ARIKANA BOOK 1: Son Of Akanga

CHAPTER 2: ESCAPE

At this time, much of the lands had seen many leadership changes. Meneo had been overthrown by Utonga in Akanga after the people rejected his leadership. Menza had succumbed to old age and his son Yumba wa Menza had become king over Shani. Soyinka of Takoa had lived longer than all of them. It was later discovered that he had found a way to live young in his bones for a much longer time than was usual. He hid this from the others and secretly used the Talisman that was well in the fortress built in his land. Soon, the new generation of leaders started to pride themselves in this fountain of youth. All apart from Hewala of Kush. This led to an argument among the people, as they believed that there was malice against them by their leaders. As a result, Soyinka's homestead was burned to the ground, and this caused fear in the hearts of the other leaders, so they retracted this behaviour.
There soon was a drought that ravaged the lands. Grain was running out and people were dying. It was then that the GER HAKHAN appeared to the men with a warning from Kai, that they may forsake the evil of the Talisman, return it to Nubia, and serve Him. The council of the lands would further give an offering to Kai for the atonement of their sin. They sort to rid the land of the Talisman, once and for all. It was decided that one of the GER HAKHAN returned the Talisman to Nubia. Amaket, a fair-looking man whose days were spent in the woods of the Mara, was trusted with the task. However, the rest of the GER HAKHAN advised him not to go, as they had heard whispers from the mountains of Beruel that Kek's terrible arm was rising again. They then used their power to conceal it deep in the forests of Mara, away from men.
Amresh, the son of Hewala took his father's place in Kush's leadership. Chaka, a youth at the time, took the place of Utonga in Akanga, as Yumba relinquished his throne in Shani due to his mishandling of the devastating drought. The people had lost faith in him, and he had lost hope for them. Soon, the people abandoned Kai. The GER HAKHAN's presence had disappeared with the drought. People turned back to their gods. With a resurgence of witches and magicians, the people in Akanga beseeched Chaka over them, and it was decreed in all the land, that if anyone was found practising magic or any form of necromancy, apart from the Chief's ordained order of magicians, they would be lynched in public with no trial. Chaka would make many enemies by making this decree.
The year of Uzi's family arrest was the same year that the drought had ended.
The night was cold in Nubia. Uzi's family was in shackles, as guards readied them for execution the next day- early in the morning. The hours in between would be torturous. Uzi had been healed by one of Ovu's healers. The most feared of all was Sheba. She was taken away from the rest. Guarding her was the mystery woman who had gotten her arrested. Her hands had been bound, and her mind clogged with a spell to keep her from breaking loose.
Erea sat on the dirt of her holding cell, looking across the hall at the tears of Zinzi and Benu. In the cell beside her, Uzi lay, yet to wake from his healing injury. He had lost a lot of blood. It was mostly quiet, with weeping that would subside from time to time. Soon, the girls fell asleep.
Erea firmly believed in her act. She yearned to explain herself to the girls, but with the guards pacing back and forth, constantly demanding their silence, there was little she could do. The night guards would take shifts and in between the handing over period, she found some consolation.
"...I am so sorry, my daughters. There was no other way." Her head was low as was her voice. It felt like the words cut right through her throat.
"It is hard, but- we will find a way out of this." She promised herself.
A cough was heard from the nearby cell. The cough came again, followed by a long groan. This woke the girls. Uzi's body began to move in the cell. Erea feared that he would judge her harshly once he came to. He turned to see the torch flame waving to the little air that blew from the outside. His sight was getting clearer. He looked past it and saw his two daughters, Zinzi and Benu. He sat up, and then dragged his feet to the bars of Cuirass keeping him away from them, "Are you alright?" They nodded rapidly. It gave them comfort, to see their father well. He realised that Sheba was not there with them. He looked by his side and saw Erea on the other side of the Cuirass, cooped up in a corner with her head down. Unlike the girls, she was not elated about his rising. He turned to her, and calmly said, "I always knew, and I could not have wanted it differently." Her head tilted a little. "Zinzi had troubling dreams when you were off to seek out a place in the Sea. It was greatly concerning to the girls. I had to tell them." Erea broke into tears. She had been very strong for the most part, but her heart had not been sure about her choices, because they had hurt the ones she loved the most.
"You are very brave my dear. You've shown them a great and admirable thing!"
There was a 'clunk' at the entrance, meaning a new guard had been let into the cells. Uzi remained fixated on Erea and the girls on Uzi. Chinking keys, with very distinct and familiar rhythmic footsteps with whistling followed. The guards would stop momentarily to inspect the cells closer to the entrance. He finally came to Uzi's cell, and in a very familiar voice said, "You are awake?! I thought you were..."
"You are just in time!" Uzi cut him off unexpectedly. There arose a friendly exchange between the two. The guard proceeded to take out a bunch of keys. "Where is the other one?" he asked. "They took her away to another cell."
"I was not told of this, so you may as well have to rescue her on your own. We all have our part to play in this."
It was Tule, the guard who had delivered the letter to the Uzi household that morning. He unlocked the cells, keenly watching out for any passing guards. "Did you bring what I asked?" Tule opened the leather pouch hanging from his waist and a small porcelain bottle swang within. "Leave some for Sheba." As quickly as they were freed, each took a sip of the disgusting potion brought by Tule. Their bodies began to change. Zinzi's height was reduced, Benu's waist bulged, Erea's skin darkened and Uzi's hair grew back. They all turned into Tule's form!
"Why do we all look the same?" Erea asked. "It's a mirroring potion. You become like the closest form you see," He sneered at them, "Your minds may be a little creative, but...am I this round?"
"Girls, we will meet you at your mother's stall. We will find Sheba. You leave one at a time and do not speak when spoken to, even when you are stopped. Zinzi..."
"Yes baba"
"Once you are out, guide your sister. And you Benu...be brave, just as your mother." There was a brief smile on her form.
"The potion wears off in a tide's turn (hour and a half or so) You need to get going," Tule warned.
"We owe you our lives dear friend," Erea said with a lump in her throat. "Mine is already in the axe's path," he stepped past her and neared the coal-dark wall behind her cell. "Anytime when you're ready. And make it look brutal..." his body fell to the ground, as Erea wisped away his waking consciousness.
One by one, the girls came out walking the way Tule had come. Benu was first. Each time a guard greeted her, she would bow and say nothing. Once the reveal of the pitch darkness outside appeared, she jumped into it like one who waited for years to greet it. In its covering, she moved with utmost agility, avoiding any torch and eye. Ahead, she could see the barricade where her exit was. In it, eagle eyes watching. Two guards leaving the prison cells were coming in her direction. She kept in the cover of darkness, and heard their exchange:
"They cannot wait till morning. The Lord has ordered their killing at midnight."
"And what of the girl? Does He also want her dead?"
"That, I am not sure of. I have a feeling that we will be told. It's going to be in a few hours, I have to get home. I am not one to hold an axe and launch it on people's heads. I loathe it!"
"Well Tenzin, very few of us are lucky to shift from the Prisons to Council duty..."
"You're right. Speaking of council duty, do you mind checking on Tule before you start your shift? He's with the Lord's prisoners. They just shifted him this afternoon."
"He has returned? He couldn't even maintain a job with the council? How did he even get to be the one to watch them?"
"Well, a lot of our men got crushed at the Temple today, he was the only extra guard available. If it weren't for those Cuirass cells, I don't think the Warder trusts him at all."
They turned into a dim-lit room, facing away from the barricade. After a while, the fresh guard walked out. Benu sneaked up to the door of the room, blindsiding him. She peeped within the room and saw the other guard turned away from the door. In a touch, she weakened the man and mirrored his form. She walked out, not any more confident. As she approached the barricade, she could see three guards turn to assess her.
"Guard! State your name and reserve position." One called.
She froze.
"Guard, state your name and reserve position!"
She knew if her voice was heard, she would ruin everything. She deepened her voice as much as she could, "Tenzin! Just a guard..."
The dark figures turned to each other as if consulting. "Come forward!"
Her knees almost buckled. Her throat felt dry. She proceeded. The closer she got, the more their rugged and horrible features showed. These were men who had faced many threats and lived. The gallows in Nubia were famed for the uncanny prisoners they held.
"Who did you leave at your post, Tenzin?" asked the tallest guard. She had not heard his name, so she kept silent. "Have you gone deaf?" He lowered his craning neck. One of the guards saw how intimidated Tenzin's form was and said, "Let the man pass. We all know the kind of horrors one can see in those cells. Besides, he's already done with his shift."
The tall guard turned to the sympathetic guard, "Is that so? Then you go and make sure that Tenzin's wing is secure. He will not leave until I know who has taken this deaf man's post!" He gave a horrid eye at Benu.
Soon, it was Zinzi's turn. As she left, she did not encounter many guards as the shifting period was complete. Ovu had ensured minimum capacity in that wing for his 'guests'. Quickening enough prisoner settlements to have several cells empty, some unshut. She made a turn for the passage leading to the outside, and a guard was walking in her direction. She hid back, not sure of her next move. What if they had seen Tule's form leave at first? They would suspect that something was off, and that would not end well for her and her parents. The man neared the turn, marching in bold steps. She rushed to pull out one of the torches, meaning to harm him. Right before he could reach the turn, a voice echoed from the entrance.
"Are you standing in for Tenzin?" The voice at the entrance asked.
"Yes, I am," the guard stopped to respond, "Has he not told you? I just relieved him. He said he did not want to catch the horror of the execution tonight."
"He did seem disturbed. He did not speak a word to the Warder when questioned about his leaving."
Zinzi caught a glimpse of the two. From what she heard, Benu must have been this Tenzin they spoke of. 'Smart girl!' She thought. Behind her, one more guard was approaching. A woman. Zinzi turned in her direction, hiding the handle of the torch behind her back. The passage had become darker. The female guard greeted her, and she nodded as they passed each other. Zinzi then came from behind her, and clobbered her with all her might, dragging her body to one of the empty cells nearby. The two men stopped for a moment, curious about the noise.
"What was that?"
"I don't know. Mind checking it out?"
Zinzi quickly appeared from the turn in the woman's form, greeting the men squarely.
"Did you hear the noise? It sounded like someone had let out a shriek."
"No, I did not. You're in a prison- shrieks happen all the time." She tried to make light of it.
The fresh guard insisted on checking. Zinzi, not well aware of protocol, walked on towards the entrance to meet the other guard. He did not speak to her, let alone look at her. Immediately she walked out, she started pacing faster into the darkness, almost sprinting into a run. Up ahead, those at the barricade were noticing this. She saw one being held aside, looking a little intimidated.
'That must be Benu.'
"Where do you think you're going?!" The Warder stopped her.
Zinzi thought fast, "You called for me...I...I am standing in for Tenzin."
The Warder's eyes bulged. "I did not ask for you. Go back and tell Mbaruk that I am coming to inspect the cells since none of you have proper respect for our Lord!"
"Yet I ask of you, Lord," she bowed, ignoring the anger in the warder's eyes. "Mbaruk told me of Tenzin's illness. Allow me to take him to a healer..."
"I will not allow such a thing! He came walking, let him take himself. That's final!"
"He is not stable, my lord. I am glad you caught him before he left. I was afraid he would end up losing his way and perhaps bring harm to himself. Let me take him," Zinzi spoke, hiding her face. Benu noticed her antics and realised, 'Zinzi?'
The warder bent closer to her, "Woman, I wouldn't care less if you birthed him. Go back and do as I say!" He proceeded to shove her to the ground, and as she grappled to get back up, Mbaruk came running.
"Warder! There is an injured guard in the cells!"
The warder rolled his tongue, "And my prisoners?" Mbaruk hesitated.
The Warder rose, ordering at once, "You! take that sick man to a healer and return before midnight! Your punishment for defiance will be made ready by then." He pointed at Zinzi's and then to Benu's forms. "The rest of you, keep an eye on the compound. If anyone escapes, the Lord will have for your heads on platters next. Show me!" The Warder went on with Mbaruk to the cells.
As the men took their position, Zinzi and Benu stayed behind, slowly fading into the outside of the prisons.
The Warder was immediately led to where Tule had fallen, in Erea's cell. "Where are the prisoners?"
None could answer.
"It is impossible to escape Cuirass, even for the most powerful alchemists- Unless the cells were unlocked by a guard. Where-are-the-prisoners?!" The warder was burning.
The guards were dispatched to go search the entire prison, leaving the Warder and Mbaruk at the cell. As they investigated the body, they found no marks or signs of struggle. "I want those prisoners hanged the moment they are found. I will not be seen as incompetent!"
The warder started to walk away from Mbaruk and Tule's bodies. A few steps away, he saw the girl's cell also empty. He inspected the bar's lock, prompting more suspicion. He could sense something. In his attempt to check within, Uzi struck him, felling him unconscious. As Mbaruk approached, Erea pounced on him, wiping him out before he could let out a scream. She then took his form. The two hid the bodies therein, ransacking their pockets, to find two passes and a master key. The Warder was always carrying these around, just in case, Ovu came to see his political prisoners. With these, they began their search for Sheba. There was not enough tide left, and so they had to move fast.
It appeared to them that every guard they met would hurriedly salute them. Uzi assumed the obvious, "You! come here." The guard holding one of the cell chambers that evening came to him, bowing before resuming the conversation. "Since you fools let the prisoners escape, tell me where the girl, Sheba, is being kept?" The guard looked at him. Something was different about his voice, but, "She is being held deep in the second wing dock." Uzi then moved to follow his directions. The guard returned to his post, though with more questions about the warder.
They made their way to a heavily guarded chamber. Erea was shaken by what she saw. 10 well-built men were holding this chamber, each wielding a brutal weapon. Right ahead, the woman from the temple sat on the ground, focused undeterred on one of the cells. Erea nudged Uzi. He stuttered, "Well...I...Uhm...Yes, I have come to see the prisoner," None of them seemed concerned. Uzi bit his tongue, then, "Unless you wish to be beheaded, make way!" None of them moved.
He failed to notice the difference in guard. These were not the warder's men. Their silver seal was different from the brass one the others wore. These were Ovu's own. Uzi decided to advance towards the cell, but they stood like an impenetrable wall before him.
"Leave, or we will be forced to take you out instead," One of them said.
"I dare you to try!" Erea came in a fiery tone, breathing heavily. Uzi held her back momentarily.
The man stepped forward, and as soon as he laid his hand on Mbaruk's form, Erea touched his temple, and he collapsed right then! The others held out their weapons. "Let us pass!" This was an invite for trouble, and Uzi knew that nothing could stop Erea's determination.
The men came at them, intending a forceful removal. Erea held out her only weapon- her hands. Uzi quickly unbuckled the belt on his waist. This was all they brought to the brawl:
Two of the men rushed at Uzi, as two others contended with Erea. A club missed Uzi's hip by a whisker, as another grabbed his cloak yanking him to the ground. As the guard lifted his club once more, Uzi whipped at his face hard with the belt, edging him out. The other thrust a fist at him, falling on Uzi's shoulder heavily, and cracking a bone. A ringing filled his ears, as pain spread rapidly to the tips of his fingers. He turned swiftly from meeting a second fist, rolling past the guard to grab the club from the fallen guard. He aimed at him, meeting the guard's sternum, drawing him to the ground, wriggling in great pain.
Erea moved furiously with her arms. She dodged as many clubs and smelted blades, as she struck and fell the men, one by one. She heard a cry, only to see her husband kneel, as the club fell from his injured shoulder. Her rage increased tenfold. She took down the remaining men, even before they took a hit at her. She had practised restraint for too long. She dashed off to reach Uzi.
Just before her hand could fully stretch to him, a tough resistance met her body. Her thoughts were being controlled by another force. Uzi saw her eyes involuntarily turn, like wind on a windmill. He snatched back the club and stood by the walls of the dock from where he lay. She contorted mechanically towards him, and he strived to stay away from her touch. She continued to follow him hastily deeper into the cell chambers, grunting as she fought the will-bending in her mind. The emissary sat a few steps away.
The ground began to develop sharp rocks. Erea's form was lifted over them.
"Erea! fight it.." Her form was changing. The potion was wearing off. She got closer to Uzi, and as he reversed from her, one of the stones tripped him and he fell on his back, landing on a bed of the sharp tongues of stone. His heaving and cries told of the grave pain he was in. Erea could see the agony he suffered, but she couldn't take it away. The woman sat there, not shifting her attention from Sheba.
Emissaries were trained to cause such unworldly torture.
Her power was so great that even when doing so, she could fight Sheba's will. The emissary then released Erea's thoughts but held her body. She then lifted her to where she sat, and spoke with a dry crispy voice, "Look at her. So peaceful. So sound. She will make a perfect servant for our Lord." Erea's head was turned to the cell.
Sheba was upside down, hanging from the roof of the cell. Her purple hair was fading into grey. She had fought against this woman for so long, and her body was weakening.
"Sheba! Sheba!"
"She cannot hear you. I have drifted away all her senses. She is mine now. You see, our Lord did not intend to kill this one. I just don't understand how she has lived so long away from us."
"Sheba! listen to my voice. I am here. Shed your worry, my child. You can fight her!"
"I told you. Nothing will come out of your pleading." Behind them, a cell swung open, and the emissary threw Erea in it and shut it. "I suggest that you wait for your death! Save your energy."
As Erea continued to plead with the woman, Uzi from afar continued to grapple. The rocks did not cut through to any vitals. He was suspended on their balance, and this was excruciating! He slowly tried to lift his body, and with each undigging of the rock edges, writhing came with it. He did not stop until his body rolled onto the flat ground. He felt his strength return, and he could breathe there as he lay on his stomach, his true form already exposed.
Meanwhile, the noise had raised alarm. A guard had seen what was happening and speeded off to get more men.
Uzi felt for a rock on the ground with his hand. He lifted his face in the direction of the woman. He summoned all the strength he could, contorting his body to make one last throw. The stone flew off his hand, aiming at the torch on the wall next to the emissary. A chip of burning wood fell on the emissary's clothes, and they caught fire!
She shifted her attention to put out the fire. Immediately, Erea broke from her hold, and Sheba fell from the roof of the cell. She woke, injured from the fall.
"Sheba!" Erea screamed as she took out the master key, struggling to unlock the cell. Immediately it opened, she ran to her daughter, holding her in her arms tightly again. Her skin was so cold that Erea could feel it through her garments. She intensively began to heal any wound or broken ligament she felt. Outside the chamber, more men were coming. Erea hurriedly carried Sheba out of the cell, the woman had burnt most of her flesh and was fading to death in a grotesque scene. Erea looked to her husband, and him to her. In between them were impassable sharp rocks.
"You can let her go. She knows what she must do," came a weakened Uzi. Erea hadn't seen the men appearing at the entrance. Unrelenting arrows and spears were readied towards them. There was no way they could save Uzi. Erea put Sheba on the ground.
As soon as she turned to defend her stance, a mighty spear met her on her chest, planting her on the floor! Sheba saw this and gave out a breathless scream.
The horror of seeing her parents lose their lives was indescribable. No child deserved to know such pain. Her anger was so loud inside of her, that the walls began to cave. The men stopped for a while, as the earth beneath their feet shook violently.
"She is going to kill us all!"
"Aim at her!" Even before they could launch their arrows, a huge boulder broke from the walls, crushing a good number of them. There was great panic in the gallows and the surrounding areas. Sheba focused her power away from the rubble and broke the walls beside her. As the chamber walls caved, she dragged herself and the weight of her mother's body towards the broken wall.
Her efforts could not yield. Erea's final breath pleaded with her in her mind.
"It is done. Your freedom is given." She did not sound conflicted nor sorrowful. She was fulfilled and confident. She urged Sheba forward, and as her hands lost her mother's, she fell on the other side of the walls.
As a fresh breeze washed her face, barely drying her teary eyes and softening the lump in her throat, Sheba looked back and wished differently. Her gift had become a curse. She dragged her feet out, into the back ends of the prisons. She thought of her sisters, as nothing much was left of the prison chambers. What if they too had met their doom that night? Either way, she couldn't stay. She knew that after what had happened, there would be hell rising from Ovu's throne.
She carried her body down into the town, hiding from the numerous guards who were heading to the remains at the prison. She had nowhere left to go, but to the stall where her mother had always told her about. When she got there, she found her mother's horse outside of it and on checking the door, the lock was broken. She hid behind it, her heart palpitating. She closed her eyes to catch the thoughts of the souls inside. Eventually, she pushed the door, careful not to arouse any peculiar reactions. It was dark inside, but the dying city flames poured light in through the door. As she reached past it, she could hear the quivering of her sisters, afraid and desolate. She called out to them and Zinzi reached for her with an embrace. "Sister! you are safe!"
"Where is Benu...?" Benu's face appeared to the light, joining them. Zinzi then asked, "Where is mother...and father?" This was hard for Sheba to explain. She began to weep. The quake they had felt was the same one that had sealed their deaths. Even as they wept, it would be a matter of time before the whole of Nubia was turned upside down. They had to vanish.
Zinzi: Mother said we come here, but then where do we go now?
Sheba: There is a place near the Sea of Reeds. She said we would be safe there.
Zinzi: How so? Ovu will soon find out about the purchase of it. We'll be captured even before we can make our escape.
Sheba: You are right. Either way, we need to go away somewhere...
Benu: How about the place where the man mother helped came from? He will remember her kindness and help us.
Zinzi: Am afraid he might not recognize us. We never met him, Benu...I wonder if he is even alive.
Benu: There has to be someplace out there we can run to...
Zinzi: Yes, there could be. But then, the walls, those gates, all sealed shut. How do we get across them without being seen?
Sheba: I think...I think I can help with that.
They did not take the horse. It would raise too much suspicion. They moved in stealth to the gates and stayed a distance away from the mighty walls surrounding the city. There was a wall of power, but without the oath of Ovu, there could be no passage. Sheba then went forward, leaving the girls hiding behind some buildings adjacent to the gates. There were four men there, two who held the mace of the power barrier, and two who manned the place for intruders. This was it!
One of the guards saw a female figure approaching their station, and called out, "Turn back at once. These are shut under the Lord's orders!" She kept approaching. "Woman, get back!" another guard raised his voice. Her small body frame did not give them a cause for alarm. "We will ask you one last time..." He choked. Something heavy gripped his throat. He fell to his knees with his hands on his neck, gasping for air. The other saw this and came forward. The guard had fallen to his death. The remaining three turned fully to the woman before them.
Even before they could reach to tackle her, two turned on each other, and also fell to their death. The last felt his body clamped, unwillingly turning the mace to open the gates, and in this way, Sheba led her sisters out of Nubia, into the desert. Death had become something she could inflict with little thought.
The sisters were in utter shock! One bearing their blood had become so formidable in her gifting!
"Is this the power mother spoke of?" Benu asked Sheba from behind.
What Sheba had feared turning into, had become. She grabbed Benu's arm, and assured her, "I promise to never hurt you." There was no time. Zinzi went ahead of them, "We can speak of it later! We need to get as far away from this place as we can."
As they ran into the unknown, the unending desert presented a new challenge. One, not even their magic could rise above. Which direction were they to take? Where would they go? Would they be accepted in these new lands?
Morning
The morning came fast for Ovu. To the Nubians, his hand was incompetent and weak. Many prisoners had escaped that night. As recapturing ensued, there was no telling what extent of damage had been done. Ovu did not contend with his officials anymore, edging them out, including the warder who woke just a few tides turns after the breaking. Tule had managed to slip away and hid in the gutter region of the West side of the city. Ovu remained more concerned with reclaiming the girl. Why was he so interested and invested in having Sheba? If she knew her full power and was free to use it, independent of Kek's mind, she could destroy much of what Nubia was built on; Fear. In his search for answers from his guards, he realised that outside of Nubia, the girls would fail, unless they travelled by horse or camel. It is then that he sent out emissaries to go and find the girls, as they couldn't have gone far. He feared that Sheba would destroy the guards too easily, so his gifted men, like the woman who controlled Sheba, would do well to get her back. They obeyed His word and began their search.
The desert and the nomad
"Water..."
They were as thirsty as she was. "Maybe we should have headed for the Sea of Reeds. Look around us, sand. Not a place of shade. A place of dying." They all agreed. "Keep walking, we cannot stop now." The scorching sun burned above them, and below their feet, the oven hot sand seared their soles. Hot air filled their lungs, making it hard to breathe. Benu fell many times. She was tired. Zinzi dragged her weight, and Sheba was the only one strong enough to go up and look over the dunes, only to see more sand. There was no oasis. They fell on the sands awaiting death to come. As the winds of the deserts blew over them, Sheba felt herself again. She turned to see her sisters. Benu was unconscious. Zinzi's forehead was dry with white salty sweat lines marking it. Sheba crawled up the dune until she couldn't, then her weight rolled her back to once she had started. She saw the vultures circling above them. This was not the way she thought it would end. She was not ready to give up. She left the girls and climbed the dune one last time. There, at a distance, she saw a few palms and thickets huddled around a crystalline pool.
"It could either be real or a mirage but still..." Her cracked and dusty lips hoped. She regained a little life. Before she could turn to tell her sisters, her shaky legs failed her, and she fell on the other side, tumbling into the cover of sand. The three were separated again. The strong desert winds continued, covering Sheba's body completely.
The emissaries flew by and saw Benu and Zinzi's bodies laying side by side, partially covered in sand. They had known that there were three, however, even with their power, the third was not found. They then proceeded to carry the bodies back to the city.
As the dunes reshaped, a company from the North-Western dwellings of Tibesti was passing by in a caravan, heading to Kush. The man who owned it was called Dachew. He was a kind man, and also a close ally to King Amresh of Kush. His servants had gone ahead to find an oasis, and they had returned with positive news! As one of his male servants reached for a vessel from his camel's back, he saw there- beneath its hooves, a body covered in sand. He bent down immediately to dig it out.
"Is she alive?" came one of the other servants. He felt for life and responded, "She is, but she might not be for too long."
"We will not leave her behind. Do all you can to keep her breathing" Dachew spoke from his camel, noticing the markings on her linens.
"What would one of them be doing here in the sands?" his deputy asked discreetly.
Dachew's eyes clocked the expansive sand, "If indeed she is one of them, we must hurry. It would be better if she is found in another's hands. She could be gifted. Those of where we go have not seen this kind. She could fetch us a good price." He said, referring to her partial purple and grey hair.
Sheba was taken away in the caravan to Kush. She did not wake for many days. Dachew strongly thought of selling her as a slave. She was young, strong in stature, and fair to the eye. He even considered selling her to the Arabs. In Kush, many people had chosen to become slaves and were sold to them by their wealthy kinsmen. They did not see it as slavery, as just like Dachew's men, they were taken to foreign lands to work and their salary would be sent back to their families in every yearly rotation, and they could be freed at the end if their master willed so. Not everyone met a good master. A majority suffered in the hands of the men who bought them from auctions and others never returned. The price was well for the slave's family, as they would then trade their wages for food and needs.
She finally woke, laying on a bed far more comfortable than the one she had at home in Nubia. There at the corner, a dark-skinned man, just like her people, sat watching her with egg white eyes that never blinked. He was shirtless, with a pair of khaki shorts and a Shuka on his shoulder. She slowly lifted her body to sit up, but her body stuttered. "Careful. Master would not want you to be hurt." The man had this surprisingly velvet voice. He wedged his arms on his knees, attempting to stand from his stool. "Master?" Sheba thought he spoke of one of Nubia's men, but also, the man did not dress as they did. "Who is your master?"
"He is a gracious man. His name is Dachew of Tibesti. He is a good friend of the King of this land"
"King? What land is this?" She panted.
"Ah!" The man stood and went to the small window behind him. It had been covered with blinds, so the light could not break-in. He lifted them and pointed to the small village outside.
"This is Kush of Amresh." She struggled to stand. He rushed to her side and held her up to the sight. Her eyes slowly got used to the burning light of the sun, and she saw a bleak landscape not to be compared to Nubia. The people had donkeys to carry them. Their children were naked, and their farms bare. The soil was red and the people sat under the few scattered trees joyously chattering. Their houses were made from twigs, and their fences were bushes mended together.
"You brought me here...why?"
"I saw your body under my camel after we had found water for my master's caravan. He saw you and asked me to take good care of you. You're valuable to him."
"My sisters..." She remembered. She let go of his shoulder and tried vigorously to walk towards the entrance of the room. She held onto the walls and the ledges to keep straight, but eventually tripped on her steps. The man rushed to break her fall. "No, I think you should rest and be strong for the Master..."
She couldn't accept his care. She pulled herself from his hold, "Tell me then, where you found me...were there others like me?"
"No...you were the only one we saw. We even looked for your horse and tent, but there was none. You were lucky we even saw you in the sand!" On hearing this, her heart bled. She had seen in his mind, it was the truth. She wept bitterly. Not even food or water could comfort her. She wanted to die more than anything. It was then that Dachew came to her, and saw her pain. He turned to his servant, "She weeps like one who has lost a child. Leave her. When she is ready, she will speak. I do not seek to enslave her anymore. The very day she becomes calm, set her free so she can find another place to mourn for her loss." It was this pain that made her cut her hair, never to grow it ever again. She wanted to start again and be free of the misfortunes that followed her. She cursed her curse. It was no longer to her the gift Erea pronounced it to be.
The day came. Dachew met her for the second time and said to her, "I know where you come from. I do not wish to know your reason to escape it. I only ask that you leave us. Go far away from this land, and never turn back. I have seen the evil that follows you. It is far much greater than these lands can hold!"
She was not expecting those words, as she had not spoken to him once.
Dachew would walk in the fields in the evening, and many times he had seen jackals gathering in the corners of the parcel of land he had bought in Kush. This was unusual because Jackals only roamed in the plain lands in Ngengi, away from people. It was then that he consulted with the magicians in Kush, and there, he was shown the girl's fate. He was advised to free himself from her. He became very troubled by this.
"Find your way to a land of many hills and rivers. The people will tell you its name; Akanga. Their spirits are strong, and they may protect you til your enemies tire. I bid you farewell. Now, you are on your own."
Sheba walked away from Dachew's house. She was lost, bitter and destitute; but she did not think of death anymore. She knew in her heart that rest would only come to her, if her enemies were destroyed, preferably by her hand. Maybe then, her pain could be quenched. She now had to find a way to live again. So she walked