A quiet night

The night was thick with silence, the kind that swallowed screams before they could reach another soul.

Inside the dimly lit storage warehouse, Nyala lay curled on the cold, hard floor, her body trembling with violent sobs. Her torn garments barely clung to her bloodied skin, her once-pristine form now bruised and defiled.

Her mind was a blur of pain and shame. Every movement sent waves of agony through her limbs, but what hurt the most was the unbearable weight of what had just happened.

Yovana had left her there—discarded like a used rag—his cruel laughter still echoing in her ears.

She wanted to move, to find something to cover herself, to crawl away and never be seen again, but her body would not cooperate. She could only lie there, weeping silently as the night stretched on.

...

"Have you seen Nyala?" Moremi asked Ayanna when she was done.

Inside her chambers, she had just finished changing into a more comfortable dress when she decided to step outside for fresh air. The heaviness from dinner still sat in her chest, and the frustration of keeping herself composed in the presence of Yovana had left her feeling suffocated.

She had meant to see Akan before the night ended, but something inside her told her to check on Nyala first.

"No, my Princess. She had gone to finish some work in the storage house after we left but she should have been back by now." Ayanna responded with uncertainty.

Moremi furrowed her brows in worry as she sat in her balcony with Ayanna combing her hair.

She knew Nyala had felt very ashamed with the events that took place after her lack of etiquettes. That was why she had left her to go to the storage house and taken Ayanna instead with her.

The storage house was a quiet place and she knew servants loved to go there when they wanted some peace which was exactly what Nyala needed.

However, an hour had gone by but Nyala was not back yet. Knowing her maid, Moremi was aware that unlike Ayanna, Nyala was more jovial and didn't have to take long to rejuvenate when it came to these things.

"You can go have your rest now. I'd find Nyala myself." She told Ayanna who nodded immediately with a smile, dropping the comb and walking out of the room. Even she was tired from the stressful day.

Moremi got up, staring at the night sky with so many things going through her mind.

Even though the day may have gone by, Moremi still felt like things would go utterly wrong tonight.

With a slight frown, she stepped into the corridor, her bare feet padding lightly against the cool stone floors as she made her way toward the warehouse.

She would simply find Nyala first, then go to see Akan towards midnight, she told herself as she entered the quiet storage room which was still open, indicating that someone was still in there.

"Nyala?" Her voice echoed in the silence as she strode around in search of her maid.

However, the place was as quiet as a graveyard as if no one was there and Moremi knew there was no way any servant would leave here without locking the doors as it would be inappropriate and attract unwanted pests inside.

Furthermore, it wasn't even something Nyala would do on a normal day.

"Nyala??" She called the girl's name again while straining her ears to hear anything at all.

That wasn't very difficult for her as since she was a hunter, she had good hearing abilities. Akan had thought her how to pick up sounds from far distances and even focus her hearing in noisy environments.

As she stood there, Moremi began to have a bad feeling as if something had gone wrong and her ears stood when she finally caught a faint whimper, like the groaning of someone who was in immense pain.

She froze, her eyes narrowing as she followed the sound that led to the shelf and the moment she turned the corner, her breath caught in her throat.

Lying on the ground, naked and broken, was Nyala.

Blood streaked her thighs, bruises marred her skin, and her eyes—once so full of life—were hollow, staring blankly ahead.

For a moment, Moremi could not breathe.

She stepped toward the girl, staring at her face to confirm that this was her maidservant.

"Nyala?" She called in a low voice, filled with disbelief and then it hit her as she rushed to the girl, falling to her knees and gently touching her face. "Nyala!" she yelled, her voice tight with grief.

"Heavens! What happened to you?! How...how..." Her voice trailed when she saw the blood that smeared around her thighs and the bruises that covered her face.

Nyala flinched but did not speak. Her lips quivered as fresh tears slipped down her face, her body too weak to respond.

Seeing this, Moremi's eyes moistened and simultaneously, her jaws hardened.

Then, the rage came.

A deep, burning fury unlike anything she had ever felt before erupted within her, setting every nerve in her body on fire.

Moremi did not need to ask who had done this.

She already knew.

Yovana.

Her hands clenched into fists, her nails digging into her palms so hard they threatened to draw blood.

She would kill him.

With careful movements, she removed her outer robe and draped it over Nyala's shaking form, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead. Don't worry, dear. You'll be alright." she murmured, her voice trembling with the effort to remain calm. "I will make this right."

Then, she rose, eyes burning with raw, unfiltered wrath.

She carried Nyala in her arms, something that no one imagined or even believed she could do. Since she was a svelte woman, most would think her slender figure held no strength or athletics. But that was far from the case.

Placing her in her arms with noticeable effort, Moremi rushed Nyala out of the storage room and headed straight to Maa Kheru which was the royal infirmary of the palace.

Unlike other Apothecaries, this was an infirmary where Mother Agatha saw to the needs of an ill or sick person. Since she was the priestess and an ancient being, she knew different healing methods for many condition and so was the best person to go to in this time.

As she rushed, Moremi met the prying and confused eyes of the people in the palace.

Some of them gasped as she passed, not even able to register what she was doing in their head. Never once had they heard of a princess carrying a mere servant in such a way but now, they didn't even hear. They were seeing it with their eyes.

Moremi did not even wait for the palace guards who approached her to help her. She was furious and just wanted to get Nyala the help she needed before going to deal with the disgusting human who did this.

"What is it, child?" Agatha asked with furrowed brows when Moremi suddenly barged into her hut with a covered girl, smeared with bruises on her body.

"Raped." She answered, her voice thick with emotion. "She was raped, Mother Agatha. Please help me." She said as she placed Nyala on a mattress, removing the robe she had used to cover her up for Agatha to see the severity of the situation.

"Raped?" The old woman's voice rang in the hut. "Who dare commit such atrocity in Mandinga?" She asked with surprised as she rushed to pick a towel and bowl of water before coming to Nyala's side.

"Someone who knows nothing of our tradition." Moremi replied with anger as she stared right into the priestess' eyes.

Agatha appeared confused for a moment as she knew the depth of values Mandinga carried on such matters.

No one dared hurt a maiden under the King's watch...unless of course they were not under the king.

"I will be right back." Moremi stood up and without waiting for another word from Agatha, she stormed out of the hut, straight to the royal court.