Split Blood: The Ancient Codex - Part One (Book #1 ) - COMPLETE

CHAPTER FOUR - THE SACRIFICE (Part 4)

CHAPTER FOUR – THE SACRIFICE

(Part 4)

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The smells of oats, barley and fruit surrounded the walls of the hut and welcomed us to a new day.

Examining my now full-term pregnant stomach, Rohan helped me up and we went to join the rest of the camp. ‘Good morning! Wow, you’re nearly ready,’ Mulogo commented as he showed us where to sit and gave us our breakfast of cow’s blood in a tin bowl, with a spoon.

Asabi was dishing up the fruity porridge to her followers and with Mulogo concentrating on making sure Idony ate, we all sat in silence with only a few whispers from nearby followers, wondering what could possibly come out of my stomach. ‘Does it hurt?’ one of the children blurted out before her mother shushed her and reminded her of her manners.

I held my hand up to her mother to show I was not offended by the question. ‘Yes, but I know the pain will be worth it!’ I replied with a smile, and patted her on the head.

After thirty minutes of making small talk with some of the women, Rohan was taken away by Mulogo to help build a new hut for Idony and I was left to help prepare lunch for the camp. Meat was being fried in a pan in a small fire next to the main one, by three women, and was transported into the large cauldron once browned. Herbs were added to the soupy delight and as they mixed around, they gave the chowder an aromatic taste. As the soup began to boil down to half its mass, Asabi added more leafy vegetables and started to get the bowls ready. ‘Faith, come with me,’ she shouted as she taught the other two women how to complete the meal.

I followed her to a small area near the animals, and we sat under a large tree.

The animals seemed agitated by my presence until Asabi went over and soothed them by stroking their heads and whispering to them in her language. ‘It’s okay. They’re fine now. They just got spooked by your aura,’ she said as she joined me under the tree and produced some large bamboo leaves; she showed me how to weave them. ‘These will be for the floor in Idony’s new hut,’ she explained as I ruined my first attempt.

Although calmer and less dominant than Idony, Asabi still made me feel on edge. Always feeling like she was trying to read my thoughts and soul with her glare, I often looked away and was reluctant to let her touch my stomach. ‘I will not hurt you, you know, and I cannot read your thoughts. I am just reading your aura,’ she commented as her last stare sent a chill through me, causing me to look in the opposite direction.

Taking in a deep breath, I tried to act more confidently and attempted to relax. ‘So what does my aura say?’ I asked, knowing that no matter what she said, I would be sceptical. I didn’t believe in auras, unlike my family.

She smiled, knowing I didn’t care. ‘It says you are a strong person but you do not believe in things until you see them,’ she replied. I looked at her with beaming eyes. She chuckled and I joined her, putting me at ease.

After chatting about how I’d met Rohan and dealing with my pregnancy, I wanted to know more about her past and how she managed to create this impressive village. ‘We were born in Benin, a small place next to Togo and Ghana. We lived in a moderate village where food and water were limited. As we were the best-off out of the five nearby villages, we were constantly raided. One night, two of the villages banded together and invaded our own. There were casualties and deaths but there was nothing anyone could do. If you didn’t surrender your food, home, possessions and, in some cases, your daughters, they would kill you.’