The Legend of Hombarume (Legends Series, #1)

8.

Sekai had been practising her steps for a while now while Nakai and Cheneso sat and watched her drift effortlessly across the dance circle. She had the skill and talent that both of them could only dream of. Whenever you saw her adjust her garment and step onto the circle, you had to prepare yourself for amazement, for she did not stop until the crowd had been thoroughly impressed. She set the stage ablaze with her daring dance moves and her singing was just as remarkable, or even better. At the very end of last summer she shocked the judges when she had surpassed her infamous opponents from Makura village who had won the dance challenge three time in a row prior to that. That was the summer when almost all the eligible single men kissed her feet and desired to have her. It was a dream for her, to be in control, to be able to choose whoever she wanted and to forge her own path with whomever she desired. Her dream had backfired before the winter even began.

She decided to dip her finger in every honeypot to find the sweetest and most potent type. The men from Makura were famed for their handsome looks, their beautiful and presentable attire which was very subtle and clean compared to the unrefined goatskins that some men from her own village had unfortunately wore. They adorned themselves with beautiful cloths that emphasized their skin. Many of the girls of the village longed for these men and were dying to be picked by them. The men from Chikuni village, however, were muscular in comparison and most of the attendees performed in the sparring contest and all other challenges that required a show of strength. They were blessed with the bodies of the gods and this made the young maidens like them very much.

Every summer at the festival of the Four, the maidens would do everything in their power to make sure that they attracted enough attention from these men. That summer, Sekai did not have to put in any extra effort after her elusive dancing had done the work for her, and after the performance was over, she had gained a lot of traction from the suitors. Among the hoard of men that were after her as the festivities carried on, she paid particular attention to Anesu Tigere, a well-known trader in the Four who was famous for affiliating himself with the royal families. Anesu was a good looking man, the envy of every maiden. He came from a good family and he had his father’s wealth and his to boast about. He was the first to pursue Sekai after her amazing performance, if only he had been the last.

‘Will your mother postpone the first challenge?’ Sekai asked.

‘I think she should, who would want to watch us dance at a time like this, nhai asikana?’ Nakai replied.

‘Do you think they will find him?’

Sekai had now stopped and was catching her breath.

‘Who knows?’ Nakai replied.

‘After Simba went missing like that last year and they just did a minor search?’ Cheneso replied, sulking.

‘I will never forgive them for that, but obviously they will put more effort this time because he’s royalty,’ Nakai shook her head in displeasure.

‘You better pray for your prince to be found,’ Sekai said, smiling.

‘He’s not my prince, I never liked him,’ Nakai replied, rolling her eyes.

‘I still cannot believe Simba is gone, remember when he used to bring us bananas?’ Sekai said.

Cheneso sighed deeply, remembering her lost lover. If she had known that that summer was the last she would spend with him, she would have appreciated every moment much more than she did. Sometimes she even wished whatever snatched him away from her took her instead, maybe if she were gone, it would be better. The other girls who had come for practise approached Nakai. They were probably tired of waiting for her mother and they obviously had to get home and start cooking for their families as the sun had already descended greatly.

‘I haven’t seen Hombarume in two days, he always comes before he goes out for a hunt but yesterday he didn’t.’

‘Do you think he knows about the prince’s intentions?’ Sekai asked.

‘Why else would he not come to see me?’ Nakai said.

The group of girls finally arrived and everyone started talking about the prince and all that had been going on in the village lately.

‘Meanwhile, Ushe is having his season celebration at a time like this,’ one of the girls said.

‘Should he cancel his party and put good beer to waste because of someone else’s plight?’

They all laughed at this sentiment.

‘So are you girls attending?’ Sekai asked.

‘Have you already forgotten what happened at the last party you attended?’ one of the girls said before breaking of into laughter.

Sekai looked down, as if a deep wound had been reopened and was now paining her afresh. For the first time since that summer, she realised that the past was going to haunt her forever.

By the time the girls finally decided to disperse, the sun had already set and they had nothing but the orange glow to guide them home. Sekai and Cheneso went in the same direction as they lived farther away from the market, away from Nakai who was only a stone throw away from her home. They took the winding path that passed by Hombarume’s compound, where the fire was not lit and there was no lamp to signify human presence at the compound. They knew he had obviously attended his best friend’s celebration and would not be back until dawn. That is what happened when men gathered and beer was involved. A few more compounds down the road, they had to part ways while Cheneso headed to her father’s compound that was farther down and at the end of the cleared land. You could clearly see the great mountain from her home and the healer’s homestead that lay on high land a long walk away. The road that headed to Sekai’s homestead and the one that headed to hers would reconnect further on after the healer’s house at the outskirts of the village where a few more farmers who wanted to utilise the fertility of the land near Rujeko River lived.

By the time Cheneso parted ways with her friend and started towards home, the remnants of daylight had almost fully depleted and she hastened her step so that she could get home with a little light to spare. She could still see the well-lit Eagle compound and she could now hear the drums beating behind her where the party had commenced. Just before the last stretch to her house, there was a narrow path that cut through the thick trees that bordered her route and Sekai’s as she was approaching the point where the path emerged, a cold hand clutched her shoulder and pulled her into the bushes. The terror that gripped her almost took her life.

As soon as she landed, buttocks first on the thorny ground, she saw Simba ambling about, appearing from the narrow path. He must have heard her hit the ground because he stopped and started looking around in utter confusion, whatever he was looking for must have been greater than his curiosity because he did not look further into the noise he had just heard. As she was just about to call to him and tell him that people had been searching for him, that she had been desperately looking for him, he had been replaced by a repulsive creature with horns growing out of its back like fins on a fish but still possessing his face. Cheneso grew numb and almost fainted, for she did not understand what was right in front of her.

Glossary.
Asikana - Girls