The Open Book

Chapter 4 Scene 5(Cont)

"What by Nature, what?" Thato yelled.

"It's the woman." Aunty Babalwa said.

"The Prime?" Thato asked, genuinely surprised.

"No, the Cold Stepper."

"Of course, shut the lounge, clear your heads, no thoughts to be bled out. She says she cannot read thoughts that haven't been opened to her, but I don't believe her. I'd be crazy to."

"Do we dress up?" Aunty Noxolo, Esihle's mom asked.

"In my own house? I'll be damned." Thato growled.

Thato jumped up and marched directly to the door. A very overdressed Cold Stepper blinked. Liyema ambled in with layered clothing, thick enough to be armour of its own. The boots, a hard leather, dense. They had to be. Only the Yetsimbi could easily survive in Sedibeng, too many creatures had poisoned stingers.

"I came because I can still hear your daughter's voice." Liyema's mind said.

"And?" Thato asked, arms crossed.

"Well..."

Liyema paused there, that had not gone the way she'd expected. What had she expected? Joy? It was almost funny how a surrounded Liyema looked.

"I believe your daughter has much to say but no means to say it."

"The Prime brings you?" Shele asked.

Liyema nodded, Aphiwe approved.

"She has my research; I spoke the truth. But she wants more?" Thato growled.

"She believes you have more."

"But why?" Thato yelled.

Liyema shrugged.

"You're her right hand?" Thato asked.

She nodded, there was a carefulness to it.

"Who hands out their right hand?" Aunty Babalwa asked.

"Those with spare hands." Aunty Shele said simply.

That brought quiet chuckles.

"What's the game? Really."

Liyema said nothing for what was the longest time.

"I don't know, but it doesn't matter. I'll be following you, Thato Ndlovu-Sana. You should understand what it means, judging by your people and their great numbers most especially for, 'lesser nobility'."

The tone mocking. Fear hit at Aphiwe's heart. What would her mother do?

Thato laughed.

"I am not a commander or a leader. I'm a simple Grounds Keeper." Thato's head tilted, the smirk that followed a wire pulled across Liyema's neck. "A lesser Noble,"

A gentle tug.

"Then, I guess you'll appreciate any and all help you can get." Liyema said, cheerful.

Aphiwe's eyes darted from left to right, watching each woman. The other women gaped. Aphiwe wanted to smile. A catch. The clever move. Liyema just caught her mother! The game should have led to desperate thinking, laughter. Instead Liyema got dead eyes back. The deadest Aphiwe had ever seen.

Liyema, may have been the right hand of the Empress of the Jongiwe God Tree, the Prime Ndlovu of all the Ndlovu. But she wasn't Hlalumisa, she wasn't even an Ufele. She was a Cold Stepper, a species with very penetrative skin. One that had to naturally used its mental powers to keep from being poisoned by thousands upon thousands of bugs and all things that scuttled. That moment was when she was most likely to disappear. Would Aphiwe need to say something?

No.

Stop her own mother?

No.

"Did you have that in your mind or was it something planned with your master?"

"The latter." Liyema said.

There was a moment of incomprehension and Thato laughed, slapping her on the back of the neck.

"Fine, so be it." Thato laughed. "But then again, I have to think. To have a moment after such generosity" Thato said "So you'll be with my daughter. One of the greatest Cold Stepper women to be born, a name giver."

If Liyema had a jaw, it would have dropped, smashed to the ground. But no. What showed were wide eyes.

"I pay attention to those who pay attention to me. Those who ask questions." Thato said.

Esihle's mother shivered seemingly at random. It caught their eyes.

"Imagine my surprise when at the tannery we got news of the Prime coming to us." Esihle's mom said.

"Yes." Shele said. "The Thembeko tribe getting visits..."

"Grounds Keepers closest to me, getting new attention." Thato said, "I told your Prime that I was not an enemy. I am not, but still she does investigations. She does not trust me."

"She doesn't know you."

"And is this how you get to know someone?" She asked.

"No," Liyema produced a large quadruple letter with a seal.

"I would have thought a Golden Eagle would suffice."

"It would be insulting, I am to offer myself to help." Liyema said, almost bored.

Thato read the letters and pondered upon them, her gaze blank.

"Alright, agreed. But if you are to be here, then you have to help, Aphiwe has reading, so she won't be going anywhere. And as you can see, we're hard at work."

Liyema looked for person to person. Thato smirked.