Whispers

'When, your greatness?' Shiri asked him sounding desperate.

'When I am done grieving, Shiri. When the Vadhindi, the soldiers and my people are done grieving.'

'But even grief is meant to be temporary, my chief,' Dombo tried to reason with him. 'The Ndebele could attack us whilst we are still "grieving". '

'Dombo is right, Your Greatness,' Gumbo said, 'if the Ndebele find us in such a vulnerable state, I'm quite sure they won't wait for us to finish grieving.'

'So what do you suggest?'

Dombo cleared his throat pretentiously, 'I suggest we mobilize the army fast and strike them hard and scatter the dogs into hiding.'

'Is that a unanimous suggestion?' Brahmuhn asked eyeing Gumbo and Shiri.

The two nodded simultaneously.

He grabbed his knobkerrie from beside his throne and stood up. 'I'll have to think about it', he said then walked out.

' "Think about it?! Think about it?!!" ' Dombo ranted when they were now alone in the throne room

'Clearly, "His Greatness" is losing it,' Gumbo said scornfully.

'As if he even had it in the first place,' Dombo said. 'I always knew that outsider's butt didn't belong on the throne,' he added. 'Something definitely has to be done about this.'

'What do you suggest, first Elder?' Shiri asked him. Shiri was the third Elder and therefore his opinions were less relevant to Dombo and Gumbo's.

'I suggest we pull him off that throne by force!' Gumbo said.

'What!' Shiri was shocked. 'We have to be logical about this…'

'Logical?! He gives us every logical reason to act illogical, Shiri. Ever since he came into this village, this boy has done nothing but take his position for granted.'

'But stripping him from the throne?' Shiri was still shocked.

'The baboon has left us no other choice, Shiri,' Gumbo told him. 'Ever since Chief Kindi fell sick, Brahmuhn didn't hesitate to seize the power that is associated with the throne and now he has become overoptimistic. No Shona tribe has defeated the entire Ndebele tribes thus far.'

'But Chaponda Village is the only Shona village that has struck down the largest number of Ndebele villages,' Shiri pointed out. 'Most of the Ndebele villages now fear the Vadhindi's name.'

'Brahmuhn is not Vadhindi,' Dombo reminded him. 'That team was handpicked by Chief Kindi and went through the most brutal of training processes…'

'Which Chief Brahmuhn passed when he was only fourteen, and besides that, he led the Vadhindi for years into successful wars… much more successful than when it was led by the late Chief Kindi himself. And lest we forget, he led the Vadhindi into killing Mandebvu…Mandebvu! That monster whose name alone would turn a conversation as sour as a lemon!' Shiri also reminded him.

'Fine,' Gumbo said, 'let's give him credit in the physical attribute but let's talk about rationality and logic. Even though he is twenty-eight years old he sometimes acts like an infant.'

'That is why we are here,' Shiri said. 'We are here to give him guidance…'

'But does he ever accept it?' Gumbo asked him rhetorically.

'He is still young!'

'Age is no excuse for ignorance or stubbornness,' Dombo told Shiri. 'For fourteen years we have tried reasoning with that boy but he continues to ignore our counsel.'

'Dombo is right, Shiri,' Gumbo said. 'Even in our most desperate times he has refused our advice. At first, when he was still young his stubbornness was tolerable but I think I speak for Dombo too when I say our patience has worn out.'

Shiri sighed, 'So what do you suggest we do?'

Dombo lowered their heads. 'My fellow elders; logic and reasoning are beyond Brahmuhn. Every piece of advice we have given him he has taken for a joke.'

'Yes, I think we established that,' Gumbo said, 'what's your point?'

'Let us put an end to him…'

Shiri violently pulled himself from the circle. 'Dombo…what do you mean by "put an end to him"?' Shiri asked him his voice trembling in panic and suspicion.

'I think you know exactly what that means,' Gumbo said.

Shiri straightened his robe. 'I cannot be a part of this,' he said waving his hands. He turned around and quickly left the room shivering in shock and fear.