Ring Of Fire 1

3040 Words
Back in the days of old, Zimba and his kid sister lotem were collecting palm nuts in the forest. The forest was located in Akaibe, one of the most ancient city of Lobatam Kingdom. Zimba knew he was faster than his kid sister Lotem in picking the nuts and decided to leave the remaining ones for her to pick. He went and sat on a branch and was looking at the skies to admire the movement of the clouds. Suddenly the clouds stopped moving and Zimba brought his head down to look at his sister again but she was no longer there. Zimba jumped down from the branch, called his sister several times but no response. He was terrified. He searched the forest with tears in his eyes and decided to rush home. When he reached his father's compound he met his father, mother and the Chief Seer of Akaibe. Zimba's mother was kneeling in tears as her husband, Zimba's father was struggling to go to the forest in search of his daughter. Zimba fell down on his kneels and cried. He realised Lotem's disappearance had been heard by the spirit world. "Her disappearance is the beginning of the downfall of Akaibe. We must send men of the oracle to search for Lotem. If the children of the dead see her first the ruler of the underworld will dominate the earth" Said the Seer. "How would she know that the ring she found is a sacred ring. How will she keep it safe until the men of the oracle find her?" Asked Lotem's mother. "She will know. The ring is in her finger and the children of the underworld will send representatives to find Lotem and take the ring from her. We must inform the King of Lobatam. This is beyond Akaibe and only the King can order the men of the oracle to travel on this journey" the Seer said. Zimba approached his father in tears and explained what happened in the forest. "My son. Your sister Lotem mistakenly found the bloody ring and put it in her finger. She disappeared from Lobatam immediately she wore the ring" explained the father. "Where is she now father?" Zimba asked. "Nobody knows my son. Only the men of the oracle will be able to locate her" the father replied. **** The dead were silent in the underworld. The ruler was smiling mischievously. Ama and Feb were among the dead but they were always together. When the leader called out Ama and instructed her to get ready to leave the underworld to the land of the living on a mission Feb knelt and begged to be sent alongside with Ama. The leader had nothing to loose. He told them exactly where to find Lotem and to retrieve the ring she found from her. "She found the ring we have been longing for centuries. And the most shameful part of it is that a human and a girl child at that was able to find the bloody ring. We all know what that ring can do for us. Ama and Feb leave the underworld, find Lotem and get the ring" the ruler finalised. ************** On the night of that day, Zimba could not sleep. He knew that his parents were not sleeping too. He could overhear his father comforting his mother who was sobbing in her hut. Zimba was missing his sister Lotem. He still couldn't believe that of all the people of Lobatam, the ring chose to choose his only sister. He made up his mind to run away that night. And he did. Lotem was seen in a desert alone, trying so hard to remove the ring she found in her hand. The ring had been talking to her and she had grown tired of it's talks. "You can't remove me" said the ring. "Oh yes I can and I will" Lotem fell to the ground kicking and screaming and pulling. The last thing she remembered in the forest while with her brother Zimba was the moment she found the ring while picking palm nuts. She had slipped the ring into her finger, turned to show her brother what she found and instead found herself alone in the desert. The ring refused to be pulled off ever since then. She had been feeling a new strength in her since then and she was not feeling hungry or tired but she wanted to go home, to her parents and to her lovely brother Zimba. The King of Lobatam was now inside the shrine of the Chief Seer of the Kingdom. He was not with his crown and he felt so bad that the ring had to appear again after centuries and during his reign. He heartbreakingly fortified the men of the oracle. But he saw a very young man standing with the men of the oracle. He turned to look at the Chief Seer who nodded. "Is he a son of the soil?" The King asked. "Yes he is my king. Men of the oracle are not selected but they volunteer to serve the oracle. Zimba made his choice this night to join the men of the oracle and he is already initiated" replied the Chief Seer. "Is he not the brother to the young lady that is missing?" The king asked further. "He is and that is why he chose to embark on this journey" replied the Seer. The King was worried because Zimba happened to be the only son of the Zimba family; him joining the men of the oracle meant he would not marry or father a child. Worshiping the oracle was a lifetime practice and once initiated one can't back off or death would toll their line. And Lotem was missing. How would the Zimba family take the shock of their only heir joining this sacred group of men. The King could imaging the love Zimba had for his sister and he shook his head. A moment later, the men of the oracle left the shrine well fortified and embarked on the journey of finding Lotem. While Lotem was still kicking and struggling to remove the ring in the desert she heard a horse nigh and she jumped and looked around. She was happy for if the horse rider was coming her way he would help her get home. She turned and saw the two riders on one horse but their faces were covered. The riders were Feb and Ama. They were here for the ring all the way from the underworld. Lotem became scared and then the ring spoke; "Run?!" And yes it was time to run. Lotem started running and the riders pursed her with the horse. Lotem ran into an abandoned building and went up the tower of it. From there she watched the horse as it stopped in front of the building and Feb and Ama came down from the horse quietly and looked up the tower to see Lotem standing there. They entered the building and Lotem knew they were coming up for her. She was prepared to fall down from the tower and smash to death than allow the strange looking beings lay their hands on her. She turned towards the entrance and waited, panting heavily. Suddenly Feb and Ama walked up and opened the door of the place where Lotem was standing. Lotem backed off a little, holding the open window of the tower, ready to jump if they came closer. "Leave me be or I will jump" Lotem threatened. "No need for that. We are here to help you" Feb said. "No you are not here to help me. Your faces are covered and your eyes are brown. You can't help me. I might as well die by jumping over if you come any closer" Said Lotem. Feb looked at Ama and Ama nodded before removing the veil that covered her face. Lotem gasped and was shocked and scared. She held the window tightly. Ama's face was strange and scary with scars and a peeling flesh. "What are you?" Lotem asked. "We are here to help you. The ring in your hand. Give it to me and we will help you go home" said Ama. Lotem looked at the ring, looked at Feb and Ama, shook her head and jumped over the window. Ama and Feb rushed to the window and looked down to see Lotem's corpse but to their surprise Lotem stood up quietly from the ground, dusted her cloth and ran. "She will give us trouble" Ama spoke. Feb opened his own face and said, "the ring is telling her things. It is possessing her more than it ever possessed us" "We cannot let her get away with this. And the ring will destroy these lands as it destroyed it and it's people during our time of existence. "It destroyed our lands because the lord of the underworld was our king and he was selfish. And taking the ring to the lord of the underworld will still be the same with leaving it here. The dead man wants to rule over the living again and the ring is his gateway. In Lotem's hands the ring will do more evil in these new lands. But we can change all that" Feb sounded. "How?" Ama asked. "We won't go back to the land of the dead. We will stay and retrieve the ring. It has powers to bring us back to life" we have always wanted to be together. We won't go back" Feb answered. The two covered their faces again and came down from the tower but could not see their horse. They looked around and beheld the men of the oracle standing right before them with their faces covered. Zimba was holding the horse with his right hand and holding Lotem with his left hand. His face was not covered. Feb and Ama knew they were men of the oracle. The kind of men that destroyed them when the ring first appeared and possessed their king who was also the former king of Lobatam and the now lord of the underworld. "If you protect the girl and the ring she will become the nightmare Lobatam will suffer again. We will not take the ring to the underworld. We will join hands with you in destroying it but that means killing the girl too" Feb said. "You will not touch my sister" Zimba said. "Your sister she is? The ring will only leave her hand after she is dead. But if you can't give her a merciful death, we can" Ama said. "You will not touch my sister I repeat" Zimba was serious. Ama and Feb looked at each other and uncover their faces. Some of the men of the oracle were gripped with fear but some wouldn't shake. "We do not want to go back to the underworld. We need the ring to bring us and keep us alive as much as you want your sister alive. But we can't take it from her hand unless we kill her which we must" said Feb before the fight began. It lasted for a long time but at the end the dead triumphed. Only Zimba, Lotem who was hiding behind the horse and another man of the oracle were still on their feet. Zimba was already tred as Feb held him on his neck with his left hand and pulled him up his feet. Ama who was facing the other man cut him down before turning to face Lotem. Lotem tried to run to help her brother but she caught her. Feb let go of Zimba's neck and he fell and gasped for breath. "When your kind destroyed us centuries ago we were only possessed just like your kid sister but now we are dead you think you can still destroy us? Two of us beat you and your men. Now imaging the lord of the underworld matching into Lobatam with an army of dead savages through the help of the ring even the entire men of the oracle of the earth can't stop them. We do not intend to take the ring to him but we need it also to bring back and keep ourselves alive. We can only take it by killing your sister which your kind thought was the only option when we were possessed by the ring. Now your sister must die" Feb said and Ama drew a dagger to slay Lotem's throat Ama found out her hand was trembling. She couldn't stab Lotem. Feb looked closely and asked. "Are you scared to kill her?" "No no not scared...just...the girl is innocent" Ama stuttered. Her hand was trembling as she held the dagger to Lotem's throat. Zimba who was lying on the ground kept looking at them. Feb matched forward, snatched the dagger from Ama and was about to stab Lotem with it but Ama pushed him away. Feb fell and Ama carried Lotem at once, put her on the horse, mounted on it and sped off. Feb stood in rage as his face trembled. He was obviously angry as he watched Ama galloped away with Lotem. "She is possessed by the ring" Feb said quietly to no one but Zimba said behind him. "She is not possessed. She has a good heart which you don't have" "Good heart? The dead don't have heart. Your kid sister has possessed my dead woman. I was meant to use the ring to bring us back to normal human beings but this? Madness!" Zimba stood quietly and Feb turned to face him, saying, "if your sister decided to hold my dead woman hostage with spell from the ring, I will hold you hostage as well. When she is ready to release her to me I will release you but not to her for she would be dead by the time the ring leaves her finger" "Can't there be another way. Another way to bring you and your woman back in human flesh without killing my sister?" Zimba asked. Feb shook his head before saying, "the ring will cause more problem than just the death of your sister. But I need my woman back and your sister has her. I fear for the future. I fear for Lobatam where I once existed. I want to exist here again but with my woman. And we need them; yes; my woman and your sister. We need them. The lord of the underworld waits patiently for the ring. I can feel his heartbeat and before long he will loose his patience and send more of the dead to come for the ring. When this happens will your sister be safe? Or will she posses them all and use them against Lobatam?" Zimba was scared as he replied "my sister wouldn't do that" "Oh she would. The lord of the underworld was once a king of Lobatam. He thought the ring wouldn't overwhelm him but it did. It drove him mad and all he knew was killing his own subjects and possessing those he could posses which didn't exclude me and Ama. Men like you; men of the oracle saved the city by destroying the former king and his possessed agents. The ring got lost in the process. Now your sister has found the ring and she has possessed my woman which is unlikely, for she is dead like me. If she could posses the dead then it is a greater threat for the people of Lobatam" said Feb. ****** Ama was seen still galloping on the horse with Lotem sitting on the front. Lotem still couldn't understand why Ama had to save her from Feb. They reached at a spot and Ama stopped the horse and got down before helping Lotem down from the horse. Lotem was standing and to her surprise Ama knelt down in front of her and asked, "what is your wish my mistress. What is your command?" ************** Ama who was still kneeling down in front of Lotem was asked to, "Stand" Ama stood up and said, "let me protect you my mistress" "Why?" Lotem asked. "Because you are my mistress. And I'm here to serve you" Ama said. "Then we are going back to save my brother from your friend" Lotem said and mounted the horse. "My mistress. Feb will kill you if he finds you" Ama said. "You will protect me won't you? Lotem asked and Ama nodded with mixed feelings as they rode back. When they got there they couldn't find Feb or Zimba. They got down from the horse but Ama stooped and touched the ground. Lotem was watching her. " what is it?" Lotem asked. My mistress. I must take you out of here at once!" Ama shouted. "Why?" Lotem hardly finished asking before screams of the dead from left, right, front and back filled the air. Ama stood beside Lotem and drew her smokey sword, ready to protect her mistress from the army of the dead that has been sent to the earth for the ring. Lotem was gripped with fear. She covered her face with both hands and waited for the worst. Suddenly the noise stopped and everywhere became calm. She slowly opened her face and beheld the dead bowing at her feet. The ring in her hand was glowing. Ama put back her sword and said to Lotem, "the lord of the underworld sent them to terminate you and retrieve the ring. He knows not how powerful the ring has become since he lost it. These are your army my mistress. They are yours to command" "My army? To command? What am I going to use them for?" Lotem asked. "Firstly you need your brother freed from Feb. They will track Feb down and rescue your brother from him. Feb has special gifts. Looks like he can't be possessed by this ring" Ama said sadly. "Why?" Lotem asked. "His love for me. His love for me makes him immune to any spell or magic. He loves me" said Ama. Lotem shook her head and commanded the dead to search for her brother in the desert. The dead started the search immediately.
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