THE LOST TRIBE OF QUEEN VASHTI

THE FIERY SWORD

As if Vashti traveled out of her body to retrieve her old memories from Viscot, she came back to her senses only to realize what her classmate back then was talking about. Azah was on top of her, naked. She was hurting all over. A serpent’s wife. Azah…ahazzz….azah…serpent…ahazzzz…snake! Vashti screamed on top of her lungs, her lower half searing with pain as Azah seemingly forced himself on her.

“No! Stop this!” Loki… please my love… help me, tears were flooding from her eyes, she could no longer see nor appreciate the beauty that was Azah — the great Datu of Tribe Novo — ahazzz… the serpent… NOOOOOOO!

Vashti looked at her surroundings and saw nakedness and blood among nobles and commoners. They were doing despicable things with each other, some were drinking each other's blood, even eating each other's flesh while coupling with multiple people.

Vashti was crying, lost and confused, as she saw that she was surrounded by bloody and naked men and women. One even tried to feed her with what seemed to be an intestine. Another tried squeezing her swollen breast, but Azah growled at them, showing sharp teeth that Vashti didn’t notice the first time he kissed her. His nails looked like bird’s claws, dark with blood and pieces of human meat.

“The queen is mine!” He sounded like a beast from the underworld.

There's moaning, laughing, and screaming all over the courthouse. Yes, Vashti heard rumors about the tribe of Novo, but this is too much! She thought of Vathala and how they would be punished for such barbaric and inhumane acts.

"Ahhhhh!" Vashti screamed in horror and disgust when suddenly she saw blood. The naked bodies surrounding her were bleeding. They are now biting and chewing on each other. What is happening? This is not how she's raised nor how they were taught in Viscot. Then Azah was biting her ears as he whispered words she couldn't understand.

"Welcome to our tribe, my Dayang, my damned queen," and then Vashti felt that searing pain again because Azah was violating her body.

Azah moaned and growled like a beast, Vashti’s scent was driving him wild. Revealing his inner monster, hidden from everyone.

"You are beautiful for someone who came from the tribe of Seth," Azah whispered to her, yet Vashti was not flattered but disgusted.

"Your skin is so radiant, and soft - ohhh so smooth like that of a baby..." Azah rolled his eyes in pleasure. Vashti refused Azah’s kisses. His mouth was bloody, the smell of decay made Vashti vomit. Azah laughed upon seeing this, licking the vomit off of Vashti’s face.

"Don't fight me, my love," Datu Novo forced Vashti to look at him. Yes, Azah is good-looking, but now all Vashti could see is his soulless eyes. He is as dead as the spirit of death that is the culture of this tribe. All Vashti could see in Azah's eyes is hunger, insatiable hunger that sent shivers of terror down her spine.

"Ahhhh!" She screamed and screamed while sobbing uncontrollably. Vashti felt that her body was on fire. She could feel the naked people’s sweat near her, spreading droplets of drool all over her naked body. Azah's tongue is out, panting. He screamed with delight every time he made Vashti cry in pain.

"Vashti!!!" Finally, Datu Novo screamed her name.

Then the pain stopped. Relief washed over Vashti thinking the nightmare was over. Please no more, make this stop. I can’t do this. I can’t. Then Vashti watched in horror as Azah summoned Apo Nri, who was just watching at the corner. Azah is not done yet.

"No! Stop! Ahhhh!" Vashti found herself being turned over with her face now buried on the covered feathers. She tried to struggle but four of Azah’s councilmen were holding her limb by limb. Vashti gasped for as little air as she could, realizing that her true nightmare had just begun.

Feeling nauseated, the room seemed to be spinning faster and faster around her. She's seeing faces of sweating men and women who are naked and bleeding just like her. They were laughing and screaming in joy and even pain. Azah is laughing in her ears, pulling her hair to see her face. She is aching all over, tasting her tears and sweat all over her mouth.

Then Azah is heavier than ever. Vashti feels like she will choke and die. Loki! She wanted to scream the Rajah's name. Vashti is sobbing while Azah is making her bleed. Tears of pain, anger, and hopelessness run to Vashti's cheeks along with her sweat and snot. She feels like dying and somehow she is ready to accept her fate. Vathala, I can't anymore, forgive me and take me home...

That's when Vashti, as she's about to lose consciousness, saw walking feet on the floor amidst those naked bodies lying down. When she looked up, she saw burning swords swinging left and right, leaving dead burnt bodies on the ground.

"Ahhhh!" She screamed wanting to run towards the fire so she could die as well, but the screaming of those around her grew louder and more terrifying. Then she found herself breathing again. With people running and screaming around in fear for their lives, the men let go of her so she became free to sit down. That's when she saw two glowing men in white slashing the Novo people with their burning swords.

Then she saw Azah hurt and being taken away by his guards.

"Vashti!" Azah screamed trying to reach out for her. As she saw his other guards approach her, she took her robe and ran in the opposite direction. Away from her despicable husband.

Outside the court, she saw burning houses and deaths all around as rain of ashes and fire fell from the sky.

Yes, Vathala please take me. I don't want to live anymore! Vashti knelt to the ground and waited for the fire to consume her, thinking of how much she loves and misses Loki despite everything.

Then she's being dragged away.

"NOOOOOOOOO!" Vashti screamed.

“My lady!” Rem was dragging her away from the burning houses. Naked people were screaming, coming out of the various burning houses. The smell of burnt flesh filled the air as the fires were flooding the whole Novo tribe.

“No! Just kill me! Kill me!” Vashti tried to go toward the fire but Rem was quick to stop her.

“Leave me be! I can’t do this!”

“My lady, this is me…Remus… my lady… I’m your loyal servant.” Noticing that Vashti was out of her mind, Rem slapped her. This helped because Vashti saw her servant.

“F..forgive me my lady, I had too…”

Vashti hugged her servant and wailed so loud, Rem was shaken to the core.

“Take me away…”. Vashti begged.

In the middle of the night, the two women blindly walked toward the dark forest surrounding the village. Both of them knew that there’s more danger lurking there than in the burning village of Novo.

“FIND HER!” The sound of running feet and bushes being whacked startled the two. Vashti’s body trembled in fear. Both of them halted, not knowing where to turn.

“Rem, kill me. Don’t let me be captured alive. Please… I’m begging you,” Vashti’s body slumped on the ground, tired and helpless. She hugged herself into a ball, like a child inside her mother’s womb.

“My lady, we have to move. They are coming for us!” Rem tried to pull up her ward. Her hope is fleeting in the darkness of the forest but she has to tell something important to Vashti. If only she would have a chance. If only they could be safe.

“They are beautiful.” Vashti suddenly murmured in delight while looking at the sky. The voices are near them. Rem knew that their end was near. As soon as Azah’s men found them, she couldn’t bear to bring Vashti back nor kill her as Vashti wished.

“My lady… I’m begging you…”

Then Rem saw the sky filled with dropping stars – balls of fire were shooting at the village. It was beautiful as Vashti described it. What is happening? Vathala help us! Rem cried quietly, still trying to drag Vashti away. They stumbled upon an old well. In the dark, Rem grabbed a filthy vase lying around and filled it with water. The smoke and heat are slowly creeping into the forest. Anytime soon, Rem knew that the forest would also burst into flame, seeing that meteoric fireballs were falling like rain from heaven. Rem splashed water on herself and Vashti. It felt good, but then Vashti vomited and coughed uncontrollably.

“THEY ARE HERE! Near the AHAB’s well!” The shouting was followed by running and whacking sounds.

“No! Not there!”

“We can’t!”

“Lure them away from the well…”

“AHHHH!”

“What the…”

The shouting and screaming continued. Rem knew that Vashti was beyond saving when she saw two Novo warriors emerging from the bushes.

“Run! My Lady! You have to live,” Rem forced Vashti to her feet, gave her the vase with water, and ran towards the two men to her death. Vashti saw the two Novo warriors draw their weapon to kill her servant.

“No! Rem! No!” Instead of running away, Vashti trotted in the same direction as her maidservant, not wanting Rem to die. That’s when all of them saw the biggest ball of fire fall upon them, and then the loudest explosion was heard all over the village.

“NOOOOOOO!” screamed by everyone, but Vashti smiled. The wailing coming from the village and her supposed captors was glorious to her ears. Thank you, Vathala… thank you! Vashti welcomed the heat of the fire as it engulfed her.

PRESENT DAY. Raina watched and listened helplessly as her mom murmured loudly in her sleep. Another nightmare, Raina thought to herself. She’s used to it ever since she’s small. Her mom would wake up in sweat, shaking and crying, talking nonsense about going back to Malacaz where they belong.

Raina just turned 18 the night of her senior high school graduation. She didn’t expect any celebration of her achievements, but wished for a deep and uninterrupted sleep. As usual, instead of being festive, Raina tasted the atmosphere of fear in their house emitting from her mother’s stress hormones. Thus, she expected another nightmare to ruin her night. Raina went out of the house to get some fresh air, leaving Luna trapped in her nightmare. They are living in a shanty near the riverbank. Raina knew that they could afford to live elsewhere, it’s just that Luna would not hear about it. They must stay in the riverbank and wait for the door to Malacaz to open. Looking into the darkness of what is well known in their province as Veering-Gan mystical river, she can’t see the fabulous city of Malacaz that her mom keeps talking about. Although random people claimed to see a Las Vegas type resort appearing before their eyes before they fell into the river, only drunk and mentally ill people seemed to experience such encounters. Some even claimed seeing spirits and ghosts coming in and out of the infamous Las Vegas resort. Raina, however, believed that there was no Wakanda Forever Marvel movie bullshit in their God forsaken town. Her concern is her mom’s mental health that seems to be depleting as the days go by.

“The nightmares are because of the trauma. Your mom’s been through a lot,” said the psychiatrist she befriended in the center where she worked part-time. Lost in her thoughts, Raina froze, there it was again. The taste of her mouth is bitter sweet. Her saliva thickens as she swallows, tasting her mother’s emotion. She knew that her mother was standing behind her before she could turn her head to see.

Raina tasted how much her mom loved her based on the bitter sweet saliva flooding her mouth, but underneath such emotion was that determination and belief in her delusion. She turned around and faced her mother, forcing a smile.

“Are you okay, now?” Raina asked her mother who looked at her lovingly. Luna the lunatic as her mom was known in town smiled back. Most of her face was burnt, missing an ear and blind in one eye, Luna talked in gibberish syllables that only Raina could understand.

“I will be okay once we are in Malacaz where you belong. I feel it will be soon,”

Raina sighed and smiled at her mother, ushering her back to bed, but Luna stopped her. “Happy birthday, my love.” she said before giving Raina her gift. Raina sighed when she saw the filthy old water vase that her mother was obsessively restoring for as long as she remembers. She could see the lines of the broken pieces put together, glued by clay.

“See, I just need to find the final piece and the door to Malacaz will be opened soon. I will search for it tomorrow at the south side of the riverbank. It will be there, I’m sure of it. Then we can go back home, my love. Back to Malacaz where we belong,” Luna smiled while tears fell all over her burnt face.