Storms of the Forest Page 3

I turned toward Father, wanting to know why he had been so suspiciously quiet through the whole exchange thus far. His brow was so lowered that it was hard to tell his eyes were even opened. He stood completely still for a long time before slowly looking toward Mother, waiting for her to meet his gaze. Undoubtedly feeling his piercing stare, she finally looked at him.

  “Kewe, are you the one encouraging this attitude? Encouraging him to join the Hawks?” he asked, his voice low and calculated.

  Mother looked up toward the ceiling for an instant and took a deep breath. She then stood to her full height as well and turned back toward Father. “Listen,” she said, “Prince is right. He’s not a baby anymore and there’s nothing any of us can do about that. Both of you have been away.” She glanced from Father to me. “You don’t know how he’s changed. He’s grown. A lot. He’s not the same little boy both of you last knew him to be. I’ve seen firsthand how he’s grown and matured, and I think he’s ready to be a man. We would be doing him a disservice to not let him grow up. If we keep treating him like a baby, what kind of man will he become?”

  I felt the blood draining from my face. What on earth was wrong with her? How could our mother so willingly go along with this? Was it simply because I had declared myself a Hawk member, and she now felt that since she hadn’t tried to stop me, Prince shouldn’t be stopped either? Did she not realize that I was older than Prince and that I had recently been through a whole lot more than he or anyone else could ever imagine?

  But then again, deep down, I couldn’t help wondering if Mother had a point. Father and I had both been away from Prince for a long time, so she was probably right about us not fully knowing what he had been through and the changes it had subsequently brought forth in him.

  Yet, another part of me felt that, regardless, he was still just a child and no child should be forced to grow up faster than necessary. With all that I’d been through recently, I had certainly learned this lesson the hard way. I had been forced to endure far more than I was ever ready to handle, and I just didn’t want that for Prince. It didn’t matter what he thought he was ready for; he was still too young and just didn’t know any better.

  I looked to Father again, seeing that an ugly sneer had formed on his lips. He gritted his teeth. “No,” he said, his voice full of finality. And then he stormed off.

  Seeing a nearly identical sneer on Prince’s face as he watched Father walk away was too much for me to tolerate. Looking back at Mother one last time, I shook my head, feeling like I needed some time away from them as well. So, like Father, I could only walk away, for the time being.

  CHAPTER 5

  “Everything all right?”

  I looked up to find Remington coming toward me. I had been vaguely aware of his presence, as he had been several feet away talking to a group of Hawks about the latest revelation regarding members of different tribes no longer to being permitted around each other. I hadn’t fully been paying attention to the discussion though. I’d merely been sitting on the ground, my back pressed against the siding of my father’s cabin, lost in thoughts of my own.

  Remington’s boots came into view as he stopped in front of me. Glancing up at him, he looked impossibly tall from my lowered viewpoint until he knelt before me, bringing himself to eye level.

  “I’m fine,” I said.

  “No, you’re not,” he retorted. “I don’t know why you think you can get away with lying to me lately.”

  I sighed and looked up toward the sky. It was quickly darkening and night would be upon us again soon. Another day gone. Another day without Jason. Another day in which it felt like we hadn’t accomplished nearly enough, if anything at all.

  “Prince,” I said. “He wants to be a Hawk. He wants to fight the monarchy. He wants to start hunting. He wants to—”

  “Be an adult,” Remington chimed with a soft chuckle. He stared off into the distance. “You know, we started hunting in some of the most dangerous parts of the jungle at his age. Or have you forgotten?”

  “I know that. But that’s a lot different from becoming a Hawk, Remington.” Yet, even as I uttered the words out loud, I wanted to cringe at how hypocritical I sounded. It had only seemed like moments ago when my father had expressed his reservations about me wanting to join the Hawks, with my mother commenting that I would understand their concern if I had children of my own. Apparently, I didn’t need children of my own though; all I needed was a little brother to worry myself sick over.

  “Well, you’ve got a point there,” Remington said.

  I stared at him for a moment, surprised that he actually agreed. His expression grew pensive. “I’m sure Prince is just inspired by you though,” he said. “Regardless, he probably doesn’t fully understand the danger. I think I’ll try to have a word with him. Maybe he’ll respond differently hearing from . . . from someone like me. You know, man to man, rather than from his overprotective big sister or his parents.”

  I wanted to be offended but knew Remington’s reasoning was sound. I could tell by the way Prince often looked at Remington that he had grown to have great admiration and respect for him. And by Remington not being a parent or sibling, maybe he could get through to Prince in a way that the rest of us couldn’t.

  “Thanks. I appreciate that,” I said.

  Remington waved away my thank-you. “Don’t mention it.”

  Just as Remington stood, my father emerged from inside the cabin. He scanned the premises for a moment until his eyes landed on us. My heart stuttered, knowing from the look on his face and the way he hastily trotted over to us that something was up. “Genesis! Remington!” he called out.

  I automatically climbed to my feet. Father came to a halt and eagerly beckoned us with a wave of his hand. “Come quickly! Kano’s found something important!” he said.

  Remington and I exchanged glances and hurried to follow after my father back inside the cabin. He anxiously led us over to Kano, who had managed to get a quiet corner to himself as he looked over the scrolls recovered from Jason.

  Hearing us approaching, Kano looked up. His eyes darted to Remington for an instant before settling on me. “I’ve found a passage in one of the ancient books that gives a clue,” he said, his eyes wide and mixed with excitement and anxiety. Immediately, he turned back to the text before him and started reading in the Arnazuri language. I listened intently, trying but failing to make sense of the foreign words coming out of his mouth.

  Listening to Kano speak the Arnazuri language so easily suddenly sent an unexpected wave of dread over me. It took a while for me to recognize it as the resurgence of grief that it was, for the last time I’d heard the Arnazuri language spoken out loud, it had been through Jason’s voice.

  Beside me, I felt rather than saw Remington’s stare. No matter how much time Remington and I had spent apart, he still remained eerily in tune to my moods and thoughts.

  Therefore, he undoubtedly sensed the minor crisis I was having in listening to Kano speak the native Arnazuri tongue, even if he wasn’t quite sure what was causing it.

  My knees buckling for a moment, I gripped a nearby chair, hoping my gesture looked casual enough. I then held my breath for an instant before letting it out slowly, willing the grief to bypass. When Kano stopped reading, I felt slightly steadier.

  Seeing that my crisis was over, Remington shifted and turned his full attention back to Kano. “Okay, so what does all of that mean?” he asked.

  “It roughly translates into ‘The skies will darken. Wind will cease. Waters will become bitter. People will wail. But one shall come and, in his name, shall the fate of all be known. The son of the Eagle will unite the cities. The Rod of Rakifi will break the head of the Python. By his name, shall he be known.’” Kano fixed his gaze on me once more and nodded. “After reading Prince Jason’s notes, I’m sure pretty sure that the clue regarding who will become the Arnazuri Chief is in the name of the person.” He paused and glanced toward my father. “Romunda means ‘eagle.’ No other Arnazuri family s
hares this name. So . . . was there anyone in your lineage named Rakifi?”

  A heavy silence followed Kano’s question, weighed down with the significance of the question itself. My father blinked, looking positively astonished. I searched his face, trying to decipher the varying emotions flickering across it. He glanced at me just for a moment before looking back to Kano, his head nodding ever so slightly. His Adam’s apple bopped in his throat as he swallowed. “Yes . . .” he finally said. “My grandfather. His first name was Rakifi.”

  I stared at my father, flabbergasted. I felt like the floor beneath me had dropped several feet, and a swooping sensation went through my stomach as it sank in what Kano was implying. I wanted to ask him if he was sure he had translated everything correctly. But then I noticed he was no longer looking at me, my father, or Remington. He stared pointedly in a direction just beyond my father, and the tiniest hint of a smirk formed across his lips. “Well, no wonder you were named Prince,” he said.

  I followed Kano’s gaze, realizing for the first time that my brother had snuck up behind us, likely having listened to the whole exchange.

  Abruptly, Kano stood and then dropped to his knees, bowing deeply in Prince’s direction. “My Chief,” he said, his usual soft and timid voice ringing loud, clear, and confident, carrying through the small cabin and stopping everyone in their tracks.

  All eyes fell upon Prince, who stood, looking just as confused as Father and me. A hush fell over the cabin, and one by one, everyone turned in Prince’s direction before falling to their knees, bowing at him just as Kano had done.

  CHAPTER 6

  It felt like an eternity had passed while Father, Remington, and I stood, baffled by everyone bowing at Prince as if he was suddenly royalty. Prince himself looked equally terrified and mystified by the attention. Confused, he turned toward Father, his eyes wide as if pleading him to tell everyone that there had been some sort of mistake. That he was no Chief or King, or whatever title they might call it.

  I stared at Father, wanting the same. But he seemed frozen and at a complete loss for what to do. What felt like a long time later, he cleared his throat and glanced around at the cabin at large. “Excuse me, everyone,” he said, “but I would like to speak to my family in private. Will everyone please kindly give us some space?”

  Slowly, everyone looked toward my father and climbed back to their feet. Muttering broke out throughout the cabin and in groups of twos and threes, people began leaving, respecting my father’s wishes to give us privacy. Although I was sure Father wasn’t requesting for Remington’s removal, Remington gestured to Kano, and together, they also left.

  As the place cleared, Mother came into view, making her way toward us. Her brow was furrowed, and she stared at Prince as if she suddenly no longer recognized him. Her hands were tightly clasped before her, and she anxiously chewed her bottom lip. Not before long, she, Father, Prince, and I were the only ones left inside the cabin. Nevertheless, we could still hear all the chattering and movement outside.

  “Look,” Father said, his whisper breaking the silence among us. “I know this is a huge shock to us all, and I know it’s a massive responsibility to place on . . .” His voice faltered, and he seemed unable to speak Prince’s name, although he briefly glanced at him. He grimaced for a

  second and then cleared his throat, continuing. “It’s going to be a huge change for us, but we must remember that no matter what, we still have each other. And as long as we stick together, we can get through this. The most important thing right now is for us all to adapt quickly and accept what has happened so that we can support . . . so that we can support Prince. That’s all we can do at this point. The Arnazuri have been longing for a leader, and now that . . . that this has happened, we have to show our full support.”

  It was clear that Father’s words were directed at Mother and me. Prince stood idly by, listening as Father spoke of him like he wasn’t even there.

  Mother sniffed loudly and shook her head. “But how can this be?” she said, trying to keep her voice steady, though it cracked anyway. “He’s only a ch-child.” Unable to hold back any longer, tears began to stream down her face.

  I stared at her, feeling simultaneously saddened and annoyed by her reaction. She couldn’t have been standing more in contrast to the woman who had just defended Prince’s decision to join the Hawks against my and Father’s disapproval. And who could forget her riveting speech about how we all needed to let Prince grow up, declaring that he was ready to be a man?

  But now look at her. The way her opinions bounced back and forth these days, it was almost like she didn’t know how she really felt about anything anymore. It pained me to see one of the strongest women I had ever known get reduced to such a walking bundle of confusion. I guess she was right all along; there were some things about having kids that I just had no way of understanding yet.

  Nonetheless, on some level, it made sense for the tables to have turned, with Mother actively objecting to the role being forced on Prince and Father doing his best to accept it. After all, Father had always been the one who believed in prophecies to begin with, so he couldn’t turn his back on them now just because they’d hit so close to home. No matter what he said though, I knew that deep down, he was still just as frightened as the rest of us; he just didn’t want us to admit it.

  He moved toward Mother, his expression somehow managing to be stern and gentle at the same time, much like his voice when he spoke. “You have to be strong, Kewe. We all do. We will carry this burden together as a family. And like I said before, as long as we stick together, everything will be fine.”

  He was trying so hard to sound positive and comforting, but I could see the fear lurking beneath his careful mask of pride and confidence. And with the way Mother and Prince stared back at him, I was pretty sure they weren’t being fooled by it either. Seeing the fear on their faces intensified my own dread more than anything because this wasn’t going to work if we were all scared. If there was ever a time to “fake it until you make it,” it was now.

  When I noted Prince’s slouched shoulders and wide, fearful eyes, I knew right then and there that Mother, Father, and I couldn’t afford to be so blatantly frightened in front of him. It was obvious that we all wanted to protect him, but we couldn’t do so if we were too busy battling our own reservations. Even though Father’s fear was transparent, he had the right idea; we needed to be strong, and we needed to show a united front. We simply had no other option.

  I knew all too well what it was like to feel the weight of the world on your shoulders at a young age. The doubt of those around you was one of the most detrimental things you could possibly deal with. And with Prince being even younger than me, it made me nauseous to think about what he had to be feeling at a time like this.

  Noticing for the first time that my own posture had steadily started to stoop, I stood to my full height, taking a page out of Father’s book and trying to put on a much braver face than I had. I just hoped I could manage to be more convincing than him with it.

  “Don’t worry, Mother,” I said. “I agree with Dad. We can get through this as a family. We just have to stay positive. If we stay strong and stick together, we can come out on top of this new challenge. And technically, it shouldn’t be that much of a challenge in the first place, right? If the gods believe it wise to make Prince the Arnazuri Chief at such a young age, who are we to doubt them? It only means that they intend to share the wisdom and courage necessary for him to succeed. Prince can and will be a great leader with our support. And with the strength of the gods shining down on him, he can’t go wrong. All we have to do is follow and believe in their will.”

  Mother stared at me, blinking through her tears.

  Father exchanged a glance with me, as if trying to determine whether I really believed what I’d just said. The gesture momentarily took me aback because the way he looked at me was so much like the silent communication usually exchanged between him and Mother. I had never been o
n the receiving end of it before, which was disorienting, to say the least. It was like I had somehow replaced Mother as the adult in the equation.

  I swallowed, unable to process how I felt but not wanting my doubts to be noticeable, especially not to Prince. I desperately wanted to believe in everything I’d just said to Mother, for those words were meant to comfort me just as much as her.

  So lost in the drama of my own thoughts, I was momentarily startled to hear Prince finally break his silence.

  “I don’t want to be Chief,” he said softly, staring down at the floor. He shifted his weight uncomfortably from side to side. “I-I just want to be a Hawk, that’s all. Just a Hawk”

  All of the courage I’d been attempting to display almost crumbled away. Ever since making it back to my family, I had been in awe over how much Prince had grown and matured. But now, in this moment, he looked and sounded more childlike than I had seen him in a long time, and it absolutely broke my heart.

  Feeling like I was close to a breakdown, I quickly and quietly excused myself, darting outside for fresh air, hoping the wind would dry my tears before they fell.

  ***

  So much for all the talk about sticking together as a family. As the hours went by, it felt virtually impossible for me to even be near any of my family members. I was too distraught and no longer had much faith in my ability to maintain a brave face in front of them.

  I lingered outside of the cabin, distancing myself and pretending to be busy tending to Dolly and Max any time Mother, Father, or Prince came into view. But I couldn’t even stay in Dolly’s or Max’s presence for long either. I could see in Max’s large eyes that he was looking for Jason and mourning his absence, which certainly didn’t help my resolve to keep from falling into pieces. So after making sure both horses were watered and fed and brushing their manes for a moment, I retreated again, seeking complete solitude even though it was difficult to come by. I knew I couldn’t venture off too far during these unstable times, though, particularly when the royals had basically put a target on my back.