Show Me ↝ Black Panther

19

M'Baku took them around the mountain to a more secluded area. His guests could not contain their gasps when they saw T'Challa laying in a bed of ice. Ramonda, Nakia and Shuri were quick to rush to his side. Jeniba's hands flew to her mouth, and N'Deke and Akina watched on in disbelief and curiosity.

"Is he breathing?" Nakia asked.

"He's in a coma," M'Baku said. "Barely clinging to life. One of our fishermen found him at the edge of the river border. He brought him to me."

Shuri's head whipped around. "Why do you have him in the snow?"

"It is the only thing keeping him from joining the ancestors."

"We need to get him to my lab. I can heal him there."

"Shuri, if we do that then he'll most likely die," N'Deke said. "You heard him. The snow is the only thing keeping His Highness alive. Besides, we can't go back. Not while Erik sits at the throne. It'd be too dangerous." 

M'Baku nodded approvingly. "He's a smart kid. You could learn a thing or two from him, Princess."

"There's gotta be something—"

"Nakia, the herb," Ramonda said, cutting off her daughter before she could start rambling.

She handed the herb to the queen, who crushed it in a mortar until it was liquid. "I call upon Bast. I am here with my son, T'Challa. Heal him."

M'Baku, Jeniba and Akina simultaneously turned around. N'Deke and Ross exchanged a glance and scrambled to do the same. Ramonda poured the concoction in between T'Challa's lips. "We must bury him. Cover him. Cover him," she ordered. With the help of Shuri and Nakia, she covered his body in snow.

Now they waited.

Akina felt a hand tapping her back. She turned around and was met with the same man who'd brought them here. He didn't say anything, instead choosing to walk out. The young woman understood immediately what that meant. Her heart began to thump in her chest. 

N'Deke nudged her forward with an encouraging smile. Jeniba did the same, muttering a small "Go."

She handed her spear to N'Deke and followed the man. N'Deke watched her leave, and his smile gradually faded. He wasn't sure what would be said, or what would happen next. And as happy as he was that Akina was back home and reconnecting with family, he feared that things would never be the same again. Right when he'd finally gotten through to his sister, he didn't want to lose her again.

Jeniba placed her palm against the small of his back. "What is it? You seem troubled."

"A lot has happened." He lowered himself onto the ground. She followed after him. "Mother, have you always known? About fa... About M'Bao."

Jeniba pursed her lips and set her gaze onto a distant point. By then, Shuri stopped pretending not to be interested in what the woman would say. She scooted closer. N'Deke allowed her to lay her head on his shoulder. "I had a feeling, but I ignored it at first. I thought that perhaps I was wrong. That maybe it was only in my head. Love will make you disregard a lot of things." She turned her hands over and observed them in contemplation. "When Akina came to me the night before her second initiation, I could no longer ignore it. But there was nothing I could do. He wasn't listening to me anymore, so just like Akina I started to put all my hopes in you. That perhaps when the time came, you could reach him. The old him."

N'Deke swallowed hard. He had not realized how much rested on his shoulders until now, and truthfully he was scared he would not be able to live up to these expectations. What could he even do about M'Bao? He'd just begun to see the man he once admired for what he'd become. Where was he supposed to go from here?

"N'Deke," Shuri said, catching his attention. "You're thinking too loud." He chuckled despite himself. "What are you going to do now?"

"I wish I had an answer to that." He ran a hand down his face. "I need time."

"We don't have much of that left," Nakia said with sympathy. She turned her body to face him. "You're strong, N'Deke. Strong, resilient, and resourceful. You've proven yourself to us in South Korea. I think what is left is for you to prove that to yourself."

He pondered over her words.Somewhere in the reaches of his mind, N'Deke still doubted he had what it took to go through with this. Dealing with Klaue had been one thing. They'd had a plan to stick to, resources to resort to, and he hadn't been alone. Dealing with M'Bao would be entirely different. He had no plan, no real resource, and truth be told no one to fall back on if it didn't go well. 

"It isn't just T'Challa and I that saw something in you," Ramonda said. "Everyone did. Your father did as well. That's why he needed to keep you under control, because he was scared of what would happen if you turned against him. It's time for you to see it too."

T'Challa abruptly shot up from his bed of ice. Everyone jumped to their feet. Ramonda pulled him out of the snow and cradled him to her. 

"Do you have a blanket?" he asked.

N'Deke sighed out in relief. Shuri, Nakia, Ramonda and T'Challa embraced as the rest of them looked on. 

M'Baku crossed his arms with a grimace. "Can we wrap it up now? The longer I have to witness this display of affection, the sicker it makes me."