Tuatat and some of the other Nubala scowled in response to those words. But no one interrupted the umad.
“What you Nubala did not know was that Itu-Nusani Mujo took what he wanted from us, as well, Zuburi went on, looking directly at Tuatat as he spoke.
Tuatat nodded solemnly.
“The taunting, the excessive Gifts ... all of that was by Itu-Nusani Mujo’s command,” said Zuburi. “You do not want to know what he would have done to us if we had not obeyed him.”
Again, Tuatat nodded. Zuburi turned to Imaro.
“Is the Three-Faced One truly dead, outlander?” the umad asked. “Can we ever be certain he will not come back?”
“There is one way to be certain,” Imaro replied. “Find every piece of the mask, and burn them all.”
“This, too?” Tuatat asked, gesturing toward the body of the Jijiwi Champion.
“No,” said Imaro. “Bury him. Whoever he truly was, he must have been a great warrior before the mask stole his spirit.”
“We will do that,” said Tuatat. Then the wachik turned to Zuburi.
“What now, umad?” the Nubala headman asked. “Do we continue the Shindas, or go back to the way it was before we started them?”
“Neither,” Zuburi said flatly. “We are leaving Muyum. For us, this place is accursed. If you want it, it is yours.”
With those words, the umad turned on his heel and walked away. The other Jijiwi followed him. Then they mounted their camels and rode to the west. For a moment, Imaro and the Nubala thought they could see the shadow of a gigantic desert cat stalking alongside the Jijiwi. Then the shadow vanished.
* * *
Imaro stood with Tiba and Tuatat at the base of the High Rocks. The sun hung low, casting long shadows across the Nubala pastures and fields. A lingering, noisome odor wafted from the distant dark patches that marked the places in which the pieces of Itu-Nusani Mujo’s mask were burned. Flattened grass showed where the Nubala had danced in celebration of Imaro’s victory over Itu-Nusani Mujo, and the imminent departure of the Jijiwi from Muyum.
“You are going away,” Tiba said to Imaro.
“I never stay long in one place,” the warrior returned.
“You are welcome to stay here as long as you want,” said Tuatat.
Imaro glanced at his smooth skin, then at the rows of mbama-marks that marched across the bodies of the Nubala.
Different, he thought. Always different ...
Then he thought of Miryat, and the night they had spent together before the Shinda.
“I will stay,” he told Tiba and Tuatat. “For a time.”
Griots Bios
Mrembo Aliyenaswa (Captive Beauty) Milton Davis, Author – Milton Davis is owner/publisher of MVmedia, LLC. As an author he specializes in science fiction and fantasy and is the author of Meji Book One, Meji Book Two and Changa’s Safari.
Winston Blakely, Artist – Winston Blakely is a Fine Arts/Comic Book artist, having a career spanning 20 years, whose achievements have included working for Valiant Comics and Rich Buckler’s Visage Studios.
Awakening Valjeanne Jeffers, author – Valjeanne Jeffers is the daughter of writers Lance and Trellie Jeffers, a graduate of Spelman College, North Carolina Central University and is a member of the Carolina African American Writers’ Collective (CAAWC). She has published in LuneWing, Specular Mythseed, Liberated Muse: How I Freed My Soul Vol. I, The Ringing Ear: Black Poets Lean South, Pembroke Magazine Vol. 39, Revelry, PurpleMag No. 7, 8 and 9, Drumvoices Revue Vol. 15 and 16, The Obamas: Portrait of America’s New First Family, and Genesis: An Anthology of Black Science Fiction and Horror (2010). Valjeanne is the author of Immortal, Immortal II: The Time of Legend, and Immortal III: Stealer of Souls, and has recently finished writing Immortal IV. She is also the author of The Story of Eve (nonfiction).
Paul Davey, Artist – is a Jamaican artist with a feel for the surreal and a mastery of light.
Lost Son Maurice Broaddus, Author – Maurice Broaddus is the author of the novel series, The Knights of Breton Court (Angry Robot). His dark fiction has been published in numerous magazines, anthologies, and web sites, most recently including Dark Dreams II & III, Apex Magazine, Black Static, and Weird Tales Magazine. He is the co-editor of the Dark Faith anthology (Apex Books). Visit his site at www.MauriceBroaddus. com.
Stacey Robinson, Artist – I live in Fayetteville, NC, and am a fulltime non-traditional college student and freelance artist. I illustrate what I feel. I love Life, God and Art, which are in my limited life experience, one in the same.
In the Wake of Mist Kirk Johnson, Author – Born in Trinidad in 1971, he credits his love for fantasy (particularly Sword & Sorcery and Heroic Fantasy) from watching old movies with his dad at a very young age. In 1989 he attended New York City Tech majoring in Liberal Arts, and in 1993 transferred to Brooklyn College to major in Film Production. “In the Wake of Mist” is his first publication.
Wayne Parker, Artist –Wayne (Nino) Parker, who hails from Virginia Beach, VA, began his Illustrative career serving as a Draftsman-Illustrator for the U.S. Navy. While serving he was the Art Director for various military Magazines and Papers. He illustrated commissions for high ranking officials including Commander U.S. Central Command Admiral William Fallon, and Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush. Shortly after his military tenure, Wayne attended the Prestigious Ringling College of Art and Design for a degree in Computer Animation and afterwards, The Academy of Arts University for Illustration. He has since freelanced for such clients as AEG, WMS gaming Hallmark, and any commission in between.
Skin Magic P. Djeli Clark, Author – Djeli is a no-longer-so-young Brooklyn based writer who early on found he was easily bored by the mundane world. Raised on the rich folklore of his parents’ Caribbean homeland, and genres of fantasy, sci-fi, horror and the supernatural, Djeli felt a need for more diverse tales with more diverse characters drawn from more diverse sources. To that end, he put pen to pad and fingers to keyboard, seeking to imagine, dream and create new realms to explore. A doctoral candidate in history by day, in the wee hours of night Djeli still finds time to create, and is currently working on his first YA fantasy novel. You may find his unpublished fantasy epic, The Ankh of Ausar, yet sitting in someone’s slush pile.
Artist: Paul Davey – See above
The Demon in the Wall Stafford L. Battle, Author – Stafford Levon Battle is the Coauthor of The African American Resource Guide to the Internet and Online Resources published by McGraw-Hill (1996). He is a sci-fi Blogger and webmaster as well as Digital Designer at Howard University College of Medicine in Washington, DC. He has been writing Afro-spec fiction for most of his life; recently his stories have appeared in the online magazine, Expanded Horizons.
Thomas Richard Davis, III, Artist – Thomas Davis is a freelance artist residing in the Metro Atlanta Area. He is a graduate of Alabama State University. His most recent work can be seen on the covers of the Sword and Soul novels, Meji Book One and Meji Book Two.
The Belly of the Crocodile Minister Faust, Author – Minister Faust is a long-time community activist, writer, journalist, broadcaster, public speaker and martial artist in several disciplines. A maverick novelist increasingly described as one of the finest voices of his generation, Minister Faust is the author of the critically acclaimed The Coyote Kings, Book One: Space-Age Bachelor Pad, and the Kindred Award-winning Shrinking the Heroes. His latest is The Alchemists of Kush, which writers and readers alike have already hailed as superb; novelist Sparkle Hayter calls the book “brilliant.”
Artist: John Jennings – John Jennings is an Associate Professor of Graphic Design at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. His research and teaching focus on the analysis, explication, and disruption of African American stereotypes in popular visual media. His research is concerned with the topics of representation and authenticity, visual culture, visual literacy, social justice, and design pedagogy. He is an accomplished designer, curator, illustrator, cartoonist, and award-winning gr
aphic novelist.
Changeling Carole McDonnell, Author – Carole McDonnell holds a BA degree in Literature from SUNY Purchase and is a writer of Christian, speculative fiction, and multicultural stories. Her writings appear in various anthologies including So Long Been Dreaming: Post-colonialism in Science Fiction, edited by Nalo Hopkinson and published by Arsenal Pulp Press; Jigsaw Nation published by Spyre publications, and other publications. Her reviews appear in print and at various online sites. She is a columnist for several Christian and African-American magazines. She lives in New York’s Hudson Valley with her husband, two sons, and their pets. Her first novel, Wind Follower, was published by Juno Books in September 2007.
Luke McDonnell, Artist – Born in NYC, grew up in NY and Pennsylvania, been working in the freelance art trade for 25 years! Been married to the beautiful Carole for 26 years, have two wonderful kids, Logan and Gabriel.
The General’s Daughter Anthony Kwamu, Author – Born in Nigeria but raised in Cameroon, Anthony Nana Kwamu moved to the U.S. in 1997. Anthony is the author of Timbuktu Chronicles: Aida and the Chosen Soldier. He currently lives in Georgia where he continues to read and write Fantasy.
Dave Lewis, Artist – Dave Lewis is a freelance artist currently residing in Portland, Oregon.
Sekadi’s Koan Geoffrey Thorne, Author and Artist – Geoffrey Thorne in the prize-winning author of multiple short stories. His novel, Star Trek: Titan: Sword of Damocles debuted in late 2007 and was a Locus bestseller. He lives in Los Angeles with his preternaturally patient wife.
The Queen, the Demon and the Mercenary Ronald T. Jones, Author – Ronald T. Jones is a lifelong resident of the great city of Chicago. He is the author of the novel Chronicle of the Liberator, and a number of short stories. Besides being a fan of science fiction, Ronald has a deep interest in history. His latest novel is Warriors of the Four Worlds.
Kurtis Hamilton, Artist – “I’m an expressionist from the South drawing and painting since a child. My work is about life and touches on issues that affect the vulnerable in our society. The goal now is to take my work to the next level and create movies and animations about these same people. Zulla Animation is the next step.”
Icewitch Rebecca McFarland Kyle, Author – Rebecca Kyle received her MSIS from UT-Austin. Her research career spanned fields as diverse as history to highway safety. She currently resides at the foot of the Smoky Mountains with her husband of 28 years and 4 cats. She has publications in non-fiction, academic, and short fiction. She is currently at work on a mystery series of her own based in Tennessee. In addition to serving as the Senior Nonfiction Editor of Conclave: A Journal of Character, Ms. Kyle is the admissions committee coordinator for the online critique group, Deadly Prose. Aside from writing and reading, her interests are music, travel and animal rescue.
Darryl Elliot, Artist –Darryl Elliott is a professional illustrator in the science fiction, fantasy and horror field for over 30 years. He has illustrated numerous role-playing games, computer games and collectible card games. His work has appeared in Asimov’s, Analog and Ellery Queen Mystery Magazines and he has been the Artist Guest of Honor at many conventions throughout his career.
The Leopard Walks Alone Melvin Carter, Author – Melvin M. Carter, since the far-off times of buying Andre Norton’s Starman’s Son in the sixth grade, has been an enthusiast for the action-oriented Science Fiction and Sword & Sorcery stories. Thinks highly of Lieber, and the invention of the differing yet similar universes of Tolkein and Howard. Still enjoys reading Homer. Has long believed Emperor Charlemagne would have rode roughshod over Arthur and his Round Circle. Achilles and Roland share similarities despite the vast differences in culture and Religion. And the discovery of the West African-West Sahel kingdoms were a great boost in teenage ego. Unbelievably, just when he was getting the hang of being a romantic swashbuckler, along came his Romantic Sorceress to bind him in matrimony.
Stanley Weaver, Jr., Artist – Stanley Weaver, Jr. is a self-taught artist who produces various art work for many independent labels. Stanley draws some of the most expressive and dynamic African American themed characters. Stanley is also a great story teller with his pencils.
290 Stanley’s work can be seen in some character designs/redesign of some of the best known independent projects. Currently, Stanley is penciling 6 Deep Issue #2, working on the Dziva Jones project, Punxs of Rage and the on-going Street Team series.
The Three Faced One Charles R. Saunders, Author – Charles R. Saunders is the pioneer of Sword and Soul, having had his first Imaro story published in a small press magazine in 1974. Novels in the subsequent Imaro series include Imaro; Imaro: The Quest for Cush; Imaro: The Trail of Bohu; Imaro: The Naama War; and the forthcoming Imaro: Vengeance in Velanga. Other Sword and Soul novels include Dossouye and the forthcoming Dossouye II: The Dancers of Mulukau. His latest novel, Damballa, is a pulp-style adventure set in the 1930s. His work has appeared in various magazines and anthologies. He lives in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada. His website is: www.charlessaunderswriter.com.
Shawn Alleyne, Artist – Shawn Alleyne was born and raised on the island of Barbados, but later relocated to Philadelphia in his teens, and has lived there since. From an early age he knew he wanted to be involved in art in some capacity, and is currently working in the demanding field of freelance art. He recently formed the comic book networking group Xion, to bring creators of all walks of life together, and has published a Xion Artbook showcasing the work of many of its members. In between working on freelance projects, Shawn constantly seeks to grow as an artist and promote the independent scene. To aid in this he was influential in starting Artmada, a small crew of artists seeking to express their individual signatures and art styles. Shawn’s work is produced under the Pyroglyphics Studios banner, a name roughly translated to mean “Hot Images,” to reflect his gritty self-taught style.
We hope you enjoyed Griots: A Sword and Soul anthology. Please visit our website and experience our other Black Fantastic Anthologies.
Griots: Sisters of the Spear
Griots: Sisters of the Spear picks up where the groundbreaking Griots Anthology leaves off. Charles R. Saunders and Milton J. Davis present seventeen original and exciting Sword and Soul tales focusing on black women. Just as the Griots Anthology broke ground as the first Sword and Soul Anthology, Griots: Sisters of the Spear pays homage to the spirit, bravery and compassion of women of color. The griots have returned to sing new songs, and what wonderful songs they are!
Steamfunk!
A witch, more machine than human, judges the character of the wicked and hands out justice in a ravaged Chicago. John Henry wields his mighty hammers in a war against machines and the undead. Frederick Douglass and Harriet Tubman rule a country of freed slaves that rivals – and often bests – England and France in power and technology. You will find all this – and much more – between the pages of Steamfunk, an anthology of incredible stories by some of today’s greatest authors of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Steamfunk – African and African American-inspired Steampunk. Editors Milton Davis and Balogun Ojetade have put together a masterful work guaranteed to transport you to new worlds. Worlds of adventure; of terror; of war and wonder; of iron and steam. Open these pages and traverse the lumineferous aether to the world of Steamfunk!
Dieselfunk!
Take an amazing ride with eight authors as they add a funky twist to the Dieselpunk genre. The Dieselfunk! anthology fills a void common in most speculative fiction genres, providing a much-needed voice from an African/African Diaspora perspective. Dieselpunk just got funky!
The Ki Khanga Anthology
What is Ki Khanga? The answer lies in the pages of this amazing anthology. Balogun Ojetade and Milton Davis define this fascinating world which forms the foundation of the Ki Khanga Sword and Soul Role Playing Game. Prepare yourself for stories of bravery, tragedy, love and adventure. Prepare yourself for Ki Khanga.
The City
A Cyberfunk Anthology
The City anth
ology is a unique creation. It’s a concept anthology, a collection of stories where eighteen different authors share their vision of a single idea. It’s Cyberfunk, cyberpunk stories that play with future concepts from an African/African American perspective. Most of all, it’s engaging, exciting, thought provoking and fun.
Like the inhabitants, the City is perceived in various ways by the various writers. Some stories intersect, some diverge, but they all entertain. The result is a journey into a unique world described by unique and engaging voices.
Dark Universe
The Dark Universe Anthology tells the origin story of the Cassad Empire, from its ambitious beginning to its evolution to the first great human Galactic Empire and its eventual fall. Milton Davis, Gene Peterson, Balogun Ojetade, Penelope Flynn, Malon Edwards, K. Ceres Wright and DaVaun Sanders are the storytellers that lay the foundation of this amazing empire. Dark Universe is space opera like you've never seen. The time has come; Dark Universe is here!
Dark Universe: The Bright Empire
The Dark Age is over and the Known is in the firm grasp of the Cassads. As the galaxy spins, dragging planets and star systems in its wake, unrest rises to the surface of the celestial firmament. For while the Cassads burn brightly, the people under their rule are neglected and stifled. The Dark Age is over. The Bright Empire has begun, but the stars do not shine brightly on everyone.
Terminus
Atlanta. ATL. The Rising Phoenix. The City too Busy to Hate. The Black Mecca. Capital of the Deep South. There, between flitting shadows and full moons, exists another world filled with dark creatures, demons, and immortals. Only a thin veil separates the Atlanta you know from this mysterious realm. Nine brave authors risk it all to reveal the crossroads of Southern charm and the Black Fantastic. Y'all ready?
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