A JANUS-FACED

Dija swarmed along with the unconscious alien, surprisingly, the arrows that had turned others to ashes had only sent the alien into a blackout.
Dija had tried to save the alien out of impulse, and when she reached the bank of the river on the other side, she dragged him out, then unclad him and beamed, when she saw what saved him.
The arrow was stopped by a gold bar given to Zuri from Maria's plunder, and the alien had kept it in a pouch close to his heart, as a souvenir to show his people if and when he eventually goes back.
"I think you will live," Dija said to herself.
Risha was having her bath beside the river bank when she saw a woman stooping over an alien that looked like Horus and she instantly call out to him.
"Hey! Come over here, I'm seeing a lady and one of your kind."
"Get dressed and let's go," Horus screamed back at the repulsive lady.
"Please come, I think he is wounded, and the lady is trying to revive him," Risha screamed back at him.
Horus walked towards her and announced, "am getting fed up with all your-" the words in his mouth froze at the sight of Zuri and he quickly hopped towards him.
"What happened to him?" Horus asked, jabbed Zuri at the place where his heart was located and watched with rapt attention as he stirred awake.
"He was attacked with blazing arrows by some of your clan," Dija replied.
Zuri looked at the alien beside him, and forced out a smile, then muttered out. "Geisha committed a war felony, by using the outlawed weapons against humans-" he paused, coughed and spit out some blood, then resumed his speech. "Geisha attacked me with the same weapon."
"Horus looked dumbfounded for a while at the extent Geisha had gone to achieve his mission.
If Hoorays can descend so low and went ahead with actions that can put mother earth in danger, then punishing humans for the same offense can be compared to a Janus-faced, highly hypocritical.
"Get this... This is to the right authority." Zuri stammered back, then hand over a gadget to Horus's hand. "This is the prove of Geisha's genocide."
Horus collect the device, dipped it inside his pouch, and tried to raise the fallen giant.
"Let me be for a while," Zuri muttered back. "I forgive you for betraying me, and am sure I would have done the same when in your shoes." He looked at Zuri, motioned him to come closer, then handed over a wrinkled paper into his hand, "I believe you can solve this."
"Thank you," Horus replied, collected the paper, and pocketed it. "Am sorry about my betrayal, it was a decision made out of a moment of madness."
"Shh," Zuri replied, warrior needs no apology for his action, you did what you believed was right at that time, and now-" Zuri paused, coughed out for a long moment, then gasped as the tremor of death came neared. "I... I believe you will... Do the right thing," his voice trailed off, and he remained tight-lipped forever.
"No!" Horus cried out. "Wake up please!"
But it was too late, Zuri the alien was dead, and his name and his deed will soon be written in the histories of Hoorays, to be read and narrated by the upcoming generation.
"Is he dead?" Risha asked with tears. Though she never knew Zuri when alive, Horus's character had stirred in her friendly feelings toward all aliens.
"Yes," Horus replied.
He stooped over the dead alien and muttered a silent prayer to some unknown gods or goddesses.
When done, he removed a box from his pouch, pour the powdered substance on the corpse, and stepped back.
A moment later, Zuri's carcass burst into flame and soon became ashes in a few minutes, then the eastern winds scattered the ashes around, and carried some away. Maybe, back to Zuri's home.
"Where did the fight take place?" Horus asked Dija.
A place close to Kwara's state border." Dija replied. "I can follow you if you don't mind."
"You are welcome, as I can see you can take care of yourself," Horus replied, he fixed his eyes on the river beside and muttered out aloud.
"Going by the river will be faster."
"But we have no boat!" Risha exclaimed.
"Then we construct one, it will only take us an hour," Dija replied.
The trio began their building of a boat.
"This is the easiest and quickest way of building a boat, and needs few materials," Dija explained.
Under Dija's supervision, the trio make use of plywood and stitched it together with glue and some other content, cut to form the hull of the boat.
"This method is called tack and taped or stitched and tape," Dija explained further.
Then they use copper wire to stitch the plywood together.
"Copper wire is the best since they don't corrode easily," Dija said, in answer to Risha's question about her choice of copper wire over cable ties and duct tape.
Then they add fiberglass to the stitched area to keep water away.
"How did you learn about this?" Horus asked when the boat is fully constructed.
"From some of the series of the '60s that I watched from the television channels." She replied.
"Some of the advantages of modernization and inventions that you just destroyed." Risha let out with sadden face.
"It's never too late for a new beginning," Dija replied.
"Yes, but it will take humans, some generations to reach where we were before the knockout," Risha said.
Horus said nothing, an alien decision is best known to the alien.
Brenda and her column soon returned to their journey, after waiting for Zuri for more hours. They had not gone far ln their trip and had just reached the route that lead into the town of Niger state, when some column of ladies and younger men galloped faster after them, then whistle from far to stop the moving column.
"Zuri and Big Tigers with all the men with them are dead." A lady screamed out, jumped down from her moving horse, walked towards Brenda, and held her leg. "My man is dead." She said softly, then burst into uncontrollable tears.
"How did it happen?" Bobby asked with tears.
"They were all killed by some strange weapons that looked like arrows, except with blazing fires." The crying lady replied.
"They fired from the spaceships and we were lucky to be hidden inside some buildings far off." Her sister replied.
"Accept my condolences," Brenda said, then cleaned the tears gathering in her eyes. "Zuri will always remain in our hearts."
"And Big Tiger, the man will always remember for his seal, loyalty, and faithfulness." Bobby let out.
"What will I do now?" The crying lady wailed louder, look at her sister consoling her, then announced. "I'm pregnant."
Her announcement immediately add pepper to her listener's injuries, and the crying of men and aliens could be heard for a long moment, then Brenda announced. "Please keep the pregnancy, and I promise you my support, morally, financially, and emotionally."
"You are not alone," Maria said.
The silence that engulfed the moving column was deafening, as everyone was deep in thought about the unforeseen circumstances.
"How are we going to use the scepter when we reached our destination?" Brenda soliloquies alone.
To her, the loss of Zuri is the worst news she had received since the knockout. Only the alien has the full knowledge of how the scepter will be used, and without him, the journey is more or less a waste of time, or maybe not.