Chapter Twenty-Nine

I run toward him and wrap my arms around his neck. My back is on his chest and he has his arms around me, his chin is on the top of my head. He kisses the exposed skin on my neck. My whole body tingles. It rocks with them. It only lasts a second.
“Are you going to say anything?” he asks. “You look nervous,” he says.
I can feel his eyes trailing me as I walk to the door.
My heart thrums.
When he drops down from my window, the only evidence left of his visit is the electricity humming through the air.
"Imy..." Mama's voice drops lower. "If ya don't open this door right now--"
"I'm coming. I'm coming," I say.
I open the door and the royal maids and royal guards push through my door. They carry suitcases and march straight to the dresser. The maids wear short blue skirts and crop tops. They have black lipstick and are barefooted. The guards wear black trousers and their chests are bare. They all carry their swords.
I throw my hands up, gesturing around the room. "What's going on?"
Nobody answers.
"Somebody answer me."
The silence continues. Mama is gone. I hear her shouting at the maids for an explanation. They keep their heads down, eyes on their feet and hands darting in and out.
They pack my clothes into the biggest suitcase they have and have to go back to the carraige with several empty others.
Two body guards stand at the door. They're both wearing my suits. They stand with their hands over their crotch, eyes boring into the walls, waiting.
I recognise one of the girls. Onele. I snatch her arm as she's about to leave my room with the rest of the maids. "Tell me what's going on."
"Ya're dismissed," Queen Mother says before the poor girl can mutter a word.
I fold my arms over my chest.
She takes in my irritation. "Now that ya're a Goddess surely ya cannot continue staying in this dump." To cement her comment she looks at the cracks on the wall, the peeling paint on the walls, the leaking ceiling. "We're moving ya to the Great Royal."
The Great Royal is the biggest mansion in Noddon. Legend has it, it was once Leza's place. She'd built it for the son nobody seems to know what happened to him.
I stare at her. "I'm not leaving, dream on mother?"
She twirls the Pendant on her necklace, grimacing. "Leza."
"She came to ya in a dream?" I ask.
People don't get visits from Leza much. When ya dream of her, it's because she was here. It's because she wants ya to do something. Ya're her messenger.
Queen Mother shrugs. "In a dream? Ja."
"ya also have the spirit power?" My question is strangled.
"Don't be silly." Queen Mother runs a finger on the chair near the door, checking if it's clean and then slides into it, her nose wrinkled in disgust. "The message came from my daughter, Sno. Leza visited her last night. She wants ya to have Great Royal."
How weird. What could be the Sky-God's plan? She knows about my deceit, she knows I'm not the real Bakantwa owner. Why visit? Is she planning to punish me? Why isn't she killing me?
D'ziko. I huff. "Oh. Right."
The Sky-God is doing this for her son. Before she knew there was no way her people would listen if she appeared to them and told them who and what D'ziko is but now that I'm the "Goddess" she's certain her son is safe. She's providing a roof over his head. A home he can finally call his own.
Queen Mother raises an eyebrow, waiting for me to continue. After a moment she says, "Ya don't have a choice."
"Very well." I say and lead the way out of my room.
Queen Mother shoots out of her seat and runs after me. She stops me with the palm of her hand on my chest. "There's a catch."
I should've known. Nothing comes free. Even God's want something. Are there no decent people anymore?
"What is it?"
She smirks. And with good reason. "We're moving in with ya."
I'm very still. "Define we."
"Myself and my husband."
"Which one?"
Just when I thought she couldn't get anymore disgusting, she says, “All of them.”
My mind reels. "ya should have just said husbands and saved us the unnecessary back and forth."
Her lips part, but remain silent. If looks could kill, I'd be dead right now. A few minutes waste away. "It'll give ya a chance to bond with Daddy, Ja?"
It feels as though I've been knocked in the stomach. The last thing I want to do is to live with my father. Kaseke and Papa can't be in the same room without rattling feathers.
"My mother is moving in with me," I say flatly.
She pauses and then makes a face, but instead of being angry, she smirks. "Oh. I was hoping for that."
Uh-huh. Maybe this isn't such a good idea. Mama wouldn't survive a week that close to Papa and his "new" wife. She tells me to hurry, that she'll be waiting in the car. I mid and she leave. I need a strong cup of tea. I make my way down the hall.
I look up. And there he is.
Mondo is sitting at the kitchen table, eyes all over the place, searching for something. Someone. And then his gaze locks onto mine, and he gets up immediately. He smiles but it doesn't reach his eyes.
“Mondo?” I'm immediately worried. I rush up to him. “Is everything okay?”
“Okay?” His fingers tighten on the coffee cup in his hands. “I was up the whole of night, searching ya everywhere. And ya here, making demonic babies with the king of the darkness.”
My palms break into a sweat.
“Shh.” I look around to see if we are alone. We are. The Royal guards are too busy carrying the boxes to the carriages. Mama is following them around telling them to be careful with this and not to break that.
I pour myself a cup and refill his. “D’ziko and I don't, ya know?”
Mondo squints, uncomprehending, as his mind sorts my words, trying to understand them.
“What ya saying is that ya're starving the brother?”
“Mondo, I was at the Reed Ceremony just yesterday.”
He shrugs. “So where did ya disappeared last night?”
“I wandered into the Abatwa's den.”
“Oh, hell. What question them asking?”
“From where did ya first see me.”
He gasps. “Ridiculous. They're short. Ya'll only see them once they made they're presence known. “
“That's what I said but I offended them.” I sip my coffee and stare out the window. “I almost died. If it wasn't for Caesar and --”
“Who that?”
I can barely keep my voice steady. “D'ziko’s ape pet.”
He’s unusually dazed. “He having an ape as a pet?”
“Exactly.”
Mondo pauses. And then he bursts into laughter. “Oh, I want him.”
“Ceaser?” I take another sip. “Take him, please.”
“D'ziko.” He grins.
But he's teasing, so I say; “I … I think. Last night when he found me… I.” Breathe, Imani, breathe. “Okay, this will sound crazy but here goes: I know D'ziko will never hurt me physically, emotionally or otherwise. At least not deliberately. But--”
“But?”
“Last night he…” I swallow. “He--”
Alarm dawns across his features. “Did he hit ya?”
“What? No!”
“Then what?”
“He frightened me.” I glance at my hands before continuing. “I mean for a moment there, I thought he might… he was just so angry with me. For a second I was afraid he might kill me.”
Mondo's eyes shoot to his forehead. “Murder? No girl.”
“I feel safest when I'm with him. But sometimes, I'm scared of what he might do. Please tell me that makes sense.”
“Let me get this straightforward.” Mondo turns to me. “Ya're afraid that when he's angry he might hurt people around ya, and said people would kill ya and therefore D'ziko will be responsible for yer deathing?”
He gets it. “Something like that. Ja.”
Mondo examines me. His face hardens. “What happened to yer hands?”
“I fought some smelly monsters last night. Skeletal beings with maggots and green pus.”
“Damn, girl. Ya--” but he stops. There's a commotion outside. Is that Luleka?
And his entire body freezes.
We both step forward to investigate. Luleka is already flying up the porch steps. Mondo clicks his tongue and kicks the door closed.
“Hey,” Luleka shouts. “Let me in.” She pounds her fists on the door.
“Say ya're sleeping,” Mondo whispers.”
I smile and open the door.
Luleka bursts into the room. She looks me up and down. “I thought ya were dead. I came here to give yer family the bad news and of course, offer my condolences.”
She walks straight to the table. She takes Mondo's coffee and drains it. As if Mondo needs another reason to hate her.
I put the cups in the sink and take out three cleans ones. I open the fridge and look for something to eat. It's almost empty. I frown. Mama must have gotten herbs again with the grocery money I gave her. I microwave some muffins and pour us coffee. After I've serve them, I take a seat between them. A girl can't be too careful.
“Dwenks,” Mondo says.
Luleka frowns. “Dwenks?”
“Thanks,” I explain to her.
“Right…right.”
He stares her down. For several moments, neither of them speaks.
“Where were ya last night?” Luleka glances at me nervously. “We looked all over for ya.”
I shrug.
Mondo sags into his chair. He grabs a muffin and picks at it.
I frown at the pair of them. Luleka frowns back. Mondo averts his eyes. I smile.
“So ya guys searched for me? As a team?” I point at them. “Sweet.”