Pharaoh of Fire

by Chadwick Duncan

  “Ladies and gentlemen! Boys and girls! The fourth ever Ukulwa is set to begin!”

  He continued, “Over here by to my right, we have Yannick Angola, heir to the Angola clan.” Yannick emerged from his tent. He donned a long yellow tunic and two scimitars.

  “To my left, we have Habib Nguvu, heir to the Nguvu clan.” Habib emerged from his tent. He donned a long black tunic with a single broadsword.

  “Last but not least, behind me we have Chukwuk-”

  To their surprise however, Nairobi emerged from the Mali tent. Sporting a long lavender tunic and a single longsword, “What is the meaning of this!? Assani!?” Mansa Hatim exclaimed.

  Lord Assani began laughing as he replied, “The boy is fighting for the Mali.”

  Lord Commander Rashid replied, “He cannot fight for you! He is an Nguvu first and foremost, but also a criminal!”

  Assani cunningly began, “Read the code of the Ukulwa again. There is no rule limiting the entry of a criminal. If the head of the clan wants a criminal to rule then that is what shall happen, presuming they win of course.”

  He continued, “As for his name, he denounced it. He has, instead, picked up his Mother’s name. You shall now refer to him only as Nairobi Mali.”

  Both Rashid and Hatim appeared as if they have seen an apparition. Lord Mateus remained silent and smoked his pipe. Habib began, “Nairobi!? What are you doing here!?”

  Nairobi ignored his question and replied with disdain. “I cannot believe they would choose you over me to rule, you are an insect compared to me.”

  “I-I was only doing what’s best for our clan! No one knew where you were. Besides, you were wanted for murder. How could we bring ourselves to do such a thing!” remorsefully Habib replied.

  “No matter, I shall prove to everyone why I am the best warrior not only in the Empire, but the entire Namib!”

  “Oh, so the whole family is here? Perfect, I will kill you both right here then!” Yannick stated as he twirled his swords.

  “Is-is this okay your Excellency!?” the host screamed towards the Mansa. Hatim gestured to him to carry on.

  “Very well then. In front of me we have, Nairobi…Mali,” he stated awkwardly.

  “Anything goes. Only the last man breathing will take the throne. Ready…Begin!”

  Yannick was the first to move, he charged Nairobi. Nairobi began to race towards Habib but changed his plan of actions seeing Yannick’s intentions. Yannick swung both his swords at Nairobi in a fascinating display, to his annoyance ,however, Nairobi was able to parry each and every swing. Yannick attempted to take Nairobi’s head with his right blade, which Nairobi ducked and countered, thrusting his sword towards Yannick’s torso. Yannick was able to block the stab with his left blade and retreated from his near death experience. Nairobi then swiveled and raced towards Habib, whom was still standing by his tent, frozen.

  Habib gathered himself and saw the incoming Nairobi. He charged towards him as well and both clashed their blades against each other. Blow after blow they matched each other’s attacks. Yannick regained composure and raced towards them, officially starting the three way encounter. With a swing of this blade at Habib, Nairobi caught a glimpse of the incoming Yannick behind him from the reflection on his sword. Nairobi ducked and spun around slashing his blades at Yannick. Nairobi’s duck evaded Habib’s swing at his neck, however, Yannick blocked his attack. Yannick then countered by swinging his right sword at Nairobi. Nairobi quickly rolled to his left to avoid the attack. Habib then swung his blade at Yannick, whom again parried with his left blade and slashed at him with his right. Yannick’s blade caught Habib on his chest. It began to bleed but he knew it was not a fatal injury and countered.

  Yannick deflected each of Habib’s attempts at his life, suddenly, Nairobi swung at the unsuspecting Habib. His blade had cut deep in his right abdomen. Habib faltered to his knee, Yannick saw this as an opportunity to finish him off but Nairobi then swung at him. Yannick blocked with his left blade and countered with the right, but Nairobi dodged the swing. As Habib tried to recover, Nairobi charged Yannick once more. He swung his blade at Yannick, causing Yannick to begin raising his left blade in preparation to deflect the attack. Nairobi observed this and altered his swing ever so slightly midair, and the blade swung down and caught Yannick on his chest down to his stomach, ripping his shirt and exposing his torso. Blood stained Yannick’s robes, making them seem more blood orange than yellow. Frenzied, he began swinging relentlessly at Nairobi. A few swings were parried but not all; Yannick caught Nairobi across his left eye. Nairobi stumbled in pain and anguish. Yannick rushed to finish the deed, but Habib charged towards him.

  Habib unleashed a barrage of strikes at Yannick, whom easily blocked the weakened Habib’s attack. Yannick then repelled one of Habib’s strikes with his left blade and drove his right blade through Habib’s stomach. Yannick then pushed Habib off his sword with his right foot. Habib fell to the ground and Yannick prepped himself to finish him off, but suddenly, Nairobi drove his blade through his back. Yannick dropped both his blades, and Nairobi pushed him off his blade. Nairobi stood over the bleeding Habib whom was holding his stomach and gasping for air.

  “Seems…you win. I…was never able…to beat you,” Habib smiled as blood filled his mouth.

  “This is not personal,” Nairobi replied emotionlessly.

  Dark grey clouds rolled in beyond the horizon, as if a cotton blanket was placed over them. Roars of thunder immersed the land. Rain began to fall. Lightning flashed and brought instant light to the gloomy atmosphere. The water carpeted the land, and placed life instantly within the soil. The water began pouring on Nairobi’s head as he stood over Habib. Habib stared into the sky as the rain hit his face.

  “Ahhh…the rains are finally here again…at least I…saw my twenty-sixth one…”

  “Yeah, I cannot believe it is already been a year. Where has the time gone Habib?” Nairobi asked.

  “I…do not…know...but mine is…finally out.”

  Nairobi clasped his sword with both hands, and rose it high above his head. Lighting began to flash throughout the sky and the winds sped up. He uttered, “Please, forgive me.”

  Nairobi plunged his blade through Habib’s heart. The entire arena fell deathly quiet. Nairobi pulled the blade from his chest and sluggishly proceeded to the Mali tent. He threw his sword in a nearby bed of violets as he entered the tent.

  “Yes! Yes! Perfect!” Assani screamed. The other Lords and Mansa were grimly quiet.

  “No!” Rashid released a heart stopping scream.

  Assani continued, “It seems the Sun god is a just god, do you not agree your Excelle- oh wait. I mean, Hatim?”

  Hatim, stone-faced, responded, “Whatever you are planning, you will be stopped.”

  “You need not worry about me Hatim, be more concerned about you and your clan. The age of the Apes is no more. Now, as always, the Sun commands the land,” Assani proceeded to exit the balcony.

  Mateus uttered under his breath, “Yannick, you stupid boy...”

  He turned to Hatim and Rashid and continued, “I wish you two the best of luck.” He proceeded to smoke his pipe and exit the balcony.

  Rashid hung his head over the balcony and began to bawl, his tears indiscernible from the rain running over his face. Hatim walked over and pulled him in, “my brother, I am sorry.”

  “What now Hatim?” Lord Rashid spoke, his tears filled his mouth and snot clogged his nose.

  “Tend to your son. Return him to our home, Alharamu, for a proper burial,” as the two men pondered their options, the news finally got to former Princess Nairomi.

  “What did you just say!?” Nairomi screamed at a Hashish as he stood by her door.

  “You heard correctly, Habib and Yannick lost their lives. The unexpected victor was Nairobi, Nairobi Mali. I-I am sorry for what happened,” he held his head down and stood quietly.

  Nairomi began to cry and laugh hysterically. Her laugh made her maidens uneasy, they l
ooked at each other and attempted to make sense of the situation. The Hashish excused himself from the room as he too was uneasy.

  Awesi began, “Princess, are you okay?”

  Nairomi smiled, with tears still running down her face, as she replied, “I am no princess anymore. I no longer have a brother. And I lost the man I loved.”

  Baaba responded, “No! That is not entirely true. Nairobi is still your brother. All he did was take up your mother’s name instead!”

  “No…I lost Nairobi as my brother the second our mother passed away. The Palace was never the same without her, and neither was he.”

  She continued, “I hoped, maybe one day, if he finally received the throne I would regain that boy who was full of life and joy. I can see it was a naïve dream, Nairobi had crossed the line of no return and I was too oblivious to see that.”

  Naki chimed in, “Well, we are only loyal to you lady Nairomi. If your brother dares to kick you out of this Palace we will give him a stern piece of our minds!” The maidens uniformly nodded.

  Nairomi wiped her tears and replied, “Thank you.”

  The spectators from the Ukulwa struggled with whether they should cheer the champion, or boo the murderer. They muttered amongst themselves, attempting to understand the gravity of the situation. This was unseen in the Empire, the citizens were lost for words. Haroun sat quietly, he had concluded his analysis of Nairobi.

  “So that is Nairobi. He is a skilled swordsman that is for certain. Well, I will need to have a word with him,” he thought to himself.

  He exited the stands and walked towards the market district. The thunder was roaring and the streets were overflowing with water. As he trudged through the mud, Ojo walked out of a building to his right and Ymir from the building to his left.

  “Have you two gathered anything?” he asked.

  Ojo held Mojo within his shirt to shield him from the rain, “Nairobi is a skilled one. Me and Mojo should be able to take him though.”

  Ymir wore a hood over his head for cover, “It seems his reputation upholds. It’s a pity he lost his left eye, he was so beautiful. What a shame.”

  “That’s beside the point you freak! We are here to find Ida, not quell your sodomy!” Ojo howled.

  “Oh shut up, you’re just mad I have my eyes on a new man now.”

  Ojo gritted his face, “You make me sick.”

  Haroun joined, “Silence, you two!” he grabbed them both by the back of the neck. His robust grip immediately quieted them.

  He continued, “Now then, we shall proceed to the Palace to ‘talk’ to the new Mansa once the rain subsides. It would be real sloppy of us to track mud around the Palace. Besides, this water is an annoyance.” Haroun looked at the palms of his hands and saw they were steaming.

  Ymir began, “So what do we do ‘til then?”

  Ojo added, “There should be a tavern or something around here. We can get a drink and a nice plate of freshly made jollof rice if we’re lucky.”

  Haroun answered, “Well let’s get to moving then. The rains take a few days to pass so let us rest up and plan our course of action.”

  As The Creed searched for somewhere for lodging and a meal, Nairobi finally entered Selah Palace to claim his spoils. He wore a bandage on his left eye, due to Yannick’s strike from the Ukulwa. He lost an eye but he gained the throne, and intended on beginning his reign immediately.

  “Father! Father! Where are you!?” Nairobi screamed as he entered the throne room. It was quiet, only the sounds of the thunder and rain berating the Palace were audible.

  A door opened to the left of the throne room, “Nairobi, what do you want?” Hatim said distastefully.

  “Do you not wish to congratulate your son? I have finally ascended to the throne. Gather the men and let us begin our celebration now!”

  “You killed an innocent man. And now you’ve killed Habib. He was family!” Hatim’s voice engulfed the room.

  “Woah, mind your tone now old man. I am the Mansa now. I will kill again if I need to!” Nairobi grinned as he glared menacingly at Hatim.

  Hatim swallowed his tongue. The door to the right of the throne room opened, it was Nairomi, “I knew I heard your voices. Nairobi, how could you?” Nairomi began to whimper.

  “How could I? How could I!? No, no how could he pass over his own flesh and blood and choose Habib to represent us!?” Nairobi pointed at Hatim.

  He continued, “All I ever wanted was your acceptance. You never once smiled at me, never once congratulated me, and never once celebrated my birth! I understand my birth may have caused mother some complications, but how could you be so cold Father!? I am your son!”

  Hatim took a deep breath and spoke, “I tried to love you. I really did. But every time I gazed on your face it brought me nothing but sorrow and reminded me how powerless I was.”

  “But why!?” Nairobi’s sorrowful pleas echoed throughout the room.

  Before Hatim could open his mouth, the entrance door to the throne room opened behind Nairobi. It was Lord Assani and his son, Chukwuku, “It seems we are not late to the coronation!” Assani had a smile as wide as his face, his teeth glistened from the lightning.

  “What are you doing here?” Hatim asked.

  “I am here to see my nephew sit upon the throne! Now cease all this talking and let the celebration begin!”

  Nairobi shook his head in agreement, “Yeah, we can discuss this later. I want my throne now.”

  “Very well then, we shall begin the crowning immediately.”

  Hatim clapped and several Hashish entered the room. Nairobi briskly walked passed Hatim to sit upon the throne. The Hashish bearing the crown walked behind the throne and held the crown over his head. The remaining Hashish formed two lines, with Hatim standing in the middle facing Nairobi.

  “Well go on with it! We do not have all day!” Lord Assani barked, his teeth still taking up the lower half of his face.

  Hatim, ignoring the remark, began, “Do you, Nairobi Ngu- Nairobi Mali, solemnly swear to govern over the Gibraltari Empire with a just and righteous mind?”

  “Yes.”

  “To uphold the values of all our people, differing beliefs and customs?”

  “Yes.”

  “And to show absolute submission to our Father up above?”

  “Yes.”

  Hatim gestured to the Hashish to lower the crown, “You, Nairobi Mali, shall be known here forth as Mansa Nairobi Mali, Emperor of the Gibraltari Empire, the one true King of Namib. May the Sun god bless you, may the Rain god bless you, and may your reign bring nothing but prosperity to our people.”

  Nairobi grimaced as he spoke, “It is about time. I see I had to pry the throne from your selfish and decrepit hands myself old man.”

  “Nairobi! Do not speak to Father that way!” Nairomi screamed.

  “Oh shut it! I am tired of you and him. Hashish, escort my sister back to her room. As for the old man, escort him to the front door.”

  “Wait! Allow me to at least grab a few books and scrolls from my studies!” Hatim pleaded. His face was that of a defeated man, eyes dull and lips dry.

  Mansa Nairobi paused, then he replied, “You mean the scrolls I nearly died for to give to you? The scrolls I spent months combing through the hot sand and scorpions to find? For you only to slap me in my face and threaten my life?” he began to laugh. The crown nearly fell off his head how vigorous his laughter was.

  He continued, “You humor me. I’d order the Hashish to strike you down right now if only Nairomi was not here. I will tell you this once, get out my Palace. If I ever see you again that shall be your last day.”

  Assani giddily began, “You heard the boy Hatim. Get out. It is due time for reparations to be paid, and it seems like all the bills are coming due at once old friend.”

  A Hashish stepped forth to escort Nairomi, but another quickly reacted and beat him to her. She tossed and turned, kicked and screamed but to no avail. They finally were able to exit the room with her, shutti
ng the door behind them.

  “So, tell me Hatim. Was my sister some object to you? You thought you all could just use her, let her die, not adhere to our previous agreements and not suffer a consequence?”

  Hatim could not find words to speak, his lips quivering as he replied, “Her death was unfortunate. I wish the doctors could have sav-”

  “I am not here about that! I am here about how you just let you Aslam take my sister, do Lord knows what to her, and give her back to you as garbage. No heads rolled for this!? You let the man live that defiled my sister!”

  “I-I searched tirelessly for her, I swear to you Assani. I had men surveying everywhere for him. But he escaped.”

  “Yeah, that is what you tell everyone. Commanding such a massive force, you should have killed him effortlessly! And people do not just disappear! He should have been located by now! Nevertheless, because of your lackluster attempts my sister is dead. Dead!”

  Assani continued, “You Nguvu make me sick. You prance around in your massive numbers, As if the gods made the earth for you and you alone. You all are so self-serving and do not like to be held accountable for your mistakes.”

  Assani continued berating Hatim with his voice, “Like the mass genocide of the Nebuvian people! Your ancestors destroyed a whole race over differing beliefs and false pretenses! You may have every other clan fooled about the reason of the war, but I know the truth. I know a lot about your Clan’s dark history which you would not want the others to know, like your Clan’s relationship with the Nebuvians in the past.” Assani stared at Hatim with a sinister smile.