Green Desert - Chapter 6.1.4 - Bhanar

“Bhanar, would you mind explaining this?” Séara gestured gracefully at the kneeling Umo.

I looked at her and shrugged. The truth. “My grandfather was the Emperor of Zhuphío. He abdicated to the Republic and changed our family name from Narakamíníkı to Narak. Some people did not like that. Some people want us to be the emperors again. Of Zhuphío, Sarıma, and Narakamíníkı.”

“Your Royal Majesty,” gushed Umo, “you are the Emperor of Narakamíníkı, Sarıma, and Zhuphío.”

“See?” I shrugged again, my face growing warm.

The other well-dressed man huffed to a stop nearby me and the kneeling man. “Umo. . . what the. . . hell are you. . . doing?”

A distant bass thumping forced its way into my consciousness. Far away behind me. A helicopter. I spun to look.

“This is Emperor Bhanar!”

“Who?”

Definitely the sound of a helicopter’s blades, but it came from the north, beyond the trees. The policewoman peered through the branches as well, now completely ignoring the royalist and his friend.

To Umo, I muttered, “You may stand.” At least the other guy wasn’t obsessed with the past.

“Thank you, Your Majesty.”

I walked across the shade-cooled sand to Séara. “What do you––”

“A helicopter.” She pinned me with her dark-brown eyes. “I think its ours.”