WAR OF WHIPS

PART FOURTEEN (POWERLESS)

Resi trudged behind Zamu, her belly churning from smell of death and blood from an afternoon of helping the healers tend to the wounded among the army. She heard Zamu gritting his teeth and she knew that he was furious that Tuli had sent him to apologise to Idem, the man indirectly responsible for their mother's death. But they had to obey for the way Tuli said it left no room for argument or compromise.

They came to the large brown tent and were stopped by a guard of Tije and a handsome, light skinned man with a black mustache. The man walked to her and she vaguely remembered him as one of the soldiers back in the reservations that had made passes towards her with outrageous flirtatious comments that made her blood curdle. He looked her over now and she saw no recognition in his eyes. The bastard must have harassed so many girls, he did not know which was which. She felt the urgent need to crack her fist into his mouth.

"State your business." He said, frowning. Zamu gave him the letter with Tuli's stamp and he read it then nodded. As they walked past he licked his lips and smiled at Resi. She felt anger do backflips in her chest and raised her hand to hit him but Zamu held it and when she looked at her brother, he was glaring at the soldier, his teeth bared. The man shrank back under the sheer hostility in that gaze and Zamu pulled her into the tent.

She saw the prince doing one handed push ups, ignoring them completely. She was surprised at the difference between this brother and Tuli. While Tuli was playful and nice with an air of dignity and calmness, this one radiated an air of tense coldness and the smell of sweat, metal and new leather clung to him like perfume. Resi found herself screwing up her nose. He stood up, a slight sheen of sweat upon his leanly muscled body which was as hard, dark and fierce as his eyes. He stood taller than Zamu which was a thorough surprise to Resi. She had not seen a man taller than her brother.

"Speak." He said, mopping sweat from his forehead. She saw Zamu tighten his jaw in irritation at being spoken to with condescension but he quickly hid it. She knew that he was undergoing great strain to control his temper and in that moment, she pitied him.

"I have come to apologise for my behavior, darkness." He said and Idem chuckled then sat on a chair, a small smile on his face.

"Tell me...." He turned to look at Zamu, an eyebrow raised.

"Zamu, darkness." He said in a tight, strained voice. Idem nodded.

"Tell me, Zamu. Did you come of your own will or did my brother send you?" He asked and Zamu gritted his teeth and clenched his fist.

"My prince Tuli sent me sir but that does not mean that I am not sincere in my apology." He said.

"Are you, now? Idem asked and poured himself a cup of wine.

"Tell me, honestly. Do you really feel remorseful for your impudence or are you just under pressure to apologise and make me look good?" He asked and Zamu tensed, anger bleeding into his voice.

"No, darkness. I do not think that I was wrong and I absolutely do not think you deserve an apology." He said and Resi tensed, her eyes darting from Resi to Idem who smiled and drank from his cup again.

"You see? Then do not insult me with a fake apology. The same way I will not insult you by apologising for the death of your mother, the blame of which, isn't mine. Further, I am of the opinion that apologising to a commoner is beneath me." He said and Zamu snarled. Idem's face turned hard and he stood.

"If that is all, please get out of my tent." He said in a voice hard as iron and cold as ice. Zamu stood still for a fraction of a second longer than necessary and Resi tensed before Zamu finally turned away and she relaxed. Anger finally caught up to her and she turned back to say something to Idem but he was faster than her.

"You probably want to say something profound that will make me think about my ways and in the end transform me and make me nicer. I would advise you to save your saliva and leave. Be a good girl now." He said and her mouth hung open for awhile before she turned an left, rage sitting heavily in her chest. She came outside to meet the sly smile of the light skinned man and his leery gaze infuriated her even more. She was passing him when she felt a rough hand grab her buttocks and squeeze sharply.

Zamu had not seen it and she turned to hit the man, bursting into a scream of fury but he caught her hand, a smile on his face. Zamu did not know what happened and he just stared at them in confused anger when they hard a calm voice that pierced through the noise.

"What is happening here?" She heard Idem ask and the man turned but she beat him to it.

"You should have more control over these animals that guard you. If he touches my butt again, I swear upon everything that is good and clean that I'll kill him." She yelled. She saw Idem's face tighten and his orange eyes blazed in anger as he walked to them.

"Iken" he said in a calm, dangerous voice. "Please, give me your hand." He said and the man froze a while before he extended his hand. Without looking, Idem gripped his wrist and cracked a punch into his elbow, breaking the bone and it tore the skin, jutting out. The man screamed and fell to the floor then began whimpering in pain. Idem turned to look at Resi, his eyes flat and dead. She stepped back involuntarily at the frightening coldness in those eyes. She felt Zamu's grip on her shoulder, guiding her away from Idem who, at the last moment, nodded as if he understood a puzzle before turning back into his tent.

Resi returned to her tent while Zamu went to report to Tuli and she suddenly felt small, weak, afraid. She felt a revulsion build in her and she hated her powerlessness. She hated that she was seen as a target and would only need other men to protect her. She hated that she was poor and was at the mercy of soldiers and princes. She began to feel trapped in her tent and she walked out, storming to Tuli's tent. The guards let her through without much fuss and she came in unlocking her anger.

"I want to learn now. Learn now!" She screamed and Tuli furrowed his brows and walked past Zamu to hold her shoulders as she broke into sobs.

"Now, now, little Dove. Do not fret. What do you want to learn?" He asked and she looked up to see a tender softness and affection in his eyes and she broke then and began crying. She saw Zamu wince and Tuli pulled her into himself. He smelled of scented oils and oranges and she felt her sobs rack through her as all of the her fear and pain broke through the dams she had unconsciously built. He held her, stroking her hair, lending her courage.

When she was done, he held her away from him and spoke.

"Do you want to return to my fortress?" He asked and she shook her head.

"I want to learn to fight. I want to begin my training." She said and Tuli nodded.

"Ah, I'd have wanted you to return to my fortress. The battlefield is no place for a little dove. Might as well toughen you up. Go now and rest. I will speak to Obomo about your training. I will send word to you. Oh, no more of that crying, yes?" He said and smiled at her. She suddenly felt warmth blossom in her and she smiled wearily. He nodded at that and she walked out into the cold night and just like that, she didn't feel powerless anymore.