Spirit King: Return of the Crown

by Dashiel Douglas

  “I think you mean geologist,” Marley muttered sheepishly.

  “Man,” Kazim gritted his teeth. “You lucky I can’t see you. I might just throw you off this mountain!”

  “Oh, my God!” Zara interjected. “Will you little old ladies quit your bickering? Forget the stone. We’re just gonna have to do this without light.” She closed her eyes and focused her feelings inward, trying to lock into Leda’s pain.

  Another massive explosion shook the mountain under them. They clung to each other.

  “Okay, Zara,” Kazim said, his voice quivering with terror, “I’m not sure what you’re doing, but this would be a good time to find the alcove.”

  Zara’s breathing became shallow. She clutched her chest and doubled over, panting heavily.

  “Zara?” Jeylan said. “Are you okay?”

  She had honed in on Leda’s suffering. “It’s just part of the process,” she replied. “Everyone grab someone and let’s go.”

  They headed blindly for the far side of the mountain. The Mapacha Waterfall rumbled faintly through the pounding rain. They shuffled in a clump along the north face. The roar of the waterfall was growing. A wet wind pushed steadily against them. Zara’s hair whipped behind her.

  They leaned into the wind, fighting it with each step. The waterfall became deafening as they got closer, drowning out the persistent explosions in the distance.

  Zara stumbled. Jeylan offered himself as a crutch.

  “I’ll be okay,” she shouted over the noise. “I just need a minute to adjust.” She swallowed hard. “I’ve never felt anything this intense.” She took a long breath, then trudged forward. After a few steps, she swung to the side and vomited.

  Kazim hopped back. “Yo!” he bellowed. “You need to point that thing the other way next time.”

  “Oh really?” Zara said gruffly. “Well, how about I point my foot into your crotch instead!”

  “Whoaaa,” Kazim mumbled. “Someone’s gettin’ a little testy.”

  They made their way under the first of the twin waterfalls. “Here it is!” she screamed over the roar.

  “How are we gonna find the monument?” Jeylan asked. “I can’t see a thing in here.”

  They groped around, feeling helpless.

  “Oof!” Marley squealed. “I think I found it,” he said, his voice very high pitched. “I just barreled into a solid block. And right in my naughty bits! Why always me?”

  Zara explored the smallish monument with her hands. It was a three-foot-tall rectangle sculpted out of the stone wall. A few divots marred its otherwise smooth, glossy surface. As she was told to expect, a bust sat atop the monument. Zara’s searching hands found the emerald replica embedded in its forehead.

  Zara rotated the gem clockwise, as Milpisi had instructed. It instantly illuminated with a green glow. The front of the monument grated open, stone against stone. At the same time, a twinkling light appeared at the alcove entrance. They watched in wonder as the twinkle floated to Marley.

  “It’s the rock!” Marley exclaimed, flabbergasted. He tapped his phone with it. When his flashlight came on he was squatting in agony against the wall. The others burst into laughter.

  “Thanks guys,” he said sarcastically. “I may never have children, but your laughter makes me feel so much better about it.”

  “Awww, Marley,” Zara crouched next to him. She rubbed his shoulder with giggly sympathy.

  Marley reached into the monument and pulled out a padded manila envelope. “This must be it.”

  Zara steadied the light as Marley groped inside the package.

  “There’s nothing here!” he said with dismay.

  “What!” Kazim exclaimed. “We did all this for nothing!”

  A mischievous grin spread across Marley’s lips. “Gotch’all!” he snickered, as he removed a cassette from the envelope. “Now we’re even!” He inserted the recording into Baba’s cassette player.

  “What are you doing? We gotta go,” Jeylan urged. “Chipo’s probably at the bridge waiting for us.”

  “Don’t y’all wanna hear what this is all about? What we’ve risked our lives for?” He tapped the cassette player with the daima stone. They crouched down around Marley to listen.

  “Wow!” Zara said, in awe. “Dimka’s going down!”

  “Real talk,” Jeylan agreed. “That fool’s toast!”

  The boyz rose to leave. Jeylan returned the cassette to the package and slipped it into his backpack.

  When Zara turned around to close the monument, a greenish glint deep within the dark compartment caught her eye. She stretched her arm inside as far as it could go. The edge of an angular stone was just beyond her grasp. Pressing her face painfully against the side of the monument, she coaxed the stone with her fingertips into her palm.

  “Oh, my God,” she whispered, cupping her mouth. “It’s Leda’s emerald.” Her eyes glowed green, reflecting the brilliance of the gem.

  The boyz shuffled back into the alcove to hasten her exit. When they saw what she was holding, they stared. For a moment, they forgot the peril they were in.

  “Great googly moogly,” Marley cooed. “Is that an emerald? It’s huge.” Marley lifted it from Zara’s hand. He bounced it lightly in his palm. “And heavy. You know how much this must be worth?” he mused dreamily. “I wouldn’t even need that stupid scholarship to MIT.”

  “What’s wrong with you!” Jeylan plucked the emerald from him. “We’re not taking this!” He returned it to Zara.

  “I wasn’t gonna take it. What kind of person do you think I am?” Marley said self-righteously, gazing longingly at the emerald. “But maybe we can just borrow it for a little while.”

  Zara shook her head at him, then secured the emerald back in the monument.

  “Let’s bounce, y’all,” Kazim urged. “Chipo’s gonna leave us if we don’t get a move on.”

  Zara lingered, shining the light on the bust. Having experienced the depth of Leda’s suffering, Zara teared up in appreciation for her sacrifice. She then caressed Leda’s cool, polished face. The touch sent a jolt of energy through her. Vibrant images suddenly filled her mind’s eye, swirling, like through a kaleidoscope. Finally, she was able to bring a single image into focus.

  A group of women are sitting wordlessly with Zara by a river under the leafy branches of an acacia tree. She counts sixteen faces. Each woman breaks off a chunk of bread from a hearty golden-brown loaf. Peculiarly, when the loaf finally reaches Zara, it is no smaller than before the first woman had taken her share.

  Heavy thumping pounds in Zara’s ears. She lays a concerned hand over her heart. She’s relieved that the thumps aren’t coming from her. Then she notices that with each passing moment, her heartbeat is aligning more with the thumping. Soon, they share the same frequency. An ethereal universe now surrounds her. Colors have taken on intricate hues that her eyes were never before able to discern. Smells are so keen that she can detect an approaching storm miles away. All matter has been stripped down to its elemental parts, yet remain connected as one. There is no separation between the river and the sky, the lizards and the insects they consume, the sand and the tree she is sitting under—a tree that is buzzing with the energy of all things.

  A man approaches, gliding along the riverbank. A dark, smooth-faced woman trails him. Her clothes are tattered. Her hair is curled tightly to her scalp. She spots Zara and settles beside her, gazing deeply at her.

  The woman’s dark brown eyes lift to Zara’s hair. She runs several silky red strands through her fingers. The woman speaks almost hypnotically. “This is the most beautiful fire I have ever seen.”

  Just before the man begins his address, the woman whispers in Zara’s ear. A ribbon of sunlight filters through the leaves of the acacia tree and makes her blink with its glistening.

  The man begins to speak in a language unknown to Zara, ye
t it seems she has been speaking it her whole life. After a time that has no time, his words slow to a warp. The image freezes, whirls rapidly, then gets sucked into the vortex of Zara’s mind.

  Zara jerked her head and blinked her eyes open. She was back in the alcove, kneeling before the monument. While she was still readjusting to reality and staring at Leda’s stone face, suddenly the bust came alive. Dark brown seeped into the gray stone. Its coolness melted with human warmth. The bust’s stony eyes softened to a tender glow. Zara shook her head, unsure whether this was real or another vision. Leda’s lips began to move. “Remember what I whispered to you that glorious day under the tree?” she said. “I told you that I would see you again one day… and here we are.”

  Zara smiled brightly, realizing that these were the words lost in the damaged section of Leda’s journal. “Yes, I remember. And I was right, it is a blessing.”

  “You have now born witness to another reality—the oneness of all things,” Leda said. “Hitherto, you have merely glimpsed this world, the world of all-encompassing truth. You have paid brief visits and yet have remained unaware. It is why, at times, you have been able to feel what others cannot, to know things to which others are oblivious.

  “You were chosen by the mysterious man for a reason. So root out all trace of doubt from your heart, and tarry not. You are the Daughter of the Akhtiar. Never forget your station nor the monumental responsibility it carries.”

  “Come on, Zara!” Kazim shouted from outside the alcove, penetrating her consciousness. “We have to go!” Zara snapped back into the moment. The bust was now cool stone once again.

  For the first time, Zara had felt total acceptance of herself, and that her abilities were a gift, not a curse. In spite of the current danger, she walked on light feet to join the boyz. Before exiting, she spun around for one last glimpse of Leda. She pressed grateful hands to her heart.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Follow the Light

  A steady cavalcade of explosions continued to rock the valley. D’Melo watched, sickened, as a bevy of fireballs lit up the forest dangerously close to Haya. Then, once again, the trees at the edge of the Moyo began to rattle. Having learned what follows this sound, D’Melo hit the ground flat on his belly. A wet gust swept through, sliding him along the valley floor. But this time the blazes were too many and too intense for the moist wind to extinguish.

  Milpisi galloped on Komba along the northern rim of the clearing. He dismounted from Komba and ducked into the thicket.

  D’Melo yelled as loud as he could, straining his throat. “Milpisi! No!” But Milpisi was unable to hear anything over the jarring blasts and raging fires.

  D’Melo leapt to his feet, only to dive back down, as a fireball blazed out of the Choma forest. It screamed by and exploded against Upepo Mountain. His heart pounding, he gazed toward the summit of Amanzi Mountain. It was quiet. He sighed, relieved. At least Zara and the boyz are safe.

  He managed to balance his wobbly legs, then darted over the soggy earth quaking with every explosion. He hurtled into the forest, hopping over clumps of brush with the agility that made him a great basketball player. When he reached the Tree, Milpisi was deep into the Unveiling.

  “Milpisi, please stop,” he implored. “That’s exactly what they want. If you unveil the Tree, they can take a sample.”

  Milpisi proceeded, undeterred. And to D’Melo’s dismay, the veil was lifted.

  “Son,” Milpisi said, “there is something I haven’t told you about the Tree. When veiled, it is invisible, but it is not indestructible.” Milpisi motioned to the infernos devouring their way toward them. “This Tree may be the last of its kind. I cannot risk it being destroyed. I need only a few minutes to extract the Heart of Seeds. After all of this is over, we can regrow the Tree.” Milpisi started the extraction process.

  D’Melo heard swift footsteps approaching. He swiveled abruptly, terrified. He wiped rain from his eyes and focused in the direction of the sound.

  “Milpisi, you have to hurry!” he cautioned. “Someone’s coming!”

  A fireball sizzled past Haya, singeing its leaves. It exploded, setting several trees ablaze. D’Melo protected his face from the fiery debris. By the time the blast settled, the footsteps were upon them.

  D’Melo’s eyes then fell upon a sight that brought him both overwhelming joy and horrifying dread. It was Zara! She was dashing through the heat and glow of the fire.

  “What are you doing!” he exclaimed, squeezing her tight. “You’re supposed to be in Nanjier. It’s too dangerous here.”

  “I don’t care how dangerous it is. And I don’t even care how much of an idiot you are! I’ll never leave you behind. Who knows how much trouble you’ll get yourself into. And when you do, who’s gonna be there to save you?”

  D’Melo smiled, remembering that those were the very words he had said to her before she left for Malunga.

  “The boyz got the package and should be safe in Nanjier by now,” she said.

  Before D’Melo could take a moment to rejoice, they paused, listening to a whistling sound in the forest. It was growing louder by the second. D’Melo leapt protectively in front of Zara just before a sulfuric ball of steam burst and splattered, scalding his back and neck. He stiffened, yelped in anguish, then crumbled to the forest floor. The steam was so intense that it burned through his muscles. D’Melo writhed on the ground.

  “Milpisi!” Zara cried out.

  Milpisi snapped out of his trance. “Oh, Great Spirit!” He hurriedly implored the Tree for nectar. A flower blossomed, incandescent. Milpisi held D’Melo’s mouth open and placed the nectar under his tongue.

  Almost instantaneously, D’Melo rose to a sitting position. “Thank you, Milpisi,” he beamed. “Do we have the Heart of Seeds yet?”

  “I nearly had it, but something came up that needed my attention,” Milpisi said with a wink, then chanted back into his trance state.

  Not a minute too soon, a saving mini tornado churned toward them. Its funnel zigged and zagged in a furious whirl, extinguishing the fires nearest the Tree.

  “What’s happening?” Zara asked nervously. “Who’s out there fighting?”

  D’Melo shook his head, baffled by what could have gone wrong. “If the conjurers were fighting the Malungan soldiers, this would have been over a long time ago. But by the way the fire and steam and the water and wind are going back and forth, it seems like the conjurers are fighting each other.” D’Melo dipped his head. “And because of me, Kavu’s in the middle of it.”

  Suddenly, a stray bullet whirred past. It stopped with a sickening thump behind them. They spun around and saw Milpisi curled up in a puddle, crimson seeping into his shirt.

  “Milpisi!” Zara screamed. She scrambled to find the bullet wound.

  Oh, God no! Not again! D’Melo was reminded of Baba. “Milpisi,” he exhorted. “Tell me how to get the nectar.” They ducked as a fireball scorched by, narrowly missing the Tree.

  “There’s no time, son.” Milpisi blinked through the raindrops. “Get the Heart and run. And,” he said emphatically, “no matter what happens, you can never, ever let them have it.”

  “D’Melo,” Zara pleaded, sobbing. “We can’t let him die.”

  The battle edged closer. Whoever was defending Kipaji was clearly losing.

  “They will be here any minute,” Milpisi grimaced. “Saving me won’t help. They will kill me anyway, because I will never assist them.”

  D’Melo closed his eyes. He couldn’t believe he was about to let Milpisi die.

  “What do I do to get the Heart?” he said solemnly.

  “What!” Zara snatched D’Melo’s arm. “We have to save him!”

  “Oh, my dear one,” Milpisi hummed tranquilly. “The time has come. My soul can finally break free of its earthly cage and reunite with my beloved.” Zara buried her face in her quivering hands and w
ailed.

  “Yabo, follow the light,” Milpisi echoed Baba’s words to D’Melo, blood dripping from his lips.

  D’Melo had no idea what it meant when Baba said that, and still didn’t. What light? There’s no light . . .

  “There is a new Milpisi now.” Milpisi peered beyond D’Melo. “My dear one,” he choked out. “You were born for this very moment.”

  A wave of heat blanketed D’Melo’s back. He turned around. Zara was aglow with spirit, radiating fiery brilliance.

  Milpisi lifted his satchel from his neck. He squeezed Zara’s hand around it.

  “But—” Zara shuddered.

  “Why do you think you are here in Kipaji at this exact moment, oh great grandniece of Magdalena Stromová? A coincidence?” He chuckled into a wince. Milpisi’s expression turned wondrous. He gazed at the Tree. Perfectly still, he listened intently. “My dear one, someone wants to remind you to ‘root out all trace of doubt from your heart, and tarry not.’”

  “Leda?” Zara murmured. She peered toward the Tree but saw only pulsing light.

  “Look inside,” Milpisi said. “In there, you have a universe yet unexplored. Trust that it contains everything you need.” Milpisi coughed, sputtering blood.

  “Why me?” Zara howled.

  “It’s your destiny, my dear.” Milpisi released a long, tapering breath. A nebulous light rose from his breast. It drifted upward toward the Tree. With a flash, it merged into Haya’s luminescent aura. Zara buried her face in his chest, sobbing.

  As D’Melo watched helplessly, a fireball streaked toward the Tree. Just before it hit, a protective wall of water materialized from the drenched soil. The fireball was swallowed into the wall and then dropped to the ground, reduced to a large, steaming rock.

  “Zara,” D’Melo appealed. She didn’t budge. “Zara!” He jogged her. “You’re the Milpisi now!” She stared blankly at him, quailing at the responsibility. “You have to extract the Heart!”

  “But,” she gulped. “I don’t know what to do.” D’Melo shaded his eyes from her brilliance. He hoped that he was the only one who could see her light. If not, it would lead the enemy straight to the Tree.