14 - The haunting

Chapter 14 (The haunting.)

With every wash, the fog cleared from before him. whatever this water was doing to his sight he had no idea but when he looked the earth flattened out and what lay before him resembled the top of a crater which edges were made of strange hanging rocks. 

The ground went into a curve from behind him. From the main stream’s opposite bank, the ground was dark and long. What caught his attention most was the red tree that stood at the center of the hill rising high into the clouds. It’s Branches spread out wide. And the top of the hill looked wider than the hill appears from below. The ground was covered with thousands of red leaves.

There was no tree larger than this anywhere in the world below. The tree’s bark was white and the type he knew no other below this hill. Whatever tree it was, it drew his attention and immediately he started across. The moment he stepped on dark earth the other side of the stream, it flew off towards the white tree.

Tsote followed the bird running until he realized the trees surrounding resembled a compound. The Tree’s base was supported by three arm like roots the size of the largest tree Tsote has ever seen down below. The three roots entered the earth with the space of a three yard. What surprised him were the strange entrances, doors and strangely arranged plates of rock around the base and center of the trees.

There owls perched on the little branches growing off the sides of the three roots upwards as far as he could look. And their eyes watched the space around the tree in all directions. Tsote saw them and immediately fell back behind a few rocks. He immediately thought! This was weird but when he stepped back, his foot slid and the owls looked into his direction. 

Two of the roots sank and spread like a great wall from the edge of the hill curving away into the east. Then began to fade. What was the wall for? He needed to get closer to the tree’s third root facing his direction. For a while he stayed calm and quiet where he was and took a few quick breaths. And their Olko magic was channeled through the owls from this spot or somewhere else more powerful than this place. 

The inner parts of the three roots had small size roots, which curved in wards and sank into the earth at the center of the tree. They formed a network along the ground as the ground seemingly sank like a crater. The network formed a cave-like network in the crater and there was a glow of light. May be someone lived here!. This grew Tsote’s curiosity. 

Tsote pushed back wards just when he saw a passage through some arched rocks leading towards the left side of the tree. He started away slowly. He would make it to the tree and to some gap, which resembled a window. Just then, he heard someone talking. Whoever was talking sounded furious and demanding.

Somebody else with an older and hoarse voice responded something he never heard well. At first, the voices were faint and yet in a very serious argument! Tsote froze for a few seconds and scanned the base of the trees, which roots intertwined into some strange network resembling a shelter with a path leading through the north east and south east roots. 

There were stone Slabs flowing with water here and there. Rocks and organized holes resembling windows. The remaining stretch of the roots sinking away into the dark earth concealed by dark earth and normal undergrowth as well as a large turtle dish positioned on top three black rocks in front of the main exit filled with clear water.

A yellowish glow of the fire lit up the interior of the shelter And there were shadows of two figures. Tsote escaped the notice of the white owls when he crouched behind one of the rocks closest to the shelter. From here, he could hear voices in an argument. Someone needed to make a point clearer to a female voice. The language was Yakunko. Tsote shut his eyes to be sure and this is when he realized this to be the king’s voice. 

The older and the course voice dared to respond but the first voice shut him up with a blow, which seemingly caught a set of breakable items off a shelf or table, to the floor! Followed by woman’s voice filled with fear and pity for self.

Tsote found himself compelled to draw closer to hear this argument to its end after all this is how far The Olko hill rose and if this is where he would get all his answers to every question he needed answered about himself, he was at the very peak! The king came up here on a monthly basis alone without an effect from the fog Mama Erusa said discriminated anybody Yakunko and in possession of a Kurota. What about the king. How did the he make it to the top with his Kurota?

He moved closer to one of the low window-like gaps in the trees but a lot more carefully lest the white owls spotted him! From here he could hear everything very well! This was the king O’mondo’s voice indeed. The other voice, Tsote could not compare anyone to it and if he dared raise his head to peep through the little window, the owls would spot him.

“The haunt could be the reason for the failure of my third I’nka ritual…”

“Well…. It was your greed.” came the woman “… You repeated your great grandfather’s mistake… Oladiya.”

“Your advice has never been genuine priestesses.… never!”

“Well, you should not have requested for Shorango assistance or even accepted the blood pact in the very first place. Because the end of it all has made you what you deserved. A king of a crumbling tribe because the Yakunko, Sambura and your family shall be heirs of the Yakunko.”

“Don’t say that again,” The king barked. 

“You need to let go… coz your mistakes can not be undone.”

 “I cannot…” the king replied adding. “The haunting has worsened. I am losing the support and trust of the royal council of elders and general.”

“You need leave me alone…!”

 “You don’t have to treat the plague, but you can give me a permanent remedy to this haunt before I lose my gift for good… like Renso one of my father’s best archers…” The king said.

 “I see…” came the woman. “It has been a while since you last looked overwhelmed by fear…” Came the woman adding. 

“I’m not afraid…” Came the king bitterly.

“Your father never taught you how to overcome fear… did he?”

The first weapon against fear is calmness…” the woman replied adding “Just like Oladiya, anger and the fear of defeat will destroys you… it’s not the haunting that’s limited you of clear reasoning and…”

“I did not come here for lectures…” The king interrupted her. “But for a permanent remedy.”

 “You must go. Leave me alone!”

“Once we are done here I will…” the king replied strongly. This was followed by a moment of silence.

“You have learned close to nothing…” The woman told him while he crossed the floor towards the things fallen to the floor. He added “-I must say you are such a shame to your family, people and the Yakunko throne.”

“How dare you…!” The king sneered slamming on the table with a heavy fist once more. 

She crouched to pick up one of the strange snails with a glowing shell when placed in water. These were her pets and spoke to them whenever she was alone on top this hill. The pot in which she kept the snails lay in pieces across the floor.

He minded less about the woman things he just swept off the shelf on the left because they lay scattered and broken across the floor. The woman bent and carried up some strange glowing snail. Very carefully, she started across the room and placed it in some little pond, glowing with many other small snails. These little snails were crawled all over the rocks covered with algae in the base of the pond. She lowered the snail into the water slowly and very carefully.

“Oladiya would never have reached you hadn’t you won my Olko beads…” The woman said to him. “Why? The Kobewa did take Oladiya’s eye, your great grandfather.”

And Olko magic has been the power behind the enchantment of the fog within which his eyes have been hidden apart from him all these year. He hungers to split you with your Kurota so as to replace it and…, and possibly to rule again but through you.”

“Deception…!” The king barked at the woman. 

 “Well, good enough, the enchantment does not allow him to. You think I am lying?” Came the woman. 

“We don’t believe the Kobewa …”

“But you know its Oladiya whenever he tries to tear you and your Kurota apart!” the woman interrupted. There was some silence before she concluded. “Your other problem is the inability to discern between advice and foolery.”

 “I did not intend to take your beads away. It happened by mistake when I touched them… and they are my only refuge from the plague under the light… but you did well and I was grateful. And the bead, I cherish it as the last token of the first and most probably last Yakunko and Kobewa fellowship and trust.”

“Fool!” came the woman with a bitter glance. “What do you know about friendship and trust except for bluff and mockery to my people! We had an ultimatum sealed by blood pact. You promised the all those with Kobewa blood in their blood streams freedom, the return of their lands as well as support to rebuild themselves as a tribe. I convinced the Shorango, the last pure blood Kobewa alive to stand with you only to satisfy your ego and worthless pride.”

“Well, unlike Oladiya, I have not murdered any of your kind intentionally…”

“If he did not leave you any pure blood Kobewa to murder doesn’t mean you would not have done the same to get what you want…”

“What are you…?” The king asked mockingly.

“Your all linage will forever remain guilty of Oladiya’s actions on our tribe. They were just human and innocent with a role to play in the survival of all men. What remained of our tribe are half-bloods.”

“Don’t you get emotional about this because…!” The King warned her.

“Well, the Shorango are an improved version of the weak Kobewa Oladiya so easily trampled on…!” the woman responded with a sneer.

“You need not to pardon my actions but I only did what I thought would please the Royal elders because they disapproved the alliance in the very start.” The woman turned slowly to look into his eyes. There was a new tone to his voice to and what he just said had meaning. “But I got into this hopping for the best between the Kobewa and my people. In addition I was glad you chose to side with me through to victory…”

“Mmmh! Good enough my sisters warned me in advance! They wouldn’t have looked upon my face the same way again after the failure of the alliance and the honor of the blood pact.”

 “Okay! You did what you thought was best…” the king barked holding his heads, which was hurting badly, and he stumbling around. He was confused again. “- and you need not make this difficult this time.”

“The child needs to be safe and away from the fog because the enchantment has weakened over the past fifteen years and if he finds him, trust he won’t spare him either.”

“I know and I have kept him very far away from anyone’s reach…?”

“Where is that exactly… I don’t trust….” Came the woman.

“Enough with that question. I have told you over and again your son is safe danger… you don’t have to know where exactly!”

“Remember the plague will spread like a wild fire, killing both yours and my whole family linage to the last one in case the Halfling dies before his gift manifest.” The woman replies.

“I’ll be safe with the protection of the beads…?”

“I know, but those without the beads will fall before your eyes one by one until you are all alone, hollow and purposeless.” The woman reminds him.

“You cannot see everything no more Naruba…” The king replied. “Not without your beads.” Tsote listened but was surprised to hear the name Naruba. Naruba was the name of the powerful Shorango priestess with whom King O’mondo made an alliance with in order to defeat the Home seeker. If the woman was the same priestess, then why King O’mondo was in need of her assistance again when he broke the terms of the Shorango and Kobewa alliance.

“Try seeking for redemption for your families’ wrongs with the tribes you and your fore fathers have wronged.” Naruba advises the king.

“And who’s to set the terms of redemption…?” 

“You made me capture the chiefs of the Tzavoku and Jakewa which made my people their enemies as much as your people are. That hurt the Shorango and made me lose their trust to this day. Therefore, the Tzavoku, Jakewa and Half Kobewa may never come to trust you ever again and so may come with unique terms… but you can dictate the terms of peace with the rest of the other tribe. However, for the Kobewa, we the Shorango, Olkai will talk for us…”

“Olkai…?” The king burst out in laughter. 

“And his terms will require you the return of my son and Olko beads.” The woman replies.

“The wretched owl! I no longer need to hear about Olkai. A bird you cannot show to prove it isn’t a lie.”

“Mind your tongue O’mondo… You need not worsen your life with mistake after mistake. You don’t break your promises after a sacred blood pact and still mock the goddess of the woods.”

“Olkai and Untu are two different beings…” King O’mondo spoke with full confidence. “And Untu is alive no longer.”

“Mockery…” the woman spat bitterly.

“Call it what you like but … the beads I cannot return until the child’s gift and safe from the plague.” The king spoke.

“What then?” she asked adding. “You of all Yakunko tribesmen know very well everything has a price. You won’t give up the beads, you have not brought my son with you as was agreed on your last visit and you need protection from the haunt… but unwilling to give up anything in exchange for assistance.”

“Anything else I can give but not the child, not the beads…” 

 “The Black seed has prevented you from seeing the true color and meaning of many things…” The woman told him blankly.

“Don’t you dare…?” The king warned. His Kurota attempted to manifest as he approached the woman. Nevertheless, the Kurota burned and weakened him! He stumbled weakly using the table for support.

“Yes…” The woman responded quickly. “It has shielded you all starting from the very first of Yakunko kings Oladiya and has not excluded you…”

“Enough about the I’nka Seed… we know best what it is and why it was given unto the Yakunko other than the Kobewa.” The king responds angrily.

The woman ignored what was happening to him because it wasn’t new. Whenever he got angrily. The King’s Kurota attempted taking control of him. As though this was a usual thing. She stood up from the side of the pool to the opposite side of the table where she paused and watched the king struggling to regain control of his Kurota. 

King O’mondo’s nails were digging and tearing through whatever he touched to support himself. Whatever he touched broke or fell over due to his weight and strength! And when he touched the tree’s roots, the plague ate his whole arm to his neck even with the beads around his neck.

“Fools!” The woman turning away from him. “Leave me alone then…!”

“You have lived up here for the last fourteen years without your beads and the plague hasn’t affected you as much it should have…”The King spoke out. “What has protected you from the plague to this day is what I need… no more Olko nuts and Untu leaves…”

“Olkai alone can assist you on that… and he isn’t willing to meet with you unless you have my son.”

“Summon to him!” the king concluded with a strong tone.

“I cannot. He can only help you with the assistance of the Halfling child.” The woman reveals.

“You just do not think I understand the anything…” The king repulsed her reasoning. “The child is my son. He is largely Yakunko and doesn’t belong up here.” 

“My son too.” the woman replied.

“But I’m not dumb…” the king told her. I know very well that whichever of his gifts that will manifest, is a result of who of us raised him, through which ways, norms and beliefs.”

“We only need to know why his gifts have delayed…”

“Well then, summon to your friend the owl and he and I have a talk first…”