Chapter 1 - Rejected

Hot orange twigs and sticks cracked within the flames in a hut. Shadows shifted around and anxious feminine voices filled the air. Only one was the loudest and that was Eclipse’s.

She laid naked on her back and drenched in sweat. Her moaning was loud as she gripped her ankles for her life depended on it. The surrounding women softly spoke to her while the rest prepared the towels and herbs.

Eclipse raised her head and squinted her eyes at her large belly as she pushed with all her might. She threw her head back crying to the dismay of her midwives. They rubbed on her hands and patted her thick thighs as a way of calming her but it was of no use.

The midwife kneeling right in front of her nodded in satisfaction the baby’s head showing. ‘Come on, Eclipse, your baby has shown itself!’ she exclaimed and stretched out her hand for a towel.

Eclipse gritted her teeth so hard that her jaw hurt. She pushed and her baby’s head came out. She pushed again with an ear screeching wail and the baby slid out with both shoulders. The midwife took hold of it and pulled it out only for all of them to drop their jaws astonished.

Eclipse heard her baby’s cries and collapsed. Her legs remained up with her blood gashing out. The midwives were too stricken with shock to even think of cleaning her up. Their eyes were on the fair female child who couldn’t stop crying.

The midwife holding it was the first to return to her senses. She cut the umbilical chord and wrapped the baby in a towel. The rest of the women took out the placenta and wiped Eclipse clean. She was set on a mattress with her baby on her side. The women took out Eclipse’s breast and brought the nipple to the baby’s mouth. Its cries were finally silenced as it fed.

‘She has given birth to a fair child. What will we do?’ one of the women anxiously asked and the others shuddered.

‘We have no choice but to inform her husband.’ another sadly remarked.

‘You will tell him, Maya. You are the head midwife.’ the very woman who started the conversation suggested and the rest nodded in agreement.

Maya furrowed her brows and tucked her lips. She glanced over at Eclipse, and her heart ached in pity. Getting up slowly, she dusted her wrapper and fixed her dreadlocks in place. ‘I can’t imagine a fate worse than this.’ she whispered.

Maya carefully pulled the curtain aside and met the anxious eyes of Mbesu, Eclipse’s husband. Along with him were four older men and Sendra, Eclipse’s old mother-in-law. As per custom, Sendra was the only one to approach Maya.

She went to her with her back hunched and her walking cane stabbing into the sand. The men stood away from the birthing hut—each of them murmuring encouragement to Mbesu.

Maya lowered her gaze contemplating on how to tell the family everything. She knew what to say but every time she opened her mouth, her words got stuck in her throat.

Her state only worried Sendra who shot a concerned look at Mbesu. He could barely contain himself. Eclipse screamed so much earlier that they couldn’t help but fear the worst.

‘How is our child?’ Sendra asked Maya.

Maya sucked in air and faced Sendra. The old woman tilted her bald head and her whitening eyes fixed on her.

‘Can you not speak or have I finally become completely blind that I can’t tell whether I’m talking to myself or not?’ she asked.

Maya curtsied with her right hand on her chest, ‘Forgive me, mother. The baby is a healthy little girl.’

Sendra’s face lit up, and she dropped her cane. She raised her hands up at the full moon, ‘Thank you so much goddess, Ashtoreth. You have blessed our household with a girl after two boys.’

Upon hearing her prayer, Mbesu danced. He shook his body and beat his chest. The men with him patted him on his back, laughing heartily at the good news. As Mbesu danced, Sendra got into the hut to see the baby for herself.

She stretched out her hands and the midwives in the hut widened their eyes at each other. One midwife shoved the one close to Eclipse and she bit her finger. She reluctantly picked up the sleeping baby and gave it to Sendra.

Because of her bad vision, Sendra could not see that there was something wrong with the baby. She rocked her grandchild gently and let out a hefty laugh.

‘She weighs a healthy weight.’ Sendra contented and caressed the baby’s whitish hair. ‘Is the place clean enough for my son to come and see his child?’ Sendra asked and hearts skipped beats.

‘Y-yes mother. We have washed everything.’ one woman brave enough spoke up.

‘Good, you may all leave.’ Sendra permitted and they left in a single file with their heads bowed.

Sendra remained rocking the baby happily. She chuckled at the whimpers it made in its sleep. Mbesu joined her in the hut. His eyes first set on Eclipse who was still unconscious. The dying fire in the room released a little light that only enhanced her beauty as she slept. Mbesu kissed her lovely thick lips in gratitude.

‘Thank you, my love.’ he said with the brightest of smiles.

‘Come and see your daughter.’ Sendra giggled.

Mbesu got off his knees and happily let out his hands to his mother. He suddenly gasped loudly upon seeing the child to Sendra’s surprise. Mbesu closed his eyes and wailed in agony before dashing out of the tent. This was much to the bewilderment of the men outside. Mbesu dropped to his knees in anguish and cried.

‘Eclipse! Eclipse!’ he complained.

The men rushed to him and tried to help him off the ground but Mbesu wasn’t having it. The midwives shook their heads in pity. Maya dropped her gaze. She walked away and the other women followed her. None of them were ready to witness what was going to happen next.

‘What is it, Mbesu?’ a man asked concerned but Mbesu just cried.

‘I am finished!’ he shouted with so much pain in his voice.

The men exchanged sorrowful looks. With everything that was going on, they all assumed that Eclipse died during childbirth. ‘Get up my friend. These things happen. You have to be strong.’ the man closest to him beckoned.

‘No, treason doesn’t happen. That woman in there has betrayed me and this kingdom. Go and see the child and you will understand my pain.’

Sendra walked out of the hut without the baby. She couldn’t understand Mbesu’s mourning. How could he mourn during a happy occasion like that? Her calm state further confused the men. One of them brave enough approached the tent. He hesitated when he finally got to the door and flashed a furrow at Mbesu.

‘Go and see, my friend. I permit you to go into that hut!’ Mbesu cried. ‘I need witnesses to see what this woman has done.’

The man nervously wiped his face and peeped into the tent. Even though Mbesu gave him the permission to go in, he just couldn’t bring himself to do it. He squinted his eyes at the baby and from where he stood, he couldn’t see anything alarming. It was only when the baby stretched out its hand did he shout in anguish.

‘An abomination has tainted our land!’ He exclaimed.

‘What is it?’ Sendra asked him impatiently. ‘Tell me!’ she demanded with hostility.

‘Eclipse has given birth to a fair child!’ the man announced and the others gasped.

‘What did you say?’ Sendra asked him in disbelief.

‘He is telling the truth, mother. Eclipse has ruined us all!’ Mbesu wailed.

Sendra’s chest tightened. The whole world around her spun. She gripped her cane tightly and groaned at the feeling of her heart tearing up. Her small body barely made a thud when it finally hit the ground. Mbesu rushed to her aid and shook her repeatedly in a bid to wake her up.

****

Days later, Eclipse was on her knees and in chains. Sitting high before her was King Daniminga and his pregnant wife, Queen Senedi. Eclipse couldn’t stop crying. Her eyes were on her crying baby who was put on the sacrificial board. The scorching sun showed the infant no mercy. Standing guard was the executioner and in his hand was a gigantic iron ax.

The crowd surrounding Eclipse did nothing to comfort her. They hissed and spat at her—hurling disgusting insults at her betrayal. Mbesu sat down among the village elders with his head bowed. They whispered comforting words to him. At no point did he turn to even look at Eclipse.

‘Eclipse, you have been proven guilty of treason.’ King Daniminga said in a bold and hoarse voice. ‘What do you have to say for yourself?’

Eclipse’s chains clicked as she humbly put her hands together. ‘Your majesty, believe me when I tell you that I do not understand what is happening. The only man I have ever been with is my husband, Mbesu. I can’t understand why the gods decided to put a fair child in my womb.’ Eclipse cried.

‘Silence! You dare accuse the gods of your own sins?’ the king thundered and Eclipse screamed in fear.

Eclipse threw herself on the ground, ‘Please my King, have mercy on me. Do not execute my child.’ she desperately begged but the crowd shouted in rage.

‘Let us stone this traitorous whore and her bastard!’

‘How dare she shame us all by having an affair with a man from Elionis?’

‘It’s her fault that Sendra is dead. She killed her and now Mbesu is devastated!’

‘Foolish woman!’

‘Silence!’ the king roared and the noise was reduced to murmurs. ‘Chop that child in half and cut off that woman’s head.’ he commanded.

Eclipse got off the ground and helplessly ran to her baby. Her chains were pulled back, and she fell hard to the ground. A royal guard kicked her hard in the face and blood splashed out of her mouth. She rolled in the sand—tainting her bruised coffee skin with it. Eclipse laid flat on her stomach and stretched out her hand to her baby. She cried profusely to the joy of the villagers.

The executioner raised his axe up high in the air. The villages cheered and whistled. He brought down his axe hard and Eclipse screamed painfully. The axe was just about to hit the baby when a whip wrapped around the executioner’s wrist. He was sent crushing into a hut nearby.

Everyone turned their gaze to an old man. His long white beard barely danced in the wind as his beady eyes focused only on the angered King who was already off his throne. The two dwarfs guarding the old man whipped their horse whips in the air.

They wore nothing but leather skirts. Covering their dark bodies were tattoos of spells. Their nose rings and earrings glimmered in the sunlight.

The villagers dreaded the sight of the savage dwarfs. They paved the way for them in a haste. The old man's dark blue robe swept across the sand as he boldly approached the King. His cane of bones rattled as he continued stabbing the ground as he walked.

The King could not wipe the glare off his face as he watched him draw closer. The old man bowed down in respect but his dwarfs remained standing with their chests puffed.

‘What is this, Nzelu?’ King Daniminga impatiently asked, eyeballing him.

Nzelu brought up his head to the king, 'You will not perform any executions today.'