The Legend of Hombarume (Legends Series, #1)

64.

'I have a terrible feeling about this, Revai. I cannot explain it, but I feel that something is about to go wrong.'

'Nothing will go wrong, it better not, Hombarume. I did not come this far, risk my life and ruin my reputation for you to cause more trouble. If you do anything foolish, I promise you, I will kill you myself, hunter,' Revai replied.

The sun had almost fully set and they were just on the precipice of Makura village. From high up where they stood, they could see far and wide, the dying sun scattered its light across the horizon, showing them every feature that the eye could see. Beyond the limits of the eye lay even more of Makura, for it was the largest of the four villages as it spread as far as the great mountains of old. From the hill, you could see the little fires that had already been lit bobbing about in the dim light.

The greater part of Makura was situated between two of the greatest mountains, Vera and Mano, in the kingdom and a mighty river that fed into and went as far as the Blood River itself. It being located between mountains gave it great advantage during the war, for they had sentries on both of these mountains keep watch day and night. Beyond the great valley between these mountains lay the rest of the village which spread on to the grasslands. Mano Mountain was twice the size of Gomoguru but not as fated and fabled.

'I understand you,' Hombarume said sheepishly.

'Maybe it is time you make a choice, we go our separate ways now or face this new reality together,' Revai said.

'I am grateful for the opportunity to choose, but who will protect you if I leave?' Hombarume laughed, then winced while clutching his abdomen.

Revai did not share the same sentiment; in fact he seemed even more serious than before.

'Let us go before we lose the rest of the light,' Hombarume urged.

The village itself was still as they had both left it when they attended the Festival of the Four. It was sparsely populated in the outskirts, but the further you moved inward, homesteads were tightly packed together. The center of the village was also the center of all activity and it housed the great square of Chinembiri, named after the olden god of war. At any time in particular, this massive piece of land was the market square of the village, but at the very end of the farming season it became the festival grounds.

The great square was delineated by tall palm trees that waved their branches high up in the sky where they could never be touched. Makura village was popular for its taverns which seemed to be at every bend and each stone throw. The people of Makura enjoyed themselves without limit and without reprimand, thus everyone was satisfied and happy.

Hombarume's legs were close to giving in, from the endless trekking to the excruciating pain he had endured that he was trying to conceal from his counterpart, but he feared he looked as bad as he felt. If they did not reach their destination soon, he would be left completely helpless and yet another burden to Revai. It was now fully dark and they had walked almost as far as the great square but Revai still hadn't divulged to him where exactly they were going.

Even this late there was still a lot of activity within the village. They passed taverns where men shared beer and watched dancers hop and skip to the beat of the drum players, in other places fires were lit and people sang merry song of praise to their ancestors and to the gods they believed in. Even ahead of them at the great square, he could tell that some of the people had not left even this late into the evening.

Revai suddenly stopped at a small compound that was hidden in the midst of a variety of trees, from mango to guava, to long banana leaves that Hombarume could perfectly be seen in the dark fanning around. There was an outline of a small kraal that he could see in the distance with the little light he had. They had finally arrived and he was nothing short of relived as they walked up to where a small fire was lit at the center of the compound.

Beyond all the foliage was a small compound which consisted of three huts that formed a crescent shape around where the fire had been lit. Now the kraal was in full view, along with a small granary that lay askew just a few spans from the edge of the field. There was also a well just off the edge of the crescent. Whoever lived here had no desire of raising a large family or accommodating guests.

At the door of the hut that was central to the compound were clay pots of herbs strung up in decorative fashion while others lined the edge of the hut. There was a pot on the fire, but there seemed to be no one in sight to tend to it. The entire compound was quiet, save for the goats endlessly bickering just a short distance away.

Just as Hombarume was still taking his time to assess the compound and still wondering who it belonged to, the door to the hut closest to the fire creaked open and one of the pots jingled as a tall, stocky figure emerged from the darkness, stretching out his arms like someone who had just woken up from an entire night's slumber. He stretched a bit more before he started looking around as if there was something in particular he was searching for.

Hombarume and Revai were still walking up from the edge of the tree cover where the darkness was thickest, so he hadn't yet noticed them, so he approached the fire and started tending to the pot that was atop it. As they approached him, he seemed to have sensed that someone was coming before he looked up and saw them. He removed his pot from the fire, placing it aside, then he sprung up and waited for the two to arrive.

'Do my eyes deceive me?' he said in a voice that did not suit him at all.

'No, my friend, they do not,' Revai said.

Even without looking at him, Hombarume could tell that he had a grin on his face, something that was completely foreign to the Revai that he had known all this while.

'Is this not Revai, the right hand to the Chief himself? To what do I owe this pleasant surprise?'

Hombarume could feel the smile disappear now, the deep sigh before answer was the clue.

'I'm afraid I'm not here on pleasant terms my friend,' Revai replied.