Page 74 of Wrath of the Oracle

“You chose the enemy and betrayed your friend!” Mmbone shouted.

“Your accusations are false.” Sholei gritted her teeth. “I never betrayed the people of Mukuru.”

Something hit her on the back of the head, and the putrid smell of rotten eggs assaulted her nose. Getting hit by a rotten egg was one of the highest forms of humiliation for the people of Mukuru.

“My daughter risked her life to save yours.” The hoarse voice of Tula’s mother made Sholei turn around.

“Mama,” Sholei approached the older woman. “I’m sorry.” The back of her eyes burned upon seeing how devastated Tula’s mother appeared.

“Tula did everything for you as her only friend.” Her elderly eyes brimmed with tears as three senior women held her. The composed woman who had welcomed Sholei with hearty laughter and kind words appeared disheveled. Losing two sons and possibly a daughter took a toll on Tula’s mother. Wrinkles lined her once smooth face, and tears dripped to her trembling chin.

“I’m sorry.” Sholei went down on her knees. Thunder rumbled in the background. Mueni dropped to her side and held onto Sholei as the crowd of white encroached closer and hurled insults.

“I was wrong to encourage Tula to befriend you. You are a curse to my family and this kingdom. May the gods strike you down where you stand,” Tula’s mother cursed as thunder rumbled in the skies.

“Please forgive me, mama. I can’t bear to see you like this.” Sholei crawled toward Tula’s mother, her white gown soaked in the wet mud. Sholei held on to Tula’s mother’s heavy skirt, but she was shoved away.

“My daughter escaped home to try to rescue you from that military camp,” she lamented and threw her hands about. “She left, and I couldn’t stop her. When she miraculously made it back, she left again to save you from the prison cells.”

“I shouldn’t have put her life at risk. I’m at fault.” Sholei’s tears fell, and she held her head in shame. She was the cause of it all, the disappearance of her friend, the only friend she ever had. The image of Tula with missing limbs lying on the battlefield flooded her again, and Sholei almost threw up.

“How will that bring my child back?” the woman dropped beside Sholei and clasped her slender shoulders and shook her. “I have lost two sons. I can’t find my daughter. Why should I continue to live?” Her eyes closed, and she collapsed in Sholei’s arms.

“Mama, wake up.” Sholei shook her before she was pushed away as Tula’s mother was lifted away.

“See what you did?” Mmbone’s tormenting voice rumbled with the clouds. “You bring nothing but trouble wherever you go. You will never know peace.” She leaned in and tore the white headscarf from Sholei’s head.

The crowd beside her was enchanted with Mmbone’s words. They closed in on her at the same time the clouds broke, and heavy, cold rain droplets hit Sholei. Leaves and small objects were thrown at her. The mourners directed their anger and anguish at her. Sholei pulled Mueni close and shielded her from the falling objects.

Lightning struck, and in the haze, the sound of horse neighs reached her. The crowd parted, and the pelting stopped. Sholei was soaked to the bones from mud, rain,and whatever else the crowd hurled at her. A coppery smell assaulted her nose as blood trickled from her scalp. She raised her head and, through the curtain of slanting rain, Ojore rode toward her. He was dressed in dark robes with gold lining. Radi’s dark mane was soaked and plastered against its face. Ojore stopped right in front of her and the shivering Mueni.

“I promised King Gusiwaju that he would be the last person to die by my hand. I will revoke my word for the next person who throws a stone,” Ojore warned as he jumped down from the horse. Behind him, Akima watched on, his sword in hand, and glared at the fuming crowd.

No one stepped forward, and the crowd grew silent, their anger reflected on their faces. The only sound came from swishing rain and clapping thunder.

Ojore removed his dark cloak and wrapped it around her shoulders, cutting off the rain. He grabbed her elbows and pulled her up. His grip on her was tight, and a vein popped on his forehead.

“Why do you allow yourself to be insulted like this?” His voice was low, and she was the only one who could hear him.

“I’ve managed to make everyone angry at me, even the gods.” Sholei raised her head to the sky. She closed her eyes as streams of water washed down her face.

“Let’s get out of this rain. I wouldn’t want my physician to get sick,” Ojore said in a tender tone. With a firm yet gentle motion, he helped her onto his horse and joined her in the saddle. Mueni rode with Akima, the white cereal basket dumped and forgotten in the mud.

As they rode away, Sholei cast one final, forlorn glance back at the mourners who were once her people. They shook their heads, heavy with disappointment and anger. A sense of loss pierced her heart. She felt like she had lost her family all over again.

Musembi was soimmersed in her thoughts she didn’t hear the horses approach her rickety gates. She hadn’t been in the medicine yard for some time and spent her time in the palace seeking audience with the court to save Sholei. In her absence, one of her students was entrusted with its care. The ongoing war took a toll on her apprentices, and with Dembe now in control, the future of her yard remained uncertain.

Days before, she was released from the palace. Sholei had insisted she wait for her to come up with a new plan to escape Ojore. Musembi couldn’t wait much longer; she was going to get Sholei out of the capital one way or another.

The neighing of horses brought Musembi back to the present. Two men sitting high on dark horses stood before her gate. Musembi faced General Ojore and his guard Akima. She saw the pair move around the palace after she and Sholei were kidnapped from Lake Alokove.

“General.” She acknowledged him.

He was a tall man with agile limbs. He wore long dark robes secured around his waist and stretched to his ankles. Leather boots with long straps straddled his muscular legs. A loose, dark cloak wrapped around his wide shoulders.The smattering of scars was visible from his open collar, reflected in the setting sun.

In the distance, the moos of cows returning home could be heard, and the scent of blossoming flowers filled the air. The quiet atmosphere defied the tension between her and the unexpected guests.

“You know who I am?” General Ojore climbed down from his horse and approached her. Akima remained behind, his ever-watchful eyes fixed on her. Musembi stood her ground despite wanting to run. Something about the man before her screamed danger. She could not understand how Sholei could fall in love with him. Not that she understood Sholei in the recent days. Much about her had changed since her captivity.

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