The Legend of Hombarume (Legends Series, #1)

23.

Anesu had no time at all to think about his next move, he wasn’t sure if what was coming was danger or just other people who had come for a night swim or better still, his two trusted companions coming to search for him. That one was a far cry, he knew their voices and these were not them. He remembered what the strange man who had now disappeared said, run before they come.

It was too late to flee now but he had to take cover, he had to shield himself from whatever sort of evil this was. Amidst all of this, all he could think about was, is this a dream?Am I going to wake up soon?

He took cover in the bushes that bordered the pool, towards his right, thinking that someone coming from directly in front of him would check there last. His heart raced on as he clutched the head and peered through the leaves to see if he could identify the night warriors. Still nothing, all he heard were the voices, one very deep and almost frightening and the other just a normal male voice.

‘Ndiani uyo? Show yourself, measly mortal,’ the deep voice said, melting Anesu’s insides with fear.

He did not move and he tried to keep his breathing as steady as possible although he knew that he had been discovered. He didn’t hear any footsteps or any other commentary from the invisible men. For a while, they seemed to have dismissed their suspicions that some intruder was in their midst, the intruder who was having a shock of his life after he heard the words “measly mortal”. What sort of trouble had he gotten himself into now? Were they gods?

As if all was not bad enough already, the golden head that Anesu had just retrieved from the water started glowing like it had in his dream. In his dream. Wasn’t this also a dream? He heard a sigh come from nowhere then the bushes were parted and Anesu’s well-built body was lifted from cover with ease. He couldn’t scream, he couldn’t cry for help either, he was in a very unnatural clutch. The head’s glow had now intensified and the invisible figure must have noticed it because his clutch loosened.

‘He’s royalty, leave him.’

The invisible man dropped Anesu to the ground and the head also dropped. The moment it hit the ground, a strong light pierced Anesu’s eyes and as soon as he could open them again, it was morning at the cool, peaceful pool again. He was still in a trance, not fully understanding what was taking place. One minute it had been completely dark and the next the pool was fully illuminated by daylight, like everything that he had witnessed hadn’t happened at all. Was he dreaming or was there no longer any disparity between what was real and what was a figment of his imagination.

Anesu looked around for signs that might point to whatever had just happened but he found none at all. He looked at the spot where the gleaming golden lion head had landed on the ground just a small distance from where he stood completely perplexed and befuddled by the bizarre display that had now vanished into thin air. So it wasn’t real, then? Because if it was real, why had the head disappeared again? He remembered touching it, feeling the intricate slit markings between each feather to make sure that he wasn’t hallucinating, but now all the surety was gone. He could hear the women laughing and singing beyond the bushes, something that told him that he was no longer in the realm of the spirits, unless they were just more of those invisible voices like he had encountered before.

***

Ushe was sitting with Hombarume enjoying some nuts when he saw the mysterious trader arriving from the gods knows where. He didn’t seem to be in high spirits at all, he was more aloof than he usually was.

‘Is that the fellow you mentioned before?’ Hombarume asked.

‘Yes, that’s him’

‘What demons have you been wrestling, my friend,’ Ushe said, smiling.

Anesu did not reply until he was seated next to Ushe and on his first handful of nuts.

‘Your village is a very strange place, the demons seem to want to keep me here,’ he said letting out a loud sigh.

‘This is the hunter you have been hearing about,’ Ushe said.

‘I see you were successful in defending him,’ Anesu said, shaking Hombarume’s hand.

‘You are right about the strangeness of this village, but what happened to you?’ Hombarume asked.

‘I’ve heard of what has been happening recently, mostly to you and I have also lost my most priced possession which is yet to be found,’ Anesu said.

He knew that the other version of the story, the detailed one would scare his host and his friend or worse so he kept it to himself. He was still curious about where the head went and retrieving it was still the most important task to him.

‘I assure you, we’ve been through better days, Ushe said, patting the trader on the arm.

‘I am sure you they will come again, pray to the gods they do,’ Anesu replied.

‘I see you’ve been enjoying the waters.’
Ushe said after touching Anesu’s arm and feeling the little dampness still left in it.

Anesu recalled at that moment that he had almost drowned in the pool after he had indeed gone in fully clothed. The mystery of how he ended up in a bottomless pool was still terrifying him because he still couldn’t conclude whether or not the events were true or the spirits were playing with his thoughts.

‘Yes, in the pool in the forest near the stream.’

‘My friend, I was born here and have roamed the forests my entire life but I have never come across any pool,’ Hombarume said.

Anesu wasn’t surprised to hear this after what he had encountered at the said pool that apparently didn’t exist.

‘Do you know of it, Ushe?’ Anesu asked.

‘I’ve never seen any pool, no.’

Glossary.
Ndiani uyo – Who is that?