The Rise of Tenax

The Rescue Attempt

Kwame had led a pack of Roman soldiers and traders to the Mountains, ignorant of a brutal fate that was bound to befall the surviving Baye descendants. To the Baye, a white lion was sacred – its presence rare and a supernatural herald of significant consequences. The white lion was not meant to be harmed. However, Kwame threw caution to the wind, only interested in impressing his Roman masters with his hunting prowess. At the sight of the lion, he murmured a prayer of forgiveness for the taboo he was going to commit. Surprisingly, the white lion was unusually angry before Kwame successfully trapped it in a cage, condemning its fate to the hands of the Roman merchants.

Nola and Aziza were shackled in chains, bound for shipment to Rome. Of the two categories of captives were those declared fit for the journey to Rome and those condemned to death on the spot as declared unfit by the slave broker. Nola had been condemned while Aziza was passed fit. It was Aziza's turn to be loaded on ship while Nola was bound to meet her maker. However. Just in time, Kwame dashed onto the scene, thrusting himself like a flash in the midst of slaves aligned in gags and chains. Not sparing a thought for the consequences, he skipped from one queue to another, looking out for his sisters amongst the slaves-to-bes. He was fleet-footed, aided by his athleticism, navigating through the queue and through the eyeshot of both the Roman army and slave factors at the port. It wasn't long before he sighted his two sisters in the first queue.

"Ihite Aleqi godan alikum?" whispered Kwame, speaking in Amharic while clutching his sisters' heads against his head in-between as if to have a private chat. "Are you hurt, sisters? What happened?"

"The drunken soldier tried to defile Aziza," Nola narrated in a suppressed emotional tone as she burst out crying. "We only defended ourselves, brother."

Out of the blue, a whip cracked across Kwame’s back, sending him to his knees. It was the soldiers. They had discovered an intruder halting the line of slave shipment.

“An intruder, cease him!” A firm voice cut the air ordering the soldiers to arrest Kwame.

At the second c***k of the whip, Kwame defiantly resisted the whip before it could even land on his back. Still holding on to the tail of the whip, he sprung to his feet and looked into the soldier’s eyes. He knew the soldier. He had hunted game for him before.

“Cephaias, it’s me,” snapped Kwame, hoping to leverage on his familiarity with the soldiers to rescue his sisters. “These are my sisters. They have done nothing to deserve this!”

“Craps!” Cephaias snapped back, snatching the tail of the whip from Kwame’s grip. He cracked the whip on his shoulder and that sent him kneeling on the ground again. He turned a deaf ear to his plea and denied all familiarity with Kwame. Kwame felt betrayed.

“Go home or get lost!” Cephaias yelled at him. “This one has been condemned,” he said pointing at Nola, “and this must come with us to Rome.” He continued, pointing at Aziza.

“No, you won’t slay any of my sisters!” Kwame rose to his feet again sweating profusely. “Your best man against me – life for life.” Kwame boldly said, looking at Cephaias. “Deal?”

“Oh, the wretched hunter boy wants a go at a Roman legionary,” said Cephaias mockingly while turning to his fellow soldiers who shared in his mockery. “What audacity!”

“I see you don’t value life, hunter boy” Cephaias said fixing a strong gaze on Kwame’s face.

“Pablius!” Cephaias called one of his soldiers. “Here’s a meal for you,” continued Cephaias, pointing at Kwame, “before we depart for Rome.”

“Do we have a deal, Cephaias?” Kwame cut in, wanting assurance. “I beat your man and my sisters regain freedom.”

“You have a such a wild imagination, boy!” Cephaias said mockingly, “You beat my man, your sisters will not only be let free, but you will also have ten-thousand Sestertius as a bounty from me.”

Pablius was a stocky build, typical of a Roman soldier. He was technically gifted as expected of a soldier. Kwame knew he was in for a tough match. But he was undaunted. He only wanted his sisters back and he was ready to give his all to have his wish fulfilled. Kwame unleashed his fullest guile dodging every move from Pablius. His diminutive athletic build aided his swift movements, and three times, he put Pablius’s back to the ground and met him at knifepoint.

Shocked by the twist of event, Cephaias shamefacedly said, “that’s impressive, boy. That’s impressive.”

“But you’re no soldier with honour,” Cephaias continued, taunting Kwame. “Guards, cease him!” Cephaias summoned the soldiers to shackle Kwame while he marched away seething with fury and ego.

“This is not the deal, Cephaias,” Kwame defiantly yelled. “You broke your side of the deal. Who’s without honour now?”

Cephaias felt his honour challenged. He halted in his track and marched back to where Kwame was being held down by other soldiers.

“Your sisters will have their lives as promised,” said Cephaias gazing scornfully at Kwame, “But you shall come along with them to Rome. You should prove useful in the king’s arena. And if you are not damned before your time, you might equally earn us more thousand Sestertius.

Cephaias marched away but looked back again at Kwame and marched back in reverse, “taking you out of games in the wild and bringing you to games of the arena in Rome. Now, that is the honour, boy – the Roman honour.”

“He’ll be a joy to watch in the Flavian games,” another soldier remarked mockingly while a buzz of laughter followed amongst other soldiers.