Spirit King: Return of the Crown

by Dashiel Douglas

  “Think. Think.” She finger-jabbed her forehead, urging herself. “Okay.” She dropped to a knee, tapped her right shoulder, left shoulder, then her forehead, tracing the shape of a cross on her body.

  D’Melo spouted dubiously, “The Tree isn’t Catholic!”

  “Well, neither am I.”

  “So what are you doing?”

  “I told you, I don’t know!”

  “Milpisi said you were born for this.”

  “Okay. Give me a sec to think.” She exhaled from puffed cheeks. “Milpisi said I just need to be humble.”

  “Alright, then do that!” D’Melo needled. “The soldiers will be here any minute!”

  “Hey,” she said, lifting a stern finger. “Don’t pressure me, dude!”

  D’Melo rolled his eyes.

  Zara tried, “Umm, Dear Tree.” She shook her head. “No, that’s stupid,” she acknowledged. “I’m not writing it a letter.” She shimmied her body, readying herself for another go. “Oh, Great Tree.” She turned to D’Melo, delighted with her new start.

  “Yeah, that’s great,” D’Melo huffed sarcastically. “Can you hurry, please!”

  She narrowed her eyes at him before turning her attention back to the matter at hand. “This humble servant begs thee to provide us your most wonderful, most magical, most unbelievable—”

  D’Melo swirled a finger in the air. “The Tree knows it’s great. Can you get on with it!”

  “Do you wanna do this?” she chided. “Then be quiet.” Zara resumed, “—and most amazing Heart of Seeds. You are in danger and we want to make sure the world continues to be graced with your generosity.”

  To their amazement, a circular area of the bark began to thin.

  D’Melo gaped. “Keep going! It’s working!”

  A fire now raged within fifty feet of the Tree. Charred branches crackled and crashed onto the forest floor.

  “Umm, these seeds will provide the healing remedy for generations to come, as willed by the Great Spirit.”

  “Clunk,” D’Melo said under his breath.

  Zara creased her lips and threw her hands to her sides, What are you doing?

  “What?” he shrugged. “You said ‘remedy.’ That’s a good word.”

  “You interrupted the extraction to tell me that’s a good word? I know it’s a good word, that’s why I used it!”

  “Well,” D’Melo mumbled, “you like good words.”

  “Dude, not when I’m trying to save the world!”

  “Oh, Great Spirit,” she continued. “Please bless this world, although we probably don’t deserve your mercy.”

  The bark became translucent. A heart-shaped sack the size of a small nut hovered inside. Its seeds sparkled, radiating energy. Zara and D’Melo were mesmerized, astonished by how something so small could hold such tremendous power. Just then, a bullet clipped the Tree. The cry of a thousand souls echoed within.

  Zara extended her hand under the floating Heart. It wafted into her palm. As she extracted it, the valley quaked with sorrow and the forest creatures whimpered in an anguished chorus.

  The Tree’s glow dimmed. Its branches cracked with a brittle sound, and its flowers shriveled and dropped lifelessly into the puddled undergrowth.

  “I’m so sorry,” Zara sniffled tearfully, as she placed the Heart of Seeds in the satchel. “I promise you; we will return your Heart.” She wrapped her arms around the Tree. It quivered with the chill of death. “Thank you for your sacrifice.”

  She kissed Milpisi on the forehead. “I won’t let you down.”

  They began the trek up Amanzi Mountain to join the boyz in Nanjier.

  As they neared D’Melo’s rondeval, Zara broke off toward the summit.

  D’Melo clenched her arm. “I’ll meet you in Nanjier.”

  “What! Where are you going?”

  “I told Kavu to meet me at the rondeval.”

  “What are you talking about? Can’t you see what’s happening down there?” She pointed at the chaos of war engulfing the valley.

  “I’m not abandoning him again.”

  Zara inclined her head and sighed. The rain pattered her exasperated face. “Okay,” she relented. “Let’s go.”

  “No, Zara. It’s not safe.”

  “I told you,” she said sternly. “I’m not leaving without you.” Zara shot down the path to the rondeval.

  The rondeval was faintly lit by the blazes in the Amanzi and Choma forests. They ran inside, calling for Kavu. He wasn’t there.

  D’Melo looked at his phone. He took a tense breath. “He’s twenty minutes late.”

  Violent flashes lit up Kipaji. Much of Choma Mountain was an inferno. “D’Melo,” Zara said mournfully. “It’s hell down there. It’s possible that Kavu didn’t make it.”

  “He’s crafty and well-trained,” D’Melo protested, desperation tingeing his voice. “He’ll be here. Just five more minutes, please.”

  Unable to withstand D’Melo’s hope-filled eyes, she agreed. “But not a second more. If I have to, I’ll drag you to Nanjier myself!”

  Suddenly, Zara dropped to a knee, clutching her stomach.

  “What’s wrong?” D’Melo asked, concerned.

  “He’s coming,” she replied, wearily.

  D’Melo peered out the window like a child hankering for his lost dog to return home. He smushed his face against the cool glass for the best vantage point.

  “I see him!” he shouted.

  Kavu sprang through the door, out of breath. “Oh, my brother. You don’t know how happy I am to see you. I didn’t think I’d survive!” He drew D’Melo into a fraternal embrace.

  “Okay, let’s go,” D’Melo exhorted.

  Just then, several sets of boots splashed nearby. “Nuru,” Kavu commanded. The lights in the rondeval illumined. He calmly strode to the window.

  “Are you crazy?” D’Melo exclaimed. “Get down, they’ll see you!”

  Kavu slid the window open. He yelled, “We’re in here!”

  D’Melo’s chest caved in, like a ton of bricks had fallen on him. His eyes dropped closed in disbelief. He realized he had been horribly fooled.

  “I’m sorry it has to be this way,” Kavu said. “Under different circumstances, we would have been great friends. But your father got you caught up in something that is way beyond you. The good news is, because you’re my brother, your life will be spared as long as you turn over what belongs to President Dimka.”

  D’Melo’s heart tightened. “I don’t have it,” he fumed.

  “Where is it?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Well, General Nyoko seems to think that you do.”

  D’Melo stared defiantly at Kavu.

  Six soldiers rushed into the rondeval, AK-47s strapped over their shoulders.

  “Perfect timing,” Kavu said. He glanced at one of the soldiers, then motioned toward D’Melo. The soldier slammed the butt of his rifle into D’Melo’s ribs. D’Melo buckled.

  “Are you sure you don’t know where it is?” Kavu prodded.

  D’Melo remained silent. The soldier smashed the rifle across his face. White light flashed in D’Melo’s head and blood splattered onto the hardwood floor.

  “No!” Zara cried, hoarsely. Too weak to stand, she leaned listlessly against the couch.

  The soldier raised his rifle to strike D’Melo again. Kavu stopped him.

  “D’Melo, trust me, you don’t want me to take you to General Nyoko. He’ll torture you in excruciating ways. Can’t you see I’m trying to help you? Just tell me where it is.”

  D’Melo jutted out his swollen, bloody lips and shook his head.

  “Well,” Kavu said, “if he’s not going to tell us, then we have no use for him.” The solider pointed his rifle at D’Melo’s face.

  “Stop! Stop!�
� Zara begged. “He doesn’t know where it is, but I do. Our friends—”

  D’Melo cut her off. “Zara, no!”

  “I can’t sit here and let him kill you,” she muttered. Tears ran down her face. “Our friends took it to Nanjier.”

  “Okay, now we’re getting somewhere,” Kavu said. “D’Melo, call your friends and tell them to bring me the package.”

  “Ahhh, I’m so sorry,” D’Melo muttered insincerely. “I can’t. Our cell phones don’t work here.”

  Kavu gritted his teeth. “Okay,” he sighed angrily. “You forced me to do this.” He snatched a military field phone from a soldier.

  “Good evening, sir,” Kavu said. “Yes, I have him. But he doesn’t have the package. His friends from America took it to Nanjier. Oh really? That’s great news, sir.” Kavu looked smugly at D’Melo. “Okay, sir. Will do.”

  “It seems that no one has gone over the Hasira Bridge tonight,” Kavu gloated. “And it would be impossible to cross the river by boat. It’s too fierce with this storm. So your buddies are still somewhere in Kipaji.”

  D’Melo looked at Zara, his gut roiling anxiously. She was so weak her eyelids barely quivered open.

  “I’m sorry it has come to this,” Kavu said. “The General has requested your presence. But before we go, there’s one more thing. You know, I went to the Tree.” D’Melo’s heart raced. “It’s dead. There are no flowers, and that means there is no nectar. At first, I thought it was destroyed during the battle, but then I noticed a hole in the trunk. When I looked inside, there appeared to be something missing.” Kavu’s eyes probed the room searchingly. “Do you know what may have been in there?”

  D’Melo, desperate to protect the Heart, appealed to Kavu’s humanity. “Kavu,” he pleaded. “We’re family! Why are you doing this?”

  “Well, let me think,” Kavu snarled, tapping a sarcastic finger on his temple. “You guys abandoned me, leaving me for dead. And, on the other hand, President Dimka took me in and has been grooming me to replace him one day. So I think the question should be, ‘Why wouldn’t I do this?’ Did you think I was going to get all mushy inside and run off to America with my long-lost brother? Outside of Malunga, I’m nobody. But here, I’m the king of the world,” he exclaimed, throwing his hands to his sides. “And by the way, that may be literally true soon. With the power of the nectar in my hands, the world will be my playground. So whatever you took from the Tree, you’re going to hand over to me now.”

  D’Melo locked eyes with him. “Never.”

  “Oh, look at you,” Kavu said, showing surprise at D’Melo’s mettle. “A true modern-day American hero. You obviously don’t value your life. Well, let’s see how much of a hero you are when it comes to your girlfriend’s life.” Kavu gestured toward Zara. A soldier marched over and leveled his rifle at the back of her head. “It would be a real shame to turn that beautiful face into a bloody pulp.”

  Zara lifted her drained eyes. She nodded weakly at D’Melo and mouthed, “It’s okay.” She squeezed her eyes tight, waiting for the bullet to burn through her brain.

  D’Melo’s heart pounded like it was trying to break free of his chest. “All right! All right!” he relented. “You win.” He slid over to Zara and unbuttoned the satchel.

  Zara’s weary hand tried to stop him. “D’Melo, don’t.”

  “Don’t worry,” he whispered. “I got this.” He carefully removed the Heart of Seeds. “Is this what you’re looking for?”

  Kavu was mesmerized by its sparkling glow. “You’re finally wising up.”

  D’Melo moved to place the Heart in Kavu’s hand, but then suddenly tossed it into his mouth and swallowed it whole.

  “What the—” Kavu seized D’Melo by the chin.

  “You’re too late.” D’Melo grinned obstinately.

  “You’re an idiot! Do you think that’s going to stop us from getting it? You just condemned yourself to a horrible death. Now we’re going to have to gut you like a fish.”

  Zara’s face burned red. She mustered her energy and lunged at Kavu. He easily knocked her to the floor, then cackled.

  D’Melo set himself to pounce, his jaw muscles pulsing. The soldiers readied their rifles.

  Kavu snickered. “I think you may want to reconsider what you do next.”

  D’Melo balled his fists so tight that his hands went numb.

  “It’s a pity our budding brotherhood has to end this way,” Kavu sneered. A pair of soldiers laid their full weight on D’Melo, pinning him to the floor. Kavu slid a serrated blade from his belt. He knelt down, angling the knife above D’Melo’s abdomen. He paused, blowing a long breath. He then handed the blade to one of his soldiers. “You do it.”

  Just then, the military phone buzzed.

  “Yes, sir. We tried. The Tree is dead. D’Melo removed something from it. We’re in the process of retrieving it right now. Yes, but it’s not that simple. He swallowed it. We’re going to have to slice him open. Oh. Okay sir.” Kavu clicked off the call, sounding almost relieved.

  Kavu bent down to D’Melo’s ear. “Today’s your lucky day. The General says he wants you alive until we find your friends and recover the package. Just in case they somehow slip away, they won’t make it public as long as we have you, and your little girlfriend. That’s ironic, isn’t it?” Kavu smirked coldly. “Now who’s the pawn?”

  D’Melo mumbled something inaudible.

  “Excuse me?” Kavu scoffed. “Did you say something?”

  “Yeah,” D’Melo laughed insolently. “I said, how many times do I have to tell you, she’s not my girlfriend.”

  “You think this is some sort of joke?” Kavu motioned to a soldier, who slammed his rifle into D’Melo’s stomach.

  D’Melo curled into a fetal position. He thrashed in agony—but not from the soldier’s blow. He felt electric bolts radiating from his midsection, setting afire every nerve in his body. He began to convulse violently. The blood vessels in his eyes burst in rapid succession, until the whites of his eyes were pools of red. A thousand needles of energy tried to poke their way out from under the surface of his skin. The soldiers watched the spectacle in sheer horror.

  Zara blazed at Kavu. “What did you do to him? He’s your brother! He loves you!”

  The chill in Kavu’s eyes momentarily thawed.

  Then, as suddenly as it began, the freakish episode ceased. Everyone stood petrified, hoping that whatever had just happened was truly over. D’Melo rose from the floor, as if lifted by an invisible force. His eyes, now piercing orbs, gleamed white. The energy surging within him revved turbulently. The soldiers took a terrified step backward.

  Kavu yelled, “Why are you backing up? He’s just a man! Shoot him!” The soldiers raised their rifles in trembling hands. D’Melo stood before them, unperturbed. A barrage of piercing bangs reverberated through the rondeval. Zara covered her ears and shrieked. D’Melo lifted a hand. He moved it in a circular motion. The bullets halted. They lay suspended in the air motionless in front of him. With a flick of his wrist, the bullets winged off and clattered against the floor, sliding to the wall.

  D’Melo raised his arms to his sides. The earth rumbled, rattling the rondeval. Kavu and his soldiers latched onto anything they could find that would support their weight. The lights dimmed and glowed in and out, then sizzled and popped. The ceiling cracked, chipped wood falling at their feet. The windows shattered, sending shards across the room. Kavu and the soldiers darted in a frenzy for the exit.

  The rondeval support beams snapped. D’Melo blanketed Zara with his body.

  Outside, Kavu and his soldiers waded through the flooded ground, water seeping into their muddy boots. They stood in the downpour, watching the full weight of the rondeval collapse on D’Melo and Zara. Just to be sure D’Melo was dead, one of the soldiers lobbed a hand grenade into the rubble. Debris from the blast smacked against the soldiers’ so
aked uniforms. Kavu squinted through the rain and smoke. He could scarcely believe what he saw. The silhouettes of two figures rose from the ruins.

  D’Melo raised his arms above his head, bent at the elbow. Water from the saturated earth stirred, then elevated. Swirling waterballs materialized in his palms. Without moving his hands, D’Melo launched them. They blasted into two soldiers, propelling them off their feet. The soldiers landed in an unconscious, sodden heap. Aghast, the remaining soldiers dropped their guns and scattered into the woods, screaming things about the devil. Kavu stood speechless and alone, rain pouring down his defeated face.

  D’Melo’s eyes slowly returned to tender brown. He peered up at his hands in awe. “Zar, what’s happening to me?”

  “I don’t know,” she replied. “But Milpisi said the seeds have a special potency and can change a person’s genetic makeup.”

  “It’s like there is no separation between me and the earth. Like I can control the elements as if they are an extension of my body. When those bullets were coming at me, they were moving in slow motion. I could even see them spinning. I communicated with the lead and copper. I told them to stop. And they did!”

  “But,” Zara said, concerned. “Milpisi said that only one Seed should ever be taken. You swallowed the whole Heart!”

  “Great,” D’Melo quipped. “Now you tell me.”

  “Well, I didn’t think you’d eat it!”

  D’Melo chuckled. “Don’t worry. I feel awesome. My energy is off the hook!” he raved, flexing his biceps. “This is dope. Now I have a superpower like you.”

  “That’s true,” Zara said sarcastically. “I feel people’s suffering, while you get to control the earth’s elements. Yeah, that’s fair.”

  D’Melo started ogling Zara, his eyes perusing her up and down. “Mmmm, girl . . . I’m sayin’—”

  She crinkled her brow suspiciously. “What exactly are you doing?”

  “The seeds must have given me X-ray vision,” he cooed salaciously. “I can see right through your clothes.”

  “What!” Zara hunched, wrapping one arm across her chest and jabbing the other between her knees.