Prologue:
WAIT...!!! Please do not forget that the words in this book are an account of the truth.
Prologue:
The big blue moon hung in the sky like a jewel embracing the neck of a noblewoman.
The stars glittered in the late-night like grains of sand in a clear pond of water; too bad for all its beauty, the enveloping of dark smoke and deafening screams leave it void of an appreciating audience. Blood and organs splatter in the air at unset intervals like the popping of heated corn by stray shrapnel of elements.
Two women run in the woods at speeds that would practically hurt the publicly accepted laws of physics. The brutal crackling of trees behind them was an indication of pursuit.
The two women stopped behind a big boulder of wood to catch their breaths. Resting their backs on its thick roots, the size of bulls thighs.
"How is the child?" One of the women asked the other, looking at the trail of red down the woman's blouse.
"He is still alive. Healing, but too slow to keep up with the poison," she replied
She looked down at the child in her arms and sighed softly. whispering in his ear an incantation that seemed to relieve some pain as his frowning face somewhat eased up.
The blue-laced silk wrapped around him still increased in wet stains from the fractured skin on his back. The child looked up at the two women with; a running nose and teary drops in his eyes. Evidence of crying hard for a long period.
"If they find him, it will be a disaster. Especially now that the war is at a critical point" she said, as she held him tighter to her embrace.
"Maria we have to split up. I'll hold down the rest of our pursuers, while you take him and hide. Go past the tree tents, behind the stone statues, just at the end of the forest is a waterfall. There is a gate to the cardinal 'messis humus' just behind the fall. You both can hide there until this whole mess is over." Vowero instructed her sister as she looks down at the child in maria's hands and planted a kiss on his forehead.
"NO!" a firm rejection escaped maria's mouth.
"We can leave together. if you stay, they'll hurt you. I don't want them to hurt you"
Vowero got angry and screamed at her "MARIA OF HOUSE THEMBEKA! you will do as I say or I swear I'll make you do it even if I have to hurt you."
After a few seconds of silence, a whimpering voice acknowledges.
"Yes, Repono."
Vowero took deep breaths in and out, trying hard to calm her already tense nerves. "You underestimate me too much dear sister. I understand your worry, but please have a little more faith in me. I'll find you when am done here".
The sound of something rushing over, draws the attention of the bickering duo and they both take a fighting stance. But Vowero stands before her sister and tells her to run.
Maria looked into the dark of the woods and just before she sprinted into its bowels, Vowero grabbed her shoulder and shoved a gold pendant in her hands.
"It's for him. The title of 'Repono' is his birthright. All I did was to keep the seat warm for him"
"Please don't die" she sighed, as she became one with the darkness ahead.
Vowero took the stance for a fight when a loud groan was heard and a man appeared before her, pushing the trees in his way aside like domino tiles.
He was huge, dark of skin, and with bulging muscles for arms that looked more like tubers of yam. Vowero could be considered quite tall even amongst men yet she felt dwarfed by his presence. He was bare-chested with a Lamba to cover his waist down. Two lines of tattoo traced half his face, from his bald head down his left eye, to his chest, and lastly his left hand. There were gold bangles around his thick wrists that looked more like handcuffs than ornaments. He had the glaring totem of a double-headed Ouroboros on each cuff.
"Lady Vowero" his hoarse voice reverberated in the night. "Oh! am sorry, I should call you Repono now. I believe congratulations are in order of your appointment-vice patriarch of House Thembeka. Please forgive me as I bring with me a less polite gift. I sincerely hope the edge of my blade is more humble with my will than my manners". His tone gave a polite courtesy but his smile was that of a sick pervert.
His hands glowed slightly as an ancient-looking Akrafena with a snakehead at its hilt appeared in it.
"Everno, you are always so kind with your compliments. But what borders me is why an assassination attempt is being carried out by the House of Abbo, a family of peaceful medical practitioners?" Vowero questioned as a glowing red quill pen the size of a baby's forehand appeared in her left hand.
"I am here to take your life and you still challenge me as a Writer! Do u have rotten fish stew for a brain or have you become overconfident since you became Repono?" He felt very insulted
"I have always bested you 'egg head', and if I decide to treat this assault as a Writer then I am beyond confident of your fall" a slight smirk stained one edge of her lips.
But just as she was talking three more people showed up from behind him. Both of them held an 'Ida sword' on each hand. Each sword glowed with an eerie dark light around its edges.
Vowero's eyes widened like saucers as her lips let loose two words "sugar bright."
"I see you recognize the poison. I don't know if to be proud of your knowledge or laugh at what's to come." Everno grinned maliciously.
"Of cause, I know it. It killed my mother!" Her gaze became sharper as her hand held the pen tighter.
"I should have known, that day many years ago. It was your family. 'House of Abbo'. You did it! you are responsible for my mother's passing. It all makes sense now. You fall out with the royal family on the surface but are very loyal in the dark."
"That's too bad. You see, another reason why you must die!" Everno raised his Akrafena high to the sky and sent a slash made of aura towards her neck.
Vowero sidestepped and her hand holding the quill pen moved in the air. Red runes appeared wherever her pen passed suspended in the air like burning butterflies. A command was released from her mouth "Incinerate." Bright red flames spit out from the runes like a wave of a breeze causing her assailants to go on the defense.
Everno slashed his blade again across the incoming flame and cleanly divided it into two. "Not bad, I see you have become stronger with Your element. but you forget who you dealing with."
"Oh! I do?" she responded sarcastically.
Her fingers moved again leaving after images everywhere they passed. And this time around, the runes became blades of fire dancing through the air -cutting at everything in sight.
Everno took several steps back and barely dodged to his right an incoming fire blade that ate at his side. Leaving a deep cut on his left elbow.
His frown tightened and he attacked again. This time around, the slash was to her legs. she staggered as her stance became unsteady while making effort to block the attack with another rune.
Everno attacked her from the front while his two companions flanked her from both sides. Slowly, the pressure was increased as the two with the Ida sword attacked her sides ruthlessly. Cutting at any flaw in her defense and attack.
Slowly she was pushed back to only defense and already had a few cuts from Everno's blade on her blouse which were deep enough to tear her skin, spilling out blood.
Everno was getting excited. In his eyes, this woman before him was already done for-when he felt a sense of danger and barely gave a somersault to dodge the oncoming knife thrown at his unguarded back. He looked behind him only to see someone running into the woods."You! go get that one." He yelled at one of the men at Vowero's side.
"Stupid GIRL!!!" Vowero shouted, "I told you to RUN!!!"
Maria ran deep into the woods. She knew trying to attack Everno's weak point was a stupid idea but she could not help herself. Vowero was losing badly.
she looked behind and saw the silhouette of someone chasing her.
Maria knew she was weak. At least not as strong as her sister or her brother Levinack. Speaking of which, she remembered that 'that bastard' was the cause of all this trouble.
Maria did not know for how long she had run, but she finally saw the waterfall ahead. A sense of relief washed over her. Just then, an unpleasant voice came from her side "I finally caught you". And just then!...
The alarm clock rang noisily... Derek opened his eyes lazily to the sight of a small foot in his face. He stretched his left hand over his head and reached the alarm clock at the bedpost. It was too stubborn to stop its screams regardless of how much he pushed its buttons.He lazily pushed the foot out of his face and tried to sit upright, but the feel of a sharp migraine sent his head spiralling back to the bed.He sat upright again, rubbed the temple on his head with his fingers. Just then, images of fire from a woman's hand and a bald man laughing hysterically flashed in his head. When a sense of familiarity for the scenes hit him, the pain in his head struck again and the images scattered like dust after a passing breeze.He begrudgingly got off the bed and pushed away from the two unexpected guests that decided to share his already small bed with him. He reached for a towel and took a few steps forward, out the door and into
If what she just felt was wrong, then at least her eyes did not deceive her. She saw it. The three lines were like the careful work of a careless tattoo artist on his chest, and that relevant glow in the pupil of his eyes."Oh No! oh no!" She kept on muttering to herself. "It finally came!... It finally happened!""Damn it! am not ready, I have to update the plan."She ran into the house not noticing the grocery bags that had escaped her hands to the ground.In a world with a sky always filled with snow all year round. On a building so high it made the Eiffel tower look like a proud dwarf, a man stood on an oval-shaped balcony wide enough to comfortably park a passenger plane. He had proud eyes that seemed to look down on the world. He was slender in stature, and even though he had hair as white as the snow that fell around him, he had a very young face.He looked far ahead, to the horizon. His sight was so strong that h
Mr Derek...Mr. Derek...Mr. Derek!!!"What?...Whaaaat!...Sir!?" Derek replied hastily, raising his head from in between his hands. looking up, The teacher was standing right before his face. Even leaning in a bit. Now that he looked up close, he realized this man looked a bit familiar.He had dark straight hair, With keen but sad-looking eyes under those glasses. His bright skin looked tanned. Derek wondered if all he did was bathe under the sun whenever it rose. "Would you mind telling the class in your own words of cause, what you think is the reason for the difference in the result by the three classes as gotten by Dan Ariely?"Derek could still feel his mind pounding in bits. He was in no way in any condition to answer any question. He felt the air thicken as he breathed. "Oh! the pressure, the pressure.""Correct Mr Derek.' Pressure'. External pressure is the reason for the qu
Note, this chapter contains minor scenes of blood and gore... Five people walked through the hole in the wall. Their every step, was elegant, like they were exempted from the chaos raging around them. They were dressed differently. Four men, and in their midst, a woman of distinguishable temperament ...their attire painted them as people interrupted on their way to a party. The woman had stunning bold eyes with dark yet scanty brows. Her delicately modelled ears framed her Elvin face in such a manner that it complimented her button nose. On her head, gold beads that looked like there were sprinkled on her flowing black braided hair reaching down to her shoulders. The pearls that adorned her neck, held, even though there were clearly not bound by any string. She wore a sleeveless red-flowered pattern danshiki that came down tightly to her slim waist and opened freely to her knees. A gold patterned insignia of a withering rose laid on the left side of her voluptuous chest. Derek fou
Derek looked out the car window, at the receding back profile of a woman he had always known to be the closest thing to a mother. He remembered she would always ask him to help her reach the top shelf in the mall and would mount a chair screaming whenever she saw a mouse. She had always been so fragile and gentle. But now, words could not describe what he was seeing. "Did she just leap a full nine feet in the air to give an acrobatic kick?" He muttered to himself. "It was even effortless. like she was jumping over a little ditch in her path."He looked into his palm, at the object she had shoved into his hand. It was a little black cloth sack. It had an insignia of a roaring 'Cat'. He opened the cloth sack and a pendant fell into his palm.It was oval and gold around. It had the engraving of a roaring cat just like the sack. Now that he looked closer, it was more like a roaring tiger or lioness. It felt smooth to the touch even with the engraving, like the body o
Derek raced into the main house."Mrs Manica!...Mrs Manica!!...Mrs Manica!!! The reverberation of his screams echoed all around. He went to the cafeteria but was welcomed only by the tables and empty chairs. He checked the dorms and even the kitchen but there were all empty. Even the creche was empty of its toddlers. Like everything that survived on two legs had suddenly vanished including the caretaker, the helpers, volunteers. There were all gone.Madeline and Tiny took Aesir to the sickbay and laid him on a bed."Don't worry I gat this." Madeline took down the first aid kit hanging on the wall. "The only people that know this room more than myself are probably the old nurse and 'the weak one'.""The weak one...?" Tiny raised a brow"Yes, Your boyfriend!""My boyfriend!?""Yes, Derek?""Oh! Do you mean Derek?... Yes...yes, he is." Tiny averted her gaze away from Madeline a little. "I think Aesir got a bad concussion at school
The coagulation of ink on the wall had formed into a massive ring. It shimmered a golden hue and gave a slight humming sound, like the lingering ring of a bell. A rune was at the crown of it and it changed in shape at short intervals.Derek stood up in awe and even forgot the pain in his neck. "We have to go, we have to leave now!""I agree, we have to get out of here before that thing swallows us." the cowardly Madeline already headed towards the door, but Derek grabbed her by the shoulder and pulled her back."That is not what I mean. I meant we need to go through the gate. And fast too." Pointing at the ring. "We don't have much time and I can't explain how I know this but if we want to leave this place, we have to go through that thing."Boom!!! a sound loud enough to shake their feet was heard from above their heads. The three of them ran outside the cottage to see what was going on.Above their heads, Ellen and Vera had joined forces to hamme
At the safe borders of a great waterfall, a tour guide introduced the tourists to the beautiful scenery of one of nature's most spectacular wonders. With a fall of about 344 feet high and a width of 1312 feet, this amazing site has been the inspiration for famous poets, painters, sculptors and a variety of musicians. It has enlightened leaders, resolved wars and even had a religion with fanatic believers based around it. This was the great Kalandula falls. For years, adventurers and daredevils have tried to test the stinging whips of its unforgiving trials but have lost their pitiful lives to its impatient waters. Myths and legends of its past and supernatural abilities spread wide in varying stories. One of which was of mystical beings who look down on the rest of the world living behind the curtains of its falls. If only they knew how close to the truth the version of this story was.The tours ended early today. Tourists were directed to stay as far away from the wate
"Welcome Madeline, we have been waiting for you!" A voice whispered and she turned about to the sound of the voice.There stood a very tall slim woman. She had on a white crop top that revealed her very slim waist leadingdown to her white blouse. She had a pair of glasses on, and she smiled sweetly to Madeline."Where I'm I!?...And who are you!?" Madeline asked."Follow me! I'll explain" she said, gesturing to Madeline a path that opened up in front of them.Madeline frowned and at first did not want to, but still followed behind the woman taking gentle steps.Through a yellow path in-between trees that surprisingly had both carrots and cabbages growing on them, to a hut on a hill side. Madeline followed, while her eyes examed her environment with nothing but wonder and surprise.At the small hut, the woman entered, and then she gestured for Madeline to follow. Although she did not want to, she had no choice and followed.Madeline thought that her sense of reality was warped because
Aesir willed and his sword acted as an assist as it went straight for the bird's other wing.*Caw!*The eagle screamed in pain. Manila ran straight for it. And mounting it's back, she delivered a crushing blow to its neck.*Caw!* It screamed again. However, she did not stop for a bit and after the fourth blow, the eagle passed out. Derek and Aesir stared at her in surprise as she slowly stood from the eagle's back. She made fierce eye contact with Derek and then looked away. Aesir turned to Derek with a brow up, and Derek raised his hands in surrender, "what I'm innocent. I swear!" "Of course you are." Aesir smiled and walked away.Manila began work immediately. The plan was to use the bird as a distraction for the scorpions so that they could pass.The best way to do this would be for them to make sure that the beast could no longer pick up flight.Manila was unsurprisingly skilled at this. She cut out the feathers of the beast.Aesir and Derek also joined her and helped. Soon eno
"Exactly! So if you can't solve them, why bother about them? Yet, before you lies a problem that deserves you immediate attention which you can or at least try solving. But you are too concerned with the rabbits in the wild to realize that you should first deal with the one on your plate." Priestess Ada adviced.She smiled and walked away, "Don't forget, listen as a passerby and it will flow naturally." Madeline watched the back of the old lady leaving as the words she had just spoken played again and again in her head. She sat crossed leg once more as she continually told herself to let go. Her eyes closed tightly and suddenly the thoughts as expected came once more.This time around, she decided not to quiet it or silence it. Rather she let it flow naturally.At first she couldn't help but be swept up in the thoughts and the different scenarios they played. Some even ended in tragedy. And this made her ache in worry. This was a disadvantage of over active thinks. A disadvantage t
Derek could not help but look at them and observe them. These were not like the scorpions he knew from earth. For one, they produced webbings from their tail end. Also, there seemed to be very organized and particularly busy.Some of them were bigger, but those big ones were few. And from the looks of it, they monitored the activities of the smaller ones. These creatures were hard at work building it seemed."Scorpion colony! We will have to navigate round them." Manila spoke."Navigate?" Aesir asked, "how far are we talking of?"She pointed to the hill far in the distance. "That far? But that will take at least an extra day off our schedule." Derek added."Yeah! It will. But it will be far better than to have those things have our scent. Cause ones they do, they will follow us for a very long time." Manila advised."Hmmm. Is there no way to distract them?" Derek asked."Well, there are a couple of ways that could work. However, we don't even have the necessary materials to make tha
Madeline nodded her head in understanding to Chief Sasha's words."So what does this have to do with aura?" Madeline asked."Well! Every thing." She picked up another stone from the ground, "according to your definition of aura, then aura is this object in your hands. And has stated earlier, it weighs you down over time." Chief Sasha turned and threw the stone into the water, then she turned once more and slowly released her aura, "However, if you understand that all it is, is an extension of your body, then behold the weight is gone. After all, your hands have always been attached to the rest of your body and you don't hear them complaining."Those words suddenly stroke difference to Madeline. She felt like she was at a state where she wanted to understand. In fact, the enlightenment was just Infront of her, however, it was a yard bit out of reach.She even sat on the ground as she tried to think hard on Chief Sasha's words. However, for the first time in a while, her brain was una
"huh!?" Madeline could not believe what she was hearing."Don't worry! I am not as weak or fragile as you think. I am sure you noticed that we are a small tribe. Yet, we have survived for so long with terrible neighbors such as the Kaka tribe. Although we rarely bring out our full force, we are definitely not weak." Chief Sasha smirked a bit.Madeline nodded and then she commanded the Cerberus to attack. The beast used one of its paws and a heavy blow landed on the chief. *Bam* Some where within the carven, Priestess Ada was attending to a pregnant woman when she heard the boom of the attack. She raised her head and sighed, "So the the training has started."She pretended not to hear it and continue with the pregnant woman in front of her.....Meanwhile, Madeline was panicking. There was a lot of dust and it was difficult for her to see what had happened. As far as she was concerned,she had crushed the chief."Chief Sasha!" She called out in a low tone. Afraid that her eyes might m
A few hours later, Derek ,Aesir and Milan said their good byes as they started their journey to the Gaka tribe.However, before they did Priestess Ada had come to see Derek one more time."Please take care of yourself properly Repono. And if there is absolutely anything you need, do not hesitate to contact me. I maybe far from you, but some of the things I can do will very much amaze you."Once she said this, she touched behind his ear and Derek clearly felt another radio rune added to the one he already had.Radio runes were special but not ominipresent. One had to be within a certain range for it to be used.Derek knew that If she was giving him one, then it meant that she was sure of reaching him as far away as even the Gaka tribe.A sudden realization hit Derek. One that he had not thought of before. Priestess Ada was a Familiar. Which meant that she could also weave runes.He remembered his experience at the cave when he first came and the one that had happen during the fight aga
"And what might the main dish be?" Milan asked with raised brows. Chief Sasha did not exactly know how to have this talk with her daughter. But she knew that she had to. "Erm... Milan how old are you now?" "I am nineteen now!" Milan replied, "but in a couple of months, I'll be twenty." "Oh! That's nice. That's around the same age I was when I had you. Oh, how I remember it like it was only yesterday. That was the happiest day of my life. You were so little and so adorable. Your butt was not this big and chest this full then. It was all so..." "Mother!!!" Milan stopped her. Her cheeks had become red from embarrassment. "Just go straight to the point. Please!" Chief Sasha laughed a bit, "okay! I understand you are a big girl now." She sighed and then laughed some more. Apparently, she was still rolling down memory lane. "So tell me. What do you think about that Master Writer?" Chief Sasha asked. "Huh!?" This question had taken Milan off guard. "What do you mean mother?" "I mean
Meanwhile, back at the mountain that belonged to the Waka tribe, Derek sat crossed legged in a cave assigned to him. This cave was by far a better one than the one he had and his friends had been sharing on first arrival. Also it was decorated appropriately and it even had a bed in the middle made of several animal fur. Derek had already given out instruction that he would loved to be left alone for a while, if not the entrance to this place would have been crowded by people. With rumours of the tribe having a writer as a guest, every body wanted to meet him. Also, tales of his marvelous feat from the battle earlier in the day had reached their ears.He was as good as a god to them at this point. At the entrance of the cave already lay all sorts of gifts for him. However, Derek was not all that interested in playing messiah at the moment. He just had too much on his mind. Too much problems that needed his attention. One of which was the pressing matter that both his women were mis