The Number 8 by Joel Arcanjo

Author:Joel Arcanjo
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Urban, Crime, General, Suspense, Thrillers, Fiction, Espionage
ISBN: 9781474035538
Publisher: HarperCollins UK
Published: 2015-05-28T23:00:00+00:00

Chapter 25

Much like the others he was wearing cloth over his private parts and not much else. Over his shoulders there was a shawl made of woven straw and, just like Rongo, he was holding a large spear. He was nowhere near the size of Rongo physically but had much the same presence. He strode in, his eyes fixed upon the three Chiefs. He clearly hadn’t heard the rule about eye contact because, every time Dante looked up, Pio was staring right back at him. One side of his face was delicately covered with tribal tattoos, the other side had nothing. Pio came to a stop right in front of them. He turned slowly. By this point the music had stopped and once again he was stood face to face, eye to eye with them. Dante was doing his best not to stare but also not to look afraid. He never let his eyes catch Pio’s for more than two seconds. It wasn’t just the Chiefs that had been stunned into silence. The entire audience was staring on, not a whisper between them.

Then, as if choreographed to perfection Pio jumped high in the air and landed in a wide squat with his arms crossed in front of him. His left hand held the spear and the thumb on his right hand was touching his neck. The music started again, louder this time, more furious. Pio began to perform a version of the haka, not one Dante had seen before. He guessed that the one the All Blacks performed before a rugby match was a war dance and this one was more to do with welcoming guests. But when a guy is flashing the whites of his eyes and flicking his tongue at his guests, all the while moving his thumb menacingly across his throat, it doesn’t feel very welcoming at all.

Pio acrobatically threw himself around the circular courtyard, speeding up and then slowing his movements at will. The crowd was in a trance watching this performance. It was majestic, yet primal. A combination that is rarely found in the modern world. A ritual that may have been performed for centuries or longer. Dante felt uniquely blessed to be here. Even more so when Pio finished and laid the leaf of a fern at his feet. This meant that he had been chosen to accept the offering. Just to confirm, he looked over to Rongo, who nodded at him to proceed. Dante stepped forward and slowly picked up the fern leaf. He glanced at Pio and half bowed. It was instinctive, he hadn’t been told to. But he was pleasantly surprised when Pio nodded back. The ritual was complete.

Rongo strode into the center of the courtyard. “Welcome to our village!”

A loud roar went up and then some howls from the guys.

Rongo continued, “Your Chiefs will accompany myself and Pio into the village, then you may enter and explore our village. In ten minutes time, we will gather at the fire pit so that I may show you how we prepare this evening’s feast.

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