by Cassie Wolf
There was something about the emerald green shining behind the oak that made his knees feel as though they had turned into the water before them. He couldn’t help but give her a slight grin in return. “I’ve performed many times over the years and did things which were worth ten times what other males have done.”
The sound of heavy footprints came from behind. They glanced over their shoulders in sync. Relief melted from them when the colours of a Blood-and-White warrior emerged.
Zaki gave the young woman a small grin and gathered his fingers around a nearby pink water flower. Being as delicate as possible, he pulled it up and presented it to her before she went to stand. She looked into her palm at the five pink-purple petals, curling at the edges before they all joined at the stem.
With her smile hidden behind the mask, she rummaged in a gathering of her hair and attached the flower there. “Thank you, Brother. Never give up hope for what you want to be; maybe you just need to do something that the Chief can’t ignore.”
With her final words, the young woman walked, dress flowing across the ground, to link her arms with the waiting warrior. Zaki couldn’t take his eyes off her as she disappeared from sight through the gate.
A fluttering sensation skittered across his stomach and for a moment he wondered what the feeling was. Then, shaking off his doubts, he went to get the fishing rod and catch a meal to feed his hunger.
- CHAPTER FIFTEEN -
For the first time, Masika witnessed Jasari struggle to speak. He stumbled and struggled on the spot until eventually his sister-mate created a tapestry of lies. She told the guest Chief that their daughter had battled with a feline out in the wilds but was clumsy enough to get caught. Rather than the impressive feat she tried to make it sound like, Pazade called Gugu an idiot for trying to tackle such an untameable beast.
After an awkward few moments, Jasari escorted the guest to his sleeping area and made sure to give Masika a threatening stare on his way out. With the sisters still shooting daggers in her direction, she was quick to make her way back to her room.
The moment she entered, worry began to snake through her. Even though she had done nothing wrong, she saw in his stare that Jasari blamed her for the Chief’s comments. As for him wanting to see her on his own, she had no idea what to make of that. Jasari wouldn’t be happy with her and would probably insist on his own warriors being present when it happened.
“Masika?” a hoarse voice from the other side of the door made her jump. She quickly spun around and opened it. Dia stood before her, his jaw clenched, and pushed past her without saying another word.
Catching her breath, she closed the door again and eyed him up and down. The thought of ever having to go near him made her sick to the core, especially now she knew her brother had the same feelings she had.
“Should you not be seeing the daughters of this Chief?” she snarled.
Dia sat himself down on the wooden chair and glared in her direction. “Cook me something,” he demanded.
“I don’t have anything cook with. Your father seems to think he can’t trust me with any equipment,” Masika said sharply and sat opposite the heavyset male. She didn’t feel any fear towards him; he was nothing but a boy, even if he had earnt his name.
“Your brother returned.”
Masika tried to look surprised as she raised her eyebrows in his direction. If he only knew Zaki had sneaked into his hut and taken her virginity, she thought to herself. “I told you he would.”
“It doesn’t matter anyway. Just thought you should know.” Dia took out a small knife from his pocket. He proceeded to wriggle the edge of the blade against his fingertips to scratch. “Guards have been doubled around the hut in case he tries to get in, or you try to get out. Your home has been pulled down and he has been given what was left in the rubble.”
Masika could feel tears filling in her eyes and tried to stop them rolling down her cheek. The pit of her stomach was heavy with sadness thinking of her brother with nowhere to sleep and only a small bag of belongings on his back to get by. Especially while she was living in the luxury of well-stuffed beds, bathing in hot water and being fed the freshest foods from the hunts.
“Dia, why am I here? My brother is out there alone and needs me more than you do. You have a Chief’s daughter here to see if she can bind to you.” Masika braved staring into his beady eyes to see if there was a glimpse of humanity still within.
She got her answer the moment his thin lips curved into a smirk. “I will have you both here. Your brother will die alone with no name on his grave or to give the Gods. It will be his punishment.”
“Punishment?” Masika’s body locked up with rage. “Our entire family perished, and he did his best to bring me up with our blood’s beliefs!”
Dia pushed back his chair and made sure to stand over her. “He wanted you to suffer in the filth of the tribe when you could have been brought up here with your mother.”
Masika leapt to her feet and without thinking, slapped him across the face. The moment she did it, regret took over. She backed away a couple of paces, tripping over her own feet in shock as she tried to cling onto the table.
Dia rubbed the glowing crimson hand mark on his cheek and snarled. He threw the chair out of the way and walked calmly towards her as she reached the wall and cowered.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” she mumbled.
Dia didn’t respond. Instead, he picked her up by the plaits either side of her face and pulled her to his level. “Don’t ever do that to me again,” he spat at her. He ran his free hand over her chest and seemed to take pleasure in her rapid, fearful heartbeats as the smirk formed on his face once more. He brought his fingertips to her lips and squeezed them open before he delved his tongue into her mouth.
Masika gagged as his rancid breath invaded the inside of her cheeks, his tongue exploring wherever it could without any warning. The feel of him, the smell, even his presence made her sick to the bone and left her feeling dirty at the way he choked her. The tears couldn’t help but roll down her cheeks as she scrunched her eyes shut and let him continue.
He pulled away from her. She thought he was done as he gave her a smirk, but he wasn’t. With the plaits still in his grip, he smashed her head against the wall with all his force.
Masika yelped as her head crashed against the wood, and the pain shot right down her neck and shoulders. Swimming with dizziness, she kept her focus on Dia’s face.
“You are an uncontrollable cunt and need to learn some fucking respect!” He spat once more over her. “One more step, Masi, one more is all you are getting. If I had been my father, I would have sliced your head off.”
“Stop with the fucking threats and just do it,” Masika muttered.
Dia growled and glanced down to his knife, but before he became tempted to cut her, he loosened his grip on her hair and let her fall to the floor. “No. My family spent years to get your hips and that is what I will take from you. You are not getting out of this on your terms, Masi.”
With that, he left. Masika stayed on the ground and stared ahead. Last night had been the best night of her life. Her brother, despite the struggle he had to go through to be with her and seeing them tear down his hut, still had a smile on his face when he saw her. He lay her down on the bed and the pair of them had shared their love in a quick romance.
Every day, she was going to be tested and probably beaten by one of the family. They would never kill her because, like Dia had said, his family had tried for years to get her and it would be pointless to do it now. The only thing she could do was keep the hope in her mind that her brother would somehow get her out. He clearly knew how to sneak in so it should not be too hard to figure out an escape. Especially now he had knowledge of the world outside the village.
They can harm my physical self all they want, she thought. Flesh can heal, and my soul will forever be his.
It was an hour later that the garasum knocked on the door with her bowl of chunky vegetable sou
p for lunch before the elder came to go over the behaviours expected within the family and tried to teach her its history for her future children.
Masika couldn’t resist grinning when she saw the new entry which had been loosely drawn on a fresh piece of paper. It was clearly an unflattering sketch in charcoal of Gugu, battling a lion while its fangs were sunk into her ear.
By the time the sun was beginning to set, no warrior or other member of the Chieftain’s family had come by to visit. She assumed they had all been far too busy with the arrival of the guests.
But she was still concerned by Pazade saying he wanted to see her on his own. With no one coming to tell her what to say, she had no idea what had already been said about her, if anything at all. As the sky deepened into night laced with the sparkles of the children stars, Masika went to put on the floral linen nightdress she had been given.
No sooner had she lifted up the furred blanket, when there was a knock at the door. Sighing, she dropped the blanket and went to the door.
“I see you are ready for bed, girl. Hope you don’t mind if we speak now,” Pazade said in a low tone beneath the mask.
Startled, Masika attempted to pull the hem of her nightdress over her knees and found herself stuttering. “I… erm… yes. Come in.”
Pazade nodded low and walked past, helping himself to a cup of water before leaning on the barrel. He cocked his head, his leaf green eyes shining in her direction. “Close the door. I need to hear the truth.”
- CHAPTER SIXTEEN -
Not long after the young woman left, Zaki caught a small, underfed fish and went back into the shack to prepare his meal. He gathered a couple of white mushrooms and reddened berries from the bushes nearby and mixed them together to fry. While he ate, he found that his mind kept dwelling on her.
He didn’t have the foggiest idea what was beneath that mask. For all he knew, she could be heavily scarred or even just grotesque to look at. For some reason, even with those thoughts in mind, he couldn’t dowse his curiosity. With her willow frame, she was thinner than most would deem pleasing, but to him, her body was the most perfect he had ever seen in a female.
While chewing the last few pieces of the surprisingly filling meal, he shrugged off as many of his thoughts about her as he could and decided to get an early night. He knew Inari would be herb-picking in the early hours and he had to make sure he got to speak to the witch doctor before he was called to the side of his visitors.
As he tried to close his eyes, his mind would not be still. He knew he should have been thinking what to do about Masika but all he could think of were those emerald eyes. Kind in nature, but driving his mind wild with a lust he wasn’t used to. Tossing and turning, he rearranged himself several times before he finally managed to drift into slumber.
The sun hadn’t yet risen when he forced himself out of bed, but the heat was already building and the river air was growing rancid. Throwing on his rags, he held his breath before heading out.
The sky glowed beige and there wasn’t a cloud in sight. The day was going to be an insufferable one, especially for those performing physical labour. Zaki sleepily trudged through the gates, past guards who appeared to be half asleep themselves against the battered perimeter wall, eyelids barely open enough to give him their usual glare.
He always liked this time in the morning. When Inari first took in him and his sister, he never wanted to leave the hut because of the burns. Being so young, they disgusted him as the crackled flesh flaked off whenever he flinched or turned, and the scabs peeling made him sick. But during the early hours, Inari would wake him to pick herbs from the garden. At first, he was reluctant and remembered having a tantrum which scared Masika to the point of crying hysterics. After consoling her, he grunted to the witch doctor that he would try to go outside but if anyone saw him, he would be running straight back in. Inari grinned and gave him a matching basket and after a couple of hours, Zaki returned with petals from all kinds of wild and fragrant plants and his first smile since the fire.
The garden was just to the right of the entrance. It was the perfect place to grow all types of harvestable plants and medicinal herbs, with the right amount of warm light and cooling shadows. Inari used to tell Zaki that of a night, the flowers needed their sleep like he did so they could work at their best.
Bulky wooden crates filled with soil had been placed in long rows, all separated into growing areas. The tomatoes, coffee beans, cocoa and berries were all together along with other edible shrubs. Beside them were a couple of trees, ones which never grew as tall as a man but still stood strong, despite the dry weather. These were precious and not to be touched by anyone other than those who lived with the Chieftain. Then there were the rows of aromatic medicinal bushes and trees, always picked until barely anything remained amongst the leaves. Even the petals which fell to the ground were used.
Inari was crouched on the ground with his wrist buried in the soil. Zaki had a quick scan around the area before he quietly tapped him on the shoulder.
“Fuck!” Inari yelled and sat on the ground. He placed a hand on his chest and glanced up. “I thought you were a silent-step! At least say something next time; I’m getting old now!”
Zaki gave a slight smirk and crouched beside him, throwing some of the stray petals into the worn basket. “Sorry. Just wanted to speak to you if you have the time.”
“Yes, yes. It will have to be quick, though. I have to go get things ready for tonight.”
“Wait, what’s happening tonight?”
The doctor shoved some yellow petals hastily into the basket and lifted the mask from his face. “A feast for the guests and an announcement of sorts… I think. What did you want to speak to me about anyway?”
Zaki shuffled his feet and glanced over his shoulder to make sure it was only the pair of them among the tall leaves. When he was certain, he leant in and spoke in such a quiet whisper that Inari could only just make out what he was saying. “I did something incredibly stupid, Inari. I mean, I really regret it.”
“What did you do now? Did you punch Dia or something?” The doctor flicked a few stray flowers into the basket and itched his dripping forehead.
Zaki chewed on his lip. “I think I mated with Masika.”
Inari nearly knocked over the basket as he inhaled sharply in shock, making him choke on his incense. After patting his chest a couple of times, he looked up with a serious expression. “What?! How did you even… When did you even do that? How do you only ‘think’? You either did or you didn’t!”
“I was drunk. There was a warrior there who was even more far gone then I was. I asked him about the shifts and he told me he would get the guard there to get away so I could climb up.”
“You climbed into the hut?! What if you’d landed in Jasari’s room?!”
“I asked first! I’m not fucking stupid!” Zaki glanced over his shoulder and took a deep breath. “I got into her room and… I don’t know. I felt tired but I was just so happy to see her.”
“So what happened?”
“I don’t know! I don’t even know that it did happen! I just… I hugged her, kissed her and was so happy she was okay. I remember lying on top of her and then… it just goes blank. I felt relieved.”
Inari shuffled his things together and pushed himself to his feet. He nodded ahead to the exit and started to walk slowly, shaking his head and muttering under his breath. “You better pray to the Gods, Brother that you didn’t. If your seed went in her, there will be no saving you this time. Dia will kill you.”
“I know he will, I didn’t even want to do that Inari. I really didn’t.” Zaki chewed on his cheek as he walked with the doctor out of the fragrant maze. “I never even wanted to bind with her, truth be told. I never felt the attraction to her. I only ever wanted to protect her from harm.”
Inari nodded and placed his hand on Zaki’s shoulder. “I will speak with her when I can to try and figure this out. There is little I can do for a couple of days with these guest
s here. Have you found somewhere to sleep?”
“Yes, I have been in the fishing shacks.”
“Good, try to stay there for the weeks to follow if you can. The feast tonight will be open to the entire tribe so might be worth you coming along.”
“You can’t be serious? Jasari and Dia would shame me the entire time!”
Inari gave a weak grin and took out a handful of berries from the basket, shoving them in Zaki’s palm. “Whenever there is a feast, there are competitions. There is a guest Chief here; he might be able to give you what you want. Jasari can’t argue if you impress him enough to grant you a name ceremony.”
The tribesman hadn’t even realised that. The female he had spoken to do had seemed to take a shine to him and maybe even she could grant him some leeway while they were here. After all, it would probably be a decade before another Chief visited.
“So what are you suggesting I do?”
Inari turned around. “I suggest you eat those berries, clean up your cuts and train like you used to before a hunt when you were younger. You have a name to earn tonight, Brother. If nothing else, you will get a belly full of food.”
Zaki grinned weakly back and chucked down a handful of the small, sweet berries. Walking a few paces behind the doctor, he watched as Inari hobbled back up the hill. For the first time in his life, the realisation hit him that Inari was getting old. He didn’t have much time left in this world but his words were always wise and he should treasure them while he could.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the armoured Blood-and-White warriors emerging from the Chieftain’s hut, marching in time across the rocky floor. He found himself leaning against the wall and a part of him hoping to see the young masked daughter.
When the warriors finally went past, disappointment settled like a blanket over his nervous butterflies and he shook his head. Wondering what was coming over him, he shrugged it off and strode towards his shack to prepare for whatever was to come in the night.