The Legend of Hombarume (Legends Series, #1)

46.

The sparring contest was one of Cheneso's favourite festivities in the village, but this time around, it would be different for her. Last summer, the love of her life, her betrothed, Simba fought his way to the top and even tackled the great Dererai who was eventually a cut above the rest. She was very proud of him and could not hide the happiness in her. Her joy was short lived because by the end of the summer, Simba was gone.

His face had already started to fade in her mind until a few days ago when she saw some one- something wearing his face like a mask. It shook her beyond recovery; she had never seen anything quite like it in her entire existence. She begged the gods to bring him back every single night before she slept but she was beginning to fear that whatever was happening in the village was beyond the control of the gods, it was a work of pure unforeseen evil.

The villagers had been good to her so far, they never stopped encouraging her to keep the faith and among those that did this strongly was Hombarume himself, the famous hunter who got himself in some trouble just a few days ago. He was also her closest friend Nakai's mate, her longtime lover.

Hombarume was a natural on the sparring ring. He fought with ease and so much sureness; he was bound to make it far. If Dererai was not careful, the title would be snatched from him and it would land in the hands of the hunter himself. Other than the hunter, there were other great contenders this summer such as Tongai, who was extremely popular with the maidens because of his good looks and charm.

Ever since Simba disappeared, Tongai had been asking for Cheneso's affection and performing all sorts of romantic gestures for her. She did not want to forget her betrothed so quickly, she still had a lot of hope that he would be found. Tongai was a good man, but Simba was irreplaceable, a man who knew him in a way that no one else could.

Every time Tongai came around, Cheneso told him that he should consider the other maidens in the village that were taken with him, but he still persisted to the extent of dedicating his fight to her today. He was a tall man, carefully carved by the gods with intense skill and precision. He was muscular in build and always smart in what he did. Tongai was one of the few traders in Rujeko village and he was quite successful in his work. There was nothing negative to say about him, hence why Cheneso felt that if he kept advancing, she would give in to him.

She had to find her lover quick, before her parents forced her into this union, for there was no reason for her to deny, it would be an abomination for her to remain unwed for no reason at all when a suitor was pursuing her. Her strange dream, with was mixed with reality had awakened the zeal in her to look for Simba. No matter what twisted world the gods had landed him in, she would find him.

Tongai, just like Hombarume, was an impeccable fighter. He was swift with his attacks and the opponent rarely saw him coming and they were rarely as quick as he was. He won all his rounds easily, especially in the doubles when he was paired up with Hombarume, they destroyed their opponents which a lot of ease. As the tournament progressed, most of the fighters were eliminated and it was becoming tougher and tougher to progress to the next stage.

After a while, only eight fighters remained and they had to all come to the ring so that people could see them before they started taking on each other once more. Tongai was standing tall above the rest and Gengezha was the most disadvantaged in height. It would surely be next to impossible for him to prevail against someone like Tongai.

Along with them were four other giants of Rujeko village which were known for competing each year in the contest but they rarely prevailed ever since Dererai started winning. These last rounds were rigorous and much more intense than all the previous ones. The fighters were quicker and smarter with their attacks.

As theywere standing there in the sparring ring, while all the spectators werecheering wildly for them, Cheneso saw something that was incredibly strange. Therewas something hovering around Hombarume, a dark aura of sorts, something she'dnever seen before. It was an incredibly strange encounter. She stared hard atHombarume, in hopes that he would see her worried face. By the time he lookedCheneso's way, whatever it is she had seen before, was gone