Gazi's sandal-clad feet landed on the wooden balcony. The wood did not make a sound; it was covered by the sound of men yelling and fighting below.
"This place is oddly quiet. What are those two up to?" He squinted his eyes as they scanned the area.
"Tanaka, Koku?" He yelled as he walked past the sack door. There was no response.
"Tanaka?!" He walked in further, going into Koku's room. "If this is some sort of prank, I'll have you know it is not funny," he continued as he created a small gap, opening the curtain to peer through the inside. Still no sign of the prince.
Gazi left the doorway and stood in the center of the room they'd slept in. He raised his hand to his chest, wrapping his fingers around the lion-head-engraved pendant while his thumb rubbed it in circles.
"Why aren't they here? I told Tanaka to stay put." His eyebrows pushed slightly towards each other as he stood there staring at the floor.
"Maybe… maybe they are just out stretching their legs. Yeah, that must be it… or maybe they were attacked when I was away…" The room was just the way he left it when he left in the morning.
"No, there would be signs of struggle." Gazi groaned and adjusted his black pants as he sat slowly onto the feather cushion.
"Dammit, Tanaka," he muttered as he tried to find a more comfortable position to sit. He did so once, and a sound like leaves crumbling came from the cushion. Gazi looked down to the source.
He readjusted himself and heard it again. He reached over to the spot between the cushion and the wall, patting around to find the source.
"Hmm?" He pulled out a paper. He unfolded it. A bead of sweat formed on his forehead.
"Tanaka's handwriting."
"Dear Gazi, I don't want you to worry, but you were right. I am basically the King of the Yera Shumba now, and I should try to act like it now more than ever, so we have gone to the…"
His eyes widened and his heart raced as he read the letter. His hand holding the letter fell as the other one rubbed the bridge between his squinted eyes. "Shit."
---
Tanaka and Koku: somewhere in the miner's district
"Koku, the royal home is the other way around!" Tanaka yelled as his palm pointed to the large building showing its roof and the farms that were directly below them.
Tanaka looked up above him. Koku's bandaged legs continued hopping and skipping onto the spaces between the rocky mountains.
"Relax, would ya?" He jumped, turning to Tanaka with a wide grin as he shrugged his shoulders and tilted his scruffy, puffed hair to the side. "There's another way in. Shhhhhhh." He placed a finger on his lips.
Tanaka looked at the farmland below, looking past Tinaye's home, the royal home, and parts of the black market areas. He sighed and looked at the stone at his feet. No turning back now, he thought. Koku turned back around as he increased his jump rate, skipping from rock to rock.
"Hey, wait up!" Tanaka screamed as he wiped his sweat away. He tried to run up the mountain, with gravity doing little to help. How is he climbing this thing so easily? he thought.
Tanaka coughed and panted as he finally reached the top, where Koku stood staring at an entrance.
"Okay, there should be a tunnel right about here," Koku said as he pointed to a trio of cave entrances before them. "Inny minny manny…"
Tanaka's head snapped up instantly with wide eyes and a scrunched-up nose.
"I'm kidding, hehe. It's this one." Koku skipped towards the right entrance. "So serious. Can't even make a joke."
Tanaka closed his eyes. His chest inflated as he took a deep breath and released it. Just get in, get the scroll, and get out, he thought. And then you can kill him.
"Hey, are you coming or what?" a voice sang as Koku's words bounced off the walls of the cave. Tanaka walked past the arched entrance supported by wooden beams. Koku was still standing inside, looking around at the blue stones lighting the cave up.
"Illumistone?" Tanaka said as he stood next to Koku, the blue color bouncing off his grey shirt.
"You know what these thingies are?" He walked toward a stone, placing his nose on one of them.
A smile formed on Tanaka's face. "Yeah. We used to use them for light back…" His eyes dulled as he looked away.
"Hmm?" Koku pursed his lips. "Back where?" he asked.
Tanaka did not respond. He walked on the stony ground towards one of them. Lines of chipped marks formed on the tips of his fingers, glowing as he wrapped his fingers around one of the stones and pulled it out.
"Wow," Koku gasped, looking at Tanaka's glowing fingers and how easily he had pulled the illumistone out of the rock.
"We should get going. We can use this for light if there isn't any ahead," Tanaka said, walking deeper into the cave with Koku following behind him, thumb and index finger pinching his chin as he stared intently at Tanaka.
Tanaka reached a fork inside the cave. He looked between the two; both were too dark to see anything. He extended his arm to let the stone light the two cavities. He ducked as a bat flew above them, fleeing from the light.
"Mama!" Koku squealed as he flinched away from the bat.
Tanaka rolled his eyes. "Hey, guide, you should probably lead the way from here on, right?" He tossed the stone into Koku's hands.
"Me?" He looked behind him, left and right. "Why not you? You are the wizardy one with magic here," he pointed accusatorily at Tanaka.
"I'm not a wizard, and I don't have magic," he sighed as he gestured for Koku to lead the way.
Koku crossed his arms and raised his head. "Then how did you pull that stone out of the wall, huh? Huh?"
"Koku, could you just…" Tanaka's fingers curled up like claws and he let out a heavy breath. "You know this place. I'm just muscle. That was the deal, right?"
Koku widened his eyes dramatically as he walked past Tanaka, not letting the prince out of his sight.
"Fine. But if I die—"
"You won't die, Koku."
"That would sound way better coming from Goza." He placed a finger in thought. "Gwizi?"
Tanaka rolled his eyes and pushed back his brown-tipped short dreadlocks. "It's Gazi."
"Yeah, him. You… you are literally my age," he pointed out as he walked through the right entrance.
"I'm sure we will be fine… just lead the way and stop wasting time." Tanaka shoved Koku deeper inside.
"That's not very reassuring."
Tanaka walked towards a wall and flicked it. From the tiny point of impact, the stone started cracking. The cracks then spread in an instant as he looked deadpan at Koku. Koku lifted a finger to protest but came up with no reason.
"Okay. Point taken… let's go."
Koku lit up the way and walked in deeper with Tanaka directly behind him.
I wasn't sure that would work, to be honest. No matter what, I will get that script… then I'm coming for you, King Naga. Tanaka thought.