33 - Healing

Chapter 33. (Healing.)

Tsote sat up from the altar and looked around. 

The whole time Naruba struggled with Oladiya, trying to ensure that she did not lose her beads to him, Tsote’s Kurota sprouted. Not until the Oladiya took, back both his eyes! Besides, Makita watched Tsote struggling as if he was experiencing a bad dream.  All of a sudden, the sun’s ray cut through the fog in the east. Its rays touched Tsote’s flesh. It did not take long before Tsote gained consciousness.

 The Owl watched from the side of his feet. 

“Makita?”

“Tsote… you are alive.”

“What happened?” Tsote inquired confusedly turning to look at Olkai whose mane looked so beautiful in the morning sun light. The sun was rising from the east and the fog was melting out of the way slowly. The tree was as red and beautiful as it always was. 

“Welcome back child…”

“Thanks… but,” Tsote replied while getting up to his feet. “Where is mother…?”

“Unfortunately…”  

“Did I kill her?”

“No you did not.” Olkai replied adding. “You only witnessed things you had no control over…”

“He took your eye and Olkai saved you…” Makita replied.

“But I was there, I attacked the M’jeda keep. I killed all the Shorango keepers one by one and… and then mother arrived and…”

“Yes you saw it all but you did not kill anyone… not even your mother. It wasn’t you.” The Owl told him.

“But…” Tsote stammered as tears started to roll again.

“But she did not make it back… and it was not your fault child.”

“I do not understand…” 

“You will after refreshing yourself.” Came the wise owl. “Come. You too, daughter of the Thalko.”

They both followed him back to the tree. The whole way he tried to explain better. This is when he learned that the manifest of his gifts would result into the death of his parents.

“Fate is bigger than all of us…”

***** 

Without the beads, the king almost went mad, his Kurota was going wild and the plague was consuming him. He killed a few of his men in the struggle to get control of his Kurota. He rushed back into his tent and immersed himself into the wooden tab filled with herbs given him but the Shorango woman. 

The tab had faces of the past kings curved into the different sides and fit with gold and the glowing stones from the basin of river Ulewo. The plague reduced and the Kurota stopped rioting within. Later Thalko returned and reported that his men went after the Halfling child but none of them returned.

The king instructs him to continue searching… but also to send his son Mozia O’mondo to him. The prince arrived and the king suggested they returned to Sambura at once but the Prince refused. He told his father, he was a loser in so many things but he would go after the Halfling thief… 

“… and kill him.”

“Don’t you dare?”

“The moment he dies, my condition will spread to affect all of you.”

“Those are myths…”

“Listen you fool…” came the king. “You will leave the hunt to Thalko and you will return to Sambura with my men. That’s an order.”

Prince Mozia O’mondo stopped and looked back at his father. He took a deep breath. 

“You are not well at all. But I love you father… however, I don’t think I can do as you ask!” Prince Mozia O’mondo replies and walks away.

What happened in Marakusha was big story that would not take long to reach the ears of the King’s enemies. Therefore, he could not survive another day longer in Marakusha in case the news reached the new comers that he was sick of the Halfling plague. 

When his son Prince Mozia O’mondo left his tent, he went straight to Thalko’s shelter where the chief was with the remainders of his generals. He saw what plans they were making about the hunt for the Halfling child and he interrupted saying he would like to be part of the search team.

Thalko wanted to deny him the chance but could no longer when he would be King in case his father O’mondo never recovered from his illness. He requested to be in command of one of the search teams and still Thalko did not refuse. Only one rule everyone had to follow. They would not kill the two children but arrest them alive along with his daughter Makita. 

The warriors feared the fog but Thalko had told them to smear themselves with owls ash made of owl feathers. As the sun faded, Prince Mozia O’mondo’s team came to the field cleared of trees. They saw the prints of the Basha dog Tsote escaped riding on with Makita.  M’boguku Iteti and  Mozia O’mondo were on the same team. As usual, M’boguku spotted a dead wildebeest.

They came to the spot where the Ghost Kurota attacked Thalko’s first man. What they saw terrified them!

“Did he do this?”

“Impossible. He did not possess his Kurota.”  M’boguku Iteti replied.

They took two of the bodies and a wildebeest back to Chief Thalko. Thalko could not believe what he was seeing. The bodies were placed on a table at the far left end of the military tent and the village elder was summoned for. He came and described what the attack might have been. He came with Sakitha.

While they were away, the North eastern treetop boarder watch-men sighted the movement of the an army of new comers. They were close to Marakusha and this time other tribes’ men warriors did not accompany them. The new comers were advancing on Marakusha from the northeast. Through the fogless gorge of the eastern hills between Marakusha and the new comers fortress of Saloma.

The enemy was under the command of a new chief in command. When news reached Marakusha, Thalko could not believe the Newcomers would return so fast with just so few men equal to what he and the King did not get to destroy three days back. However, after the murder of the recent chief in command of the new comers’ armies, they received another known as Khailem. 

Thalko has never seen this commander before but he was a tougher and more intelligent one compared to the first. When he took over command of the new comer’s defeated army, he did not let the men rest a second day. He immediately organized them for another attack hoping not to let the Yakunko King recover as well as the other commanders usually did. 

However, the new comers were known to attack with Sambura as the target. Commander Khailem did not go for Sambura as the Yakunko thought the Newcomers desired to. He led all the survivors armies south west against Marakusha.  

The watchmen reported to Thalko what they found out. Nevertheless, he could not believe they were headed south west with approximately the same number he and the king never destroyed. He sent out his men to ensure there were no other armies moving on Marakusha from any other direction. And then he remembered at the end of the rains, the great fog along the slopes of the Olko hill started to descend to the banks of river Ulewo.

Commander Khailem was told at the end of the rain season, the fog descended for longer days to consume much more Yakunko land than usual. This means all Yakunko guardsmen and patrol teams will evacuate the slopes of the Olko hill until the end of the day season. He arrived at the camp of the new comers survivors with double the number of men there. On the afternoon of the Krotandi games, he organized his men into three groups. 

Two were to attack from the foggy slopes of the Olko hill while the survivors from the open face where the Yakunko expected them to attack from. However, the new commander’s idea for the attack on Marakusha using the foggy slopes of the Olko hill were questionable. This is because the commanders knew and ever heard of the tales about a Ghost Kuoka ghost that roamed the enchanted fog. 

they had heard the ghost took Kurotandi boys eyes and for the past one thousand years children have been restricted from getting anywhere near the fog. For that case, they questioned the safety of their men along the slopes under and enchanted fog! The commander asked them if any of them ever saw the ghost but none of the commanders have ever seen it. Secondly, he made it clear to them, that the Yakunko commanders will not expect them to use the fog while attacking and this would be advantageous.

The commander and his men would ride direct for Marakusha through the open while the two moved through the fog to the slopes of the Olko hill. Fortunately, they made it there. To their advantage, most of the Kurotandi patrol teams were back to their bases because the dry season had begun and the fog descended fully on the different edges of the hill. 

The first of the two armies comprised of cannon operating soldiers and archers. The new comers planned to rain down a hailstone of Cannon ball at the Kurota warriors.  These dragged the cannons guns to the slopes of the hill using oxen and once there they lined them up along the slopes of the hill just a few moments after the departure of Prince Mozia O’mondo search team. Commander Khailem saw them and instructed his men to pause in the fog. 

They watched them leave with the bodies of a wildebeest and one of their Kurota warriors. And then they started on organizing their cannon guns closer along the base of the field cleared of trees. Commander Khailem and a few of his men studied the dead bodies in a command tent slightly behind the cannon gun lines. They had Black feathers in them just as his men had warned him. This is when he instructed that the bodies be taken covered, collected and sent to Damoshu, the Capital of the Newcomers for greater study. This was done carefully avoiding the other men from seeing the black poisonous feathers, which could have been the cause of death!

News reached Thalko that an army equal to that they had fought with the king two days back departed from Damoshu but their whereabouts was unknown. 

“I need to warn father…”

“No. Not you.” Thalko interrupted the prince. “Tothaka?”

“Yes commander?” Tothaka, his right hand man responded while stepping forwards.

“Ride out with ten men to get word to the king… and then ride for Sambura immediately after. The elders must be released.”

“But the King…”

“I don’t care…” came the commander. “Go there, release the Elders, and tell them I have the Halfling child. Tsote Son of King O’mondo.” 

Everyone looked at Thalko in confusion. No one believed this to be true earlier. After all, there was a royal Halfling child? What horrific news! However, Thalko could not explain to anyone at this moment when the enemy was moving on them. And whatever he was doing, everyone hoped he better be right! Otherwise, he was breaking the king’s orders for the very first time.

“So that cowards is my Brother…!” Came Prince Mozia O’mondo.

“Very much…”

“And you never told me this fool…!” The Prince scolded with such bitterness. He dared to step forwards and Thalko lifted his spear at his face.

“Don’t you dare… your highness. Don’t!” Thalko warned calmly with a tough face. Everyone wondered how he could raise his weapon at the prince’s neck like this but there they were.

The prince looked down at the edge of the commander’s spear and his eyes following its wooden end met eyes with Thalko. The prince felt very angry but faked a slime and laughed. There was a little moment of silence before he stepped back dissatisfied.

“Father?” M’boguku interrupted.

“Shut your mouth you…!”

“But he is my fried and…”

“I said…?” Thalko sneered at him and thereafter to Tathaka.

“Let him join you…”

Tathaka replied as he walked up to M’boguku. M’boguku did not want to go but his father was eyeing him with such disgust. He feared to utter another word turned to leave with Tathaka. Once they exited, he heard his father saying to the rest.

“There is no space for pride under this tent. No time for the expression of power and position. No time to get emotional because any foolish move could cost us many lives…”

Everyone looked at him attentively.

“Marakusha has got tens of thousands of young lives, mothers, our daughters and the old whose lives hang on the line right now.” Thalko added. “You can return to your father your highness if you please but Marakusha is home and its people are your people. The Kurotandi are your future armies. You either stand like a warrior or pride yourself around until a new comers bullet knocks your pride and irrationality out once and for ever.”

The Prince eyed him and sat back in his chair…

“We have the new comers headed this way with double the number of men your father and I defeated two days ago. Our men are tired and weak.” Thalko went on. “The fog will seal up any route out of Marakusha in the next few days and so we cannot leave here no longer!”

“The western Haroka path hasn’t been consumed by the fog. It normally takes a week before…” Thalko’s left hand commander Wonko stated.

“We have two enemies out there and got no idea where the enemy is advancing from. We need not send our child, wives and the old right into the mouth of the crocodile… we need to be sure it’s safe…” Thalko replied while looking down at the dead man lain on the table at the center of the tent. His body was as poisoned and damaged like never before.

“What if they are using the fog where we cannot send our men at this time of the season?” A village royal elder (the only one that never attended the Inka ceremony) stated. 

“Impossible.” came Thalko confidently. “Unless they have not heard about the tales.”

“We do not know their new commander very well. The past commanders normally avoided the fog as much as we did after finding proof that the Ghost exists…” The elder responded.

“I get, we cannot underestimate the new commander.” Wonko, Thalko’s left hand man added.

Thalko nodded.

“So who is ready to lead another team of our men out there to find out…?”

Sakitha steps forwards. 

“You…?”

“I will go… I know the slopes better than anyone here does because I have hunted there longer. I have seen the Ghost thrice and I know his paths better…”

“Paths.”

“Yes.” Came the huntress with signs. “The Ghost follows the prints left by the Shorango elephants.”

“Why…?” Thalko asked her critically. This was new and none of them knew.

“I am not sure but I have encountered the Shorango around thirteen times over…”

“A typical warrior among us has not even see the Shorango even thrice… how you happen to…” The elder asked.

“I see.” Came Thalko. “Like mother like daughter.”

“My mother was blind. But she knew and saw more than an average man with normal sight ever could…”

“Yes…” came Thalko. “Thank you Sakitha. You did a great job as mistress on the Kurotandi games and we appreciate your support on these matters…”

“Thank you chief.” Sakitha replied stepping forwards.

“You will choose your team…” Thalko said. “And may Klode the mighty go with you.”

When she left, Thalko instructed his left hand man to get half of the warriors guarding the edge of the village on the northern side. They weren’t sure what was in the fog and so smoking pans were lit to keep back the ghost in case it planned to attack. The night was here and the enemy was out there preparing to attack.

There after blockages were man to ensure the enemy did not make it into the homesteads so easily. Thalko’s left hand man received assistance from both warriors and women to construct the blockages. Towers were refurnished and fit with fire torches. Warriors organized the village guard mechanical bows and spears aiming them into the fog and stationing men on each.

Before they knew it, a red burning cannon ball hit through one of the watchtowers base. The watchtower topped into some weapon shelters. Three other blasts caught the men by surprise before a shower of them crushed through the first line of the homesteads parts flying and some grass-thatched shelters going ablaze.

Thalko’s tent and tables were hit. Two of his men were thrown out the back end of the shelter. He dove out of the way before another phase swept through destroying more property. He took his blades and started out with three other generals. There was wailing from all homesteads and fire. Children and mothers were crossing this and that way unable to find shelter from the attack.

The buffalo shed was hit and broken in the back end! The animals inside were in hundreds. Terrified they broke loose and started through the village in a tumult! They took three directions crushing through some other wildebeest sheds and letting them loose too. Women were terrified. They tried to get their children out of the way while others got ran over!

A child ran out from one of the crumbling mud shelters a few blocks away but straight from Thalko’s view point. She was running while crying. A part of her clothes were on fire. She stumbled over something and as she fell, the herd of buffalos turned. They were splitting to the homestead. She was going to be ran over. Thalko saw and started for her but he would not be in time. 

Fortunately, she was not ran over but her cloths hooked in one of the male buffalos hors and she was carried away. The herd would be joining the others at the lower end of the village where the shelters were walled jointly with only three ways out.

The animals were headed for his shelter at the center of the village. Having no way to reach the child in time, Thalko took a short cut. He jumped up onto the animals backs. He leaped from this to that until he got to the child. He pierced the animal in the sides and the animal staggered into the others causing ten others to knock each other down. 

The buffalo went off course and crushed into the statue in front of his shelter. The child went up midair. Thalko was able to catch her just in time. He rescued her. Meanwhile the rest of the animals went around both sides of his shelter and continued into a scatter to avoid the blasts and the fire.

Thalko saved the child and then took another of the buffalo’s horns and swinging up onto its back, diverted it from the rest of the herd. He turned the animal towards the tree at the center of the village! The tree was dead and dry but constructed in a way that it supported certain platforms on which the village chiefs and elders stood whenever they would talk to the peoples of Marakusha. 

Half way up there was a wide platform with a large village drum. He took its sticks and sounded it before cannon ball blazing with fire hit the drum creating a hole in it and others shuttering the platform on which he and the drum were.

Thalko fell but some ropes caught him before he could touch the ground!  M’boguku Iteti was there. He saw him and looked confused. He though he sent him to meet the King with his right hand man.

“You are not supposed to be here…”

“I could not leave…”

Thalko cut the ropes and landed on his feet well. He looked in the Northern end of the village and saw chaos. Warriors were collecting from different homesteads and rushing to the northern wing leaving the Northeastern wing vulnerable. 

“Get this…!”Thalko tell his son and hands him his chest commanding gear the likes of a necklace. “I assign you captain of the Kurotandi.”

“Uh!” came M’boguku.

“The enemy was sighted along the North eastern gorge. Therefore, you shall lead the Kurotandi North east. We need an eye on that wing.”

“But…!”

“I will send you two other generals…” Thalko told him and started away. M’boguku looked confused and scared at the same time. He breathed fast as he took his father’s commanding gear. He wore it and nodded. Then watched his father run to meet three other warriors.

******* 

When Tsote and Makita were done eating, the grand owl approached them.

“Something pressing below there. Your fathers are at war against the Goche whom you refer to as the Home seekers and I believe you need to come with me.”

“What’s down there…?”

“The New comers have attacked Marakusha and ….” Tsote stated adding. “I wonder. Is everyone fine…?”

“Nothing is fine… “

“What do you mean nothing is fine…” Came Makita. 

“You need to come with me Tsote.” Olkai said turning to leave. 

“And me…?” Makita asks.

“You are a female and so must stay here a while longer because it’s not a beautiful sight down there…” Olkai said to Makita.

“There is war down there Makita. And you don’t have…” Tsote complimented.

 “Why do you always want to leave me behind?” Makita interrupted. “My father and siblings are down there. I need to know they are safe.”

“You don’t want to get broken hearted child.”

“She must come… she belongs down there… Marakusha is our village and home.” Tsote interrupted. The owl looked at them before she summoned them forwards.

“Come children.” Olkai spoke while going down in some sort of bow. “Hope on if you wish to fly with me…”

“You sure?”

“After thousands of years of practice…?”

  Makita looked excited but she was similarly lost in mind about what she just heard about Marakusha. Makita sits in front of Tsote and holding tightly on the wise owl’s mane, they set to flight.