EJIMA

CHAPTER 39

Five days have gone by since they signed up for the hunt. Until today, everyone had been indoors, waiting eagerly for the final selection. Dukin, the King's horn, had insisted on an archery test since survival in the wild would be shooting a dangerous animal from a distance instead of waiting for them to close gaps. Why most people saw this as a change in the tradition and culture of the people, and would not welcome it with an open arm, others saw it as a good sign. They had claimed it would minimize the proportion of casualties and that more people are likely to survive at the end of the hunt. However good it sounded, there were whispers too. Some have argued that Dukin had enacted the new rule because a brother of his was taking part in the hunt.

Ejima rested her leg on the bow, she was not the one to listen to gossip, especially those that have to do with politics. The loose end of the rope that had failed to stay true on the bow was causing enough irritation for her to care. Every time she tries, the rope just bounces off the body of the wood as if they were slippery.

It was frustrating, and her fingers were beginning to burn from the effort.

She caressed her dark hair wishing for the first time that day that she had obtained the stick by herself. Each participant had been given a stick to make a bow for themselves. Why some struggled to bend the stick as a placeholder to tie the rope on the other end, Ejima seemed to be the only one whose rope has refused to stay on the stick. 

Please, can you make my day any less frustrating? She mumbled and picked the stick again. This time, she applied a strong force, making sure the knot was perfectly stable. That seemed to end her misery as the rope did not slip out this time or bounce away from the stick.

Nodding with satisfaction, she gently tried to bend the bow so that the rope would meet the other end, but to her dismay, the stick suddenly snapped.

Heads turned in her direction. The sudden chill that sheathed the camp made her hide the broken piece behind her, but that didn't prevent the roar of laughter that erupted.

“I told you it was going to happen." Someone said.

Ejima did not know who the man was, but she gnashed her teeth with hate when she saw him hiding two cowries in his purse. It was as if she was a case study. Everyone had betted on her failure. Like a hawk observing its prey, these people were waiting for her to make a fool out of herself so that they could laugh at her, or even tell their children the stories in a moonlight gathering.

Ejima picked up her bag and gathered the remains of the bow. She folded her arms on her breast, waiting to see if her husband and his newfound wife would pass the test. For snapping her bow, she was automatically disqualified. She knew that already, but she didn’t want to leave just yet. 

Not until I see if they would be chosen. 

The pain of having lost everything came rushing in even before she could think of it. And the jealousy? Ah, that was the hardest part, particularly since her husband and her best friend were here. They had not laughed at her like the others, but that was because they were too busy in their own little world to notice her misery.

“It’s time.” the first commander said. Five razor scars were boldly carved on his dark-skinned chests, contrasting the pink lips and almond eyes. Like the rest of the palace guards, he had white chalk on his navel and the sack clothes rounding his waist. There were no markings on his face. The only thing that gave away his identity was the ring on his nose. The man was a royal guard. Not just any royal guard, but the commander of the king’s guard.

“Who will go first?”

The camp remained quiet and everyone looked anywhere but at the commander.

“Nobody?” the commander asked again, but this time, a woman raised her hands and walked forward. 

Few people applauded her bravery while others only giggled as if she had made a bad choice in coming out.

Spectators were not allowed into the camp. Ejima was happy for that, at least, since she was the first person to be disqualified. A few people’s laughter was much a torment compared to the entire village. It would have broken her, and she knew it. The pain she had buried would have resurrected a second time to torment her again.

Picking the first quiver, the woman that had stepped out kept her focus on the target which was placed some stone throw away. As the rule stipulates, only those who made the bull eyes mark would be selected for the next round of the hunt.

Taking a deep breath in, the woman drew back the arrow and let it fly.

Eyes followed the arrow as it soared with a majestic force. But the camp was covered with laughter when the arrow flew over the target.

“Next time, don’t be too hasty to jump out.” Some men, whom Ejima did not know, mocked.

The woman showed no regret. She only gathered her stuff and took the exit.

"I will hit the mark," a lanky man said as he walked up the line. Even as he walked into the open space, Ejima could not help the sense of pity that engrossed her. The bone in the man’s rib was sticking out their ugly heads as if the man was twenty years starving. His head was small, but his eyes were almost the size of the head of a day-old baby. And his feet...they looked as if they were barely touching the ground.

For some odd reasons, Ejima found herself praying silently for the wind not to get too intense, or else the man might find himself hovering in the cloud.

“I will hit the mark,” he repeated and picked an arrow from the quiver. He let the arrow fly, but unlike the woman, his arrow barely flew before it got buried in the sand. It was as if they had been hurled with a hand. 

The laughter that covered the camp this time was much louder than the first. Ejima could not hold the laughter herself. With the man’s dramatic entrance and his pride, she knew she would choke if she had tried to suppress the laughter.

The archery selection continued till late in the afternoon. And just when Ejima started reconsidering her choices of waiting, her husband or former husband, stood from where he had been sitting and walked into the clearing.