admired him so.”
Sanyu glanced at her; something about her voice caught his attention. Maybe it was the note of actual concern. Apart from Lumu, Shanti, and Johan, no one had really acknowledged the hole in Sanyu’s life. The grief. Even he had mostly been focused only on the shame of not being as good a king.
“It was hard,” he said. “But now I must make sure that I’m the kind of king he would be proud of.”
The woman looked confused. “Why do you say that like it’s possible he wouldn’t be proud of you? He adored you as much as he did his kingdom.”
“What?” Sanyu said, his voice almost angry.
“Your father adored you,” she repeated softly. “Of course, he is proud of you.”
Sanyu’s eyes went hot but he blinked back the tears and turned away from the certainty in the woman’s eyes. She didn’t know what he was really like, or how often he’d been assured in so many words that he wasn’t anything to be proud of.
Not by his father, though. By Musoke.
“Excuse me! Can you tell me what this is?” Shanti called out, and the woman left his side to where Shanti stood at an altar looking at what seemed to be a pyramid carved of some sparkly mineral.
“Okwagalena. Like Okwagalena of Peace?” he heard her ask before the woman on the other side of him pulled his attention.
“You seem happy with your queen,” another attendant said quietly. “And she seems strong. Is it possible we’ll be having a renewal ceremony this time?”
Another attendant filled in the space abandoned by the woman speaking to Shanti. “That would make so many people happy. If we finally had a True Queen.”
Sanyu glanced over at his wife. He wanted her to stay, but how could he ask her to when Njaza made her unhappy, and he had as well? And even if he did, how was he supposed to when it had been decided that she wasn’t the True Queen? His father and Musoke had prepared him only for the possibility of sending wives away, not what to do if he wanted to keep one. If he managed to figure that out, would he just be fitting her with a matching too-small turtleneck?
“We’ll see,” he said.
When they returned to the car, she seemed to be deep in thought.
“Is Njinisbade far from here?” she asked, mangling the name of the town that was as far as one could be from the Central Palace while staying in Njaza.
“Yes,” he said. “It’s in the deep highlands, an old independentist stronghold during the Liechtienbourg occupation because they couldn’t figure out how to get there.”
“Interesting,” she said. “And Okwagalena?”
Sanyu searched his memory. “I’ve never heard of that place. It’s not in Njaza, unless people have been incorporating towns behind my back.”
She changed the subject after that, and they neared the palace much too soon.
“Maybe we’ll go into the capital next,” Sanyu said. “I can show you around.”
“I, um, that would be great,” she said without turning to meet his gaze.
When they parted ways and he returned to his office, he was met by a grim-faced Lumu, and behind him, Musoke, who sat at the desk that had belonged to Sanyu’s father.
“Sit down, boy. We need to talk.”
Chapter 17
Portia: Do you have social media?
Portia: It would be cool to post a video of you going through all the secret hiding spaces in the desk. Mostly because I want to see it.
Shanti: I don’t have social media.
The reason she hadn’t yet was because the thought of making an @QueenOfNjaza account only to have to delete it was too embarrassing. But things had been going well between her and Sanyu and he didn’t seem like he wanted to dismiss her. Then again, he hadn’t mentioned the renewal ceremony either and he had to know that time was short.
No. It would be fine. She was already making change, and Sanyu was doing the same. Whether she stayed or left, Njaza would be in a better place, but she’d come too far in just three weeks to consider failure possible now.
Nya: Make one! If you’re comfortable of course. If not, don’t!
Ledi: At the very least post it in here so Portia’s desk thirst can be assuaged.
Shanti sent a tongue sticking out emoji, but then looked at the desk. Social media wasn’t her thing, but she did think it could make for a fun video. She was fairly certain she’d found all the hiding places in it, and she had nothing to