The sky is bluer than ever. I sit up in bed, staring out of the window and wishing I could lie back and enjoy the sunshine. But I can’t. I have a big escape plan to put in motion.

I get out of bed and look at myself in the mirror. My head feels strangely light without the dreads. Socca did a good job last night. I rub what’s left of my hair with my palm and grin at my reflection. I don’t know if I look any older, but I definitely look different. I put a beanie on to hide my new look while I go to take a bath; possibly my last bath for a while. Then I get dressed as though it’s just another day, in my usual clothes and sneakers. My disguise – some baggy cool cat clothes Socca swiped from his brother – is waiting in the baobab tree with the rest of the supplies.

I go into the kitchen to make myself breakfast but the cook’s already in. She whips up some porridge with sour milk, and even my guard can’t resist eating a bowl of it. I’m going to miss porridge with sour milk while I’m on the run. Ag, well. In life you have to make sacrifices, right?

I’ve just left the kitchen when Rre Pule enters the palace with four strangers behind him. They’re dressed in the usual black bodyguard uniform, but I don’t recognise their faces.

“Morning, Taunyana!” He beams. “A hat in this heat? Ah, I’ll never understand you young people and your fashion.” He nods at my guard, who’s standing right behind me. “Molefe, you’re relieved. Report to the barracks for reassignment tomorrow.”

“Yes, sir.” The guard salutes Rre Pule, then me, and marches out of the room.

Uh-oh. A funny feeling settles in my stomach. “Rre Pule, what’s going on? Why is he being reassigned? He’s only been on guard duty for a few weeks.”

“Ah, you must understand that this is an important time for the royal family,” says Rre Pule cheerfully. “Your safety is paramount, so we have increased your security detail for the next two weeks. After the coronation you will get your own special guards, handpicked by the Council. For now, these will be your guards.”

The four men step forward and salute me. I salute back. Mama always tells me I should nod in a dignified manner, but I have no clue what a dignified nod looks like. Besides, it seems kind of stuck up to just nod after someone has taken the trouble to salute. They tell me their names, but I don’t bother trying to memorise them. I stopped doing that a long time ago.
Four guards! I’m used to having two. This is not good. I look at Rre Pule for a sign that he’s onto me, but there’s nothing. I don’t think he knows about the plan. Maybe he’s really increasing my security because of the Raincall, like he said. Now me, Socca and Sam will have to dodge twice as many guards as we planned, but I think we can handle it. We just have to be smart and fast.

The guards follow me across the compound from the kitchen to my rondavel, then spread out to take their posts. One goes to the yard to watch the windows of my bedroom, one stands outside the door to my rondavel and the other two follow me inside. One remains in the open area just beyond the door and the last one stands to attention opposite my bedroom.
I open my bedroom door with a sigh. After making sure I’ve got all my money in my wallet, I settle down to play some videogames and wait for the other two Monkeys.

Socca arrives an hour later, and Sam comes in a few minutes after him. She leans over to close the blinds on my windows, then whips off her hat. When she said she was going to cut her hair, I guess I was thinking along the lines of some style that still covered her forehead. But she’s gone all the way, super-short, with a little bit that twists upwards at the front. It looks darker now, almost brown.

We stare at her.

“It can’t be that bad,” she protests. “I paid a hundred bucks for it!”

“It’s not bad,” I reply slowly, unable to take my eyes off her head. “It’s just…drastic.”

“Like yours isn’t.” She yanks my beanie off and laughs. “Whoa!”

“Ja, but that’s different.” I grab my hat and put it back on. “This is my life, so cutting my hair is no big deal. But you didn’t have to do it. You could have had a different disguise. It’s so extreme.”

She snorts. “You mean because I’m a girl.”

Me and Socca look at each other. Ja, because she’s a girl. Girls are weird about their hair. They’re weird about a lot of things, but hair is way up there on the list. Then again, Sam the Girl isn’t like other girls.

“It’s just hair. And this is probably the most exciting thing I’m going to do all year. By the way, there are a lot more guards around today. What’s up with that?”

“They’ve changed again. Rre Pule says it’s because of the Raincall; tighter security. I’ve got four now instead of two.”

Socca whistles. “I thought they were just the usual palace guards.”

“Are they going to be a problem for us?” asks Sam.

“I doubt it. Guards are all the same. But they’re hired for the Raincall and coronation, so they’re going to be keeping a close eye on me.”

Sam nods. “We’ll just have to make adjustments for outsmarting an extra two people. I think we can do it. So, kids! Are we ready to hit the road, or what?”

“Let’s go over the plan one more time,” says Socca.

We do that, reading from the notebook and speaking in soft whispers. The plan goes like this: We leave the palace, walking towards town and letting ourselves be seen for a while. Then we head to the Met, where Sam the Man has his office, and Sam the Girl takes us through the back, down to the underground level and out again into the bus rank, which is always packed. Then we go into stealth mode, sticking to roads people usually avoid.

We’ll split up to confuse the guards, then meet up outside the library and make our way to the botanical gardens, which are just before the boundary fence. The guards will be pissed off at this point, still on our tail but lagging behind. We’ll lose ourselves in the gardens and make a run for the hole in the fence, then from there it’s full speed ahead through the bush, to the baobab and straight to the river. We’ll have a head start of several minutes, but we won’t stop running until we reach the end of the path.

But before that we have to take care of one more thing. The big distraction. I can’t do it and Socca’s a lousy liar, so we’ve assigned the dangerous task to Sam.

“Do you have it?” I ask.

“Not here. Your guards still search me every time I come in here, like I’m a drug smuggler or something.” She puts her hat back on. “I left them in a safe place.”

I raise my eyebrows. “Them? There’s more than one?”

She grins. “I got three.”

“Yoh,” me and Socca say at the same time.

Trust Sam to go overboard. She winks before leaving the room. The guards won’t pay any attention to her if she’s not with me, so she’ll be free to work on the distraction. I get up, take everything I need, check that my phone is off and safely under my pillow and then pick up the Rain Stick.

“No way,” says Socca.

“What?”

“You’d better tell me you’re lifting that thing ‘cause you want to fetch something behind it.”

“Nope.”

“Then you’re taking it back to the throne room.”

“Nah.”

“You’re saying goodbye to it.”

“Not even.”

His eyes widen. “Are you crazy?”

“I can’t leave it! What if my dad gets hold of it? Besides, we might need it when we find the Rainmaker. You know, to restore the power to its rightful owner.”

“That wasn’t part of the plan.”

“Tough. I’m not leaving it.”

He sighs. “Fine, but you’re going to have to carry it all the way by yourself.”

We wait for the signal that the distraction has started. It doesn’t take long. Someone screams and a moment later the compound explodes with panicked yells. Socca chuckles. I rush to open my door.
“What’s going on?” I ask the guard, acting all innocent.

“I don’t know.” He looks towards the door with one hand moving towards his gun. “Please stay inside!”

Ja, right. I rush past him with Socca behind me.

“Taunyana! Your Highness! Stop!”

We run faster towards the noise, which seems to be coming from the open area between the kitchen and the servants’ quarters. The staff are yelling at the tops of their voices.

Someone screams, “Ayii! Yoh-wee, snake, snake! Yiiii!”

It takes all my willpower to keep a straight face. I avoid looking at Socca. One glance and I know we’ll both die laughing.

“I’ll get a stick!” I announce, and start running towards the front gate. With all the noise and madness going on, no one notices that I’ve already got a stick in my hand. The Rain Stick.

“I’ll get some stones!” cries Socca, following me.

It’s chaos. Women and children are running back and forth, shouting, men are running towards the scene, carrying sticks and wooden planks and even belts. I don’t know how much use a belt is going to be, but I guess when things get crazy you act first and think later. It’s not clear which part of the compound the snakes are in. It doesn’t matter, though. The guards are caught up in the drama, and me and Socca waste no time in getting out of there.

Sam’s waiting for us in the narrow alley behind the kgotla, her face red from running – or maybe from excitement.

“No one followed you from the palace?” she asks.

I shake my head.

“You should have seen the guard’s face when we ran past him,” says Socca. “Ah, I almost wish we could go back and watch!”

“I can’t believe that worked,” Sam gasps. “They were just grass snakes! They were tiny!”

“What did I tell you about black people and snakes?” says Socca.

The three of us laugh and hurry out of there, sprinting like we’re chasing a medal all the way to the Met. At this point we’re not trying to hide, not yet. We can’t hide. A big boy, a skinny boy and a white girl; everyone in the city will recognise that trio. We’re trying to be seen in different places, so when the guards come after us people will give them conflicting information. Sam takes us right past the closed door of her father’s office, down the stairs to the underground parking lot and out through a side exit.

Then it’s on to the bus rank. We keep running, moving towards the inter-town buses, then split up. I duck down a side street and head to the library. I have to slow down now to conserve my energy. There’s no sign of the guards and the street is almost empty. I emerge on the other side and walk quickly along a dirt path to the back of the library. Socca’s already there, and Sam arrives just minutes after me. Still no guards, no alarmed citizens and no panic. We did it, and I’ve got to say I’m feeling pretty proud.

“So far so good. Nice work, Sam.” I give her an approving nod.

She grins and checks her watch. “We’re making good time. Come on – botanical gardens.”

We take a quiet, not-so-safe route through an alley near the library, so fewer people will see us. I pull my beanie off, Socca whips out his dread wig and Sam takes off her hat. We pause behind a rubbish skip so Socca can put on his fake tattoo. It won’t stick to his arm so he puts it on his face. When he peels back the paper a little bit of the ink stays behind, leaving an uneven outline on his cheek. We keep moving. Socca looks a lot like a clown with the wig and a patchy tattoo on his face. No need to tell him that, though.

My heart is pumping, but in a good way for a change. I’m nervous, but not scared. Not yet. I’m actually kind of excited. Everything is going according to plan so far and I’m starting to think we might just be able to pull this off.

But the second we reach the botanical gardens it all starts to go wrong. Someone sees us. Not just any someone; a soldier. I don’t know what he’s doing walking around the botanical gardens, anyway. I’ll bet he didn’t come to check out the indigenous flowers. We hurry past him, hoping he won’t notice anything suspicious. We’re just three kids minding our own business. We could be any three kids. But when I take a look over my shoulder, just before turning into the exotic plants section, I see him frowning at us and pressing buttons on his phone.

“Go, go, go, go!” I yell.

We go, legs pumping as we jump over decorative rocks and squeeze into narrow paved paths, trying not to kill anything on the way. By the time we reach the boundary fence that separates the rare and endangered plants from the wilderness beyond, it looks like we might have lost the soldier.

We move to the back of the garden, where the path is so narrow we can only go single file. I lead the way to the back row. We have to slow down and take careful steps now to make sure we don’t disturb the plants or the wire nets surrounding them.

Then Sam sucks in her breath. In the quiet garden it sounds way too loud. I turn back to see what’s going on. She’s standing with one foot on the path and one at the edge of a flowerbed, with a plant crushed under her foot. We all freeze, stare at the damage, and decide it’s not the end of the world. I shrug. As Sam lifts her foot off the crushed flower, her shoe touches the wire net. It’s like one of those moments in a movie when everything happens in slow motion. I see the danger just seconds before it happens, but there’s no time to do anything. Sam’s foot moves, the wire bounces, and suddenly the whole world is ringing.

“What the hell is that?” screams Socca.

It’s the alarm. Sam’s foot triggered the alarm system that protects the rare plants, and any second now we’re going to have an army of security guards on our tails.
“Run!” I yell over the noise.

I take the lead and the three of us run like demons are chasing us, crushing a lot of plants in the process. For a second I let myself think of all the damage we’re doing – we’ve destroyed a fortune’s worth of plants – but then I decide our lives are more important. We run along the edge, keeping close to the fence. I’m looking for the place where the fence was torn long ago, a hole no one has bothered to fix because no one knows it’s there and no one – animal or human – comes through it. No one, that is, but me. It’s not far from the rare plants, but today it feels like it’s in another kingdom. I run and run and run, searching, but I can’t find it.

I hear the shouts of guards, and then the sound of screeching tires and a roaring engine. It sounds like the entire military has come. How did they get here so fast?

“Kitso!” Sam screams from behind me. “Where is it?”

“I don’t know! It’s supposed to be – I see it!” I press the Stick to my chest and jump, throwing my shoulders back. I hit the ground and slide bottom-first into the gap, slipping over branches, stones and leaves, then get up to make sure my friends make it through.

Sam dives in head first, sliding down so fast she almost knocks me over. Then comes Socca, fighting with the fence and earning a long gash on his arm for the trouble.

“This way!” I wait just long enough to make sure the Rain Stick is OK, then I’m on my feet, running through the trees, leaping over tangled roots, twigs and rocks, my sneakers almost slipping several times in my rush.

Where’s the baobab? Where’s the baobab? Where’s the friggin’ – There! I see Socca’s ST scratched into the bark of the tree up ahead on my left. Good thing Sam made us mark it. The girl’s a psycho, but man, she comes in handy. I lunge my free arm into the hole, pulling out one bag after the other. I toss one to Sam and one to Socca, then keep running, carrying my bag in one hand. I don’t stop until we reach the river.

“Why are we stopping?” Sam hisses.

I slip my arms into the straps of the bag and hold a finger up to my lips. I hear something. Not just guards in the distance. Something worse.

“Dogs,” I whisper. “They’ve brought dogs.”

“Geez!” Sam looks over her shoulder. “Aren’t they overreacting a little? We’re just three runaways.”

“It’s the security guards from the gardens,” says Socca. “They always patrol with dogs, and when they heard the alarm they must have thought it was criminals.”

“Breaking in to steal flowers?” asks Sam. “Really?”

“Those plants are worth a lot of money,” says Socca.

“Anyway, they’ve got dogs and they’re not far behind.”

“They don’t know about the hole in the fence, though,” says Sam.

“They don’t have to. There’s a gate not far from here. When they see the damaged plants they’ll know there must be a hole in the fence because the gate is always locked.” I look up the path, then back in the direction we came from. “We can’t take the path. There’s no way we can outrun them.”

“When they realise they’re chasing the prince…” Socca begins.

“They’ll call the royal guards,” Sam finishes. “That soldier had a phone. He’s probably reported us already. By now the royal guards have guessed that we let the snakes loose in the palace compound so we could escape. It’s only a matter of time before the whole General Security team gets involved. We have to move now.”

She’s right, but the question is where do we go?

There’s a commotion in the distance, coming from the direction of the botanical gardens. The dogs bark furiously, and then stop. The next time I hear them bark, they sound further away. But I still hear voices. Different voices.

“I think your guards have caught up,” says Sam.

I start running again, because there’s nothing else to do. I run along the path beside the river. Maybe if we run fast enough, faster than the guards… But their voices are getting closer.

“You said your guards were slow in the bush!” Sam gasps.

“They were! Maybe these new guys are different.”

Rre Pule’s face flashes into my mind. He’s always known about my unauthorised trips into the bush. He knows a lot of things. I wouldn’t be surprised if he hired the only four guys in the training programme who know the bush as well as I do. Maybe he knew I was up to something. Maybe he changed my guards so they could catch me in the act. It’s possible, right? Or am I being paranoid?

We increase our pace, but the voices keep getting closer.

I stop running and shake my head. “We can’t outrun them. We need another plan.”

Socca bends over, resting his hands on his knees. “There’s no time for another plan!”

Sam takes a few steps towards the river. It’s about ten metres across at this point, the current running south from the Islands to the great lake. The water is clear and clean, and deep.

“Do you ever swim in here?”

“Sometimes.” I walk towards her. “The current is slower up north though, and the river is narrow. It’s easier to swim there.”

“But you could swim here.”
I shrug. “Sure. But swimming downriver won’t help us. The further south you go the faster the current moves. We’ll get swept away.”

She doesn’t answer. “What’s on the other side?”

“More trees. It’s a bit denser. Wilder.”

Socca straightens up. “Guys, they’re getting closer. We need to make a move or we’re dead.”

“Why don’t you make a suggestion, Socks, instead of waiting for me to do all the thinking?” snaps Sam.

“Here’s my suggestion: let’s throw Sam in the river!”

“Idiot,” she mutters.

“Takes one to know one.”

I let out a frustrated groan. “Guys, please! Not now.”

Sam leans forward and rocks on her feet. Socca grabs her arm to keep her from toppling into the water, and she yanks it back.

“What? I’m trying to save your stupid life!”

She glares at him. “I was the best swimmer at my old school. I’m not going to drown in a little river. Besides, unless you can think of a way to stop those guards from finding us, crossing the river is our only shot.”
“I just told you, the current downstream – ” I begin impatiently, but she cuts me off.

“We won’t swim downstream. We’ll swim across to the other side. They won’t think of that. They’ll keep looking for us on this side of the river.”

“That’s a stupid idea,” says Socca.

“Then come up with something better!”

Socca gives her a dirty look and holds his tongue. It’s not a bad idea, and he knows it. There’s just one problem, and I can tell from the expression on his face that I’m going to have to be the one to say it.

“Socca’s not a strong swimmer.”

Sam stares at me, then at him. “Are you joking? As if you’re not useless enough, you live in a delta and you can’t swim?”

Socca’s face twists into a scowl. He takes a step towards Sam. She looks him in the eye defiantly, but her eyes flicker a bit. Socca’s big enough to be scary when he’s angry.

Next thing I know, he’s grabbing the front of her t-shirt. “Listen here, you piece of – ”

“Whoa, Socca, don’t.” I reach out, but know better than to actually touch him when he’s in this mood. “Come on. You know what she’s like. She’s all talk.”

“Maybe she should learn to keep her mouth shut,” he hisses. “I’d be happy to teach her some manners.”

Sam’s eyes are wide with fear now. She can tell that my smiling, happy-go-lucky buddy is gone. Her head turns slightly towards the fast-flowing water just behind her. She’s only a few steps from the river. All Socca has to do is shove her, and with the weight of the bag on her back being the best swimmer in her old school might not be enough.

“Socca. Don’t.” I can hear the guards’ voices behind us, getting louder with each minute. “We’re in trouble, man. We have to find a way out of here. Together. OK? Just let her go. She’s sorry.”

“This brat has never been sorry in her life.”

“She’s sorry now. Aren’t you, Sam?”

She hesitates. Unbelievable. Socca’s about to either hit her or throw her in the river, and the girl hesitates. Talk about suicidal.

“I told you!” Socca shakes her. Her feet slip, just a little, but enough to make my heart jump so hard my whole body shakes.

“Sorry!” cries Sam. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that. I say a lot of things. Like Kitso said, I’m all talk. It doesn’t mean anything. I’m sorry, OK?”

Even though I knew she’d apologise to get herself out of this mess, it’s still strange hearing the words come out of her mouth. I’ve never heard Sam say sorry without a touch of sarcasm.
I look at Socca. His eyes narrow, then he releases her. The fabric of her shirt keeps its twisted shape for a second, like it’s not quite sure the trauma’s over, then her shoulders drop and the shirt straightens out.

I let out a long breath. “Guys, if this is going to work we have to stick together. No fighting. No attitude. We’re on the same team. Got it?” No one answers. “Hey! I’m talking to you people!”

“Ja, fine,” mutters Socca.

“Sam?”

“Whatever.” She runs a hand over her chest, smoothing out the t-shirt.

Then we hear the voices. This time they’re so close we can hear every word.

“Mxm! Where is that bloody kid?”

“Ssh! What if he hears you talking like that?”

“I don’t care. If you ask me, the prince needs a good whipping.”

The three of us freeze. The guards are a minute or two away; five minutes, tops. Socca looks at me. I look at Sam. If it was just me and her we could make it across the river, even with the current, but with the two of us helping Socca across it’ll take twice as long. If he goes down he’ll take us with him. There’s nowhere else to run. The guards are almost here and I’m pretty sure they’ve got reinforcements. It’s over. Escape Inc. is about to go bust, and in forty-eight hours I’ll be dead.
And then Sam lets out a little gasp. Me and Socca quickly turn in the direction she’s looking. Coming down the river towards us is a long, narrow mokoro. Inside it is a man. His skin is dark and leathery, as if he’s spent all his life working in the sun, and under his hat is a pair of wide, staring eyes. He’s dressed in head-to-toe khaki like a game ranger, but instead of boots or proper leather shoes he has cow-hide sandals on his feet.

As he approaches us he reaches out with his paddle and sticks it into the thick soil beside the water, pulling the mokoro right up to the riverbank.

“Get in.” His voice is low, almost a whisper.

I’ve always been a decent kid. I’m not a rebel, looking for a good time or going out of my way to cause chaos. I’m not the kind of guy who jumps into cars – or mokoros – with strangers. Just so we’re clear. But I can hear the footsteps of the guards behind me and this man has just dropped out the sky in front of me like an angel. Like a sign. So what am I supposed to do?

I look at Socca. I look at Sam. Then I climb into the mokoro. Sam and Socca don’t waste any time following my lead. Ranger Stranger yanks his paddle out of the soil, pushes off, and away we go, letting the current sweep us out of danger.