Ayamba

I went through several mundane meetings with Elder Atusunje’s twin sister Sigelele, and other KUA specialists, Anyazgambo and other league of Jume officials, an Aka-rebel commander and ZUA specialists. These meetings were to set parameters for Uta. At the end, me and Anyazgambo were tasked with recruiting the team that found the EMP at Ipyana’s sister’s house. I was nervous at this meeting. I kept fumbling my words. Anyazgambo cut in and told them we wanted to recruit them. They said they wanted to think about it. After this I made my way to Mchengautuwa.

There was someone lying in my kama. It was Zimatha. I shook her till she awoke. She got up and embraced me. “I heard you were returning today.”

I held her close then released her. “What are you doing in here? Zima, you are not allowed in here. If they find you, they could call off our wedding.”

“I snuck in,” her eyes met mine. “Plus I heard they are fighting our union.”

I perched myself on edge of my bed. “Is that why you came? So you could share my kama?”

She looked at the floor. She told me that she planned on getting pregnant so we would get married.

“If your plan worked. I would be stripped of my powers because I am supposed to be infertile.”

“OH.” She said. “Wait aren’t only the female elders and the wives of the elders supposed to be the barren ones?”

“All elders are barren. It’s just that we live in a sexist society that would refuse to be led by infertile men so they spun that lie.” I held her hand. “Zidana said he will deal with this. We will get married.”

“Okay,” she smiled. She lifted herself from the kama, breaking away from my hand. Her eyes surveyed my room, falling on the smaller room that housed my bathroom. “You have your own bathroom.”

“Yes.”

She walked out of my bathroom and continued to survey my room. “And your own table and your own shelf. This is even more luxurious than I imagined...”

“It’s supposed be like a complete house.”

She sat down on a chair before my table.

“Zima, you need to leave before someone hears us talking.”

She came and sat down on my kama. I held her hand.

“I love you.”

“Even with my milky skin and hair like the colour of an egg yolk.”

“Yes Zima, you are beautiful to me. You know this.”

She smiled. “You and your dark skin and me and my pale skin are like night and day.”

“But the convergence of those two make the most beautiful times of the day. Sunrise and sunset.”

She opened her arm and embraced me. “I love you too Aya.”

My palms smoothed her back. When my hand reached her middle back, she groaned.

I pulled away. “What happened?”

“On my way back from my small mother’s village, we got ambushed. The arrow scraped my back.”

“You were attacked by Amanda?”’

“Yes, I guess they don’t want me to testify at Naliwa trial.”

“You should not have taken the risk of coming here. They could be waiting for you outside.”

“Is this your clever way of getting me to stay?” She smirked.

“No. I want you to be safe. I will escort you back to your room.”

I took my fighting stick from my wardrobe.

Through the dark night, I escorted her till she got to Zidana’s house. It took much longer than I thought but we got there safely. I returned to my room. Before breakfast I went to spar with the elder as we always did outside his yard. He did come out, so I went inside. In his living room was a healer.

“Call me when she wakes up.” The healer shook Zidana’s hand. On his way out of the house, he greeted me.

“What happened?”

Zidana walked over to me then gripped my shoulders. “One of the Amanda agents put a snake in Zimatha’s room. It bit her.”

“Oh.”

“The poison is still in her system.”

Oh. Maybe I should have let her stay in my room. Oh.

“But the antidote should start working.”

“Can I see her?” I managed to say.

He released me from his grip. “She is unconscious, but you can see her.”

He led me to her room. She was laying her kama. She looked peaceful. I sat down on the stool next to her bed.

“She will be okay.” Zidana squeezed my shoulder. I put her hand in mine. “Last night we had our last deliberations on the matter of the matches. The Elders agreed to your pairing. When she wakes up you can tell her the good news.”

I smoothed her hand. “How did this happen? You have guards.”

“I honestly don’t know. They must have snuck in during the evening and placed the creature under her kama.”

I thought she would wake up at noon, but noon passed. She was still in her sleep. Everything was working out for me. Zima would be bride. Why did Amanda have to take her away from me?

My eyes wandered from the book I was reading to the window. The sun had sunk into the earth. I glanced up at her, she was still asleep. I guess the poison had reached her heart. My beloved was gone. Her eye lids stirred, then opened. I threw myself on my knees, holding her hand.

“Zima.”

A feeble smile spread on her lips. “Ayamba.”

I exhaled. “I thought you were gone.”

On the other side of the hall were ten brides, some elders and some elder’s brides. I had eyes for just one. After she recovered, she testified against Clerk Naliwa who was sentenced to death by execution for his role in the war. The nyakula she wore, flattered her skin tone. Her uncle and my cousin met in the space between us as did the other brides and grooms relations. They shook hands and spoke in whispers. Zidana placed a blindfold on my eyes from behind me. The brides were led to our part of the hall. Zidana placed one of the bride’s hand in mine. I stroked to determine if it was my bride. It was not. I shook my head. He sent her away, there was laughter and cheering. Every groom was going through this. Finally my bride came after I went through two decoy brides. I nodded my head. The other grooms had found their brides. Each representative of the elder and their spouse to be exchanged a female and male goat. Young men and women dancing with branches of burning Hoza stem which produced pink fumes entered the arena. I took my bride to our seat, clasping my hand in mine.

Thank you for reading. The end.

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