Kingdom Of Waves – Mellisa De La Cruz

Then I tie the sash to the hook on the wall and return to the bed. I reach my hand behind the pillow, against the wall, until I find the tightly wound scrap of fabric I’d placed there earlier. Before removing it, I listen once more. No footsteps or voices. I pull the relic out from behind the bed and unwrap it, but stay right where I am in case I need to hide it away with little notice.

No one can know I have this precious magic. Not yet. “Tadhana?” I whisper. Hopefully the spirit is able to shed some light on this place and tell me where Rollo is and why he’s sent me here. I’m here. “What do you think of the Lashing? Is it too good to be true?” I ask. “Who are you talking to?” I nearly jump out of my skin. I shove the relic into my pocket and turn to see Darius standing in the doorway, carrying a wooden tray of food.

How had he approached so silently? He doesn’t wait for an answer to his own question. “Since you probably haven’t eaten, I brought you something.” He places the tray on a round table in the corner. There are goblets of water for both of us, along with bread, and soup, and a mug of steaming tea. “That looks wonderful. Thank you.” I’m so used to staving off hunger, I didn’t realize how famished I was until faced with the sight of a fresh hot meal.

Are you going to tell me what you woke me up for? “Shhh!” I say as Darius sets the tray down on the table. “Did you say something?” he asks, turning back to me. “I think it was from next door,” I answer quickly. I clang the spoon around noisily and shove the relic deeper into my pocket with the other hand. “Are you joining me?” I gesture to the open seat across from me.

I make note of the fact that even though I’m technically a guest in his space, he waits until he’s invited to sit down. Once he does, I clear my throat and take a sip of the tea. It’s strong, but not bitter, and sweet, but not overly so. “I hope you don’t mind if I ask you a few questions,” he says, after I’ve had a chance to eat a few morsels of bread.

“Of course not, I’m at your service,” I say with a bright smile. My time with Rollo at the palace taught me manners, I suppose. “Your—companion? Eban? He isn’t as forthcoming,” he says. I titter a bit.

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OceanofPDF.com FOR MIKE AND MATTIE, ALWAYS. AND FOR THE DIASPORA, THE DISPLACED, THOSE WHO ARE ALWAYS SEARCHING FOR HOME: I HOPE YOU, TOO, FIND A PLACE TO BELONG ONE DAY. OceanofPDF.com Not only are Indigenous people forced to shoulder the burden of colonialism; we are expected to celebrate it. —TANYA TAGAQ For a colonized people, the most essential value, because it is the most meaningful, is first and foremost the land: the land, which must provide bread and, naturally, dignity.

—FRANZ FANON History is written by the victors. —ATTRIBUTED TO WINSTON CHURCHILL OceanofPDF.com PART ONE THE SLEEVE OceanofPDF.com CHAPTER ONE GIN They’re coming. I make myself as small as possible and back deeper into shadow, beneath a flowering tree, while I catch my breath. I hear the muted flap of a bird’s wings overhead and the slight rustle of leaves as it lands. I can almost make out the music playing inside the palace, a romantic melody. There’s a tinkle of glass, faint voices.

Hazy nighttime clouds blot out the moon’s faint light, enveloping the courtyard in darkness. A gust of wind blows through. I look up to the menacing sky as leaves flutter to the ground around me. It’s going to storm soon. An owl hoots in the distance. I tug on one of the vines wrapping the mossy surface of the towering stone wall beside me.

It snaps easily—too weak to support my weight, especially thirty or forty feet or more. The top of the wall is barely visible against the inky black sky. Where can I run? How do I get out of here? They’re going to find me any moment now. I silently curse that I’ve allowed myself to get so complacent and soft.

Months ago, back when I was working with Aris, a predicament like this would’ve been nothing. I would’ve found a way to scale that wall with hardly a second thought. The clanking grows louder. I crouch lower. Barely dare to breathe. Three figures emerge from the passageway beneath the palace.

This is a short excerpt from the opening of “” by Unknown, quoted for review and introduction purposes. All rights belong to the copyright holders.

Book Information

• Unique ID: 9c9939e40ac52499
• File Extension: .pdf
• File Size: 4,659,307 bytes (4.443 MB)
• Title: –
• Author: Unknown
• Pages: 256
• Language: English (en)

Reading & Word Statistics

• Estimated Reading Time: 348.82 minutes
• Total Words: 69,764
• Total Characters: 378,025
• Average Words per Page: 272.52
• Average Characters per Page: 1476.66

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