Page 36 of Wrath of the Oracle

“Whoa.” He calmed the excited animal, pulling the reins tight. “Hold on, it’s going to be a fast ride.”

Sholei was about to ask what she was supposed to hold on to when he pulled her flush against him, her back to his broad chest. She stilled for a moment and tried to evade his invading warmth. With a nudge of his legs, the horse dashed forward. She wobbled in his arms, but a firm hand across her stomach stabilized her. If she wasn’t plastered firm to his chest, she would have fallen on her face and broken her neck.

She didn’t know that horses could be fast until they were past the camp gates. With calm assurances, Ojore guided the animal forward into the open grasslands through the valley. She was overwhelmed by her lack of experience, but with time, she relaxed as the air brushed her face.

Out in the vast plains, wildlife came to life around her. They passed a group of slender gazelles as they pranced around them in the tall grass, running away from the horse.

“Can we stop to look at them?” she raised her voice above the hard pounding of the horse’s hooves.

“We can’t slow down. We’re expected to be there by evening.” He whispered in her ear. The hairs on the back of her neck stood. Ojore acted mysterious, and Sholei was surprised she didn’t mind. Since the war camp was behind her, she almost forgot her worries—her captivity and the fate of Mukuru.

Ojore pointed at a few landmarks along the way. Far on the horizon, the mighty Dembe Mountain towered above the clouds with its snow-peaked tops. It stood defiant like the man behind her. Sholei took note of the landmarks he pointed out to her and tried to gauge the direction back to Mukuru.

“That is my home. The weather there is cooler than here,” Ojore’s voice flowed like honey against her skin. Sholei was ashamed she wanted to listen to him more. She swallowed and focused on the dark mountain ranges, astute and stoic. She sensed longing in his voice and wondered how long he’d been away from home.

In a sense, they were the same, both longing for home. Sholei was his captive, and he, an ambitious general bent on conquering her city only wanted to return to his home.

After some time, they came across Lake Naiti, a small body of water and the home of proud and glamorous flamingoes. Pink birds covered the surface of the lake, and their expansive wings spread out when they flew. Sholei’s eyes widened at the marvel before her. She heard of the majestic birds, but it was the first time she had seen them.

“Are you ready?” Ojore’s hands tightened on the reins.

“Are we charging toward them?” She turned and looked at his face.

“Yes,” Ojore whispered and Radi charged forward and dove into the shallow water, startling the bright-colored birds. Salt water splashed around, and droplets from the birds’ feathers sprayed them. Sholei couldn’t hold back a peal of laughter as she stretched her hands to touch the birds’ pink wings. She felt like she was flying with them, soaring high in the sky with her arms stretched out.

“Are you happy?” Ojore whispered in her ear. Sholei turned to her side and faced him. The black turban rested just above his eyes and for once his smile reached them. Gone was the hard glare he always wore, replaced by kind eyes that drew her in. At that moment, Sholei couldn’t deny his good looks.

“I am happy,” she breathed when he raised his eyebrows, urging her to respond.

At that moment, time slowed, and she felt as light as a pink feather floating in the air, with no care and no worries about where she would land.

They stoppeda while later to have some food Ojore packed. Sholei was sure he would have continued to ride if she weren’t present. Her legs wobbled as he helped her off the horse. She scowled when he laughed at her shaky stance. Muscles she didn’t know she had ached.

“You’ll get used to it.” Ojore failed to hide his amusement.

“I’d rather not,” Sholei mumbled under her breath as she sat underneath a tall tree. They shared some dried beef and fruits. Radi nibbled on some grass.

“I’ll never get tired of this scene.” Ojore’s sigh broke the silence as he took a seat next to her. Sholei tried not to notice how his muscular thigh brushed against hers. She took a deep swig of water for her suddenly parched throat.

How could he emit so much heat when he had so many layers of clothes?

“Dembe Mountains are beautiful, but I’ll never get used to the cold.” His low drawl drew her attention back to his face.

“Is that why you are expanding your borders? In search of favorable weather conditions?” Sholei raised her eyes to his.

“Are you interrogating me, witch?” He chuckled and nudged her with his elbow. Sholei was convinced he was only calling her a witch to rile her up more than anything. She wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction.

“Don’t I deserve to know why the Dembe court wants to take over Mukuru?” Sholei’s gaze swept through the wide wilderness to the dark mountains on the horizon.

“The Keseve Market is a strategic point for Dembe to access Lake Alokove in the south. I have nothing personal against your kingdom,” Ojore shrugged his broad shoulders.

“Apart from its standing in your way,” she said.

“Dembe Mountains are far and secluded but were prone to attacks by our neighbors, the Timaka Kingdom being our bitter enemies. They raided us for cattle and leftour towns burning more than once. My grandfather, King Kokha, and his court came up with a strategy to stop the raids once and for all.” His gaze didn’t soften.

“How did he do it?” Sholei asked, curious about the history of Dembe.

“We had to be the aggressors. We take them down before they get to us,” Ojore answered. “It proved to be successful, with grandfather leading raids and conquest campaigns against our neighbors. Soon we gained more land and our borders kept growing. Once King Kokha died, my father, King Kaza, ascended the throne and followed in his father’s footsteps. We created more enemies and the only way to defend our borders was to continue bringing down others before they got to us,” Ojore said, his voice monotonous. “The raids and conquests were a necessity for the survival of Dembe, but soon it grew into a desperate need to keep our sovereignty. To conquer and dominate, that’s the only way Dembe can survive. We won’t stop until every kingdom on the continent comes under our rule.”

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