Page 66 of Wrath of the Oracle

“Someone get the physician!” she shouted as someone passed Prince Gane a water flask.

“You should have stayed in bed if you can’t walk. Are you still trying to play a hero even though you’re still on your last leg?” Leikun frowned at Gane as he took a seat next to him.

“Everybody leaves the room,” Gane instructed his men, and they reluctantly left, one after the other one.

“You should lay down,” Tula said. Gane breathed heavily after drinking the water.

“Get me the physician.” Gane gave her a weak smile and urged her to leave. Tula threw a side glance at Leikun before she left the room.

“If I came a moment later,you would have crossed the line.” Gane glared at Leikun as he leaned against the staff and tried to get up. His forehead was coated with sweat. His head swam, and black spots appeared behind his eyes. His wound had reopened, and blood soaked through the thick white bandages.

“I lost several men trying to drag you out of the inferno. You forced me to enter the war with the Dembe army.Don’t talk to me about crossing lines. You did it first.” Leikun shook his head.

“We had an agreement…” Gane started.

“And I did my part. I rescued you, and now I want you out. I can’t afford to have this camp discovered by the Dembe army.” Leikun frowned and gazed out the window to the rough edges of the gorge. “That is, if they haven’t found us already.”

“We have nowhere to go. You must host us for some time. I will send a message back home and find out what is happening.”

“Mukuru and its cities have fallen, and I can’t express my joy enough. Ojore did something I failed to do.” Dry humor laced Leikun’s voice. His grudge against Mukuru Kingdom hadn’t diminished even after years. He stood up and paced before Gane.

“Remember, it’s also your home.” Gane attempted to stand up again and failed, sweat covering his forehead. “You can deny it all you want, but my loss is yours.”

“Mukuru turned its back on me and the grassland welcomed me with open arms. I don’t need the capital to sustain my source of living anymore. With its fall, our deal has come to an end.” Leikun said, the last statement in a low tone and Gane clenched his teeth.

“The alliance still stands. We might not be strong like before, but as long as we stand together, we shall defeat the Dembe,” Gane said as he stood up with a lot of effort.

“I failed to tell you this, but all the males in the royal family have been killed.” Leikun lowered his voice. “King Gusiwaju, your father, lost his life in the great hall. Ojore hanged his dead body outside the city gates. None of your brothers survived.”

Leikun’s words took Gane aback. He stumbled back, and Leikun grabbed his arms. His supporting cane hit the ground with a silent thud. Dust swirled in the air as time stood still.

“The king is dead?” Gane’s voice cracked. “When was that? What about my mother?”

“Several days ago. You were still unconscious.” Leikun’s voice softened. “Queen Kajala, together with the other females from the royal household, were sent to Dembe. I’m still trying to determine their whereabouts.”

Gane closed his eyes as tears ran down his cheeks. He hung his head on his chest and curled his hands into fists.

“The cities under the alliance have fallen to the same fate. It’s hopeless to plan for revenge now. You must focus on your recovery,” Leikun went on as he helped Gane to his seat. He crouched before the sobbing prince and patted his clenched fists.

“I know you are hurting, but we can’t stay here. It won’t be long before Ojore discovers this hideout. I don’t know when they will attack, but we can’t wait long.”

“Everything happened so fast. I was sure of winning this war. How did it get to this? Losing my father? My mother taken into servitude?” Gane choked on his words. His hands tightened around Leikun’s arms.

“It’s going to be hard, but you must recuperate if you want revenge,” Leikun said. Gane began to say something but couldn’t find the words as emotions clogged his throat.

”Losing one’s parents is never easy.” Leikun leaned in and pulled Gane’s head onto his shoulder.

Leikun’s family had been killed by cattle raiders when he was a boy, and Gane recalled how devastated his friend had been. King Gusiwaju refused to send guards after thecutthroat rustlers, and it forced Leikun to seek revenge alone. He left Mukuru and swore to burn it down one day. As a boy of ten, Gane didn’t have the power to help his friend yet. Almost ten years later, they met again, with Leikun leading the bandits to conduct raids in the capital. Gane’s gentle childhood friend turned out to be a cutthroat rustler. Leikun’s hatred for Mukuru Kingdom wasn’t a secret, and he felt no remorse for King Gusiwaju’s death. Yet he managed to console Gane, who had lost everything.

Tula watchedthe exchange from the tent’s entrance. The physician beside her tried to go in, but she stopped him at the tearful interaction between Leikun and Gane. They seemed to be friends and enemies at the same time—one minute biting each other’s heads off and the next comforting each other.

Thoughts of Sholei occupied Tula’s mind as she considered her best friend’s fate. She wondered if Sholei had escaped the prison cell. How would Ojore treat her if he recaptured her? Tula searched the entire camp for her brothers but couldn’t trace them. Other soldiers informed her that Anasi and Kweku might have perished in the second battle. Tula couldn’t trust his words and held on to hope. Until she saw their bodies, she wouldn’t believe their demise. Her mother would be devastated, and she would think the worst in Tula’s absence. Her family had crumbled in days. She felt for her aging father, a Senior Elder of King Gusiwaju’s court. Would anyone survive Ojore’s onslaught?

Sholei and Musembi arrived at Lake Alokove after several days of travel. Their long journey left Sholei to yearn for the swiftness of a horse. Despite their light baggage and reliance on the forest for sustenance, she couldn’t shake the feeling that they traveled in slow motion.

“Something is wrong.” Musembi halted and gazed around. Sholei saw it, too. Musembi told her of a thriving fishing community on the seaside, yet there was no sign of life.

The village lay in ruins. The place was ravaged with torched houses and scattered belongings. No one was around, only the aftermath of a violent attack.

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