Women Of Steel | ✔

XXIV: TARA

Hi everyone, I just wanted to inform you guys that the next update may not arrive for a while, at this point I'm taking a hiatus from writing anything. I have school next week and I'm busy with final year projects and other stuffs. Deadlines to meet and what not. I hope you understand.

This chapter is dedicated to new reader zayamay I hope you like what you've read. Welcome to our little family!

Enjoy the update, don't forget to vote and please, do leave a comment, I like knowing what you think about the book and the characters.

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Tara is afraid.

Fear is a familiar emotion, she feels it every waking hour and ever hour before she sleeps. Fear is familiar, it reminds her that she is not invincible, as much as she would like to be. The first time she felt fear was when she was a child and till now, fear has stuck with her.
Fear was her best friend when she was accused of being a witch and murdering the love of her life because of her gift and fear was her best friend when she cast away into the jungle left to die.

Fear has kept her alive, not courage and not faith. She is afraid of failing and that fear has become a fuel that drives her every motion. Tonight, the scent of fear comes with no hope, it disguises and seduces itself along with the scent of death.

The whole village reeks of fear and it's companion, death. Mourners grip lanterns and cover their faces with their hands as if they can taste it.

Tara, well disguised as a man in her dead husband's clothes stands among weeping woman and men as they dig impromptu graves on the red earth. There has been so much death that there is no space to bury the bodies.

The villagers settle for burying their dead families in the forbidden lands for the disgraced. Tara watches it all with mild disinterest.

She can almost hear the Queen's voice in her ear, chiding her for carelessness and disregard for her disguise and a ghost of a smile graces her lips before fading away. The queen has sacrificed herself as bait for her own plans.

Demilade is the most selfish person Tara has ever known, a selfish and empty person. It is hard to blame or hate the queen for becoming a monster, especially when she is a monster that was made by another monster, the king. Tara pities her.

Tara will always be grateful for the day the gods sent the queen on her path, Demilade gave her a purpose  --a selfish purpose -- but a purpose nonetheless. Without, Demilade, Tara doubts she will be alive.

Now the queen and the only hope of the kingdom is gone, playing a foolish game. Tara knows she will not return in success, the queen will return with a blacker heart and a sorrowful gaze. Tara wanted to warn her but the queen is stubborn, what she sets her stony heart to is what she will do. Tara used to find that trait admirable,  now she shakes her head in pity.

Soon people will hear of the tale of the queen and bite their fingers in sorrow, some will hear and in turn warn their own children. Demilade will be the source of every child's bed tale.

She blinks, returning her gaze to the burial procession and her ears to the wailing cries.

The crowd is scarce of many men, women and sleepy children dominate the population. The men are busy putting out fires for the king's palace, and the king. . . nobody has heard from the king in hours, rumour has it that he went berserk with rage and is yet to return.

Tara watches the chief priest mutter the burial prayers. Ifatunji is the youngest priest the kingdom has had in a while but is one of the wisest, if not for the priest and his wisdom, the kingdom would be nothing but ashes.