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2024-10-29 19:42:56Brahmuhn’s three Elders were quarrelling amongst themselves, obviously in his absence.
‘What I can’t figure out is why the brute is still alive?!’ Dombo ranted.Gumbo had his thumb and forefinger on his chin, immersed in thought. ‘Those were well over a thousand Ndebele warriors!’ he said looking gravely disappointed.‘How do you know? You weren’t even there,’ Shiri said.‘Dombo and I sent spies to spread threats and insults to their gods and to their ancestors and lied that they were from Brahmuhn to provoke wrath from them,’ Gumbo informed him. ‘In addition to that, the spies also sabotaged their wells, burned a lot of huts and killed a few dozen women and children in the villages. We were positive the Ndebele would attack with a vengeance that could not be quelled, let alone countered!’‘How absurd is that!’ Shiri looked flabbergasted. ‘That would mean the Ndebeles would kill everyone in our village including you!’‘Absolutely not,’ Dombo said. ‘We had made a de
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Mighty Brahmuhn 25. Treason
‘I have been sent to congratulate you on your victory by the first and second Elder.’‘Acknowledged.’Shiri raised his head slightly. He saw Buhlebenkosi and flinched.‘Is there something else, Shiri?’ Brahmuhn asked him.He quickly turned his eyes to the ground again, ‘No, Your Greatness.’‘Then leave. And never show yourself to me on your own without either the first or second Elder.’‘Yes, Your Greatness.’‘So are you with us, Shiri?’ Dombo asked him when he had come back from Brahmuhn’s hut.‘What?’ Shiri was totally in another world. He had been pondering over what he had seen inside Brahmuhn’s hut.‘We said we bribe one of the soldiers to kill him in his sleep!’ Gumbo told him getting impatient.‘Kill him in his sleep?’ he almost laughed in mockery of their plan. ‘Do you even know how loyal
Mighty Brahmuhn 26. Against the Law
He tossed his mbanje to the side. ‘What is the meaning of this, Dombo? Gumbo?’ He asked them as he stood up.The two Elders began laughing wickedly.‘I fail to find humor in my question,’ Brahmuhn said, looking furious.‘That’s funny because we find humor in your very existence,’ Gumbo spat at him with a look of disgust on his face.The Vadhindi stood up in fury but Brahmuhn restrained them with a gesture of his hand. ‘What do you mean, Gumbo?’Dombo chuckled, ‘Do you consider us ignorant of your repulsive deeds?!’Cheetah tried to reach for Dombo’s throat but Brahmuhn restrained him again.Brahmuhn gritted his teeth, ‘If you do not explain the meaning of this, I will have you speared within seconds!’Gumbo turned around and clapped his hands loudly to get the villagers’ attention. There was a great silence. It was as if this action held some unseen unnat
Mighty Brahmuhn 27. Painful Irony
‘It’s what my father would have done. A good chief loses his life for an innocent one.’ With these words he left.He returned later in the evening. Buhlebenkosi was still sitting at the far end of the hut in the same position he had left her. He ignored her and continued towards the gourd of water.She looked curious. ‘What now?’He ignored her and kept gulping down the contents.‘Hey!’ she shouted.Silence.She stood up and walked towards him.She spun him around so he could face her but with such effort. ‘Can’t you hear me!’He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. ‘I’m sure you heard what I told you earlier.’‘But your response was just out of pride. It’s not logical and I want a clear answer!’He gave her a brisk shove which knocked her to the floor buttocks first. ‘I already told you, woman that no harm shall fall upon yo
Mighty Brahmuhn 28. The Goblin Village
Brahmuhn was shattered by the Elders’ decision. He realized that he should have had considered Shiri’s words before Dombo and Gumbo had executed their plot against him. Another ironic twist, to Brahmuhn, was that he had actually disrespected Shiri more and he, Shiri, was the only one of the three Elders who had actually cared about him. If only he had listened! Now it was too late. The banishment was official. The village was now a distance from him as he walked slowly towards the forest. He was carrying nothing except his knobkerrie and a small pouch both tied to the side of his loincloth. The pouch was loaded with mbanje. He liked his mbanje very much. It always distracted him from his worries and grief. He was smoking it while he walked, pondering over the people he had left behind: Buhle, his trusted comrades-in-arms and the Vadhindi. He blew a cloud of smoke into the air. His eyes were beginning to turn red from the smoking. He began swaying sideways, mu
Mighty Brahmuhn 29. Banishment
He nodded his head slowly. ‘Are you not Brahmuhn?’‘That’s “Your Greatness” when a dirty rat like you is speaking to me!’The man did not look offended. ‘All the Ndebele tribes know about you…your victories…’‘Who doesn’t?’ he laughed, returning his knobkerrie to his side.‘I am Bhekumuzi. I am the chief of this village. We are truly grateful for your help in chasing away the Ntokoloshi from our village. They have been terrorizing us for many years, burning our huts and abducting our children, but after seeing your mark I doubt they will ever show their faces here again.’‘Yeah, whatever. I deserve a reward for this. Or else I will be the new toko…toko…whatever nightmare upon your village.’‘Uh…sure…anything,’ he stuttered, now becoming afraid of what wrath Brahmuhn might unleash upon them.Brahmuhn l
Mighty Brahmuhn 30. Reunited
‘Your worries should not be placed on her, my chief. Only a man with a death wish shall wish to harm her, and if they do harm her, I shall die as many times as the bruises they inflict upon her.’Brahmuhn nodded and beat his chest with his fist.Tortoise responded with the same action. This was their way of showing gratitude and respect. This was their way of showing how much they meant to each other. This… was a way of saying goodbye.‘Forgive me, Your Greatness but…where are we going?’ Cheetah asked him after they had walked for quite a distance.‘I don’t know.’He stared at him, confused, ‘But, Your Greatness…’‘Where did Shiri go?’ Brahmuhn interrupted him.‘As soon as he resigned, we never heard from him again.’He began to ponder to himself. Cheetah was walking two paces behind him.‘Your Greatness, where exactly did you
Mighty Brahmuhn 31. The Unwelcome Visitor
dozed off in his temporary home made of leaves and sticks. It was just sticks for support and closely knit leaves for the roof just like Cheetah’s. The appearance of the first star was like a knockout blow to his senses.Cheetah, however, was sitting outside his shelter with his back leaning on a tree.Brahmuhn was sound asleep like a dead baby. As if he had no care in the world. No enemies that would catch him unawares and slit his throat, or worse.‘Humph!’ Cheetah smiled at himself after staring at Brahmuhn for a while. He envied him. A boy who had worshipped the Vadhindi on his arrival at Chaponda Village during his teen years. A scrawny child who used to struggle with the simple concept of clutching firmly a spear. That scrawny child no longer existed but had been reborn as a mighty warrior. A man among men. “The Mighty Brahmuhn”. Just then, Cheetah heard soft footsteps from behind some bushes behind him. He tightened the grip
Mighty Brahmuhn 32. Unskinned
Brahmuhn woke up with a long yawn. He felt the ground around him and grabbed his knobkerrie. ‘Cheetah.’Cheetah was exhausted. The leopard had drawn most of his energy and even worse still, he had stayed up to keep guard for another three hours before sleep slew him. Brahmuhn walked towards him and shook him awake.‘It’s time to move,’ said Brahmuhn.He slowly got up and with weary eyes, looked around him like clueless prey. He looked as vulnerable as a chicken in the rain. When he tried to support himself with his arm to get up, his wounded shoulder reminded him of the violent and bloody struggle he had had the previous night. The wound stung a lot and he could not help but scream. The intense pain made him fully awake.Brahmuhn grabbed his arm and pulled him towards him. He examined the shoulder then looked into his eyes.‘I fell.’Even if Brahmuhn would have been intoxicated by mbanje, he would still no
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- Mighty Brahmuhn
44. New Beginnings
As soon as the Ndebele had driven off the Matanda warriors, they returned singing loudly in their tongue.The remaining Matanda villagers cowered in fear when they saw the Ndebele approach.‘Do no harm to them,’ Brahmuhn told the Ndebele warriors. ‘These…these are my people.’ He fell onto the ground.‘Tawana!’ Tsitsi raised his head up into her arms.‘My chief!’ Cheetah also shouted in concern.Leading the Ndebele warriors was Bhekumuzi, the chief of the village Brahmuhn had saved from the ntokolishi (goblins). He came and stood before Brahmuhn with the entire army behind him. He smiled. ‘I guess my debt is paid, Brahmuhn.’From within the Ndebele army emerged Shumba and Tortoise.Tortoise stepped forward. ‘My chief, word of how you liberated a lot of the Shona villages and the Ndebele villages in your journey spread like wildfire. You are now a hero among both the Shona and t
- Mighty Brahmuhn
43. The Battle for Supremacy
Chief Mbada looked threatening and voracious like a cornered leopard as he now stood ten feet from Brahmuhn. The entire village had made a large circle around them. Mbada was breathing heavily. His eyes were like that of a lion, engrossed with both hatred and disgust for Brahmuhn. ‘Ngoni! Bhonzo! Kill this bastard!’ he ordered them without even taking his eye off his enemy.The two brutes shuffled their feet hopelessly in the dust. ‘But…but, my chief,’ Ngoni started.He grabbed them from behind their necks and pushed them towards Brahmuhn as easily as little children. ‘Kill him or I kill you!’Two of the Gorivas threw their spears at Ngoni and Bhonzo’s feet.They hesitantly picked the spears up. They seemed to be actually taking their time. ‘My…my chief…’ Bhonzo this time.‘KILL HIM!!!’Without thinking, they rushed towards Brahmuhn, waving their spears in the air yel
- Mighty Brahmuhn
42. The Two Chiefs
The following day, Brahmuhn and Chief Mbada were taking a stroll outside the compound, walking through the village. ‘You see all of this, Brahmuhn?’ said Mbada, ‘All this wealth and beauty that is Matanda Village? This is the work of my hands!’ He beat his massive chest in pride. ‘I’m sure your people deserve credit too, right? I mean, there is no chiefdom without the people,’ Brahmuhn said. Chief Mbada laughed disdainfully. The laugh was so hoarse, arrogant and annoying that Brahmuhn fought every fiber in his body to slap Chief Mbada in the face. ‘Do not be so naïve, Brahmuhn!’ he gave him a friendly yet hard slap on his back. ‘The people are only there to compliment the works of the chief; to acknowledge his excellence. Why do you think Mwari created us in the first place? To add value to his excellence through the acknowledgement and appreciation of his power!’ ‘I do not acknowledge any deity by that name, but all I know
- Mighty Brahmuhn
41. Bitter Blood
To Brahmuhn, the feast felt like deja vu. It was like re-living the marriage of his mother to Chief Mbada those fourteen years ago. The ear-piercing ululations, countless and tempting foods and of course, inevitably, the drunkards scattered everywhere mumbling inaudible yet irritating mumbo-jumbo to each other or passing rude jeers to passing women. Cheetah looked deep in conversation with a man a short distance from where Brahmuhn was sitting. Brahmuhn had no interest whatsoever in traditional beer but rather, he was obsessed with his mbanje. However, on this particular night he was not in the mood for a smoke. He had decided to allow his anger to take control of his mind. He was sitting by a fire in the company of Bhonzo, Ngoni and two other men. One of them looked like he was Chief Mbada’s advisor. The four men were sharing a gourd of beer whilst Brahmuhn’s eyes were concentrating on the flames before him. He could not stop picturing his father’s death. The painfu
- Mighty Brahmuhn
40. The Truth
It was as if she was embracing a son who had risen from the dead. ‘Oh, Tawana! Tawana, mwanangu (my child)! Oh mwanangu how I have missed you so much!!!’He could no longer control himself either and without restraint, and for the first time in his life, he permitted tears to run down his cheeks. He felt so young and happy in her arms. That warmth, that motherly love that had kept his hope alive for so long. After a well-deserved moment of tears, he managed to compose himself. ‘Mother, mother where is father?’She could not stop sniffling, ‘Oh, my son, my son. This wicked man, this wicked monster speared him that same night…that same night you ran away. He first had him whipped for what seemed like hours by Ngoni and Bhonzo, but even then, your father continued to confess his undying love for you and me and how he would get his vengeance. Mbada then speared him in the ribs and even then, your father refused to die. That is when…that’s when…’ she broke down in tears again.
- Mighty Brahmuhn
39. Reunited (Part II)
when he and his father had come home from a hunt. He would throw all his cares away and flutter into her arms. He felt so safe in her embrace. She had always been his source of comfort.Chief Mbada had what looked like an uncomfortable frown on his face. Nothing had changed about him whatsoever, besides a few wrinkles of age. From his threatening physique to that same smell of arrogance that would sting anyone’s nose when they were in his presence, all were still intact. Behind him were Ngoni and Bhonzo, his bodyguards. As a child, Brahmuhn had seen them as gigantic deities, but all he saw now were two jokes with different complexions.‘Well, well, well. If it isn’t the “Great And Mighty Brahmuhn”,’ Chief Mbada chuckled. Even with age, his voice had not changed either but gained more boldness. ‘Brahmuhn, the “mermaid slayer”, the “nightmare of zvidhoma”,’ he chuckled some more. ‘Let me not bore y
- Mighty Brahmuhn
38. Home...is Where the Pain is
Neither of the two had noticed how quickly time was flying. They had come to an agreement that before they attack Mbada, they unfetter a few more villages under his oppression. They encountered the most gut-wrenching situations in their conquest but nevertheless, they triumphed over them. In every village they passed through, they gained support from the inhabitants. The Shona now had a trustworthy liberator who was open to sacrifice his life for their freedom. The Ndebele too began to rally behind Brahmuhn and were willing to place their rivalry on hold since they now had one common enemy. Brahmuhn knew that it would not be long before the same atrocities that the other villages were going through reached Chaponda Village. Three weeks had gone by like the blink of a day. They both missed their families very much but they also knew that in order to keep their families safe, they had to terminate the threat which was Chief Mbada. As they stood and stared at Matanda
- Mighty Brahmuhn
37. Amends
‘Time is clearly not on our side. Mbada must be destroyed before he harms more people,’ he answered him.‘Do you think you can stop him, Your Greatness?’ the distraught villager shot him with a question.‘Little man; I have danced with death several times. I have bruised the heel of fate and I have brought demons to their knees! Mbada is no god. He may be powerful among men but he could never stand toe-to-toe with the god that is Brahmuhn.’ He stood up at once and Cheetah followed suit.When they stepped outside the hut, they were met with chants and cheers from the villagers. Brahmuhn was both impressed and shocked at how even though they were starved, the villagers still had the energy in them to chant his name so loudly. He waited for them to quiet down before he demanded their attention. Brahmuhn said, ‘I understand that Chief Mbada has turned on his own people. I understand that the dog is willing to kill hi
- Mighty Brahmuhn
36. Painful Truth
‘You should have pretended to be dead, Brahmuhn!’ Akunda advised him, flashing a threatening grin on his face.‘Cowards lie on their backs, warriors die on their feet, but I am a god; I soar through the skies!!’ Without warning, his entire arm grew numb and he dropped his knobkerrie. He tried to pick it up with his other arm but it also became numb. He was now running out of options.Suddenly, an unpredictable and violent wind began to blow around them. Clouds began to gather in the skies with rapid speed as if they were long overdue. With them they brought flashes of lightning and the sound of terrifying thunder. The powerful wind pushed the Vakunda into the wall of a hut. The sound of broken bones could be heard on impact. The two witches tried to crawl their way to safety but like the blinking of an eye, a flash of blue light engulfed the entire village. The light stung everyone’s eyes. It was over faster than it had started. Vakunda,
