Zara splashed over the slick ground, chasing the shelter of darkness. Bullets thwacked into the mud as she zigzagged between blind spots. Finally, the floodlight found her, giving the soldiers a clear shot. But she remained determined, dipping and dashing elusively, until her footing gave way. Her feet swung skyward and she fell heavily into the waterlogged soil. Now a stationary target, the guards took sure aim.
“Hold your fire!” A voice pierced through the chaos.
Zara looked up, mud dribbling from her face. Kavu hustled toward her, waving his arms. “We need her alive!” he shouted. “D’Melo won’t do anything if we have her.”
Kavu snatched Zara harshly to her feet. But then he leaned in and whispered, “Are you okay?” Zara, confounded by his concern, nodded tentatively. He zipped plastic handcuffs on her wrists.
Just as he was about to drag her away, the jungle crackled with furious life. The earth rattled. Shattered branches flung against the compound fence. Out of the darkness, six elephants materialized. They stormed through the metal links, as if they were nothing more than a spider web. Twelve hippos rumbled thunderously behind them.
The soldiers leveled their rifles. They asked their ancestors for forgiveness before opening fire. Orange sparks flashed. An elephant stumbled, then collapsed with a monumental splash. The other elephants, some pocked red from bullets, gathered around their fallen comrade. They trumpeted a screeching cry, then charged ferociously.
The soldiers jostled for cover. Many didn’t make it and were trampled as they floundered in the mud. The hippos rammed the legs of the towers, where some guards had taken refuge. The towers teetered, then plunged down to the earth.
A retreating soldier turned desperately and fired at a charging elephant, clipping her gray fleshy ear. She rose on her hind legs and blasted a bone-chilling roar. Her forelegs splashed down mightily. The soldier stood petrified as she towered over him. She snatched him up in her enormous trunk and flung him into the air. On his way down, she slashed him with her sharp tusk.
Trying to take advantage of the bedlam, Zara struggled to wrest herself free. But Kavu gripped her like a vise. He drew his knife and guided it to her stomach. She squeezed her eyes shut. Images of the pigs being slaughtered at her mother’s factory flashed in her mind. Kavu brought the knife against her quivering belly. With a quick jerk, he sliced off the handcuffs.
“Go! Get as far away from here as you can,” he urged.
Zara released the breath trapped in her terrified lungs. “Thank you, but I’m not going anywhere without D’Melo.”
The hippos stampeded toward them. Kavu pivoted to run. Zara clamped his arm. “If you run, they’ll kill you for sure. Just be still.” She pulled him close. Kavu seemed to take solace in her calming eyes. The hippos were now thundering just thirty feet away and closing quickly. The power of their weight slamming into the earth pounded fear into their chests.
As the hippos were upon them, mud splattered their faces. Their breath shuddered in chorus. Then, with a massive whoosh, the hippos stampeded past. Wet strands of Zara’s hair were plastered to her face by the tailwind.
“They’re gone,” she said. Kavu cracked his eyes open gratefully. Before he could get his wits about him, Zara dashed toward a fallen soldier. She slid on her knees to his side and placed a healing hand over his heart. Kavu rubbed his forehead, clearly baffled by Zara helping a soldier who was, only minutes before, trying to kill her.
Zara focused deeply, tapping into “reality—the oneness of all things.” She informed the soldier, “You have three cracked ribs, but no internal bleeding.”
He squinted at her suspiciously, rain filling his eyes.
“You’re going to be okay,” she said. She then lifted a large rock. “Sorry that I have to do this, but you might try to kill us.” She crumpled her face and covered her eyes. She drove the rock down, clocking the soldier unconscious. She scampered from one soldier to the next, healing then clocking.
The hippos rumbled straight for D’Melo’s prison cell. They rammed the outer wall. Cinder blocks crumbled, but the wall still stood. They backed up and tried again. This time the wall toppled to the ground, sending a plume of dust into the wet air.
When the cloud settled, Kavu eyed the cell. D’Melo wasn’t there, and Nyoko was stirring to consciousness. Kavu rushed to Zara. “The general’s coming! You have to go right now!”
Zara grinned, unfazed. She pointed beyond Kavu. D’Melo sat atop a hippo, his eyes pulsing with light.
“Nenda,” D’Melo bellowed with power and authority. The hippo pounded the earth with haste toward Zara and Kavu. As it passed, D’Melo scooped Zara. They stormed off behind the other animals toward the gate.
Bullets ripped through the rain. One tore into the flesh of the hippo’s hind leg. It stumbled momentarily, but then hit full stride again. D’Melo reached back and grabbed Zara. He swung her in front of him to shield her body from the volley of bullets.
Nyoko snatched the tranquilizer gun from his belt. He shot desperately as D’Melo and Zara vanished into the forest.
Nyoko glared at Kavu. “Why are you still here? Get your guys!” He fired his gun angrily into the air. Kavu flinched, jarred by the earsplitting bang. “And bring me a horse!” The general, Kavu, and six of his elite fighters galloped into the jungle in pursuit.
As D’Melo and Zara reached the foot of Choma Mountain, the forest became too thick and steep for the hippo to continue. They dismounted. D’Melo’s feet landed heavily in the soggy undergrowth, his knees wobbly.
Zara steadied him. “D’Melo, what’s going on?”
“Must be from when you busted me on the head with that brick,” he smiled, his eyes glassy.
“Jokes? Right now? Really?” Zara swept his body, running her hands over his chest and back. Nothing. D’Melo lifted an arm. His skin was slit from Nyoko’s tranquilizer dart.
“Oh no,” she said, unable to hide her dismay. “Are you okay to run?”
“I think so.” He stumbled sluggishly through the forest behind her. At that pace, they knew there was no chance they would reach Nanjier before the soldiers overtook them.
“This is just like the Poconos,” Zara said, attempting to take their minds off the grim situation. “Remember? You were huffing and puffing as the elderly ladies passed you?”
“Now you got jokes!” D’Melo chuckled weakly.
As they crested Choma Mountain, they were momentarily comforted by the quiet. Only the crackle of dying fires interrupted the silence. Not even the animals gave voice to the forest. Movement was limited to the thick smoke churning upward, its bitterness scorching their throats.
Surveying the expanse that remained to be traversed left them disheartened. In their weakened condition, Amanzi Mountain towered dauntingly between them and Nanjier. But at least they wouldn’t have to navigate the raging battle, which had moved away from the Tree and across the valley. Upepo Mountain seemed to now be its epicenter, as the once lush woodland was an inferno.
“We’re lucky the dart only grazed you,” Zara said, stopping at a pond. “Get in,” she suggested.
“What? That water must be freezing!” D’Melo said. As proof, he puffed a white cloud from his mouth.
“You’re such a punk.” Zara mocked. “Just get in. I want to see something.”
D’Melo squatted, reluctantly. He dipped a hand in the water, then snapped it back. “Whoa! I ain’t goin’ in there!”
“Okay, you big baby. Just splash some on your face.”
He relented. “Ooh, this is nice.” His energy stirred. He dipped an arm. “Ahh, yes. This is the ticket.” He shook water beads from his face. “You know, I’ve been meaning to ask you,” he smirked. “Why are you almost naked again?”
Zara bit her lip. “Dude, I’m not almost naked. But if you must know, let me tell you. You have no idea what I’ve been through saving your butt. First
, I had to—” She halted abruptly, listening. “That’s a horse!”
D’Melo sprung to his feet. Zara shot off at a brisk clip. He hustled to match her pace. They got a few hundred feet before Zara slowed and hunched over. Her breathing shallowed. D’Melo had seen this behavior enough times to know that she was fine. He stood by waiting for what she was sensing.
Zara stumbled off the path into the thicket. “Oh, please no!” She knelt next to a small body. “Jonju!” She rubbed his face. The smell of burnt flesh was pungent. She reached into the satchel for the nectar. Oh, God. Don’t let me be too late.
“Hey, Jonju,” she comforted. “You’re going to be fine in a few minutes. Just hang in there, okay?” Jonju attempted to nod, then fell unconscious.
Zara pried his mouth open. She prayed under her breath. “I beg of you, Great Spirit. Please allow the power of Haya to bring this beautiful child back to health.”
They waited, Jonju still motionless. “Jonju. Please wake up. Please.” Zara turned to D’Melo, her eyes misty. “I’m too late.” She buried her head in his chest, sobbing. “I promised him that I’d play with him again.”
“Madam Zara? Why must you cry? If we play the bubbles game, would that make you happy?”
“JONJU!” Zara lifted him to a sitting position, then nearly squeezed the life out of him. She blew bubbles on his neck. He giggled. She covered his mouth, her eyes canvassing the forest.
“Listen carefully, Jonju. We must go now. But where we’re going is much too dangerous for you. There are bad people after us. I need you to be courageous and stay right here, hidden.” Jonju clung onto Zara. “Jonju, I promise, I’ll come back for you. Have I ever broken a promise?” His eyes smiled, while his lips quivered in fear.
Zara’s heart sank, knowing that her promise hinged on the improbable—getting D’Melo over the mountain before Nyoko and his soldiers caught up. But, if by some miracle, she could deliver D’Melo to safety, he would have time to regain his full conjuring strength.
D’Melo and Zara reached the summit of Amanzi Mountain. The storm clouds ebbed, revealing a violet-hued predawn sky. Just as the path to the bridge was within view, hooves battered the underbrush behind them.
“Stop!” a voice commanded. They made a mad dash. “I said, stop!” A pistol blasted a warning shot.
Kavu trotted toward them on his golden horse. He dismounted and marched directly toward D’Melo. D’Melo clenched his fists. Kavu walked straight into D’Melo and wrapped his arms lovingly around him. Caught off-guard, D’Melo stiffened. He so desired to return the hug, but he resisted, unsure whether this was another one of Kavu’s clever deceptions.
“I’m sorry, brother,” Kavu said quietly. “Please forgive me.”
D’Melo’s eyes shifted to Zara to gauge Kavu’s sincerity. Her emerald green eyes met his heartwarmingly, signaling that Kavu was genuine. D’Melo clutched Kavu’s face in his generous hands. “You don’t need to be forgiven. You were given a raw deal in life.”
Kavu basked for a moment in the warmth of D’Melo’s grace. His moist eyes glimmered with absolution.
“My brother,” he urged with dread. “You must go. The general’s coming with my fighters. I was able to go ahead of them because they stopped to collect some Choma and Joto warriors to help.”
Again, D’Melo pleaded for Kavu to join them.
“This is my home,” Kavu said. “You know I can never leave here.” He drew a resolute breath. “Please go. I’ll hold them off as long as I can to give you time to cross the bridge.”
“No, I can’t let you die like this. You’re coming with us!” D’Melo demanded. He clenched Kavu’s arm.
Kavu laid a tender hand over D’Melo’s. “You know,” he mused, “a wise man once said, ‘You’ve never truly lived if you don’t have anything in your life that you’re willing to die for.’ I’ve finally found what I’m willing to die for, my family . . . my real family. I’ve done enough damage in this world. I want my final act to be something worthy.” The tranquility of freedom washed over his face. “I’m going where I belong, back with Baba and Mama.”
D’Melo’s heart was filled with pride and sadness. They clasped hands and pulled into a bittersweet embrace.
Suddenly, orange fury flickered in the woods. The pop of guns rang out from the forest. Kavu’s body jolted. Warm liquid splashed D’Melo’s face. As the gleam in Kavu’s eyes drained, his body slumped heavily through D’Melo’s struggling arms into the wet earth. D’Melo was paralyzed with grief. He couldn’t bear to lose another person he loved.
Bullets buzzed around them like angry bees. Then to his horror, D’Melo heard Zara screech. He turned to her. Blood was oozing down her rib cage and soaking into her soiled white leggings.
Zara grabbed D’Melo by the shirt and hauled him toward the summit river. A steam blast threw them from their feet, hurling them to the steep riverbank. Instinctively, D’Melo lifted his weary body to protect Zara. She yanked him back down, as bullets thudded into the soil around them. She crawled on her hands and knees down the bank, dragging him. She slid D’Melo to the river’s edge and dunked his head into the lucid water, willing the spirits within. His blood percolated supernatural energy, sending electric charges firing through his veins. He rose, then glided up the riverbank.
“There he is!” Nyoko shouted. “Fire!” Choma conjurers launched fireballs. D’Melo moved his hands circularly. A swirling waterwall materialized before him. The fireballs slammed the wall, bursting into steam. D’Melo’s arms quavered. The waterwall thinned.
“D’Melo,” Zara cried. “What’s wrong?”
“The effect of the seeds is wearing off. I can’t protect you, Zar,” he lamented. “Run for the bridge!”
“I’m not leaving you again!”
A Joto conjurer pushed a blistering gust in the shape of a spear into the waterwall. Steam penetrated, singeing D’Melo’s face. He staggered backward along the bank. Zara gasped. He regained his balance just as a fireball blazed at him. It smashed into his chest, casting him into the river. Zara screamed in anguish, as D’Melo’s lifeless body was swept away by the torrent over the mountain ledge.
Zara laid her face on the sodden soil. Her heart was broken.
General Nyoko slithered over to her. He drew his pistol and took aim. “Finally, we end this,” he croaked.
Just as his finger tensed on the trigger, his legs wobbled beneath him. The mountain convulsed and the forest trembled in ecstasy from the surge of power emanating from the Ukuqala Pool. A brilliant golden streak sizzled upward into the dawning sky. The enemies of Kipaji squinted into its brilliance, unable to avert their gaze from the spectacle. The silhouette of a figure attired in a golden fleece rose aloft a tower of churning water.
The conjurers dropped to their knees, prostrating themselves. Nyoko ordered his soldiers to fire their tranquilizers at the figure. They hoisted their guns in tentative hands and fired the darts. D’Melo motioned upward. The water beneath him rose and coiled into a protective cocoon. The darts sliced into the water and got lost in its spiraling current. Waterballs formed on D’Melo’s palms. He launched them. They each divided into six as they flew. The water missiles thrust the soldiers forcefully into the ground. D’Melo then lifted a commanding finger. Mud climbed up the soldiers’ bodies, pinning them to the earth.
Nyoko yanked Zara to her feet and pressed his blade against her throat. She struggled, but Nyoko’s terrified grip was unshakable. D’Melo floated atop the pillar of water toward them, his palms readied with more deadly liquid weapons.
“Back up, or she dies,” Nyoko trembled. He lifted the razor-sharp steel under Zara’s chin. The pressure sliced her delicate skin, leaving a thin crimson line. He dragged Zara toward the forest edge.
“If you leave, I assure you she’ll live a long and happy life in Malunga. But if you try anything, I’ll slice her head clean off her neck!” Nyoko spat.
“Your father, mother, and brother are all dead. Are you prepared to lose your little girlfriend, as well?”
Zara heard D’Melo’s voice in her heart. She’s not my girlfriend.
She wrinkled miffed brows. Her heart responded, That’s all you have to say right now? Jerk! It’s true, I’m not your girlfriend, but do you have to say it like that? You spit those words out like a bug just flew in your mouth!
D’Melo chuckled.
Just as Nyoko was about to vanish into the thicket with Zara, she heard, I got this. She smiled and readied herself.
Then, surprisingly, another voice entered her heart. It was Kavu. I got this, too!
Duck! D’Melo warned, then launched a powerful ball of water.
Simultaneously, Kavu mustered enough strength to fling his knife into Nyoko’s leg. Zara broke free and dove to the ground. The waterball blasted Nyoko thunderously into a tree. The general leaned motionless against the splintered trunk, his heart speared with his own knife.
Zara hustled to Kavu. She laid healing hands on his chest.
In the space between life and death, Kavu had a vision of his ancestors. Baba and Mama extended welcoming arms, grinning lovingly.
Kavu gazed soulfully at Zara. “It’s okay,” he said. “I’m ready.”
“But I can save you!” Zara reached into her satchel.
D’Melo descended from the tower. “Let him go, Zar.”
Heartache dripped down Zara’s cheeks, as the satchel slipped from her reluctant fingers.
Kavu’s smiling eyes found D’Melo. He raised four fingers, balled his hand, then settled it over his heart. With his final breath, bursting with pride, he said, “Taji Anaru! The Crown Returns!”
A formless light dawned from Kavu’s chest. D’Melo took in a sharp breath, as the luminescence poured like a healing balm into his heart. He felt whole for the first time since his brother was torn away from him that fateful night on the bridge.
Spirit King: Return of the Crown Page 36
