Page 3 of Restoring the Ngozii

When I open my eyes, I notice the light coming from my skin as everyone gapes openly at me. Before I can explain a thing, a bright light comes down from the stars above, the goddess Wonékano standing above the pyre with a loving smile on her face. Her hand reaches down to Nafeesa, whose glowing spirit reaches out from her body, grasping the goddess’s hand as she stands with her.

People begin to drop to their knees, bowing and praying, some wailing and weeping. Nafeesa’s gaze meets mine as she smiles softly, her voice floating on the wind. “Priestess, please forgive yourself as I do, you did all you could. Don’t give up, you’ll find the solution. Sometimes, this is the way things have to be.” Her gaze shifts to her mother, whose tears have tripled upon seeing her daughter. “Mama, I love you. We’ll meet again.”

“Tavionna, you’ve done well this night. You all have your goddess’s blessing. Trust your priestess, she’s special, blessed more than many before her. You will succeed with her. Farewell, my darlings.” The goddess waves goodbye as she and Nafeesa ascend with the light back to the stars, leaving us in darkness.

My heart pounds as shock, grief, love, and so many other emotions fight within me for dominance. As I turn to the crowd, their eyes on me, I realize how clear their faces are and whirl around to see the sun begin to crest the horizon.

Stepping from the pyre’s platform, my mates and I usher everyone back as the first rays of sunlight reach the pyre, setting it ablaze quickly. With the pyre now burning, most head inside to grieve and process all that has happened. My mates and I remain at the entrance to the caves as people file in, making us the last to enter the caves.

The sun continues to rise in the sky, the heat nearly unbearable, even in the shade of the cave entrance, but I can’t take my eyes from the pyre as I watch it burn. The heat and sunlight feel purifying, making me feel as if I’m being burned and renewed right alongside Nafeesa.

“Come, Priestess, we must go inside.” Seuke’s gentle voice speaks in my ear as he grabs my arm, tugging me back into the cave. My eyes remain on that light until I can’t see it any more as he guides me through the caves and to our chambers. My legs buckle as I reach the bed, and I fall into it, sitting and staring into the void.

Xenshay squats in front of me, offering me a piece of my favorite fruit, and I take it without much thought, chewing and swallowing on autopilot.

“You’re not alone, nor are you incapable. You have your goddess’s blessing, that’s all you need, Tavi.”

The goddess’s words circle around my mind, reminding me of what’s important. I may not have found the cure in time for Nafeesa, but I can find it in time for the others, for the rest of my people. They say one life does not outweigh the many, and as much as I hate that saying, it’s fitting here. Nafeesa’s lost life was tragic, but it can help me save many others.

If time is what I need to figure this out, then I suppose I should take that time, clear my mind, and come back renewed and ready with a plan befitting my status as Priestess. I will not fail my people again.

My eyes settle on Xenshay as he smiles up at me, his plump purple lips inviting as he bites a chunk of fruit into a smaller piece before offering it to me. I have an urge to lick the fruit juice from his bottom lip but refrain when I realize that I don’t really know much about my mate.

“Why don’t we play a game?” The words tumble from my lips without thought as my gaze bounces between Shay and Seuke, a smile tugging at my lips.

“Where did that come from?” Seuke sits beside me, glasses in hand with my favorite juice. I gently take one from him and sip it.

“I just realized that I don’t know much about Xenshay, despite him being my mate. We haven’t discussed likes and dislikes, habits and whatnot. Only what information was relevant to my mission in destroying my birth giver. That’s not fair to you.” I turn to Shay and cup his cheek, making him chuckle.

“So what do you propose, Priestess?”

“Tonight, I’m not your priestess, just your mate, Shay. I want to play a question game. We’ll each take turns asking a question to the other, if you get it right, move on, if you get it wrong, you strip.” I grin, and Shay shakes his head.

“This game is rigged, Vee. It’s two against one! You two have had your whole lives to get these answers right.” He stands, placing the plate of fruit on my table, his arms crossing over that delectable chest.

“Seuke and I cannot ask each other questions, only us versus you, so we’re just as likely to get answers wrong. And with us wearing more clothes than usual from the funeral, this will take longer to get to the fun stuff.” I wink, making them both chuckle.

“I think I like this new Tavi, wherever she came from.” Seuke nudges my shoulder and kisses my cheek, making me giggle.

“We need time to get to know each other properly, and the goddess says things will work out in time. You guys think I’m putting too much pressure on myself, so… let’s relax and enjoy today. Tomorrow we can get back to planning our next steps, but for the moment, we need time to grieve and revitalize to move forward. What better way to revitalize than to play games and strengthen our bonds in every dirty way possible.”

I shrug, grinning as they both smile darkly. Seuke leans away, setting the cups down before they both lunge for me, tackling me to the bed in a heap of limbs. My laughter rings out in the room, echoing back to me and sounding foreign after all these years of not truly being happy, but I must admit, even to myself, that I like the sound. By the way my mates are torturing me with kisses and tickles, they love it just as much, if not more so.

Chapter 2

Kosiiba

Standingoutsideunderthetrees, the front porch of Vahru’s cabin opens, he and Kari stepping out with a blanket in tow. Kari looks sullen, defeated, her teeth nibbling her bottom lip as she waits for Vahru to usher her along. I’ve never seen her look so small before, it’s disheartening, making me wonder just how much all this is weighing on her.

When I met Kari, saw her walk out of the Sautiition ship with her head held high as she faced the chief and made her intentions known, she was the bravest thing I’d ever seen. Throughout all her trials here, all her struggles, she’s remained strong, fighting for what was right. Being her guard was a dream come true for me because I get to work with someone who’s larger than life, despite her small stature. But I suppose I don’t know what goes on behind closed doors, in her head, and in her heart. It can’t be easy to always be fighting when life is meant to be about living. What sort of life could she be living if this wasn’t her purpose?

“Wait here, we’ll be close by, near the river. We’ll return soon, but we’re in hearing distance. Don’t worry.” Vahru pats my shoulder before he slips a hand to Kari’s back and leads her away into the woods. I watch them until I can’t see them anymore, hating this distance. It’s hard to do my job of keeping them safe if I’m not close enough, but I know they need their privacy, too. Man, being a guard sucks sometimes, it really does.

I’d love to have a relationship like they do, to have someone to look after properly, someone to love and love me in return. Problem is, my mate is broken, scarred, probably scared to be around anyone right now. She was so small, so meek, and I just wanted to cradle her in my arms and hold her tight. She didn’t even see me, but she didn’t need to look at me for me to know that she means everything to me.

Much like that pretty Layanna girl Charlie brought with him to help us with the shield, my mate is gray-skinned, black-eyed, and black-haired. Despite such dull colors, she’s beautiful with her pouty lips, button nose, and wide hips. She may be a head or two shorter than me, but that just makes her all the sweeter to me. She’s small enough for me to simply carry around and care for, what’s not to love about that?

I’m not sure how old she is, possibly even younger than I. I’m the youngest hunter in the village, but I’m not incapable. In fact, I’m a great aim with my knives and can be fearless when needed. The others in my team tend to protect me more than need be because of my age, but I also let them most of the time because it’s easier than to fight them. Being younger, I know most will ignore my insistence that I can handle things, so I’ve learned when to pick my battles.

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