My carriage stopped at the mouth of a narrow alley in Penjaringan. I stepped down calmly, though my heart pounded like the drums of war. I had discarded my expensive silk fabrics, replacing them with a simple striped lurik kebaya so I could blend into the darkness of the night.
I walked toward the bamboo house. There, behind those fragile doors, lay a secret that could topple Dutch authority in Java.
"Ibu Siti," I whispered, knocking three times—a code known only to the two of us.
The door opened. Raden Ajeng Sekartaji stood there. Even in her faded cloth, the aura of a court princess never truly left the way she carried herself. She looked at me with weary but alert eyes.
"Kartika," she said softly. "Come in. The night air smells foul."
Inside the house, lit only by a single oil lamp, I sat cross-legged before her. "Friedrich is growing suspicious, Gusti Ayu. He has sensed Julian's presence outside the palace. If he finds out Julian is with Adrian in Buitenzorg, he won't hesitate to send executioners."
Sekartaji took a long breath, her trembling fingers gripping a clay cup. "I knew this day would come. That Van de Berg blood is like a curse; it draws attention wherever it goes."
"We must move Anne Marie," I said firmly. "If Adrian and Julian are in danger, Anne Marie is the easiest hostage for Friedrich. I have a safe house on the outskirts of Meester Cornelis."
Sekartaji stared at me intensely, as if weighing my loyalty. "Why are you doing this, Kartika? You work for the palace. You could turn us in and gain a higher position."
I paused. I remembered my father, a native clerk whose life was destroyed by Friedrich's corruption years ago. Julian was the only person in that palace who still had a conscience, and Adrian... Adrian was the hope my people never had.
"Because I am tired of seeing evil men win, Gusti," I answered honestly. "And because Julian is the key to exposing Friedrich's rot. If Julian survives, he can testify to all these crimes before the King."
Suddenly, the sound of galloping horses echoed from a distance. Not one, but several. Sekartaji and I locked eyes. Those weren't ordinary carriage horses. Those were the sounds of boots and iron striking the ground.
"Marechaussee," Sekartaji hissed.
I stood up immediately, reaching into a small pocket behind my kebaya and pulling out a small pocket pistol given to me by a British sailor. "Through the back door, Gusti. Take Anne Marie now. I will try to divert them."
The quiet night in Penjaringan was suddenly shattered by harsh Dutch commands. I knew the chess game I was playing had just entered its deadliest phase. Julian was dreaming of justice in Buitenzorg, while here, I had to ensure he still had a home to return to.
Culture & Language Notes
Lurik: A traditional hand-woven fabric with a simple striped pattern, typically worn by commoners in Java.
Gusti Ayu: A respectful form of address for a noblewoman (Raden Ajeng).
Meester Cornelis: Now known as Jatinegara, it was a separate satellite town outside Old Batavia, used here as a location for a safe house.
Sepatu Lars: Military boots, often used in Indonesian literature as a symbol of colonial or military oppression.
Pistol Saku (Pocket Pistol): A sign of Kartika's hidden resources and her preparation for physical conflict.
Penjaringan: (Recap) The setting for Ibu Siti's house, a maze of alleys that makes for a tense escape scene.