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“Missing? What do you mean he’s missing?” I glare into the large mirror in my office, as if it can answer all my questions. Well, the person whose image it holds can.
Far away in Maha, Uskup Daud pulls at the collar of his red jubah paderi. “Raja Yosua—”
“Wasn’t he supposed to be on the way to Suci?”
“Yes, but—”
“Surely you didn’t let him travel alone—”
“Raja Yosua!” Han’s face appears in the mirror, pushing Uskup Daud to the left. “This has nothing to do with you and nothing to do with Bayangan. Uskup Daud has graciously decided to inform you out of courtesy—”
I lean forward. “Tell me what is going on, Han.”
“Back up, Yos, I don’t like staring up your nose,” Han gripes.
I settle back into my seat, taking several calming breaths. In the corner of the room, the paderi assigned to facilitate Perantaraan calls between Bayangan and Terang wipes the sweat off his brow. Without Jeffett’s interference, it had taken less than a week to get cautious agreement from the Majlis DiRaja to set this up. Two weeks later, this harried priest arrived at the Bayangan Castle, bringing along his mirrors, barrels of holy water, and precious, precious incense. There has been a long line of people requesting its use since then, most of them merchants looking to make trade deals with their counterparts in Terang.
“Well?” I demand when neither of them speaks.
Uskup Daud and Han exchange glances.
“Temenggung Hakim didn’t want us to tell you, so pretend you don’t know anything,” Han says.
“Fine. I promise.” It’s not like I would ever talk to Temenggung Hakim anyway.
“After you left for Bayangan, Uskup Farouk and the Secretkeeper finally had a breakthrough on the Covenant of Salt. Sultan Mikal left on a pilgrimage to Suci—”
“I know that bit.”
He frowns at my impatience but continues. “Yes, well, this penance required that he travel alone. We checked on him frequently, of course. All the kampungs along the Pilgrim’s Path have a paderi that reports back to Suci, or a runner at smaller stops would report to the nearest kampung who has one. It’s not uncommon for pilgrims to take some time between stops, so we weren’t too worried, at first. But then he just didn’t show up at any of the subsequent stops or kampungs. We sent a ketua to check and...Yosua, there were signs of a fight. Dead bodies from another group of missing pilgrims, dead soldiers in—Sultan Mikal hasn’t been seen since then.”
I chew over that. “What happens if...you know, if he’s dead?” He can’t be. Mikal can’t die. Not now. “He doesn’t have any children. Or brothers.”
“Laksamana Rizal will assume the throne. He already has command of the Amok Strength.”
“Wait, Mikal is out there without...he’s defenceless?”
Han sighs, rubbing the stubble on his chin. “It was a requirement of the Covenant.”
There is a long silence. Uskup Daud and Han are still exchanging looks.
“I’ll bite. What is it? What aren’t you telling me?” I finally ask.
“There have been rumours—” Uskup Daud starts saying.
“That I don’t believe,” Han interjects.
“—that a group of Bayangan deserters are responsible for his disappearance.” Uskup Daud scowls at Han.
I groan, burying my face in my hands. “So of course, you need to tell me, don’t you? In case it’s true? In case Temenggung Hakim decides to come for my head? We just signed a peace treaty, one I nearly died for. Mikal gave me asylum! Why would I attack him now?”
“We know that,” Uskup Daud says. “None of us think you’re behind it. But we thought you should know...” he trails off, shrugging.
“Well, if you find any of these Bayangan deserters, round them up, give them a thrashing, and send them back here for judgement. Or you can judge them yourself, it would save me the trouble.”
“We’ll do that,” Han assures me.
“Find him, Han,” I plead. “For the sake of Terang.” Another thought strikes me. “What happens if Mikal fails? If the Covenant of Salt isn’t fulfilled?” I remember the words of Nek’s prophecy, the ominous words Uskup Daud himself delivered to us three years ago. The Firstborn of the Sultan must fulfil the covenant for Terang to be restored.
The silence on the other end takes on an ominous note.
My voice is shaky when I ask, “What happens, Uskup?”
“Well,” he says grimly, “then that’s the end of Terang as we know it.”