Pharaoh of Fire (Land of Fire Book 1)

by Chadwick Duncan

  “Anyone else dare attack me!” Nairobi yelled. The villagers stood there in fear.

  The Chief walked forward from them to speak, “you killed my only son, the best of our warriors. The future of our people…why?” Chief Obafemi said as he sobbed.

  “He was your strongest? I respect his strength. But that dirty little trick he pulled on me, the Prince, will not go unpunished. As for the man whose arm I took, he should not have charged. I will let him live, however, since he did not touch me.” The Chief fell to his knees crying, a few villagers rushed to him to comfort him, others gave Nairobi a dirty gaze.

  “If anyone else wish’s to lose their lives then please step forward,” no one moved a muscle. “I thought so. Now fetch our clothes, we will be on our way,” Nairobi and his men changed out the villagers clothes back into their own. They mounted their horses and rode off into the night time, continuing towards Elba.

  “Do not you think you were a little harsh on those people Young Lord?” Emre asked Nairobi as they rode.

  “No. Fear is power. I intend on making my power absolute. I cannot let someone do something like that to me and live to tell the tale,” Emre remained quiet as they rode across the woodlands.

  Chapter 4: Where Screams are Silent

  Ida awoke from her slumber. She felt the earth lightly shaking and a faint rumbling. As she readied to rub her eyes and gathered her bearings, she felt her right hand was attached to her left. In shock, Ida frantically opened her eyes and realized she was in an iron cage, with both her arms and feet tied together by rope. She attempted to break free from the ropes with brute force but to no avail. She then saw that the metal cage was on a wooden wagon, being hauled by two camels with a man steering. The man heard the cage rumbling and spun around.

  “Ahhh you are awake! How did you sleep?” he asked. Ida could not see his face, however, his head was fully wrapped.

  “Who are you!? What is the meaning of this!?” Ida yelled frantically.

  “A pretty lady as yourself should not just be laying around unprotected. Men might get ideas.”

  “That doesn’t answer my question. Now answer before I rip your throat out!” Ida snarled.

  “You must not understand your situation, you are in no position to make threats.”

  “Okay fine, you are right. So can you please tell me what is going on, pretty please?” Ida asked endearingly.

  “That’s more like it. My name is Basem, I am taking you to Zwela.”

  Ida asked ghastly, “Zwela? The slave city Zwela?”

  “Yes my fair lady. So you’ve heard of it?”

  “Yes, I’ve heard the name while growing up in Istapor. Ships came to our harbor to receive men and sail back down the Green Sea to the South and sell them. Zwela is the slave trade capital.”

  “Oh, so you are from the North?” he asked.

  “No, Istapor is within the Moto desert, the Gibraltari Empire is the North. We are not a part of the Empire.”

  “Well where I am from, everywhere north of Zwela is the North.”

  “Well, where are you from, if I might ask?” Ida inquired.

  “I have no homeland to claim, but I reside in the South. That is all you need to know.”

  Ida leaped up and started moving erratically, “Dammit! Where is my bag?” Ida asked while she looked around the cage and wagon.

  “Oh that? I have it up here with me. You have some sharp knives. Also, this weird dusty scroll, what is it for? I can’t even read it.”

  “It’s written in an old language, I do not know what it says either.”

  “Where did you find it?”

  “The Lost Pyramid of Nebu,” Ida replied with a smirk.

  “What? That’s a lie. That Pyramid has been lost for centuries.”

  “Believe me or not, I found it at that Pyramid. It’s a genuine relic. Selling that to the right person might fetch you a price far higher than for me.”

  The man remained quiet and then replied, “I see what you are doing here but I sell people, not relics.”

  “Have it your way…ask some of your comrades when you get to the city, someone there must recognize the writings and vouch its authenticity. So if you won’t listen to me, hang unto it and listen to someone else,” Ida replied charismatically.

  “Hmmm, well if you are true, why will you just allow me to sell it?” he replied.

  “It will be no use to me as a slave, do with it as you please.”

  “What is your game? No one is ever this genuine,” the man replied with some skepticism.

  “No game, just thinking practically,” Ida smiled.

  “Thank you…I suppose.”

  Ida and Basem continued on their path towards Zwela. They rode nearly nonstop as the heat hammered them. Basem would give Ida just enough water to keep her conscious and alive, reserving most of it for himself. After days of being in that accursed cage with Basem being her only source of conversation, she began to see other riders. These wagons also carried cages filled with people within them. Ida saw that these captured men, women and children had all hope missing from their eyes. Their faces were morbid and bleak. The wagons all seemed to converge on a singular location. As she tried to look beyond Basem, she saw a large city. They have finally arrived to their destination.

  As they approached the city, Ida was greeted with some of the most repugnant scents she had ever experienced. She saw vultures circling the city and heard the screams of the unfortunate. As they rode through the entrance, she saw more individuals in cages stacked across the yard. They all varied in age, race, size and sex. Men had flies landing on their open wounds, women looked in such dreadful condition that if they were to sneeze it would be there last, and children just laid in their cages silent, with tears and snot dried on their faces. She saw a few men shovel and toss corpses unto a bloodied wagon, which would then take the bodies through another door which led into a dark room.

  “This horrid smell must be coming from these corpses, disgusting!” Ida stated as she coughed at the stench.

  “We finally got these kids to stop crying. The screams were unbearable. Toss a few in the leopard’s pit and boom! Instant silence”

  Ida swallowed her tongue, she felt her heart skip a beat and she felt cold sweats hearing that news, “that’s terrible.”

  “Yes, yes it is. You better make yourself appealing or you’ll suffer the same fate,” Basem replied. “But just be a good girl and shut up and smile and everything will be okay,” he said cynically.

  “Are you going to make me a good girl?” Ida endeared provocatively.

  The man stammered for a moment, “do not tempt me woman, if I really wanted to I could’ve raped you when I found you. Now shut up so I can do my job.”

  “So why didn’t you?”

  “Because I am not a rapist.”

  “But you feed children to beasts and abduct women to sell them as slaves. So chivalrous,” she replied. Basem remained silent, “so where are you taking me now?”

  “I am bringing you to the town square. That is where the auctioning takes places.”

  “Delightful! I finally get to meet my tormentors,” Ida said mockingly.

  “You have some attitude, these men will like that.”

  “You think they’ll like me enough to set me free?” she asked excitedly.

  “Let us not get carried away now.”

  “Ehhh, it’s worth an attempt.”

  They arrived at the town square. Other wagons began unloading their cages onto the central stage. The stage was concrete, within a small wooden stadium. Basem stopped his camel at the entrance of the stadium, unlocked Ida’s cage, and pulled her out. He picked her up as if she was his infant and carried her inside.

  “You gently carry me as if I’m your woman,” Ida stated, but she still could not see his face since it was wrapped.

  “I have a woman--well I had one. I do not need another,” he replied.

  “Had? What happened to her?”

  “You need t
o be worrying about yourself right now, not me.”

  Ida looked away from him upsettingly. While the crowd roared in the stadium around them, Basem walked past a few other men with their slaves and placed her down on the stage. He stood by her as she was restrained. Ida saw that all the captors stood side by side with their slaves tied up at their feet. She looked around and saw other men on the ground tied up with their respective captors around them. A plump dark skinned man with his head wrapped in a scarf walked upon the stage and began to speak. Sweat beaded down his face as the sun pounded his head. He wiped his face and began.

  “Silence!” he yelled towards the crowd.

  “Let the auctions…begin!” he continued.

  He grabbed a young boy at the end of the stage to her left, “this is Tayo, a young abled bodied boy! You will get many, many rains out of him! He has seen eleven rains, nearly twelve with the impending one.”

  “The betting starts at one hundred shillings!” he continued. Men began raising their arms up and down with the increasing price of the slave.

  “Sold! 575 shillings!” the captor of Tayo then grabbed him and pulled him out of the stadium. The auctioneer then walked towards the next person.

  “Next we have Abebe, a man who’s seen forty rains. Old but his experience could serve you well! We will start the bidding at 50 shillings!”

  People were reluctant to bid on the old man, only a few raised their hands. The bidding ended quickly and awkwardly, “sold, 75 shillings. Worthless man,” the auctioneer scoffed.

  He then walked towards Ida, “Ahhh a real beauty? What is your name, and how many rainy seasons have you seen?” the auctioneer asked.

  “I have no name, and I have never seen the rains,” Ida replied.

  “So you have backbone? Save that for the man who buys you, you’ll need it,” he smiled.

  Ida stared at the man, then spat on his feet. The auctioneer was bewildered and leaped back in disgust. He stared back at Ida in vex. Ida began to laugh as his mind fathomed what took place. Basem stood silent and motionless as this chain of events took place. The auctioneer took a breath and marched towards her. He swung his right arm to strike Ida on the face but then Basem promptly intercepted his hand.

  “I will not have you damage my merchandise,” Basem replied sternly.

  “Well someone has to be punished!” he yelled.

  “I will take the hit,” Basem said reluctantly.

  The auctioneer struck Basem, so hard his head wrap flew off. It was a young man, possibly as young as Ida, he was brown with long black hair tied in a topknot. Ida was astonished when she saw his face, the right half of it was defamed with a horrid scar. The scar spanned from his hairline down to his upper lip. It was so terrible, that his right eyelid was melted shut.

  “Woman! Now what is your name and how many rains have you seen!?” the auctioneer repeated furiously.

  Ida looked at Basem’s face as she replied, “Ida Yetim, I have seen twenty-four rains.”

  “A Yetim? You’d be surprised to hear we do not get many of you here,” the auctioneer replied. He turned to the stands and yelled, “Ida Yetim, twenty-four rains! Perfect age to bare children and a beauty that any man would love as an additional wife! Betting starts at 500 shillings!”

  The stadium was electric. Men frantically raised their hands, some knowing they were betting beyond their limit. Men started screaming that he should lower the price, others told them to be quiet or pay up. After an intense round, a decision came to pass.

  “Sold! 1100 shillings! That is an auction record for this exotic beauty. Enjoy my friend!” Basem then picked Ida up and carried her off the stage out the stadium.

  “What-what happened to your face?” Ida asked Basem as he carried her.

  He took a deep breath and began, “what did I tell you? Stop worrying about me and worry about yourself.”

  “Why did you take that hit for me? I am positive you would’ve still gotten a great price for me even if I was ‘damaged.’”

  “It was solely for business, nothing else and nothing more. I need all the coin I can get.”

  “Why?”

  “I told you, stop asking questions.”

  “What will you do with my scroll?”

  “Your what? Oh your scroll! I forgot about that thing. I do not know, maybe use it to wipe my ass.”

  “It’s worth a good amount of coin you fool, stop being stubborn and sell it. Sell it to my new owner and you will get the coin you so desperately desire.”

  “What if I do not sell it?”

  “You would be a moron. Don’t be a moron,” Ida stated monotonously.

  “I will sell that stupid scroll then! Maybe that will get you to shut up.”

  “You are welcome,” Ida replied arrogantly.

  The man then circled back to his wagon to grab Ida’s scroll. He placed Ida down on the ground as he rummaged through her belongings for the scroll. After a few short moments, he found it. He placed the scroll in his robes then proceeded to pick Ida back up. They started off towards her new owner.

  “So this is my beautiful gift?” Ida’s owner stated. He was a middle-aged man of dark complexion. He wore lime green garments with gold embroidery.

  “Yes, yes I am indeed. Can I ask what your name might be?” Ida replied as Basem placed her on the ground.

  “Sultan Khalil Abdul. Sultan of Rwani. You might have heard of my accomplishments before” he said boastfully.

  “Sorry, I have never heard of you a day in my life,” Ida replied, with confusion written all over her face. The man’s face looked as if his entire pride has been shattered.

  “Where are you from girl?” Sultan Khalil asked concernedly.

  “I was born and raised in Istapor, spent most my life there.”

  “Ahhh I see, you are a Northerner. Makes sense why you have never heard of me.”

  “I am not a Northerner, Istapor sits on the western seaboard of the Moto desert!”

  “Anywhere north of this city is the North. Although not as harsh as the Moto, south Namib is mostly dry savannas. All the water the rains bring is gone within a few days. Where I am from, water is more valuable than gold. ”

  Ida ignored Khalil and gestured for Basem to sell him the scroll, “Sultan Khalil, your Highness, I think you would like this as well?” Basem stated as he handed him the scroll.

  The Sultan had one of his men grab the scroll and attempt to read it to him but was unable to. Annoyed, he grabbed the parchment, “give me that scroll, I shall read it myself!” he ordered.

  He attempted to read the scroll but was unable to as well, “what is this rubbish? It is indiscernible!”

  “It is Nebuvian your Highness, an ancient relic,” Basem replied.

  “Nebuvian? Their work have been lost for over a hundred years.”

  “Believe me or not but it is true. Ask any one of your scholars when you get back to your Palace to take a look at it.”

  “How do I know this is not a trick? You could be selling me garbage, sending me home to find out, and you shall be long gone! I will not even have the chance to exact revenge.”

  Basem then looked away from the Sultan and towards Ida, “You are right my lord, there is nothing more I can say to convince you to buy this. But if you trust me, you will have in your possession a piece of history. A major piece of history,” Basem persisted.

  The Sultan stood for a moment and considered Basem’s proposition, “I do not like taking risks with my fortune. Sell that scroll to someone else and leave my presence,” the Sultan proclaimed, then ordered his men to grab Ida.

  “What? Wait! Buy the scroll you damn fool!” Ida yelled as the Sultan walked off with his men carrying her.

  The Sultan ignored Ida’s yells. She attempted to wiggle from the grasp of the man who held her. Ida barked at the Sultan and begged for him to reconsider, but he was not having any of it. His mind was made up and he began to board his carriage. Realizing her cries fell on deaf ears, she turned her head and
looked towards Basem, who watched her get taken away.

  “Hold that for me! Don’t you dare lose it! I will kick you in the balls if you do!” Ida screamed at Basem.

  Basem remained quiet and placed the scroll back in his robes. He turned around and walked towards his wagon. Sultan Khalil’s men then placed the tied up Ida in another cage in an even bigger wagon and covered it with a tarp. The cage was shrouded in darkness with a few shimmers of light from slight tears in the cloth. She was not alone in this cage however, instead she was accompanied by many other slaves. Two men caught her eyes however. She recognized the first one, it was Tayo. Tayo stared back at her, then looked towards the cage floor. As the other slaves chattered in the background, she spoke.

  “Hey you, your name is Tayo? Correct?” she asked.

  He gazed upon her once more, shyly he answered, “Yes, yes that is my name.”

  “Where are you from?” Ida asked him.

  “A small village in south Namib called Cairo. It is at the western seaboard, right below the Moto desert.”

  “How did you end up here?”

  “My village is poor and weak, so we are at the whim of the opposing villages. My parents could not afford to pay taxes so they sold me instead to keep possession of their farm,” he said as he pouted.

  “Sold you!? They are despicable,” Ida replied upsettingly.

  “It is okay, I suggested they sell me. The money from the farm would allow them to take care of my younger sister. That is really who I made this decision for,” Tayo replied.

  “You sacrificed yourself. That is admirable. You must truly love your sister,” she replied

  “More than life itself. She means the world to me, I could never forgive myself if she suffered when I could have changed that,” he said seriously.

  “I promise you, I will reunite you with your sister,” Ida said as she smiled.