Chelstone was a world away from the manicured lawns of State Lodge. Here, the air was filled with the scent of charcoal braziers, the bass-heavy pulse of *zamrock* from a nearby tavern, and the constant, rhythmic sound of life. There were no silent generators or electric fences; only the neighborhood watch and the communal spirit of survival.
Zazu sat on a plastic chair in the middle of Aunt Beatrice's small living room, feeling like a giant in a dollhouse. His designer suit was wrinkled, and he was staring at a bowl of *ifisashi* as if it were a complex mathematical equation.
"It's peanuts and pumpkin leaves, Zazu," Leya said, suppressed amusement dancing in her eyes. She was leaning against the doorframe, watching the Prince of Zambia try to navigate a space where the walls didn't echo. "It won't bite you."
"I know what it is," Zazu muttered, finally taking a bite. His eyes widened. "It's... actually better than the catering at the palace."
"Hunger is a great seasoning," Aunt Beatrice called out from the kitchen, where she was boiling water for tea. "And in this house, we don't eat until we've earned it. Leya tells me you're a 'traitor' now. That's a heavy title to carry without a bank account."
Zazu's expression darkened. "My father froze my cards before I hit the end of the driveway. I'm currently worth exactly seventeen Kwacha and a silver cufflink."
"Then tomorrow, you start work," Beatrice said, walking in with three mismatched mugs. "The clinic needs a delivery runner, and the Heritage Society is going to need a lot of photocopies if you're planning to keep the Board on their toes."
Leya sat on the floor beside Zazu's chair. The proximity felt different here. In the palace, it felt like a scandal; here, it felt like an anchor.
"The school is in chaos, Zazu," Leya said softly. "Arthur Monde's resignation has leaked. Musi is telling everyone that I used 'dark magic' or blackmail to steal the land. The students are split. Half of them think I'm a revolutionary, and the other half are afraid to stand near me."
"Let them be afraid," Zazu said, his hand finding hers in the space between the chair and the wall. "Fear is just respect that hasn't found its courage yet."
He looked at her, and the intensity in his gaze made the small room feel like a cathedral. "I lost everything today, Leya. The car, the title, the security. But when I was walking here... for the first time in my life, I didn't feel like I was a character in my mother's play. I felt like I was actually breathing."
Leya squeezed his hand. "It's not going to be easy. My aunt's title deed is a shield, but Musi's father still has the Board's ear. They'll try to starve us out. They'll cut the maintenance to the South Quad, or they'll 'lose' the Society's registration papers."
"They can try," Zazu said, a dangerous glint returning to his eyes. "But they forget one thing. I grew up watching them build those traps. I know exactly where the pressure points are."
A sudden, sharp knock at the door made them both jump. Zazu instinctively moved to stand in front of Leya, his protective instincts overriding his lack of a blazer.
Aunt Beatrice opened the door. It wasn't the police, and it wasn't a bailiff.
It was **Musi**.
He wasn't wearing his school uniform. He was in a black leather jacket, his eyes bloodshot and his hair a mess. He looked at Zazu, then at Leya, his usual smirk nowhere to be found.
"My father is going to burn the school down," Musi said, his voice raw. "He doesn't care about the land anymore. He knows the Consortium is coming for the encryption backup, and he told them... he told them it's in the cello."
Leya stood up, her hand flying to the neck of her instrument case. "How would he know that?"
"He didn't," Musi said, stepping into the room. "But he needed someone to blame for the keys being deleted. He told them the 'Kapiri girl' has a physical failsafe hidden in her instrument. They're coming for it tonight, Leya. And they don't do 'boardroom negotiations'."
Outside, a low, heavy engine rumbled at the end of the street. The black car with the tinted windows had arrived in Chelstone.
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