by Jack Cage
He only wanted to take the things he would need to tell his story; his tools to carve and some other items he wanted to share with his sons as they matured. As the Sefu people sang the songs of their village, Zuberi wrapped his possessions delicately in fabric and strung rope around it so it could be worn across his shoulder.
Furaha could not take the stress of the day, and she laid in her bed watching her family prepare for a trip she dreaded accompanying them on. Thoughts of her family and their path to this point crossed her mind.
She wondered if they would have been better off if they’d stayed to fight the Ema. Maybe they would still be in their village. Such thoughts stole the remaining energy she had, and Furaha willingly surrendered to her body’s request for sleep.
Endesha would not find any comfort in sleeping on his final night on Kuno land. His spirit was filled with a rage. He desperately wanted the chance to fight for his family’s freedom, but he knew he could not. So, he decided to sit on the sandy ground and wait for the sun to rise in the morning.
Amri was not inclined to sleep either. He was sitting in the hut watching his ailing mother sleep when Nsia came to him, and sat at his side. “Are you worried about her?” she asked Amri.
“Yes, I am,” he replied.
Nsia noticed he had a swollen hand, took it in her own, and held it close to her heart. “I am so sorry, Amri. I did not know my father would do this to you and your people,” Nsia said softly.
“It is not your fault, Nsia. Do not blame yourself.”
The scowl on Amri’s face did not change. This confirmed Nsia’s fears that she would never see the Amri Sefu from the woods ever again.
However, Nsia did not give up on her attempts to reach her warrior lover. She continued to hold his hand and caress his shoulders. Deep in his spirit Amri could feel Nsia’s love. But his hate for her father and James Burton overpowered his newly exposed inner emotions. Like his younger brother, Amri decided to welcome the sun awake and with pride.
“What the bloody hell was that?” Captain Burton yelled as he paced the sandy ground near the center of the village.
Chief Olamide walked over to the captain and said, “The big one, I want more.”
“More of what?”
Chief Olamide pointed to the skiffs down by the water’s edge, then looked back at Burton.
“You want a boat? For the big one? That is a fair trade, so yes. You have a deal.” The two men shook hands awkwardly, and Burton left to meet his men at the beach. As he approached, he laughed loudly to himself. “Men, we have to make a change to our plans. I figure we can get a great bounty for the big Moor back at port. We will sail for Lisbon in the morning. If we don’t get what we want in Portugal, we will sail home to Brixham. I know he will command many pounds back home. Listen men, that beast is of no value to us dead. He must not be harmed. We will use his family as a means to control him. Do you understand my orders men? Do not hurt my big Moor!”
“Aye, Captain!” replied the crew.
The next day, the sun did not show itself, and the sky was gray again. Amri carried a weakened Furaha to the beach, and Zuberi leaned on Endesha’s broad shoulder.
The Sefu people followed them, still singing their tribal songs as their former chief wept uncontrollably. Nsia ran from her father’s side to be with her lover one last time. She kissed Furaha on her forehead and hugged Endesha and his father. Lastly, she looked at Amri and could not stop her tears from flowing. “You are not a monster, my love.
You are my wind, my shield, my Black Lion,” Nsia said. With his mother still in his arms, Amri kneeled down so Nsia could embrace him. She kissed his emotionless face one last time and rubbed the scars on his face one last time. For a split second, Nsia thought she saw a glimpse of sadness in Amri’s eyes, but he only looked at her, then to her father, Olamide.
As Amri stood he told Nsia, “One day, I will come back for you, and I will wash the land with the blood of anyone that comes before me.”
Thunder boomed in the distance as the Sefu family continued their walk toward Captain Burton and his men.
Nsia went to her knees as tears fell so violently she could not see Amri and his family board the skiff or the crew of The Kingmaker push off and row out to sea. Amri did not take his eyes off of Nsia as the waves rocked and heaved the skiff as they headed toward The Kingmaker awaiting them in the distance.
This was a terrible day. Far worse than the day the Sefu people were forced to abandon their village. Worse than the pilgrimage to the Kuno land, but nothing was as bad as this; their protector, their champion, and the human symbol of the Sefu people’s strength was leaving them—floating on a boat to an unknown destination.
The ocean lost its energy that day. The waves settled as the skiff with the Sefu family made its way farther from the Kuno coastline.
It almost seemed like the land Amri loved so much gave its energy to the sea and in response the sea took on Amri’s energy. The waves became still and motionless just like him.
As the crew came upon The Kingmaker, Amri Sefu understood his actions would have a direct result on his family’s survival. After Amri climbed up a tattered rope ladder, he turned and pulled his parents up and aboard as Endesha ensured their safety from below. As soon as he turned around Amri was met with a crushing blow to the face. “That is just a reminder of what will happen to you if you attack any member of The Kingmaker,” said Captain Burton.
Amri did not understand what had been said to him, and thus, did not respond. What he did know, is he would have to travel deep within himself in order to survive the journey to a place unknown to him and his family.
The family were given wrist and ankle shackles, and escorted down into the bowels of The Kingmaker. The ship was a miracle in the fact that it remained buoyant considering its tattered and poorly maintained status.
The wooden floors of the ship were uneven and squeaky, and the stench of urine and other putrid smells dominated the Sefu family’s senses as they walked down into the lower portions of the ship.
“Lay down here!” one of the crewmen told Amri.
Once again, he did not understand, so he stood motionless, and again, was hit with a blow to the face causing blood to rush out of his nose. The crewman pulled on Amri’s chains to guide him where to go, and he complied.
Endesha could not hide the anger on his face as he took his position on the floor next to his bloodied brother. The crewmen climbed up the rickety stairs, and closed the hatch above.
Now in complete darkness, Furaha laid a hand on her youngest son, and held her husband’s hand with the other. No member of the Sefu family showed any emotion in that moment. Yet hearing the metallic clank of the lower galley’s door shut and lock was a relief; it meant they could cry to themselves without anyone seeing or hearing.
21
T he voyage on The Kingmaker was just as Amri dreamed that night when he met the lion in his dreams. The motion of the water was precisely what he saw and felt in his dream. Everything that was in Amri’s vision that evening came true.
Deep in his mind he knew he had to be strong for his family. It would be all too easy for Amri to dive deep within himself during this terrible voyage, and cruelly leave Endesha to fend for himself, but he knew his brother, lying next to him, needed him to stay with him in spirit.
Furaha’s condition had not improved since they had boarded The Kingmaker. Her fever had returned, and she would have fits of uncontrollable coughing. Zuberi was not as ill as his wife, but his spirit was full of despair. Many days and nights he thought about how his life had gotten him to this point and if he would survive this voyage. He missed his brother, Coffa, and welcomed the opportunity to see him again in the afterlife; the thought of which seemed much better than the life they were living on The Kingmaker.
Eventually, the ship made it to Lisbon, Portugal. Several of the slaves already aboard before she had dropped anchor on the Kuno coastline had perished during the voyage. Fortunately for the Sefu f
amily, Captain Burton’s crew ensured Amri was well fed, and he shared those meals with his brother, father, and now gravely ill mother.
Captain Burton knew if he were to get the best price possible for a man of Amri Sefu’s size, he would have to be well kept and in the appearance of good health. While at sea, they occasionally brought the Sefu brothers up to the main deck. Amri and Endesha liked it at night the best, and would look up into the stars that seemed to go on forever.
Their father declined going on deck with his sons because Furaha was too ill, and he would not leave her. The crew was gracious in noticing her condition, and allowed Zuberi to remain with her.
While at sea, Endesha had marveled at the vast nothingness of the dark and moonlit ocean, but at port in Lisbon there was so much activity. People that did not look like him moved swiftly, off-loading supplies from The Kingmaker. There were conversations between men that he could not understand, and smells that were both unpleasant and unfamiliar at the same time.
On the second day of the four days in the port of Lisbon, Endesha was watching the people in the distance on the dock, and whispered to his brother, “Do you see them over there, Amri? There are people over there, and they look like the man that all of these men follow.”
“I see them,” Amri replied quietly.
“Maybe if we can get away one of them would help us.”
“No one will help us, Endesha. Notice, no one here looks like us,” he said with a blank look on his face. “Besides, anything we try to do will put our parents in danger, Endesha, you must understand that.”
“I do not want to die and have my body thrown into the water like we have seen with the others, Amri,” Endesha said angrily.
Amri’s anger surfaced from deep within his spirit, and he angrily told Endesha, “I do not want to be here, and I do not want to die here either, but you must understand that we do not have any control over these men. There is nothing we can do to free ourselves. It will only make it more difficult for all of us to fight these men. Do as you are told, so we can survive!”
Deep in the bottom of The Kingmaker, Furaha could feel her son’s concerns deep in her spirit. “Our children did not deserve this fate. Their destiny was to do more than this.”
“They will survive this and fulfill their destiny,” said Zuberi. “I believe we are all alive because of the restraint and wisdom of our sons. We have done well in raising them, and we should be proud of the men they have become.”
“Yes. I am proud of our boys, and I am so glad I had them with you. I am so tired, and I want to rest husband,” Furaha said as she started to close her eyes.
“Then rest, wife, and take back your peace.”
A few moments went by when Furaha said softly, “Hello Coffa. Why are you here? Are you here to take me with you?”
Sensing what was happening Zuberi started to cry uncontrollably. He gently gathered his wife into his arms and kissed her on her forehead. “Don’t worry husband, Coffa will take good care of me until you can be with us,” Furaha whispered.
“Tell him I love him, and to take good care of you until I get there,” Zuberi mumbled as tears blinded his vision. Streaks of sunlight made their way into the bottom of The Kingmaker, and Zuberi held his wife as close to him as he could.
After a while, he stopped crying and looked down at his wife’s face. She was not breathing, yet her body was still very warm. Zuberi gently caressed her face, hoping to draw some movement from her eyes, but nothing happened. He had lost his best friend, and the mother of his children. So many feelings were running through his mind; thoughts of fear and intense sadness filled Zuberi’s spirit. When it all became too much for his mind to handle, Zuberi wailed so loudly in sadness it could be heard along the docks of Lisbon.
Amri heard his father and immediately knew his mother had passed away. He stood to his shackled feet and tried to go toward the area that led to the bottom of the boat.
“What the bloody hell was that?” asked Captain Burton.
“I do not know, Captain, but the Moor is trying his best to get below deck for some reason,” said a crewman.
“Well, maybe you should go see what is going on down there,” said Burton with a befuddled frown on his face.
The crewman went below deck and found Zuberi sobbing, and holding his dead wife in his shackled arms. The deckhand climbed back up the ladder to the main deck to report his findings.
“Captain, the big one’s mother has perished.”
“Oh. Bring her body up, and we will give it to the harbor master,” ordered Burton.
“We cannot throw her into the harbor. They will most likely burn her body with the rest of the sick and dead.”
“Aye, aye, Captain,” the deckhand replied.
Endesha and Amri looked on with great anticipation as the deckhands went down below, hoping the noise they heard was not from their father. But when the deckhands reemerged with the body of their mother wrapped in a dirty white sheet, Endesha screamed in agony. Amri stood to his feet as the men carried his mother’s body past him. Filled with rage, he broke the chain holding his hands together, and lunged at the men with his mother’s body. His intent was not to harm the men, but to retrieve his mother’s body so he could say goodbye. The crew of The Kingmaker did not see it that way, and it took several men to keep Amri at bay as they removed her body to the dock.
Endesha could only watch his older brother and wonder why he did not kill the men when he had the opportunity. He cried to himself as the crew wrestled with Amri, resorting to violence—a blow to Amri’s back with a boat ore to calm him down.
Thunder was heard as The Kingmaker bowed and listed to the left and right with the swelling of the harbor waters. Amri was brought below deck and saw his father and brother lying together. He was made to join them, and as he lowered himself to the ground, he felt the pain from the ore used to submit him. “Try not to move, my son,” Zuberi said softly.
“Mother is gone,” Amri whispered.
“Yes, Son. She is gone from us, but she remains with us in spirit.”
“How can you say that, Father?” Endesha asked.
“Your mother has joined the world outside, and you can see how the waters are unsettled now. She is letting us know we will have a safe passage to our destination.”
“You believe that?” asked Endesha.
“Desha, I know it. Remember when Coffa taught you about putting back what we take from the land? This water is no different,” Zuberi said while holding a piece of fabric from Furaha’s dress he had managed to tear away before the crewmen took her body away.
“I wonder if it would be better for us to be with her,” Amri said softly.
“No, my son. That is not your destiny. I will be with her soon, and you boys will have to depend on each other.”
“Stop talking like that Father,” Endesha said angrily.
“Understand this, my sons; you will survive this, and in the end, both of you will be victorious.
All of the things that have happened to you two were for a reason. Amri, you have been groomed to be a mighty warrior, and your greatest battle has yet to come.
“Endesha, your time to rise up and become something more than what you could ever believe you are is coming. I see transformation in both of you, my sons,” Zuberi continued. “It is time to rest. Think about your mother now. She is watching over us, and I want to be with her in my dreams.”
Zuberi began sobbing, and Endesha could not hold back his sorrow, but Amri did not join his father and brother in crying; he thought about the loss of his mother as the boat rocked gently within the harbor. Curiously, the winds did not stop blowing that evening.
The next morning, The Kingmaker set course to Brixham, England.
This particularly long leg of the trip would be a challenge for any seasoned sailor, but Captain Burton was more concerned about the status of his prized, and potentially injured, possession. “What of the Moor down below?” he asked.
“Aye, C
aptain, he is fair,” said a crewman.
“What of his back?”
“He is bruised, but he appears to be all right.”
“Bring him above deck, so I can take a look at him.”
A couple of crewmen left to gather him and brought him above deck. Once there, Amri’s eyes needed a moment to adjust to the brightness of the sun. The men of The Kingmaker looked like pale-skinned monsters to Amri with their gray and matted or sun-scorched blond hair.
The sky was amazingly blue with clouds larger than any Amri had seen before. The wind was so strong it whipped the sails violently, causing the crew of The Kingmaker to constantly readjust to ensure they stayed on course.
Amri was led to Captain Burton, and at an easy foot taller than the captain, had to look down at him. “Aye, this one is a killer,” Burton muttered.
“I can see it in his black eyes.” The captain took a step back, and said, “Look at the scars on his face and body, lads. This one has fought a beast.”
Amri stood still during the inspection, absent of mind and thought after he had finished noticing his surroundings. He believed at any moment he would be thrown overboard, and the terrible life he was living as a spectator would come to an end. “Turn him around so I can see his back,” Burton commanded. He traced the mark from the ore with the blunt side of his dagger. “Get him cleaned up. We need him well before we dock at Brixham.”
For the next several weeks, the crew of The Kingmaker rubbed ointments and herbs onto his back to take care of Amri’s wound. During this time, the ship was sailing faster than Captain Burton expected. Ominously strong winds propelled the ship quickly throughout the day and night. “We will be getting to our location quickly, I believe,” Endesha told his father.
“What makes you think that, Son?” Zuberi replied.
“I can feel us cut through the water when the wind blows. I can also tell when we slow down because the wind is not as strong. But it never goes away, it just calms for a moment, then picks up again quickly.”
“She wants us to get to solid ground.” Zuberi smiled to himself with pleasure. “That is her gift to us.”