Chapter 6: Scorched Earth

"Why hasn't he showed up?" Negomo of the Manyika kingdom questioned.

They were waiting for Mutapa to attack their kingdom. It had been three days and he hadn't showed up in their kingdom again. Their people had sought shelter in the nearby highlands. They had burnt their homes and used what was left of their homes to ambush Mutapa.

"Maybe he saw that we destroyed our homes and he chose not to attack us anymore. This was a bad idea," another warrior whispered as he looked around the dim moon-lit night.

"Warriors, exercise patience! The goal is to frustrate one enemy by doing what he intended to do. He will show up," The king whispered back. He was disguised as a simple warrior.

A few moments later, the silhoutte of a man appeared in the kingdom. "I see movement from the north," Negomo said.

They looked towards the north and saw silhouettes, a man and a number of animals approaching their villages. They couldn't tell whether they were hyenas, lions or wolves. But they were sure that it was the man because rumours about him had circulated in all the kingdoms.

Mutapa approached the villages with a torch of fire in his hand. He lit a few sticks and gave them to some of the animals that surrounded him as the warriors hidden in the huts watched. The animals dropped the fire lit sticks on the wood-made huts. He walked into the villages as he waited for people to come out whilst screaming for their lives.

As he continued to penetrate the villages, he started noticing that the place was unusually quiet. He stopped for a while as he scanned the villages. The Karanga and Zezuru people had never taken this long to come out of their huts. That's when he saw that some of the houses were already down. In the dim night, he started noticing a few heads popping up.

"Clever bastards," Mutapa said to himself as he turned to flee from the scene.

The shadow of man a few feet from where he was standing stopped him in his tracks. A flaming arrow crossed in front of him and landed into the ground. It nearly missed his nose. He got hold of his horn and blew it as he ran from the scene.

As he ran arrows and spears from all sides almost hit him. He blew the horn again as he dove into the remains of a burnt hut. He lowered his head as spears and arrows continued to land near him.

When he noticed that the arrows and spears were becoming scarce, he rose to his feet and whistled. Two animals followed him as he sought a way out of the trap as the remainder of the animals launched their attacks on the warriors.

"He's getting away!" Negomo shouted as he charged towards where Mutapa was going. Several warriors threw their weapons blindly towards Mutapa.

Mutapa fled the scene into one of the nearby mountains. He was frustrated because the Manyika had stopped him from accomplishing what he had planned. As he sat whilst resting, he noticed a light in one of the mountains close by.

He blew his horn and his army stopped attacking the warriors and followed the direction of the horn sound. When he approached the mountain, he saw a fire in one of the caves. He charged with his animals towards the cave.

The warriors rushed to the caves where Mutapa had run to. When they arrived, they found the caves almost silent. The groaning sound of survivors filled most of the caves.

They searched for Mutapa but all their efforts were in vain. "He's a coward!" Negomo said as he paced around.

"He will get his reward," the king said as he motioned for Negomo to help the survivors.

Meanwhile, the Bantu warriors in the Karanga kingdom had been released. Messengers who had been sent and witnessed the attacks on the Zezuru kingdom narrated the horror events that took place there.

They slept with one eye open because everyone suspected that Mutapa would launch another attack. When dawn cracked, Mhare approached the Karanga king and sat with him.

"Mambo Tenda, the land is at war. Our kingdom might be at risk as well. So we have to leave before the enemy reaches it first. We have to warn our king of the impeding danger," Mhare said.

"It is well Mhare of the Bantu. Tell the king that we are going to visit him to discuss the way forward. This enemy has to be stopped before he puts an end to all of our kingdoms. I will summon the Manyika and Zezuru kings so that we come at once," the king responded.

"We apologize for keeping you captive. There were rumors that your kingdom was attacking us. But now that the real enemy has been recognized we can put this behind us," an elderly man said.

"We understand. We hope he doesn't come again to this kingdom," Mhare said.

"We hope so. Farewell Mhare of the Bantu. Relay my message to the king," Mambo Tenda said.

Mhare rose to his feet and nodded before the king. After this, the king ordered some of his servants to give Mhare and his men roasted meat to eat along the journey. When this was done, Mhare and his warriors left the Karanga kingdom.

After two days of travelling, Mhare and his warriors camped at a small mountain. They were going to finish the rest of the journey at day break. They had caught a young gazelle and roasted it. At day break, a young warrior named Gora woke up and walked into the bushes surrounding the small mountain. He wanted to relieve himself when he noticed an elderly woman sitting on the ground.

She was facing away from Gora. All he could see was grey hair running to the shoulders. He stopped in his tracks as he wondered what an elderly woman could be doing alone in such a big forest.

The elderly woman began shaking her body as she groaned like a spear had been thrust into her chest. Gora's heart began to pound as he wondered what was wrong with the woman.

"Hello?" Gora said as he started taking a few steps towards the woman.

"Gorrra!" The woman screamed as her body kept shaking in enchantment.

Gora froze in his tracks when the woman mentioned her name. "The ancestors are calling your name. They gave you a gift and they want you to use it for the greater good of the people," the woman said.

"How do you know my name?" Gora questioned.

"The ancestors know you by name. They are calling you my son. Do not resist their calling. You are serving the wrong party here. Listen carefully to the ancestors," the woman said as she rose to her feet with her back turned against Gora.

"What does a man like have anything to do with ancestors?" Gora questioned.

"If you don't accept the ancestors' calling, you will perish like the others. Remember my words son," the woman said as she started walking forward.

"Wait!" Gora said and the woman stopped. "What calling are you talking about?" He questioned.

"When the time comes, the ancestors will reveal it to you," the woman said and she started walking again. She disappeared in the bush as Gora tried to follow her but he could not find her.

When he heard the snapping of a twig he quickly turned around and found one of the warriors walking towards him. "Is everything okay? You look like you are lost," The warrior asked.

"I am not lost. I was just looking for a place to relieve myself. Is everyone else awake?" Gora asked.

"Yes. They sent me to look for you," the warrior responded.

"I am coming," Gora said and the warrior turned back and began walking away leaving Gora wondering if he was dreaming or just imagining things.

He convinced himself that he was just imagining things but his soul was troubled. No one in their kingdom dared to mention the name of the ancestors for four years and here was a woman who spoke freely about ancestors.

This left him with an urge to find answers to what had happened to him on this morning. He relieved himself and walked back to the camp where the others were already armed and waiting for him. As they walked, the woman's words kept replaying themselves in his mind. It was as if he could still feel her presence around him and the words were clearly to him like the woman was speaking right into his ears.

Gora dismissed this and began wondering what they would find back in their kingdom. It was at mid-morning when they finally reached the edges of their kingdom's pastures. They looked and saw a group of men gathered together. The king was in their midst. Mhare and the warriors turned towards the king to find out what was going on.