of them had placed their trust in Sanyu I, even as the country grew more and more isolated, because they never wanted to experience war again.
“There are people who hope Njazans will fight one another,” Shanti said gravely, thinking about her own research. “The corporations and other countries who hope to set up puppet governments, or bribe officials. We’ve seen it happen elsewhere, and we know that despite how others talked about Njaza in the past, there is a respect for what they achieved. The kingdom’s downfall would be symbolically devastating.”
Which was why she needed her husband to do better, and fast.
“Right,” Nneka said. “It’s bad enough we have a Thesoloian in the palace. They look down on us when they did nothing to stop the Liechtienbourgers, then marry one of their own to our king? I’ve heard that they even helped the magistrates during the occupation because they saw our freedom as a threat.”
Shanti tried not to glare. She couldn’t jump into an impassioned defense of her country without raising questions.
“Who did you hear that from?” Marie asked, her tone lashing. “If you believe everything you hear about those who are our natural allies, you do the job of our enemies for them. At least make them work to divide us, eh?”
Salli nodded. “And if you’re eager to marry the king, you’ll have your chance soon. It’s almost been four months, surely they’re looking for a new queen by now.”
Shanti sipped her drink, the thick nectar sitting in her mouth until she was able to swallow against the truth of Salli’s words.
“Can you imagine?” Nneka crowed. “I mean, I wouldn’t mind getting spanked by that iron gauntlet if only for a few months.”
Nneka and Jendy laughed. Shanti huffed.
Jendy made a sound of annoyance.
“I’d hoped the queen would bring Ingoka’s fire to us, to smite Omakuumi and his cult of strength and Amageez and his logic that makes no sense,” she said as she stacked papers. “It’s such silliness! As if to be fierce and intelligent, one must be born male.”
“Or as if you should crush your true self to retain Omakuumi’s blessing or Amageez’s,” Salli said. “I sometimes still feel guilty, but my husband and wife remind me that I am their blessing, and that all of this stuff they say to make us feel bad about ourselves isn’t the true way of Njaza.”
Nneka squeezed Salli’s shoulder. “You’re our blessing, too.”
Salli batted playfully at Nneka’s hand. “Am I? I’m going to remind you of that next time you try to make me do the newsletter layout.”
The two friends batted back and forth affectionately, while beside them Jendy pouted.
“I was so excited about having a new queen, since I don’t remember the last one—I was so young. This one has done nothing, and she’ll be gone soon.” Jendy sighed. “Very anticlimactic!”
Shanti sat stiffly, wishing she could shout the truth—she was doing all she could. But Jendy was right; in the end, it still amounted to nothing. Maybe she should have used tough love with Sanyu instead of comforting him. Maybe she should be pushing harder. Nothing she did would please everyone, but she couldn’t let this be her legacy—a wedding photo in a binder with “scanned old papers” written beneath it.
“You overestimate the power of a queen in Njaza, precisely because you’re too young to remember,” Marie said quietly. “The queen has as little power as us, and an even shorter amount of time to wield it.”
Shanti shook her head—she still had a few weeks left and she wouldn’t believe that she couldn’t change things. Her friends had been brave enough to publicly defy their king and demand change; Shanti had to step up her game.
“The queen has as much power as us, and we each have as much power as a queen,” Shanti said, settling in next to Salli to help staple the pamphlets that were handed out in schools and markets.
Salli handed her a stack with a smile. “Is that another of your quotes?”
“It’s the truth.”
They worked in silence for a while and then Shanti glanced at Marie, who seemed to know everything about Njaza. “Do you know what happens to the queen? After she’s dismissed?”
In her head, the old images of the women who had preceded her—save the first—flashed in an unbroken line, with her own face appearing at the end.
“Oh, I’ve heard all kinds of things,” Jendy said excitedly before Marie could answer. “She is sacrificed to Omakuumi—wrapped in banana leaves and boiled up, then served