52

He laughs shortly. "If he killed me here, I'd bleed." He glares past me and I'm so glad that the cold stare isn't directed at me. "He's not stupid enough to risk my silver blood all out in the open for the world to see."
When I finally manage to talk, my voice is completely flat. "So he was going to kill ya in the woods, bottle up yer blood so that it won't escape and then bring ya back to my bed."
D'ziko walks to the window. He looks out into the world, as if he can see past the forest, as if he can see into the Saboni world.
"He'd probably take some of yer blood and spill it on me," he says gently as he takes a small, worried step toward me and my throat closes up tight.
"He wouldn't have been able to kill me though. If he killed me how would he explain to Noddon? He'd be branded a murderer and rightly so."
"What if he was going to make himself look like a hero?" D'ziko puts in. "What if he was going to make it look like I killed ya. That'd make sense, no? I killed the Sky-God and now I've killed the Goddess."
"Ja. ya're right. It'd be the perfect story with the perfect plot twist." I take my previous seat and D'ziko joins me. "He heard some screaming. He saw the guards all sleeping and he'd come here to see if I was okay. Imagine the sight he walked in on instead, ya killing me and he had to do something. He killed ya but as he requested emergency personnel, I was already dead."
Although I don't have all the answers, one thing is clear, the Essence Thief is someone who is close to me. It's someone that knows all my business. It's someone that knows I'm skilled enough as a blacksmith to wield something like the Bakantwa sword. Someone like Kaseke.
But my brother wouldn't betray me. He's not that malicious. He's not the type to lie to people. If he doesn't like ya, he lets ya know. If he doesn't like something, he doesn't pretend otherwise. He's honest and employs a no filter attitude. If he wanted the Bakantwa sword, he'd have told me. If he didn't think I should or could lead, he wouldn't have helped me. If he wanted to kill me, he certainly wouldn't do it while I was sleeping.
Kaseke actually prides himself in his integrity. His transparency means the world to him and I feel ashamed even thinking he'd betray me like that.
"What if the Essence Thief isn't even a man?" My voice trembles and for a moment D'ziko looks horrified, he probably thinks I'm about to cry. "What if it's a woman? Even the ‘man’ I chased into the forest. "
He says the word bouncing around in my head. "yer mother?"
"Ja," I say, choking with anger and frustration.
I'm angry that I even suspect my own mother of such vile. I'm frustrated that I've made no progress in catching the Essence Thief. I haven't even unearthed his identity.
He looks at me as if I'm a complete stranger. "I thought we'd already discussed this. I don't think she'd try to kill ya."
"We both know she tried to kill herself and I'm sure it wasn't over my father. She doesn't even love him."
He sighs, leaning back against the chair. "How would ya know."
"It's something I first noticed during breakfast the other day," I say. "Mama hates my father. She'd never risk her life for him."
"What if what ya saw wasn't hate but heartbreak? What if she's just finding it hard to forgive and simply forget?" He hesitates. "Remember, what yer mother went through was very traumatic. She was just sixteen with three kids. Plus yer father has a child with her sister."
I look down at my feet. I'm not really sure I get what he is saying. Things aren't always so black and white. It's easy for him to dismiss my reasoning but Mama tried to kill herself three times, people just assumed it was because Papa left her, I assumed it was because Papa left. Mama didn't bother to correct me, to correct any of us. Why would she want people to believe she was in love with Papa and why did she make it seem like they are life mates?
"All the more reason why she wouldn't kill herself over a man she doesn't even love," I say, and for a moment, I want to be a different person, a person that can accept his well-meant advice, a person that would never believe anything bad about her mother. "Mama's an open book. Kaseke took that from her. She can't hide her emotions. Before she can speak it, ya see it in her face. She's one of those people. I know she doesn't love dad, not the way I love-- not the way life mates love each other."
He is struck by doubt. "Do ya have any other suspects?"
I don't. "That's what troubles me the most."
My head tips into D'ziko's shoulder. He only hesitates a moment before putting his arm around me and his fingers begin a slow caress. The brush of his skin against mine is foreign and yet so familiar, like a safe haven. Us together like this, seems so wrong, so surprising but it feels so right. So good. The only thing I'm worried about is breathing. It looks like I'm running on short supply.
And while we are sitting, silent, swinging to the song our fast heartbeats make, it begins raining. A light drizzle. The sky is still vibrant with colours, with a promise of sunshine.
I wonder what kind of mood the thief must be in now. Is this disappointment? Is he confused?
There's a loud knock.
D'ziko and I spring to our feet.
“Imani, it’s I.” Mondo. “Hurry. Person just chased a cat into the forest.”
The panic in his voice alerts me that now is not the time for questions.
“I'll take the window,” D'ziko says.
I nod, already at the door. Luleka and Mondo are dressed in their steels and they carry their swords. What's going on?
They lead me through the back door. We run into the woods.
Mondo slows to a fast walk. D'ziko reaches us and takes my hand. Dawn is just starting to break.
Luleka stops suddenly, sword drawn. “Shh...ya guys hear that?”
D'ziko draws the Bakantwa and its blue light intensifies. He's standing in a protective stance in front of me. “What?”
Mondo starts retreating. “Ya guys go on ahead, I'm too young to dying. Not to mentions too pretty.”
I glare at him. “Shh.”
We listen harder and sure enough vicious cat snarls echo through the still of the forest. We race toward the sounds. Surprisingly Mondo comes with us.
I look at him questioningly.
“Ya needing some protecting,” he says. “I'll making--” he screams “what is that? It's gonna killing me.”
I take his trembling hand in mine. “It's just a deer. Don’t worry, I won't let anything happen to ya.”
We break into a clearing and stop. This really old lady who looks about a hundred-years-old is leaning over a struggling cat, drinking its blood.
I've never seen this person before.
Mondo looks into the distance and his facial features turn to horror. Oh Gods. No. He shouts “Get down and play dead” and we do.
“What happened?” I whisper. What did ya see?”
Silence. It takes me a moment to realise he's in character. I roll to my side and sit up. Oh Gods. He's so dramatic.
Mondo opens one eye and speaks through gritted teeth. “Sister stay down. Dead people don't die twice.”
I take out my sword and tiptoe to the woman. I glare at D'ziko and Luleka as they start moving with me. They're making too much noise.
Once we're right behind her, we separate, springing around her so that we surround her. As she looks up, blue blood running down her lips, her features start changing, becoming more recognisable.
“Queen Mother!” I say.