Chapter 19

The next moment, Fante was standing before a pole heavily chained. The afternoon sun was clearly in the sky. Fante faced the elders whom they were concentrating on the dead clan of elders that were aligned on the ground before them. Chief Ashanti was silently meditating the situation while the other elders were chattering.

Owusu who was previously absent walked to the gathering slowly and innocent. This made everybody to stop the chattering and faced him. He walked and sat on the empty seat that was beside Chief Ashanti and broke his silence by asking,

“Now what is the progress?”

“No progress at all because we were all waiting for you.”

After the words, Chief Ashanti turned to Fante who was just before them and asked rudely, “Now start talking. Were you the one behind all the drawings?” he knew the end of this he was to die so fastening things he talk out the truth,

“Yes, we were except the one we found it drawn by the Portuguese girl.”

“And how many were you in total performing the ritual?”

“We were many but all I want to say for myself is that am sorry for what it has caused you.”

“Don’t say sorry to me say to the family that lost their son.”

“What we're doing was to save our generations from what is coming.”

“Saving the next generation and you were with that group moving up and down killing people that I don’t know for your stupid ritual.”

“I needed to change because I saw my mistake.

“Don’t tell me you needed to change tell me who were the others except the once we found them dead at the site.”

Fante turned to Bonos’s one of the dead bodies and responded, “I don’t know because in the cult we were never allowed to know each other identity but the cult is wide.” Chief Ashanti grounded and exclaimed, “Am done protecting people who I don’t know!”

To where Chief Ashanti sat, he noticed at a distance there was a man at the gate quarreling with two soldiers. Chief Ashanti shouted, “Give me a second,” he stood and walked towards the man leaving the elders silent. He needed something new he was feed up with the witch case that had being a concern for some time.

Immediately Chief Ashanti reached to the guard, he gently placed his hand on the soldier's shoulder and said, “It’s ok give us some moment alone.” The guard turned to Chief Ashanti and responded, “Ok,” then the guard walked away leaving Chief Ashanti and the man standing.

When the guard was a distance where he could not intrude into their conversation, Chief Ashanti moved closer to the man whispered, “So what new do you have?” The man turned left and right then faced back Chief Ashanti and responded, “Mayra has been seen.” The man was one of the chief secret spy whom was not supposed to be a secret between them. Chief Ashanti asked

“And do you know where is she?”

“All I know she is on her way leaving.”

“Ok go.”

Immediately the man left away leaving Chief Ashanti standing facing him. Immediately the man disappeared from Chief Ashanti’s sight, Chief Ashanti moved back to the elders acting normal.

Chief Ashanti went stopped a distance away from where the elders were sited faced them. Owusu one of the one who was glued to his movement. Chief Ashanti with his hands' expression he called Owusu and Owusu silently stood and walked to Chief Ashanti.

When he reached to Chief Ashanti, Chief Ashanti with a low tone said,

“I have to go somewhere.”

“Where to?”

“Nowhere important.”

“Ok what about this man’s judgment?”

“Just go and discuss with what the others and what you will agree to I will also agree to it.”

After the word, Chief Ashanti walked away leaving him facing him in curiosity. Where he then moved back to his sit and joined the elders chattering.

Suddenly at a distance, Fante's wife rushed towards Fante while crying. Immediately she reached to him she held his cheek still as she was crying she asked Fante, “What’s wrong my husband?” due to the shame that he had brought to his family he replied as he was shedding off tears,

“My wife, I betrayed the community.”

“How did you betrayed the community?”

“Am sorry am not brave to say it to you all I can tell you is that I will be punished for it.”

Fante’s wife turned to Bono’s body that was laying down dead and asked, “Just tell me you did it for a good reason?” Fante feeling the petty to her wife and did not want her to see his current situation turned to Owusu and summoned him. Owusu knowing a pain to the family man for once he remembered their struggles and friendship and with no hesitation, he walked to Fante and paused a few distances to him.

Fante then turned to his wife who was crying before him and said, “My wife am sorry for what I did and what am about to do but am doing this to pay for my mistakes.” After the word, Fante turned to Owusu and said, “Take her away.”

Owusu ordered the soldiers to take away Fante’s wife where they pulled her away as she pleading to her husband mercy, “Please don’t do anything stupid, my husband.” Fante could not with hold in the norms of how a man should act, he cried as her wife was pulled away.

When his wife was completely taken away, he turned to Owusu who was silently looking at the scene and said, “I have something to say to you.” Owusu curiously moved closer to him and he added,

“I want to tell you this because Chief Ashanti does not understand what am saying in the know you are a wise man.”

“Ok am listening.”

“One of the prophets in the lands predicted that the Portuguese that we do with the trade will one day turn us into slaves and this is why we gathered up to come with a solution no matter what to save our generations from the Portuguese.”

“How many people joined this cult?”

“I don’t know how many all I know is that we gathered people from other communities of the same color with ours.”

“So how did witchcraft would prevent this prophecy?”

“With dark magic, we wanted to strengthen our soldiers with a speed of a falling star, Strength of a thousand men, and immortality.”

Owusu was astonished where he turned back and still saw the other elders were chattering. Then he turned back to Fante and asked with a low tone,

“And did the cult manage to make one of these soldiers you are talking about?”

“No, as we were trying to create one a similar man with the same character appears to us.”

“That why there are some cases of some strange killings?”

“Yes and that’s what killed the soldiers that we went to persecute Mayra.”

“This matter is big I should go and talk to others about this.”

After the words, Owusu turned away wanting to leave where Fante called him. He responded by pausing facing away where Fante added, “I know you are all quarreling the way to punish me but just persecute me before everyone.” He turned to Fante looking lonely he could not belive he was to lose his friend. Fante added, “These people are everywhere still if you not kill me they will find me and kill me.”

After the words, Owusu faced away and silently walked to the elders. Immediately Owusu reached to the elders Agona asked, “What has he said?” Owusu as he was facing Fante he said, “He was the head of the cult, and persecuting him it will bring an end to all this.”

Deep in the cave, Ofori sat beside a flaming torch and before him, there was a mirror. In the mirror, he was lonely looking at his reflection as he was pampering his face. At the time his face was as normal as of a human. As he was looking at his image he said, “God why nobody loves me now and am trying my best to be good. I did not choose to become this thing that I am today.” He could not believe of whom he had become the beast that killed people.

Suddenly Ofori rose to where he sat with anger he hit the large rock that was beside him and the rock dismantled into pieces. Knelt beside the rock and as he was crying he shouted, “Oh God take this power of me and bring my old life back at least that I had somebody who loved me.” It was painfull for him not to have his previous life. Remembering her lover he Akyaa he could do anything to move out of his situation.

As he was kneeling, he noticed at a distance a silver crystal that was shining. He stood walked to the silver crystal picked it up and as he was holding the crystal he noticed the crystal was burning his palm. Still, as he was holding the crystal he walked slowly to the mirror faced the mirror, and directed the crystal to his neck wanting to end his lonely life. The crystal that was burning his hand at the time he landed it into his neck and moved it causing a burning cut to his neck. The pain was so intense to his where he shouted so loud making his human canine teeth to elongate abnormal.

At night the sky was covered all over with clouds that made the night so dark. The wind was strong making the trees move sideways. The darkness plus the strong whiling wind was making the night a horror.

Outside the kennel, to the hunter’s dog, there was no movement. At a distance, a hunter with another man walked from a distance each holding a flaming torch towards the kennel. The hunter had to end the life of his dogs because he sensed danger to how they were reacting. As they were walking the other man who was the brother to the hunter asked the hunter,

“Are you sure they are still in?”

“They are my dogs I know they are in and let’s do this thing faster before they notice us.”

Immediately they reached near the kennel the hunter who was carrying oil walked round the kennel slowly while pouring it. After circulating the kennel the hunter went and stopped beside his brother where his brother lowed the flaming torch to the path of the oil.

Immediately the fire moved faster all around the kennel and with the strong wind, the fire spread all over inside the kennel. As the hunter and his brother were gazing at the kennel at a distance as it was burning down the hunter’s brother asked, “So what do you think happened to the dogs.”

Not sure, of his instincts he answered, “I don’t know why they suddenly turned wild and the way I took care of them and loved them.”

“Don’t worry you will find other dogs.”

After the word, the hunter started walking away leaving his brother still staring at the fire. As the hunter’s brother was gazing at the fire he saw at a far distance a dog-like figure that had red eyes where they suddenly vanished. Due to the fear of the dark he quickly rushed to follow the hunter silent.