Nasomi's Quest by Enock Simbaya

Author:Enock Simbaya
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: african fantasy, sword and soul, sword and sorcery
Publisher: MVmedia, LLC
Published: 2020-06-01T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 19

The Redland

The kowasa was out of sight for most of the way to Naki. Three times it disproved Nasomi’s guess that it had finally left her alone. The first time, it jumped from behind a bush ahead of the riders, chasing after a rodent, disappeared again. When Nasomi and Wakani rode through an avenue of trees, the kowasa fell from a branch and offered her a dark purple fleshy fruit, fixing its gaze on her until she took a bite. Up it went into the trees, out of sight again, and Nasomi threw the fruit away. It had a sharp sour taste, and she wasn’t in a mood for potential illness. As they went down a winding path overlooking a long bamboo fence, out the kowasa came again, all tentacles wagging and eyes wide in delight. It jumped onto Nasomi’s horse and gave her a translucent stone with grimy blue grains inside it.

“Are you sure about this thing, My Lady?” Wakani asked. He still held the ax at the ready.

“He would have followed us anyway. It is good to know he’s on our side.”

“He?”

“I’ve decided it’s a he. I want to give him a name. Maybe Kanguya.”

“You want to call it Kanguya? The most celebrated name of our kingdom? The one who fought against the kowasa?”

“It’s the only name I can think of.”

“My Lady, anything but that. What will people think?”

“We’re not in Nari.” She said to the kowasa. It wagged its yes tentacle.

There was significant traffic of people going the other way by then, skin and clothes stained black from the myama ore they conveyed in their carts. They stared wide-eyed at the kowasa, pointing and whispering among themselves, and Nasomi was surprised when Kanguya didn’t rush into hiding. He knows we’re not in Nari, she thought.

The road forked left toward the mine, and further on to Naki village. At first glimpse, besides the bamboo fence, Nasomi could not tell this village apart from Mishi. The architecture was the same, a forest of houses built from bamboo. The people were not accommodating, though. Six men in dark grey robes rushed at them, bearing spears.

“State your business,” one of them said, as a crowd gathered behind the soldiers.

“We want a woman who came by here, traveling with two hyenas and a man,” Nasomi replied.

The crowd parted and a young beautiful woman in a brown and orange flowing gown rushed through. She had rings on all her fingers, and her hair flowed in thick long braids. “What do they want?” she demanded. Her bitterness belied her beauty.

“They want the Bride,” the leading spearman replied.

“Well, she’s not here!” the young woman. “What do you people want from us?”

“I don’t understand your question. We are only passing through, trying to track—”

“First it was an ugly bride with hyenas, now you with a kowasa. We know strange when we see it. You won’t find us to be docile people if you’re bringing an army to attack us.”

“I am Nasomi Sapato, from Nari, a First Naki by clan.

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