THE ENEMY WITHIN
2155 Words
The second war drum continued beating somewhere beyond the forest.
Boom!Boom!Boom!
Amoni stood beneath the ancient baobab, his spear firmly held in his right hand while the words of the captured royal guard kept circling through his mind.
The kingdom has already been sold.
He stared at the man with bloodshot eyes, struggling to understand what he had just heard.
“What did you say?”
The captured guard smiled again, although blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.
“I said Bantana has already been sold.”
Amoni stepped closer.
“Who sold it?”
The man remained silent.
Amoni grabbed him by the neck and pulled him forward.
“Who?”
The guard's eyes moved towards the dead woman lying beneath the baobab.
“Your wife died because you refused to understand what is happening.”
Amoni's grip tightened.
“Do not mention my wife again.”
“You still don't understand, do you?”
The guard laughed painfully.
“The battles with the neighbouring kingdoms were never about them wanting our land. They were arranged.”
The warriors standing nearby exchanged confused glances.
Amoni slowly released him.
“Arranged by whom?”
The guard looked at the sky.
“The white men who have been trading along our borders have been watching Bantana for years. They know our weaknesses. They know our chiefs. They know which villages are rich in gold, ivory and fertile land.”
Amoni's face became rigid.
“You are lying.”
“If I were lying, why would your wife be dead?”
Those words struck Amoni like a spear.
He moved forward again, but one of the warriors quickly held his arm.
“Chief, please.”
Amoni pushed him away.
The captured guard continued, “They did not need to defeat Bantana with an army. They only needed Bantana to destroy itself.”
Amoni looked towards his warriors.
For years, he had watched neighbouring kingdoms attack one another. Each time, the kings blamed old disputes, stolen cattle, land boundaries or insults between chiefs. Warriors died believing they were protecting their people.
But now, for the first time, another possibility stood before him.
Perhaps they had all been deceived.
“Who is working with them?” Amoni asked.
The guard smiled.
“You want a name?”
“Yes.”
“You already know him.”
Amoni's eyes narrowed.
“Who?”
Before the man could answer, a sharp sound came from the forest.
Whoosh!
An arrow flew through the darkness and struck the captured guard directly in the chest.
His body jerked.
The warriors immediately raised their weapons.
“Protect the Chief!”
“Find the shooter!”
Several men rushed towards the direction from which the arrow had come, but the forest swallowed the sound of their footsteps.
Amoni looked down at the dead guard.
His opportunity to learn the truth had disappeared before his eyes.
He clenched his fist.
“Search the forest!”
The warriors scattered.
Amoni remained beneath the baobab.
His eyes slowly moved towards Aloni.
The boy was still kneeling beside his mother.
He looked completely broken.
His small hands were covered in blood.
Amoni walked towards him and knelt.
“Aloni.”
The boy did not answer.
“Son.”
Aloni finally looked up.
“Papa, Mama is sleeping.”
Amoni's heart shattered.
He wanted to tell him the truth, but the words refused to leave his mouth.
“She is not waking up.”
Amoni pulled him into his arms.
Aloni began crying.
“She said she would be here when you came back.”
Amoni closed his eyes.
“I know.”
“She promised.”
“I know, my son.”
“Then why isn't she getting up?”
Amoni had no answer.
He simply held his son tighter.
For several minutes, neither of them spoke.
The warriors stood around them in silence.
The same man who had once returned from battles carrying victory songs now sat beneath a tree holding his grieving son while the body of his wife lay beside them.
Bantana had never seen Chief Warrior Amoni like this.
But the tragedy was only beginning.
By sunrise, the entire village knew that Amara was dead.
Women gathered around the compound and mourned with the family. Men stood outside with their heads lowered. The village elders came to offer condolences, while the traditional healer prepared herbs for the funeral rites.
But Amoni barely heard anyone.
He sat beside his wife's body until the sun climbed high above the trees.
Aloni remained beside him.
The boy had not eaten.
He had barely spoken.
When one of the women tried to take him away, he held tightly to his father's arm.
“I want Papa.”
Amoni looked at the woman.
“Leave him.”
She nodded and stepped away.
Amoni knew his son needed him now more than ever.
But beneath his grief was another emotion.
Suspicion.
He could not forget what the captured guard had said.
He could not forget the red cloth he had found days earlier.
Most importantly, he could not forget that the man who attacked his compound had been one of the King's guards.
Amoni had served the King for many years.
He had fought for Bantana.
He had protected the royal family.
He had trusted the palace.
Now he was beginning to wonder whether the palace itself had been compromised.
That afternoon, Amoni left the compound.
He went directly to the palace.
Two royal guards stood at the entrance.
They lowered their spears when they saw him.
“Chief Warrior.”
Amoni did not answer.
He walked straight inside.
One of the guards tried to stop him.
“The King is in council.”
“I need to see him.”
“You must wait.”
Amoni turned slowly.
The guard immediately stepped backward.
“I said I need to see the King.”
The guard swallowed.
“Yes, Chief.”
The palace was unusually quiet.
Amoni walked through the large courtyard and entered the council chamber.
King Maredi sat on the raised wooden throne while several chiefs and advisers surrounded him.
The moment Amoni entered, every conversation stopped.
The King looked at him.
“Amoni.”
Amoni bowed slightly.
“My King.”
“I heard about Amara.”
Amoni's jaw tightened.
“She was murdered.”
The chiefs exchanged glances.
The King sighed.
“We are all deeply saddened.”
“Are we?”
The room became silent.
One of the elders frowned.
“Watch your tongue, Chief Warrior.”
Amoni ignored him.
“My home was attacked by men who knew exactly where to find us. They knew about my son. They knew about my wife. They knew where I was.”
The King leaned forward.
“What are you suggesting?”
“I am saying there is a traitor inside Bantana.”
A murmur moved through the chamber.
The King's expression hardened.
“Do you have evidence?”
“Yes.”
Amoni stepped forward.
“One of the men who attacked my family was a royal guard.”
The room exploded with whispers.
The King raised his hand.
“Who?”
“He is dead.”
“How?”
“He was killed by an arrow before he could reveal the name of the person controlling them.”
The King looked troubled.
“Who fired the arrow?”
“I don't know.”
“Then you have no evidence.”
Amoni stared at him.
“My King, I have spent most of my life defending this kingdom. I know what a battlefield looks like. Last night was not a normal attack.”
One of the chiefs interrupted.
“Perhaps grief has affected your judgment.”
Amoni turned towards him.
“My wife is dead, Chief. My son watched her die. Do not tell me grief is making me imagine what happened.”
The chief fell silent.
Amoni looked back at the King.
“They are already inside our kingdom.”
The King slowly rose from his throne.
“You are accusing people within my palace.”
“I am warning you.”
“Do you know what happens when fear spreads through a kingdom?”
“Yes.”
“Then bring me proof before you accuse my people.”
Amoni stared at him for several seconds.
Then he bowed.
“As you command.”
He turned and walked away.
But before he reached the door, the King called him.
“Amoni.”
He stopped.
“You have lost your wife. Take time to mourn.”
Amoni looked over his shoulder.
“I will mourn her.”
His eyes hardened.
“But I will also find the people who killed her.”
He walked out.
Unnoticed by Amoni, one of the chiefs sitting near the King lowered his eyes.
His fingers were trembling.
---
That evening, Aloni sat alone beside the fire.
He had not spoken much since the funeral preparations began.
His father's spear lay against the wall.
Aloni stared at it.
He remembered what his father had told him.
A warrior is not the man who knows how to kill.
He picked up the small wooden spear his father had given him.
Your eyes must become your first weapon.
Aloni wiped his tears.
He looked towards the forest.
Something inside him had changed.
He was still a child.
But the innocent boy who had believed that his father could protect everyone was disappearing.
He had seen his mother die.
He had seen grown men cry.
He had heard strangers calling for his death.
And now he understood that there were people who wanted him dead even though he had done nothing to them.
His father entered the room.
Aloni looked up.
“Papa.”
Amoni sat beside him.
“Have you eaten?”
The boy shook his head.
“You need to eat.”
“I don't want to.”
Amoni remained silent for a moment.
Then he placed his hand on Aloni's shoulder.
“You are hurting.”
Aloni nodded.
“Will Mama come back?”
Amoni closed his eyes.
“No.”
The boy's face crumbled.
Amoni pulled him close.
“But she will always be with us.”
“How?”
“In our memories.”
Aloni looked at him.
“Papa, who killed her?”
Amoni's expression changed.
He had hoped Aloni would not ask.
“I don't know yet.”
“But you will find them?”
Amoni looked directly into his son's eyes.
“Yes.”
“And when you find them?”
Amoni remained silent.
Aloni waited.
Finally, his father answered.
“They will face justice.”
The boy nodded.
Neither of them noticed the shadow standing outside the compound.
A man had been watching them through a small opening in the wooden fence.
He remained there for several moments before quietly disappearing into the darkness.
He walked towards the forest.
After travelling for some distance, he reached a small clearing where another man was waiting.
“You saw the boy?”
“Yes.”
“Is he alone?”
“With his father.”
The second man smiled.
“Then we have a problem.”
“What should we do?”
The man looked towards the distant lights of Bantana.
“Nothing yet.”
“Nothing?”
“He is only a child.”
The man paused.
“But his father is not.”
The first man lowered his voice.
“What about the King?”
“He suspects there is a traitor.”
“Does he suspect us?”
The man smiled.
“Not yet.”
He turned towards the darkness.
“Tomorrow, the King will receive a message.”
“What message?”
“That Chief Warrior Amoni has become a danger to Bantana.”
The first man stared at him.
“But he is one of the King's greatest warriors.”
“That is exactly why nobody will believe him when the time comes.”
The two men disappeared into the forest.
Back in the village, Amoni stood outside his compound looking at the stars.
He could not sleep.
He kept thinking about the captured guard.
You already know him.
Who had he been talking about?
Which person inside Bantana had betrayed them?
Amoni looked towards the palace.
Then he noticed something on the ground near his feet.
A small object.
He bent down and picked it up.
It was a royal seal.
Amoni stared at it.
His breathing became heavy.
Someone had dropped it near his compound.
And suddenly, the words of the captured guard returned to his mind.
The enemy is already here.
Amoni closed his fist around the seal.
For the first time in his life, he was afraid of someone he could not see.
And inside the palace, someone was already preparing the first lie that would destroy his name.
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