6 - The I'nka ritual

Chapter 6 (The I’nka ritual.)

The base of the trees were fit with spiky beams of wood that were arranged facing outwards but twinning upwards forming some sort of stairs but also were positioned that way for security reasons. 

 “Come…!” N’dwoku summoned him with a little smile after seeing the boy’s fascination. He led him down to their right until they came to another sophisticated spot Tsote saw might have been reserved for the royals too. There were three seats curved out of stone and arranged to face the ceremonial ground. The back part of the seats was made of square statues, which rose up five feet. 

Tsote slowed down a little when he spotted whose seats these were. The King’s children sat here and the whole front was hang with strands of white feathers some of which were dipped in some sort of golden powder. I can’t describe it all but this was reserved for the royal family children. What had N’dwoku brought him to do this side?

“Go and have your seat son…”

“What?“ Tsote asked with a gapping mouth. He glanced back at N’dwoku who nodded him forwards. Prince Mozia O’mondo did not seem to realize that they were even present. He seemed so taken by the dancing and the drumming in the ceremonial ground. Dancers started out from some gap on the left. They were a lot human compared to the Yakunko. They danced the ancient Yakunko ceremonial dance, which involved the use of gorilla stunts and a pattern I can’t describe in details. 

While they danced, a dozen of buffalos started out from the opposite direct with riders. The buffalos started out into the ceremonial ground in a pattern. The riders stood balancing on the buffalo back and blowing through some strange animal’s horn but taking a millipede movement.

Tsote hesitated but having in mind he wasn’t alone, he took his place in the third seat. The girl glanced a side at him. She was slightly two years younger than Makita. N’dwoku raised a finger at her as if it were a signal for her to stay quite! Tsote did not see this but only turned to focus down into the ceremonial ground.

Another session of drumming began. When the buffalo show ended, a procession of girls started out into the ceremonial ground. Their dance was unique and graceful. The chanting changed and the drumming started all over again…

The king had two wives. Past kings weren’t allowed to give birth with other concubines apart from with the queen. The Yakunko came in with a completely new design allowing them to marry no more than three women. An they were allowed to have children not more than three unless all were female. He would go on producing until he got a male child. That’s why there were only three seats here for his children.

The two princes had their mothers… this is when it struck Tsote.

“Do you know my mother?”

“Yes I knew her…but only your father can tell you the truth.”

“Thalko said he brought me to see my father and…”

“Has he shown you yet who your father is?”

“Not yet…”

“Commander Thalko is a very critical and direct man. I have learned that for the time I have served him. However, “he spoke leaned close to his shoulder. This time whispering.

“He is a very patient man and rarely made mistakes…” Tsote listened anxiously…

“You of all the others must be very lucky.”

Tsote looked blank but did not ask any more.

Each of the princes was seated with their mother. And the moment Tsote sat with N’dwoku, Mozia O’mondo’s mother glanced a side at them followed by passing a hand on Mozia O’mondo’s hand. Mozia O’mondo glanced a side at the two but only frowns in question. 

When the buffalo show ended, a procession of girls started out into the ceremonial circle… what took Tsote by surprise was the antelopes they came dragging along into a circle. Their dance was unique and graceful. They blew into some mountain goat horns they had every after three steps. The drumming rose. The chanting increased and all of a sudden, they dropped to the ground as if they were unconscious. The animals staggered and collapsed too. 

They were already in a circle. The drumming began again quietly. Tsote looked intently only to realize the animal’s eyes had changed from dark to white. The girls took the animal ropes and tied three to each of the four statues erected at the center of the Ceremonial ground. There was no drumming now until the ropes have been fastened to the base of the statues. 

And the when the girls started outwards forming a wider circle, the king stood up. The drumming started again. T dust seemed to conceal them. But they did not stop dancing. They had a cloth tied around their eyes and from the chanting, they were able to listen to each other and to stay in an organized formation. The circle grew until they dropped again. 

They remained knelt but their bodies’ continuously in a dancing motion. As if they were summoning to something! The dust and flying leaves seemed to conceal them until they sat down humming. The king started down slowly. The Wind was started channeling itself to the center of the ceremonial ground. 

Tsote sat his body leaned forwards. He looked puzzled. Just then the dust started to settle leaving a behind all the leaves and the twigs it had picked from the forest around as well as the ground in the ceremonial ground. To everyone’s surprise, the leaves and twigs in the air started to take form. Strange human figure were climbing out from the earth as if they were arriving to the peak of a mountain. They looked and dressed like ancient Yakunko kings but a lot warrior like! Tsote felt like he was growing cold. Why? The ancestors seemed to feel the presence of everyone. They glanced around at the chanting people. 

They however weren’t here for any discussion or what, with no one! They were here to feast. They all at once started to reshape. They became Kurota-like and in seconds charged at the animals. Leaves and twigs consumed the animals. They were sucking out the animal’s blood. And when this was done, they started backwards the dust rising again.

By now the king was at the base of the stairs. He stood in the ceremonial ground. this is when he started to blow into his little horn. This little horn summoned to the ancestors of whoever blew into the horn. Everything Tsote was seeing, he termed it magic fascinated. Everything he ever heard about magic was from folk tales. Here it was live before him. The chanting all of a sudden transformed into a song so legendary. Tsote listened and he thought he knew the real words to the song… why the song had completely different lyrics. N’dwoku saw the boy’s worry and whispered to him.

“This is the song of ascendants …’

“But the words don’t sound like the ones we have been taught…”

“Yes, not the original because this is what the Yakunko kings have tried to…” N’dwoku began just when Mozia O’mondo glanced a side at him. 

Tsote added for him just when N’dwoku spoke to his mind. Tsote heard the young girl on the far end asking his mother.

 “Mother… what are those…?” Tsote heard the girls on the far end asking her mother…

“Behold, our fore fathers, ancestors of the crown arise…,”

“Mother… father is…” The girl sprung up in worry. She had just witnessed what the ancestors are capable of! And below was her father walking down to meet them… she sprung up to yell at him, just when N’dwoku silenced her vocal. She yelled but a sound came out from her mouth. The mother looked puzzled as she hurried forwards to assist her. Her mother glanced a side at N’dwoku and knew but before she could even open her mouth, N’dwoku warned her. She was boiling with anger but obviously knew what may result! Just then, Mozia O’mondo started up in Question too.

“Meshi…?” came Mozia O’mondo glancing at N’dwoku and his gaze flying down to Tsote… “Who is he that you…”

“Your brother… from another mother. Now the silence please.”

“Brother?” Mozia O’mondo responded in great surprise.

The surprise was even greater when Tsote appeared puzzled too. They gave each other a solid gazed before Tsote turned to N’dwoku. Nevertheless, before he could even ask, N’dwoku started quickly.

While they talked the king walked into the circle of chanting women and paused for a few seconds, here, he placed the little horn back onto his side and began twisting like the women themselves. He danced to the center of the circle. 

“Father?” came Tsote getting to his feet. 

“The king has no other son but me!”

“Not an insult Prince Mozia O’mondo. Nevertheless, allow me reserve the little I know. Because his well-being and your knowledge about him, Only Thalko must answer. Now if you may follow me… both of you… ” N’dwoku started past Tsote who glanced up at him.

“We must prepare to leave now…, your father will need you to watch what comes next.”

Hardly had Tsote got to his feet when something happened to the king. The man N’dwoku just revealed could be his father. The leaves lactating around the air started patching onto the king’s flesh. Part of his arms and legs as well as face were already covered. This immediately took Mozia O’mondo’s attention. Nevertheless, N’dwoku did not stop as though he wasn’t seeing this the very first time. It wasn’t new. He was in fact witnessing this his second time but his opinions were reserved and thoughts unpredictable. Tsote came to learn later on.

Tsote saw what was happening to the king. The drumming continued. The girls chanting never died down! Just then Mozia O’mondo raised the leaves were consuming his father… he wanted to call down to him just then N’dwoku spoke again to both…”

“We need to leave now!” and he started away into the depths of the palace following walls curved with Yakunko legends and mythologies. N’dwoku and Tsote did not move. It was as if none of them could hear N’dwoku anymore! 

The king was fading and yet he was not fighting. He only continued dancing while portions of him dropped to the ground like piles of leaves and twigs! The four statues started to rise out of the earth. While he danced… at first, only their heads and necks to which the animal ropes were tied were the only visible parts there was. The animals were long dead leaving only dry bones. Every time the statues rose, the king lost a portion of himself to the wind. The leaves dropped. Until he was no longer there. Never the less, the chanting rose!

Pillars fit with strange stones rose high on either sides. The some places were darker than others were. They crossed over several bridges always going deeper into the heart of the palace. Tsote did not stay far from N’dwoku just as Thalko had instructed.

They came to an opening where the earth all of a sudden came to a stop. Same point with the ceiling that was supported by several pillars. The ground ahead of where they stood all of a sudden dropped so steeply. The space and ground on which they stood went in a circle around the dropping earth of rock. There were three statues rising from the dropping round space and then rising so high past them to a height they could not see from where they stood.

All that they were sure of was the legs. The statues looked alike and stood facing the earths drop in with their legs slightly apart. Water gushed out from waist level forming a curtain of glass before them. They were standing behind one of these statues and watching the dropping earth through a glassy waterfall. The water fell twenty feel from above, past them and continued another thirty feet down where it crushed into clumps of boulders and rocks covered with algae.

The two statues facing them from the other side of the dropping rocky earth had no water but a fire burning from their palms. And between then there was a bridge leading to some round stone table. The stone table sat on top three leg-like rocks thirty feet from the base of the dropping earth. Therefore, Tsote with Mozia O’mondo looked upon the stone table from a straight angle.

The water gushed continuously below. And the air smelt so stuffy but cool. N’dwoku motioned them to stand closer to the dropping water even though they could not touch the water.

“It resembles the descriptions Mama Erusa once narrated about the D’jmora caves of the first mortal men’s empire.” She said. 

“This is not a folk tale boy…” Mozia O’mondo interrupted. 

“Be nice Mozia O’mondo…”

“He isn’t supposed to be down here. I think…” Mozia O’mondo spoke stammering a bit and turning to N’dwoku quickly. “-you made a mistake Meshi, I have no brother but one sister, Moraika.”

“Your father requested for the both of you to be here to watch this… his name is Tsote. And…” N’dwoku explained but hardly had he said anything else when the statues on the other side of the round hole started to slide downwards. The fires could be seen dropping. And as they dropped, the king started forwards from the dark painted with some sort of dark paste. He held a black scepter without a head in his right hand.