly is ready to put him in his place, but I stop her. We have enough to worry about; we must not turn against one another.
"Kimber," I murmur before turning back to Jack. "You will meet us on the Fiyori border at sundown after you finish your duty. You are to come together."
I take in the other three leaders that have joined us. Dorothy of Swamptree. Eunice of Logside. Poppler of Wetland.
Popplar smiles, the youngest of the leaders at twenty. He is handsome. Reddish brown, wavy hair, hazel eyes, and deep tan skin. His father died in the king's army, and he inherited his father's position. So far, he has lived up to his father's legacy. Sometimes, the village leader position can be inherited, and sometimes it is appointed when a leader resigns or is lost.
The highest position for a man is the one my grandfather holds; he is the Lead Advisor and head over all the other villages to tend to smaller matters and disputes. My mother left him with the position when she became Queen, and when my time comes, I will decide on my Lead Advisor. One thing for sure, I subconsciously decide I will replace Jack.
"I will see to it that we are there," Popplar promises in almost a whisper. He is soft spoken.
"Thank you, Popplar," I reply.
His gaze is on Kimberly, though. They have been fond of one another for almost a year.
The other leaders agree and disperse with soft murmurs, but Popplar stands beside us for a second.
"Will you be okay?" He finally asks.
"Yes, of course," laughs Kimberly. She is one of our best warriors, despite being only seventeen. Her mother trained her to be head of my army one day, to oversee the training of the other warriors.
"I love you," he interlaces his fingers with hers.
"I..." she sighs and squeezes his fingers. "I must go."
She remounts, and he stands back, his eyes hopeful. She turns away. I remount beside her.
"Popplar, come on," Dorothy calls. She is just a few years older than him at twenty three. They are the only leaders we have in their twenties. Dorothy was appointed as a favor to her mother, one of the Queen's childhood friends that became a teacher.
I see Kimberly turn red with anger. Popplar smiles gently at her, a smile of understanding. Obviously, he comprehends something that I do not.
"Why did you reject him?" I whisper as we travel back toward our village.
She chuckles, bittersweet. "We have no time for love. Our duty is to our people; our future is uncertain."
I frown at her. "Perhaps there is more...besides, we all deserve someone who is sincere," I respond in a teasing tone.
She blushes. "Jenna, you're nothing better than a marsh frog!"
I laugh. "Kimber, during my reign, I want things to be different."
Kimberly grabs my arm meaningfully, making my horse side step.
"We will walk a different path." Her eyes are full of hope and determination.
I nod. All of a sudden, Avi lets out an alarm call, and I see something stir in the bushes. Sundance circles around the perpetrator, and I lunge my spear in the direction of her flight path.
Kimberly leaps to the ground, and I follow her. Squirming in the bushes is a Fiyori girl about our age. Long black hair entangled with leaves and ebony skin already exploding with blue, poison-tainted veins. Her blue tattoos interlace with her veins and are hard to tell apart. The Fiyori are known for their tattoos; the tattoos tell the stories of their battles and their journeys. They are there to remind them of their warrior journey from the beginning of their warrior training to the end of their time.
She chokes and sputters, and her eyes turn from golden brown to grey with distress. My spear has lodged into her shoulder. As the initial effects of the poison wear off, she rights herself and throws her body at a tree. The Fiyori are arboreal people; acrobats, they are a threat as long as they can move. The poison on the tip of my spear is not fatal. It is from mostly hemlock and not enough to kill, only cause temporary paralysis of the central nervous system.
I grab her before she can venture up the tree. "What is your name?" I turn to my cousin. "Kimberly, grab some vines."
The girl's eyes show defeat. "My name is Maia..."
Maia swallows hard as Kimberly returns with the vines and ties her wrists and takes her weapons. Maia doesn't squeal as the spear is pulled from her back. The Fiyori are familiarized with pain because the tattoos are seared onto their skin with fire; they have the highest pain tolerance of all the warriors.
"What are you doing here?" I question.
"I heard people talking...on the border. A group of people were saying you planned to invade, so I thought I would see what is going on."
It was probably Jack with his big mouth. A glance at Kimberly assures me she is thinking the same thing.
"Are you alone?"
She nods.
I look at Avi. "Call to Flight . "
Flight is my mother's chough bird. He sends a stream of rapid caws through the forest and circles down to my shoulder to wait. Our prisoner remains silent, probably feeling the cramping pain of the hemlock.
"It will wear off soon," I murmur. I still have compassion, knowing the experience myself.
My mother arrives with Aunt Genevieve and another warrior, Garrett.
"A prisoner," she notes. "A relative of Lady Mariah by the looks of it. They will want her back."
Lady Mariah and her relatives have peculiar eyes.
"Are there more of you?" questions my mother.
Maia silently shakes her head.
"Garrett, take four others and go to the Fiyori to tell them we have their daughter. We are willing to do a peaceful meeting for her safe return." She turns to me. "Jenna, take our guest and tend to her wound. Then prepare to meet with the Fiyori."
I nod and help up Maia. Garrett offers his horse, and I lead the gelding alongside my mare slowly. Kimberly leads the way back beside our mothers. Compassion is just as important as ruthlessness...this I have come to learn well.