Chapter 12
Part 2
His soldiers looked on in disbelief. Their young visitor sat back down in defeat eating hungrily. “He is to be fed when we eat.” Kol ordered.
For five days Kessa was gone. At dawn on the sixth day, she walked out of the forest guiding her horse. The young raider waited until she was half way between the forest and the camp before he started walking toward her. When he reached her, they spoke. She gave him something. He didn’t run toward the woods, he walked. And Kessa kept walking toward the camp.
Kol was enraged. He wanted to say harsh words to her but he waited.
She got him and General Marcus alone in Kol’s tent before she spoke. “My original purpose of going into the forest was to ask King Brum’s permission. He was shocked to hear that King Teo was ill. So we went to see for ourselves. There is nothing wrong with the king. He is as healthy as you and I. After I introduced myself to the good king, I told him of the rumor spreading among our people. He assured me there was nothing ill with him or his household.”
“Was that not risky?” General Marcus asked.
“No more risky than taking twenty-five armed men into the Forest of Shadows on a fool’s errand.”
“I’m sure King Teo wasn’t pleased to see raiders.”
“What raiders?” She winked at Kol. “General, are you ready to return home?”
“I was ready before we got here,” he left.
Kol rested his hands on Kessa shoulders, “I was ready to be upset with you.”
“I know, my king.”
“What did you tell Teo?”
“I told him that I was an Ambassador from Mecca there to extend my condolences and well wishes. He thought I had lost my mind. Then I told him about the rumor that spurred my visit.”
“What now?”
“We wait. We wait for rumors to start flying in court about your new female ambassador that charmed the hateful King Teo.” She smiled.
Kol got a wild look on his face, “charmed how?”
She winked at him again, “I did nothing you wouldn’t have done.”
His breathing became shallow. He whispered, “Kes, what did you do?”
“You have nothing to fear my king. How did your conversation with Saka go?”
“How do you know we had a conversation?”
“I gave him special instructions to engage you. Not you specifically.” She corrected herself. “But whomever would answer him.”
Kol was confused. “Why?”
“We are all comfortable in our positions. Max and I have spent hours watching situations to see if you stand out as a target. I wanted a different prospective. Someone who had no idea who you are.”
“And?”
“He had two main ideas; that you had spent a lot of time among the raiders or that you are a tracker.”
Kol nodded. “Why me?” They spoke at the same time, “because I answered him.”
Of course Kessa said ‘you’ instead of ‘I.’
He continued, “tracker sounds nice.”
“I asked him why you stood out, not just because you spoke his language. His only other observation was the way you handled yourself. If he would have done that to a member of his own family, he would have gotten a thrashing. You didn’t get angry, raise your voice, or threaten him with violence. He had the fleeting thought that you might be a priest.”
“What did you give him?”
“Grain. Maybe,” Kessa raised a finger, “if he becomes a farmer; he can inspire a new generation of raiders that don’t necessarily raid.”
Kol smiled, “he held you in high esteem by calling you ‘muktar’.”
“Trust God, he’s got this.” James 4:15
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