The Olive Conspiracy by Shira Glassman Page A

smelled
like bananas. Shulamit sighed, happy to be reunited.
    “ Wow…” A breathless voice came from
the carriage. Shulamit turned around to see Hadar helping Halleli
out into the courtyard. The two farmers blinked around themselves
with wonder at the palace’s grandeur, standing out against the
black night with its white walls and red-tiled roofs.
    “ New friends?” Aviva inquired,
handing Naomi over to her other mother.
    “ New friends like us ,”
Shulamit replied, saying further things with her raised
eyebrows.
    Aviva’s eyes bugged out and her mouth bloomed
into a grin. “That’s great! I—”
    Shulamit made a face. “It’s sort of great. I’ll explain in a second.” She unpeeled herself from
domesticity and walked over to the guards on duty. “Please get
everybody out here. Everyone who’s not sleeping, I mean.” Some of
the guards, cooks, and cleaning workers had early morning shift,
and it would be unnecessary cruelty to disturb them.
    The guards nodded, and scattered.
    Soon, the palace courtyard was filled with
people, milling underneath the palms, confused and excited. Through
the middle of the crowd emerged Mitzi, fluttering around like a
confused bird in her flamboyant dressing gown, with Tivon, off duty
and from whose room she’d likely emerged, in her wake. Her piercing
gaze darted from person to person. “What is it? What’s going on?
Majesty? Riv, is the palace under attack?”
    Rivka held up both hands. “Everybody’s
safe.”
    “ Oh, well, that’s good to
know!” Mitzi huffed indignantly, then settled back against Tivon’s
chest and waited with everybody else.
    Shulamit stepped out in front of her family and
staff. “My friends,” she began, “these past two days, I’ve been
with the farmers up on the mountains. I’m sorry I didn’t make it
home last night, but we were busy doing everything we could to try
to stop those bugs. I’m happy to say that we managed to buy
ourselves three or four weeks, and hopefully, well before then,
Queen Aafsaneh of the City of Red Clay can come to our aid. She
spent literally my entire lifetime on that vineyard before she
married King Jahandar, and she is a trained and excellent witch.
She is, right now, our best hope.”
    She paused, glancing behind her at the two
farmers. They were huddled together in the darkness beside a banana
plant.
    “ Tonight, I want to recognize one
of the bravest acts I’ve ever seen, and the two amazing women who
shared it. These women are my heroes right now. They let us burn
their grove to make a bare-earth barrier to hold off the bugs.
Their names are Hadar and Halleli, and I invite you all to
recognize the amazing sacrifice they made for their fellow
farmers.”
    Rivka nudged the bewildered young women closer
to the queen so that they stood directly in the lantern light. They
approached Shulamit nervously, but she stepped in between them and
nodded to each of them. “This is Perach!” shouted Shulamit, the
smile of strength on her face.
    Cheers rose up from the staff and royal family.
Everyone from the highest-ranked guard—Rivka, who was clapping
loudly and nodding along with her claps—to the girl who had just
joined the cleaning crew the week before was making noises of
gladness and appreciation. Aviva ran up to the impromptu royal
platform and tackled both Halleli and then Hadar with big,
welcoming hugs.
    Shulamit wiped tears from her eyes, and smiled
at her.
    Aviva was looking at the newcomers with a
sparkle in her eye. “I bet you two need dinner!”
     
    ***
     
    Rivka pushed open the door of a spare room in
the guard quarters. “Here’s where you’ll be sleeping.” She held the
lantern she carried into the room so that its light could splash
over the walls. “If you need help carrying in your things from the
wagon, start making friends with the other guards and they’ll be
happy to help.”
    “ Thank you,” said Halleli as she
followed Hadar into the room. Isaac and Rivka remained outside