THE MONARCH

CHAPTER SEVEN

Yuram returned shortly after with roasted on a stick. Makiya’s eyes widened, her mouth watered as she eyed the meat in his hand. It felt like years since she’d eaten anything besides dried millet.

“How did you come by this?” she asked still eyeing the roasted meat. Her senses swam as the aroma filled her nose.
“Luck. The storm pushed a swarm of insects this way. Small lizards and birds come here to eat and we hunt them” he answered with a slight chuckle.

Strange, how life is. A storm that nearly killed us all, yet it is because of the same storm that we now have decent meals. Perhaps naught can be truly bad, she pondered.

She took the meal from his extended hand and took a bite. Surely, she’d had meals that tasted far better but, the piece on her tongue tasted divine and she could not help but take bite after bite until she was chewing bones. When she finished, Yuram gave her some more water to drink. Makiya turned to face him.

“Tell me, how many of us survived?” she asked.

“Very few, mâiràm.” He answered, his face fell as he thought of their dead. The old had refused to come along. They knew their time had come and had chosen to take their chances with the storm. Five people had collapsed and died, two of whom were mere children. Another three had been too slow to reach the cave and had been lost when the storm hit. Now there were only twelve of them left including Makiya and himself.

Makiya felt tears gather in her eyes. Funny, I’d thought I could not cry any longer. She blinked a few times to clear her eyes. There’d been enough crying, action needed to be taken. Yuram’s  report only helped re-enforce the decision she’d made. She would not allow anyone else to die.

“Many have died, Yuram. I’m sick of it.” She spoke after a while. “All this pain, this loss… I can’t endure it any longer.”

“It is no fault of yours mâiràm. You mustn’t…”

“It is!” she yelled cutting him off. “People have died because I allowed them to. I’ve been so consumed by my hate, my grief that I was blind to their suffering.” Her eyes watered and this time she allowed the tears to fall. She bit her lips to stop them from trembling.

“From the beginning, Yuram, we should not have gone through the desert. We should have looked to fezan for shelter. But i wanted vengeance, i still do. I fear i always will.” She turned away from him. Her tears fell onto the sand at her feet. “It was my responsibility to see to their safety and I failed.” She cried.

"Even now, a part of me wishes to leave honour behind. My heart yearns for blood."

Makiya squeezed her eyes shut. She forced the tears back. No more crying, no more weakness, she thought. She took a shaky breath to calm herself. Yuram remained silent beside her. Finally, she turned back to him.

“They have suffered enough, not anymore. I must do something.” She stated.

"What do you intend to do, mairàm?" yuram asked. He felt worry gnaw at his stomach. Was she falling back into her grief? He did not want her making any rash decisions.

“What I should have done from the beginning, i must give them a fighting chance.” The vague answer she gave him had him worrying even more but, she would say no more on the matter. Makiya had turned away already.

Her muscles protested, sending a wave of pain over her as she tried to stand. After a few tries she succeeded in pulling herself up. She straightened slowly and stretched her back then her arms. Her legs wobbled slightly when she took a step but she did not fall.

“Gather as much food as you can, we must prepare to leave.” She called out over her shoulder. Yuram watched her for a while before standing. He walked out without saying a word.