Assani paused for a moment, then he replied, “I see his message was not clear enough to you then, should I spell it out for you?”
Nairobi, with confusion upon his face, responded, “What do you mean?”
“I mean, who do you think sent those assassins? They do not hire themselves, do they?” Assani shrugged.
Nairobi jumped out of his seat, “You expect me to believe my uncle sent those assassins after me!? That is preposterous! Besides, they were searching for a woman from my expedition.”
“And was there a woman apart of your expedition?” Assani asked with a smug look upon his face.
Nairobi, doubting himself began, “Well no, but there was a man who attacked us and ran away, they said that must have been the woman they are searching for.”
“So you are telling me that a woman escaped your sword? Now that seems preposterous! You really want to tell me that the Great Nairobi was bested by a woman?”
“No! Men can hardly hold a candle to my skill, a woman would be child’s play!” Nairobi shouted.
“Exactly. That ‘man’ that got away was just that, a man. A man who possibly just wanted to see the Pyramids. Maybe a practitioner of Nebuvian magic. Rumors have it, they have worshippers in Istapor still.”
Assani continued, “It never occurred to you that that whole story seemed suspicious? And if they just wanted information, they could have simply requested an audience. But instead, they came for your throat! Only one man in this Empire has the resources and the reason to see you dead, Nairobi.”
Nairobi fell back into his chair. He clenched his fists and grinded his teeth, “This cannot be. Uncle Rashid would nev-”
Assani interrupted Nairobi’s statement, “You better believe it. You are the Mansa now, there is a constant target on your head. Do not let family obscure your vision your Excellency. I lost my sister, your mother, to these monsters. I shall not lose you as well.”
Mansa Nairobi stared at Lord Assani and replied, “Give me time to think this over. I must be certain that Lord Rashid ordered the assassins.”
“So you expect him to just confess to you that he hired people to kill you!? Do not be naïve Nairobi! Excuse me, I mean, your Excellency.”
Nairobi looked away from Assani, his scholars were still diligently trying to decode the scrolls amongst the commotion, “I-I do not know what to do…”
“Your Excellency, I assure you, you can trust my judgement. I have gotten you this far, do you really think I would ask you to do such a serious action if I was not completely certain it was Lord Rashid? You killed his brother and his son after all, and took the Palace from the Nguvu. He is the only suspect that has a motive and resources. The assassins searching for a woman is just an elaborate ruse to throw you off, trust me.”
Nairobi, clenching the bridge of his nose and struggling with his thoughts, finally responded, “Alright. I trust you Uncle Assani. You have shown me compassion when no one else would. I will deem you Lord Commander of the Royal Army.”
Lord Assani smile brightened the entire room, “You will not be disappointed your Excellency! With me commanding your army, I will ensure that your word is law!” he bowed.
“I will send a messenger to Lord Rashid, notifying him of the switch. I cannot risk meeting with him face to face in light of the current situation.”
“Wise decision,” Assani and Chukwuku began to leave the room. Before they would exit however, Assani spun around and asked Nairobi a question.
“Your Excellency, what have you learned from the scrolls?”
Nairobi began scratching his head and replied with a sheepish look, “In all honesty, not much. Our resources are limited when it comes to translating this ancient language. But based off what my father has found so far, it has something to do with resurrecting the dead.”
Lord Assani’s eyes widened, “Resurrecting the dead…?”
Mansa Nairobi’s shoulders dropped and his head hung, “Yes. I assumed he was looking into this to bring mother back to life.”
Nairobi continued, “It is crazy how my mother survived so long with her injuries. She continued to care for me years after I was born. I will never forget what she told me the day she breathed her last breath.”
“What were the words?” Lord Assani asked.
“She said, ‘You are my child, and I will always love you. Even if no one else will.’”
“What will you do with that ritual, once you have translated it?”
“I do not know yet,” Nairobi replied glumly.
Assani began rubbing his chin, “Let us change the topic. As Mansa, you now will need a wife.”
Nairobi’s head rose, “Oh yeah, you are right. I have been so preoccupied, that slipped my mind.”
Lord Assani smiled, “You have had a busy few days in charge, but things should be settling down now. I suggest you marry an Angola woman, one of Lord Mateus’s children. That would help solidify the bond between our clans and strengthen our dominion.”
“That does sound like a brilliant move. Bring forth some women, I shall choose one.”
Assani bowed, “As you wish, your Excellency.”
Mansa Nairobi gestured to Lord Assani before he could leave, “Oh! Also, your wife, Ebunoluwa, is on her way to the Palace.”
“My beloved! I have been so busy trying to secure your reign that I forgot to respond to any of her messages. She must be worried sick.”
Mansa Nairobi smirked, “She sounded more irate than worried in the letter.”
Chukwuku began to laugh, “You have done it this time. Mother will castrate you for neglecting her!”
Assani began smiling awkwardly, “Ahhh, the Empire comes first. I shall deal with her when she arrives. But for now, send that letter Mansa Nairobi. We need the transition of power to be quick. I will need to send a letter to Bolaji to inform him that he lead the clan while I am Lord Commander.”
As Nairobi began writing the letter to send to Lord Rashid, Ida and Irabor were dealing with a precarious situation of their own. The two were nearly at Castle Yama, but they encountered an unwanted guest along their journey.
“Where did this lion come from!?” Ida screamed as she gripped her galloping horse.
“The beast came out of nowhere!” Irabor yelled.
The horses ran with all their might. Their hooves kicked up dust and dead grass as they galloped along the dry prairie. The lion was in hot pursuit, being only a few meters from Irabor. The two tried zig zag patterns and shear speed to escape the lion, but it was persistent. The lion leaped and sunk its claws and canines into Irabor’s horse. The exhausted mare quickly gave up and fell to the ground, sending Irabor tumbling through the field. Ida heard the cry Irabor’s horse released and quickly turned her head to assess the situation. She swiveled her stallion around and raced back to assist him. The lion made quick work of his horse, crushing its jugular instantaneously. With blood soaking its mane, it began walking towards Irabor.
“Dammit you greedy son of a bitch! You already got my horse, what more do you want!?” Irabor yelled as he readied his body for its charge.
The lion stood still for a second, then raced towards Irabor. He shouted at the lion as it charged. Suddenly, a knife struck the lion in its left shoulder. Irabor turned to see where the knife had come from, then he saw Ida behind him on her horse.
“Get on!” she screamed.
“That horse cannot support us both! You go, I will deal with him!”
The lion regained composure and raced towards the two. Irabor stood his ground as the lion pounced on him. The weight of the lion flung him to the ground, with the lion on top trying to sink its canines into Irabor’s face. With his enormous arms, he gripped the lion’s throat and held its jaws at bay, but its claws began stabbing him in his shoulders. Ida, with her knife in her right hand, leaped from her horse unto the back of the lion, sinking her blade right behind its skull. The lion jolted off Irabor, wailing and prancing as it tried to remove the knife from the back of its hea
d. The beast eventually began slowing down and fell to the ground. Ida helped Irabor to his feet.
“This is the second time you have saved my life,” Irabor remarked as he attempted to brush himself off.
“Second time?”
“Yes. Remember you freed me from my restraints when we were caged up.”
Ida began smiling, “Oh yeah! That was nothing. I needed your help to deal with those bandits.”
“I see, that reminds me. How did you even kno- Ahhh!” Irabor screamed before finishing his questions. The injuries he sustained from the lion’s claws began to set in.
“We need to tend to those injuries!” Ida yelled as she grabbed Irabor.
Ida helped walk Irabor over to a nearby tree. She laid him against the trunk then tied her stallion to the tree. The leaves were sparse just enough to give them adequate protection from the sun’s rays. Ida took some of the water she carried in her canister, and rinsed Irabor’s wounds. She ripped several strips of cloth from her garment and wrapped his injuries.
“What were you going to ask me? You know, before you began crying,” Ida chuckled as she sat next to him.
“I was not crying!” Irabor shouted.
Ida began laughing, “Okay big guy. I just wanted to know what your question was, you don’t have to be such an ass.”
Irabor moved his jaw side to side and stared at Ida ferociously, “I just wanted to know why you freed me? What made you believe you could free me and I would help you? Why not free another slave?”
Ida looked away from Irabor, she then gazed at the sky, “I don’t know. I had a feeling you would help. I understand that Tayo and I were more of a thorn in your side than a blessing, but I felt like I could count on you. I felt like you would have my back.”
“Hmm, well your gamble paid off. But don’t get too comfortable. After I kill Didi, I am heading to Gaza.”
Ida looked back at Irabor, “Why are you heading there? To find more of your people?”
Irabor nodded, “Precisely. I have not seen a fellow Ahmar since I was young. My parents told me that my people used to reside in Gaza, but we moved to Istapor while I was a young boy to get away from the harsh South.”
He continued, “But we were rudely mistaken. After the Sultans began warring and selling our eyes, bounty hunters in Istapor quickly attacked any and every Ahmar within the city and sent us to Zwela to be sold as slaves.”
“I am sorry to hear this. But you seem to be older than me, and the South have been fighting for decades. How have you survived ‘til now?”
Irabor took a deep breath before responding, “When I was a young boy the war over our eyes began. My family and I were able to hide on the outskirts of Istapor for years. We stole from close by huts or shops at night to sustain ourselves. And during the day, we cooped ourselves up in the house.”
He sighed and then continued, “This strategy worked for years, until one day my mother had gotten caught. She was trying to steal some food for us because we had not eaten for several days. She hid in the alleyways of a fried dumpling shop, trying to find half eaten pieces in the back. But one night, when she returned, she was not alone. Unbeknownst to her, a man had stalked her all the way home.”
His face conveyed his discomfort as he took a breath and continued, “My mother was small and frail so he probably saw her as an easy target and tracked her home so there were no witnesses, but once he peered through that door shortly after my mother arrived, that is when we had to make a hard decision.”
Ida eagerly asked, “What happened!?”
“After the man barged in and saw us, my father had no choice but to kill him before he could spread word of our presence. We were no murderers, this was the first time I have ever seen blood spilt right before my eyes. My father thrusted our cooking knife through his heart with no hesitation, he knew what was at stake and made an instant decision while we were frozen in fright.”
He took a quick breath and continued, “But then we had to dispose of the body, his flesh began to rot and drew flies after a few days. We did not have tools to dig a hole so our only option was to toss his body as far away from home as possible, without getting caught. So one night, me and my father carried the body out and attempted to dump it. Regrettably, two men moving a large object in the middle of the night brought suspicion our way.”
He began to get flustered, his breathing became faster as he continued, “Before we knew it, a group of men approached us asking questions. One had a torch and flashed it at our faces, revealing our eyes to them. My father had to fight them off so I could escape. Two men chased me as I raced back home. I was so stupid! I led them right to our hut! Right to my mother whom was caring for my baby brother!”
“They always told me what to do if I had pursuers, but I was young and scared! I panicked. They had my father and I just ran straight back home. I swore I could have outrun them…I was gravely mistaken.”
He took a deep breath, “I do not wish to talk about my past anymore. Every time I think of that stupid mistake it pisses me off! I should have attempted to lose them somehow! I’m so fucking stupid!”
Ida hugged Irabor and began, “I am sorry, I won’t ask you about your past again.”
She continued, “I’m your family now. You don’t have to fight this world by yourself anymore.”
Irabor smiled and then laid his head against the tree. He quickly dozed off as Ida continued to embrace him. The sun began falling below the horizon. As Ida and Irabor rested through the night, Heru arrived at Pakul.
“So this the Gibraltari Empire now, relegated only to the northern tip of Namib. I remember the days it stretched to every tip of the land, until I broke it in half,” Heru remarked as his carriage pulled close to Pakul.
Heru spotted a mother with her two children lugging buckets back to Pakul, “Ahhh they should be enough for the ritual.”
Before Heru could intercept the family, a patrol of Japreet soldiers on camels spotted him, “Hey, you! State your business with the Empire.”
“Hmm, four guards? This is even better, more sacrifices.”
One of the guards began, “Sacrifices? Who are you!? We will not ask a third time!”
The men drew their swords and slowly approached him. Heru dismounted his carriage and walked towards the guards. He carefully analyzed the guards as they approached him, “You four will be a part of something greater than serving the Gibraltari Empire,” he smiled and opened his arms as if he meant to hug them.
One guard replied, “What the fuck are you rambling on about!?”
Another guard added, “I think he’s sick in the head. Poor fool,” the other men began laughing and sheathed their swords.
A third guarded chimed in, “Just go back to where you came from and we won’t hurt you!” they all muttered and nodded in agreement.
“I cannot leave unless you come with me,” Heru replied as he continued to smile.
A guard dismounted his camel, “Okay. We have been polite enough but it seems you are hard of hearing. I can help you with that!”
The guard steadily walked towards Heru. Heru stood perfectly still as he approached him. The guard leaned in to push him, but Heru swiftly deflected his attack and jabbed the guard in his neck and shoulder with his fingertips. The guard fell to the ground instantly and laid motionless.
“What the fuck!” a guard screamed.
The three other guards redrew their blades and charged towards Heru upon their camels. Heru slowly began raising his hands, suddenly, the camels were stuck in the sand and their riders were thrown off them. Heru felt something cool flowing unto his lip and reached to examine it. As he looked at his hand, he saw his fingertips were covered in blood.
“This is not good, I am nearing my limit. This body is too weak to sustain this level of magic it seems, and I already split my soul three ways. I need to hurry and wrap this up and regain my body immediately,” he said to himself.
The guards gathered themselves and began, “What was that!?
Who are you!?”
Another guard added, “It doesn’t matter who he is when his head is rolling in the sand!”
The three guards charged towards him once more. One guard took lead and swung his blade first. Heru evaded the attack and jabbed the man in his neck, instantly paralyzing him. The second man swung, Heru dodged the strikes and countered by jabbing him in his shoulders, rendering his arms useless. Before he could finish him, the third guard attacked. To the guard’s astonishment however, Heru caught the blade between his fingers. Heru then broke his sword with a flick of his wrist. He grabbed the guard by his collar and pulled him close. He rammed his skull against his, completely knocking the guard unconscious.
“Wh-who are you!” the guard with paralyzed arms beckoned as he slowly backpedaled from Heru.
“I am Heru Nebu. Pharaoh of the Adaru Empire. Rightful Ruler of Namib.”
He continued, “And I will regain my kingdom, by any means necessary.”
Heru charged towards the guard and punched him in his temple, knocking him unconscious. He gathered the bodies and threw them unto his carriage one by one. Just before Heru boarded the carriage himself to return to the Pyramid, his mind was bombarded by more images. They were of an angry old man, waving his golden scepter and wailing on Basem. Heru stumbled to his feet, gripping his forehead in discomfort.
“Ahhh! I see my host has a strong spirit. This vessel is quite troublesome,” Heru stood back to his feet and boarded the carriage.
Chapter 16: A Gift
It was dawn in Gibralta. Roosters sung as the sun broke the horizon. The streets began to bustle, people were running to shops to buy spices and meat to begin cooking breakfast. Children began getting themselves ready for school, as others took to the streets to beg or steal. Nairomi abruptly awoke feeling discomfort.
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