by Evan Winter
"I'm here to tell you how you'll die," Aren's son said, making Lekan's arm hairs stand on end. "I will join the military as an Ihashe initiate. I will pour my soul into the craft of killing and I will wait for you to rise to fief leadership. The Palm will give you military status, and you will know despair."
"Despair?" Lekan forced a chuckle. "Why's that?" he asked, shifting closer to the bedside table.
"Every day, every season, every cycle, you'll live in fear, unable to enjoy the taste of food, the sun's warmth, or the night's breeze, because one day I will come. I will challenge you to a blood-duel, Petty-Noble Lekan Onai, and you will die on the end of my father's sword. I am your curse. I am your end."
"Are you?" Lekan said, snatching the dagger from the table and lunging for the Common, slashing him across the face and feeling the blade bite into skin and skitter across bone.
The Common squawked and fell back, blood spraying across the floor in a staccato line of red. Lekan threw himself on the small man, bearing him to the ground. He weighed more than sixteen stone and the Lesser couldn't have been a sand-grit over eleven.
With the dagger in both hands, Lekan pressed it towards the fool's blood-covered face, using his weight to drive it downward.
"Kill me? Kill me!" Lekan said through clenched teeth, as the wretch wriggled beneath him. "I'm going to burn your whole family. You have sisters?" he spat. "Yes, Jelani? I'll have her with this knife!"
Pain erupted in Lekan's seeds, seared through his crotch, and into his gut. He gasped, his strength gone, as he succumbed to the agony the Common's knee had caused. The Common slapped the dagger from Lekan's hand and pushed him away, using the space to scuttle to his feet.
Lekan stood, swinging a meaty fist for the Lesser's face, but his target ducked and tackled him, driving the air from his lungs and carrying them back to the ground. They knocked over the beside table, the dregs from the jug of olu spilling on them. They wrestled there, beneath the open window, as the storm raged.
Lekan used his greater strength to beat and batter Tau. He rolled on top, cuffed the Common, disengaged, and kicked him in the thigh. He'd aimed for the Cek's core, but missed.
Lekan dashed to retrieve his dagger. He plucked it from the stone floor, put his back to the wall, and turned in time to see the Common running for him. He thrust his arm forward to skewer the scrawny man, but the Common tripped on the fallen jug of olu and stumbled. That saved him.
Lekan's blade tore through Tau's dirty tunic instead of his belly and the two men slammed together, becoming entangled. He sliced at the Common, doing little damage. His knife was wrapped in torn cloth.
He fumbled with the knife, trying to get it free, when he felt fingers slide round his neck. He made to shout. He'd end the farce by calling in the Keep's guards, but his head was smashed into the wall.
Lekan saw bursts of light flare his vision and, before he could recover, his head was whipped against the unyielding adobe again. He scrabbled at the bastard's arms, but couldn't get a grip. His head was slammed a third time and the light-bursts became suns.
Remembering the dagger, he tried to stab Tau. The blade was still trapped in the mess of torn fabric and he couldn't get a clean thrust. Changing tactics, he cut away from his assailant's body, tearing the dagger free of the ruined tunic. He cocked his arm, ready to plunge the knife into the Common's heart, when his head was blasted into the wall, cracking something.
Lekan's legs went limp and he tried to yell at Tau to stop. His mouth wouldn't work and he couldn't see anything from his left eye. He patted at Tau's face, his hand coming away wet and sticky. Lekan didn't know where he was or what he was doing. He didn't—
The back of Lekan's head crashed into the wall again, and he saw his mother's face. She was young, leaning over him. He was in the bed he'd slept in when he was a child and she was cooing. He reached up to touch her and she shattered into a million pieces as time stopped and pain, unlike anything Lekan imagined could exist, consumed him.
FALLEN
Tau's face burned where Lekan slashed him. The cut was deep and went from the bridge of his nose down to the middle of his left cheek. He was lucky he didn't lose an eye. He was lucky Lekan hadn't killed him.
Tau looked down at the Petty-Noble's body and his stomach heaved. The back of Lekan's head was collapsed inward. There wasn't much blood, but he was dead.
Tau began to panic. He could leave, but the body would be discovered and he'd be the obvious suspect. They would search for him and punish his mother, his sisters, his step-father. The only option was for all of them to flee Kerem.
They wouldn't get far. The Umbusi would have them hunted. She'd call the military to help. They'd be found and executed. He'd ruined everything. His entire family would be wiped out.
The door to Lekan's chambers flew open and a Keep guard, wild-eyed and sword at the ready, burst into the room.
"Hold!" the guard ordered. "Tau?"
"Ochieng," Tau said.
"Why are... Goddess wept!" Ochieng said, seeing Lekan's body. "What have you—"
"I didn't come here to kill him." Tau shut his mouth. What could he say that would matter?
"Why me? Why tonight?" Ochieng muttered. "Why Goddess, do you hate me?"
Tau hung his head and blood dripped on the floor from the open wound on his face. He would not fight, not against Ochieng, and he couldn't escape.
"Get on then," Ochieng said, shaking his head at Lekan's body.
"What?"
Ochieng indicated the open window. "Get on, I'll close it behind you."
"I... I can't. They'll know it was me. My family—"
"They won't know, Tau. Get now, before I change my mind."
Tau didn't know what to say, so he said nothing. He climbed onto the window sill and found the same handholds he'd used to climb up. As he made his way down, he saw Ochieng cleaning up the blood with one of Lekan's shirts.
When Ochieng got near Lekan's body, he hawked and spat on the dead man's face. "That's for Anya, for Nkiru's family, and for Aren, you heartless Cek."
Tau crawled past the sill and saw no more. It was slow, slower going down than up. His heart hammered in his chest, he worried about being seen, and when he heard a bang and clatter from Lekan's room he came close to falling off the wall.
Ochieng's voice followed. "Guards! Guards! Goddess, no! Nkosi Lekan has fallen down the stairs! Help, please!"
Tau moved faster, as fast as he dared, and his heart didn't slow till his feet touched the ground. He took a last look at the Onai Keep where his mother, sisters, step-father, and Jabari were sleeping. He closed his eyes, locking the image of the place in his mind. He didn't think he'd see it again.
Tau ripped a piece of his tattered shirt and pressed it against the cut on his face, hissing at the pain. Satisfied he wouldn't leave a trail of blood, he slunk off, sticking to the shadows, and heading for the spot where he'd hidden his travel sack and weapons. He retrieved them and made for Kigambe. Tau would test to become an Ihashe warrior in the Chosen military.
A military man could blood-duel any other military man. It was the only legal way a Lesser could kill a Noble.
"Kellan Okar, Dejen Olujimi, Abasi Odili," he said to himself.
There were three men left to kill.
CHAPTER FOUR
KIGAMBE
It took Tau two days and most of the third to walk to Kigambe. He came down the mountains of Kerem and followed the Usebe path, paralleling The Roar. The turbulent waters matched his mind. Neither had peace.
Tau's evenings were filled with dreams of the people he loved, dying. The worst nightmare came on the second night. He'd dreamed of Daba and of driving his sword through the chest of the hedena warrior woman, but her face had turned into Zuri's. He'd woken in a fit, reaching for his sword, staring out in the darkness for signs of danger. It had taken him a full span to calm down enough to go back to sleep.
In the days, he saw few others, and those he did kept their distance from the young
man who carried two swords and had a weeping wound across his face. On the afternoon of the third day, he marveled at how flat everything was. Tau had been born and raised in Kerem. He'd never been to Kigambe, or the Palm, or any of the larger cities that stood on valley-floor of The Rend. He'd never been to the Northern Tear. Tau had never been anywhere and, when he came upon Kigambe, it stole his breath.
The capital city of the Southern Tear was the color of polished copper. Its adobe buildings stretched as far as the eye could see and surrounding it all were a series of defensive walls that formed ever-smaller concentric rings. It reminded Tau of one of the toy mazes that Kwaku, the Mawasian toy maker, sold.
Smoke from the city, from the cook fires and furnaces of its several hundred thousand citizens, rose into the air above the urban sprawl. The smoke curled up, billowed, merged with, and disappeared into the sky, leaving the city under a sheet of haze and trapped heat.
Beyond its outer walls, Tau saw more people than he had believed existed in the whole world. Commoners, Harvesters, Governors, and Drudge mingled on the paths leading to Kigambe. Many of them crowded the innumerable market stalls, stuck to its walls like ticks.
Kigambe was not on the water and The Roar was more than a three-span walk behind Tau, but the constant sound of so many voices made it seem like he was standing on a cliff overlooking the ocean. There were near on two million Chosen in The Rend. Tau knew this, and to him it looked like all of them were in the city. He couldn't comprehend how so many people could exist and Kigambe wasn't even The Rend's largest city. The Palm was bigger and Jirza, the Northern Tear's Capital, was said to hold almost as many.
In a daze, Tau walked up to Kigambe's outermost wall. The press of people, and their stench, grew as he got closer. He heard accents from the North and the Centre, saw styles of dress on women and men that must have been designed to shock, and he saw the cripples.
Everywhere had them, and Kerem had a few who had come back from The Wrist, or from other contested territories throughout The Rend, but Tau had never seen so many in one place. He saw one-legged men hobble about on unknown errands, while men with stumps for arms carted heavy goods on their heads or strapped to their shoulders. The blind, they worked too, though with parchment and ink-dipped flaxen rods as they listened for calls from the market sellers before jotting down marks or counts.
Back home, Maimed were given stipends and rations for their military service and nothing more was expected. They had already given more than most, so the thinking went. The larger cities, it seemed, did not do it this way. Instead, they worked their Maimed like everyone else.
It seemed cruel. These men had already suffered. They'd fought the Xiddeen in the endless war and the Xiddeen had done this to them, leaving them alive to come back to The Rend. Leaving them alive to be a burden.
"You're staring, village-boy."
Tau started. The old man, who had just one arm and one-eye, had spoken to him.
"It's impolite," the old cripple said. "B'sides, boy like you, looking like you, should be last to stare." The old man drew his finger over his nose and across his cheek, drawing the shape of the long gouge cut into Tau's face.
"I meant no offense," Tau told him, touching the still scabbing wound and wincing when his finger brushed the tender flesh.
"First time in Kigambe? You're here for the testing."
Tau said nothing.
"You look of age and you've already taken a cut or two." The man laughed. "So, don't let my scratches scare you!" He raised his stump of an arm. "There's no greater honor than to fight for The Rend against the slough-skins."
"They..." Tau said, not knowing how to finish his question.
"They caught me after the Battle for Cata. They took the eye," he said, pointing to the ruined socket with his stump. "Burned it out and let the pain of that stew with me. Then, they came for the arm."
Tau's mouth was dry. "They're savages," he said.
"They are," he replied. "No give in them, though. They fight hard and die harder."
Tau didn't know what to say to that.
"The Guardian Ceremony will be starting soon. You should see it before your testing. Inspirational to see the Indlovu Citadel's best. Better hurry if you want a decent spot."
"It's today?" asked Tau.
"It is," said the maimed man, flicking a rough tongue over yellowed teeth. "I'll be there to watch. Always am. Find it heartening to see the next crop doing their duty. We must all do our part, neh?"
"We must," Tau murmured.
"Kibwe all the way to Ejiro then left. You can't miss it, or everyone."
"What?"
"The ceremony. Take the Kibwe path all the way to Ejiro. Turn left and you'll see the crowd."
"Ah, my thanks," said Tau.
"Perhaps I'll see you."
"See me?"
"At the testing."
"Perhaps," said Tau. He inclined his head and left for the nearest gate that would take him into Kigambe proper. He looked back and the cripple flashed his broken-toothed smile.
Inside the walls the sun's heat bounced off the cramped adobe buildings and turned the skinny paths of Kigambe into open air ovens. The city stunk of damp clothes, dried sweat, urine and rot, and no one seemed to notice. Tau had to stop himself from covering his nose and he was jostled left and right by people who hurried from path to path. He mumbled apologies, but received no response.
The Chosen of Kigambe seemed mute and stiff of neck. Most of them walked with their heads down, mouths shut, and eyes forward.
"Care, young warrior!" a voice yelled in his ear.
Tau jerked back. He was face to face with a Sah priest. The priest, in a sand-stained cassock, had his shoulder length hair locked into a series of thick braids. He had a feverish look about him.
"Hear the Goddess' word!" the man sing-songed to the people around him. "Hear her word today!"
Tau moved to the side to let the man pass.
"Come, pray with us, fellow Chosen. The Goddess should hear all our voices raised in devotion."
"I have to go," Tau told the priest.
"The only thing you have to do is the Goddess' will," the priest said, eyeing Tau's scar. "What else can matter?" He raised his voice then and began his sing-song once more. "Hear the Goddess' word! Hear her word today!"
Tau moved away, letting the flow of foot traffic carry him from the priest and to the circle that the maimed man had described. When he entered the main circle of Kigambe, the Guardian Ceremony was under way. The circle was filled with people and a raised platform had been erected near its far side. Queen Tsiora, the KaEid, and members of the Queen's retinue were on the platform. The Queen stood front and center. Her hands were raised above her head and, in them, she held a Guardian dagger.
Tau squinted, relying on his sharp eyes to tease out details. The dagger's blade was pure Dragon-Scale and its hilt was gold-veined bronze wrapped in leather. It was a work of art.
Queen Tsiora lowered the small but deadly weapon into the upturned hands of a kneeling graduate from the Southern Ihashe Isikolo. The single best warrior, from the Southern and Northern Ihashe Isikolo, received a dagger to celebrate their achievement and graduation from the cycle-long training.
It was different for students of the Indlovu Citadel. The Nobles' training lasted three cycles and the top three students from the first two cycles received Guardian daggers. Then, the top three graduating warriors of the Citadel were gifted with Guardian Swords.
The message was not subtle. Each cycle, Indlovu warriors received nine Dragon-scale weapons to the Ihashe's one. An Ihashe's value could, thus, be calculated. They were worth one-tenth of a single Indlovu.
The cheering died down and the Ihashe initiate stepped back with his dagger. The first cycle Indlovu initiates were next. Three men were awarded their daggers, and the second cycle winners came to the stage. There were three of them. It was the third and final man that concerned Tau. The man was Kellan Okar.
DAGGERS
Tau began pushing his way towards the platform. He'd been at the edge of the crowd, on the far side of the circle, but was determined to get closer. The men and women around him protested his rough handling of them. Tau didn't care.
Kellan Okar was on a knee in front of the Queen. She held the Guardian dagger aloft and placed the priceless weapon in his hands. She bid him rise and Kellan Okar, murderer, accepted the honor the Queen bestowed upon him. The crowd cheered.
Tau was nearing the stage, his swords banging into those around him. He needed to be closer. Kellan stepped aside and back. Tau tracked him, and that was when he saw Abasi Odili. Kellan had gone to stand beside him. Odili was smiling. Odili clapped Kellan on the shoulder.
The Queen moved on, gifting Guardian swords to the Citadel's top graduates. The three men to whom she gave the weapons looked like violence molded into human form. Then, Queen Tsiora gave the stage to the KaEid.
The KaEid came forward, raised her arms, and began to pray. Everyone grew still, muttering along to familiar words. Tau shimmied sideways, slipping past a group of three, and noticed a commotion back the way he'd come.
It was the city's guards, its Ihagu. Three of them were moving through the crowd in his direction. Tau's unusual behavior had been noted. He had to get to the platform, fast. Kellan and Abasi were there. These were the men who killed his father.
The KaEid ended her prayer. Tau sped up, knocking a woman to the ground. The man with her cursed him. He ignored them.
"Chosen," the KaEid said to the crowd, "the Goddess, through her Guardians, guided our ancestors, guided Queen Taifa to this land."
Her voice rich and full but Tau had little time to appreciate it. More Ihagu had joined the first three. These new additions were closer to the platform. They were trying to cut him off. Tau angled away, tracking parallel to Kellan and Abasi.
The KaEid gestured at the world around them. "Xidda is one of the Goddess' greatest gifts to her Chosen. A home, a safe haven, where we are protected by ocean, mountains, the Curse, and Guardians."