Intermix Nation

Never Nazirah’s.

Nazirah stuffs the dresses back into thearmoire and slams the doors shut, ashamed at getting so carriedaway. She pulls off her clothes, kicks them onto the floor, andscrambles under the covers – ash and all.

Nazirah dreams of monkeys along the coast,beating their chests, screeching as they burn. Sticking her hand inthe flaming sand, Nazirah reaches for beach shells, finds onlybullet shells.

#

The next morning, Nazirah wears a light,mint green dress. It’s delicate, feminine, and accentuates herslender waist. The dress is one of Solomon’s gifts, because Nazirahdoesn’t want to be rude. But it’s the simplest one. It’s also themost beautiful thing she’s ever worn.

She takes her time, walking slowly backtowards the entryway. Everything about the riad is morebreathtaking in daylight. The colors, muted at night, are suddenlyhyper-intense. The smells are richer, the sounds lovelier. Olagmeets her near the entrance and they walk together to the diningroom. Adamek and Aldrik are unsurprisingly already present, sittingat a long gilt table and talking strategy with Solomon.

“Yes, I have already spoken with them,”Solomon says as Nazirah walks into the room. “The enforcersthroughout the prisons are with us. Besides their own personalincentives, they are extremely loyal to me. It is not an issue.”Solomon sees Nazirah and lights up. “Oh, Miss Nation! You areabsolutely radiant!” He sighs. “You would make such a lovely Redbride.”

“Good morning, Solomon.” Nazirah greets himawkwardly, sitting across from Adamek. She isn’t usually one toturn down a compliment, but Solomon is downright embarrassingsometimes. She looks up to find Adamek’s eyes lingering on her. Sheblushes, wondering if it’s still for show.

“You were saying, Salaahi?” Aldrik asks,a

Solomon shovels jasmine rice onto hisalready heaping plate. “Yes, right,” he continues. “Like I said,Red law enforcers are with us, no questions asked. I have left themin charge of the prison during your stay, so I can focus solely onthis. Jasmine is right from the garden,” he says proudly, tuckinginto his meal.

Aldrik bangs on the table with his fork,trying to hold Solomon’s attention. “And what of the RedLords?”

Solomon’s face turns serious. “Therein liesthe rub,” he says somberly. “Our numbers as enforcers are limited.We need the Lords’ support because they control the vastmercenaries. We have an informal gathering with them here in a fewhours. I must confess, though, that I am extremely worried aboutthe outcome.”

Nazirah doesn’t see an insurmountableproblem. “So?” she asks. “Why can’t we win them over like we did inEridies? Bribe them, or show them the Iluxor like we pla

“It’s not quite that simple, Nation,” Aldriksnaps. “This isn’t Eridies, where everyone holds hands and skips inthe sand.”

Nazirah looks at the three of them. She getsthe distinct feeling the joke is on her and no one is letting herin on it. “I don’t understand.” She hesitates. “What am Imissing?”

Solomon’s eyes dart around nervously. “It isunfortunately a complicated situation,” he says. “Unlike inEridies, we are traditional here. The Red Lords do not make theirown decisions or accept their own bribes. They only prescribe tothe ruling of their overlord, their Khan, Lord Khanto. And he isnot exactly pleased with the rebels.”

“Why not?”

She looks at Adamek, who meets her gazesteadily. Nazirah notices for the first time that his plate isempty, utensils untouched. “Lord Bantu was Khanto’s father,” hesays expressionlessly. “Up until a few months ago, Bantu was theoverlord and one of my father’s harshest critics.”

“Was?” she asks slowly. No one responds.Nazirah stares hard into her plate, realizing. She isn’t hungryanymore. “Oh.”

“So we are in quite a bind, you see,”Solomon says, trying to defuse the tension. “But never fear! Wewill meet with Lord Khanto soon enough, and convince him to seereason for the sake of his people.”

They finish eating insilence. Nazirah doesn’t look up from her plate again. She can’tblame this overlord if he doesn’t agree to join them. Will Adamek’swake of destruction never end? There is so much pain, so muchdevastation tied up in his life. Nazirah wonders how he deals withit all … how he deals with it atall.

She thinks of Victoria, red water in thebathtub; of Aneira, lit red with Bilungi’s candles; of the deadintermix, scorched red in the flames; of Riva and Kasimir, wastedred on the floor.

Nazirah doesn’t cry.

Chapter Nineteen

Nazirah sits in an empty corridor, waiting.She watches from the open archway as black cars line up in thedriveway. The Lords that exit are completely unlike their Eridiancounterparts. They’re heavily armed, surrounded by bodyguards, andmenacing. Nazirah rises to go find Solomon and the others,reminding herself that she is not in Eridies anymore.

She walks back to the main entryway, fromwhich Olag leads her into the library. It’s small but lavish, linedwith bookcases, with an ornate wooden table in the center. Nazirahtakes a seat next to Aldrik, near the head, as the Lords fileinside. Nazirah counts a dozen in total, far more than in Eridies,a much smaller territory. Each Lord sits at the table; at least twobodyguards armed with assault rifles stationed behind him. Nazirahwrings her hands in her lap, wishing Solomon hadn’t convincedAldrik her presence here would be a good idea. Adamek is unusuallylate.

Solomon sits down at the head of the table,bolstered by several plush cushions, as a man enters the room.Nazirah knows instantly that this is the Khan. He has skin dark asnight, sinewy muscles riddled with thick, cobwebbed veins. Hisebony mane glistens, oiled and coarse. It’s knotted into a longbraid that falls down his back. Khanto wears a vest of bullets anda necklace strung with human teeth, his own “scratches.”

The Khan sits down across from Nazirah. Helooks around for Adamek and then focuses on her. “Nazirah Nation,”he says, voice rolling like thunder. “I am shocked to see you here,considering the company you keep. Yet I admire your effort touphold the honor of your bloodline, misguided as you are. It’sunfortunate the tapestries of our lives share this common weave,but it is a pleasure to meet you nonetheless.”

“Er, you as well sir,” she responds stiffly,unsure if Khanto is complimenting or insulting her.

Adamek enters the library, silver briefcasein hand. He takes the only unoccupied seat at the table, to theright of Nazirah. Any warmth immediately vanishes from Khanto’seyes. Adamek doesn’t flinch when the Khan’s bodyguards aim theirguns at him, even though he’s clearly unarmed. The Khan, not takinghis eyes off Adamek, slowly motions for the guards to settle down.They lower their weapons, but the tension remains.

Solomon claps his hands together. “Right,”he says. “Now that we are all here and settled, let us begin.”

Aldrik talks for several uninterruptedminutes. He outlines the goals of the rebellion, what theinsurgents hope to achieve, and what they’re offering in return forallegiance. Solomon translates every word, since the majority ofRed Lords do not speak the common tongue. Adamek then gives a briefdemonstration of the Iluxor, showing the Red Lords a pre-selectedmemory from Solomon’s childhood. The Red Lords are completelymesmerized by the device, and rapidly ask Solomon questions inDeathlandic, fighting to be heard through the escalating din.