The Legend of Hombarume (Legends Series, #1)

44.

Hamandishe wasn't new to the concept of a sparring contest but he had never seen it done quite like this. It was an event to behold, a spectacle to remember, from the majestic masquerades that paraded from the stream on stilts, to the drummers, to the beautiful maidens running around the village square, making sure that everyone had a gourd of beer in their hands.

The whole village was in attendance, all here to witness the amazing event, to see men fight for the title of best of the season. Everyone was in a good mood, despite all the terrible things that occurred in the days leading to the disappearance of his friend, Anesu.

The sparring contest was a great way to stall Pasi, the man sent to look for Anesu because in all honesty, Hama did not really have a plan to rescue his employer. He was not even aware of his whereabouts and whether or not he was alive.

All he could do was watch the sparring contest while he let his mind travel, while he allowed the gods to offer him a plan, for he had none. By now he had mentally exhausted all his options and the only logical thing left to do was return to Makura village with his tail between his legs and explain in the best way possible to Va Tigere that his son disappeared in a forest.

He realized that his laughter was audible, lucky enough the crowd around him was too loud to notice him slowly losing hope. It was not only about returning to Makura with a plausible answer for him, it was finding his longtime companion and bringing him home safe. The gourd of beer he received did not help; he simply needed more for him to forget the sorrowful idea that Anesu was no more.

The contest commenced and so far the ones who stood out from the crowd of fighters were Dererai, the newfound friend Hombarume, a fellow named Tongai who was quite popular with the young maidens of the village and last but certainly not least was Gengezha, a very strong man whose opponents underestimated because of his height. They all prevailed quite easily to the second stage of the contest.

Tongai and Hombarume fought on the same team for the next round of the competition and they were quite a formidable pair. In the second stage of the competition, the pairs had to fight three sets of matches each, all consisting of one round.

The teams that prevailed would then move on to the one on one stage. Hombarume and Tongai worked well as a team because they complemented each other, they had different talents therefore they made a collaborative effort to make sure that their opponents yielded.

Hombarume was not quick to attack like the other fighters, he always made sure that he studied his opponent before he did anything. His partner, Tongai was swift with his attacks and always saw the opponent coming no matter what happened.

The people of Rujeko, in a way reminded Hamandishe of his people, the nomads. They were united in what they did and they always helped one another yet they were not immune to antagonistic forces, like their leader who had made his own son a priority at the expense of some of the members of society.

It was two-sided. For instance, ever since the terrible demise of the village healer, there was no word of his replacement or a way forward, but the Chief was undoubtedly searching for his prince and not putting much thought into the vulnerable people of the village.

At the same time, the village came together for the justice of Hombarume, the hunter and the healer's son who was arrested for the untimely demise. Everyone sought that they be treated justly without bias towards the Chief's son who was now rumored to have turned into a beast.

It was a fascinating community during a dangerous time, a time when mere village men died mysteriously, disappeared and turned into beasts. And poor Anesu was tangled in a mess of undefined magnitude.

Hama was enjoying the sparring contest but every now and then, his mind took him to a dark place, with Anesu in an impossible situation. He begged the gods to spare him from whatever had taken him but he was yet to receive their favor. Soon enough, the secret of Anesu's disappearance would be too hard to conceal because his parents treated him exactly the way Chief Banga treated his son.

The Chief seemed really invested in the fighting, almost clawing at his seat and shouting every time a match was in progress, urging the fighters to go on. You could almost not differentiate him from the other equally enthusiastic watchers, except for his luxury seat and flamboyant headdress swaying on top of his colossal head.

When Tongai and Hombarume stepped into the sparring ring, the crowd went up in a frenzy. Hamandishe could see Ushe, who was standing just a small distance away from him cheering wildly for his friend, spilling some of his beer from the gourd in his hands which was filled to the brim. It must have been replenished because he had watched him down another helping already. His eyes moved back to the village chief who was now sitting calmly in his seat, as if he was no longer interested in what was happening.

Did he still hold a grudge against Hombarume for supposedly killing his son who was rumored to be a beast? Nothing could explain how he went from the most jovial supporter to being extremely calm, almost anxious. There had to be an explanation for this development.