My gratitude, My death

THE SEVENTEENTH YEAR

     The seventeenth year of the Princess of Portsmouth was fast approaching. The five kings were in secret, counting her days. They observed it following what the sorcerers had told them.

“Twenty-one days to her seventeenth anniversary, come to us. We will give you a sign." Said the leader of the sorcerers. The sorcerers had held their private meetings in the absence of the kings. It was at the darkest hour of the night. The three sorcerers sat on the floor in their cave facing one another and they took a triangular shape.

Seventeen years had passed and the three sorcerers were fragile. Their hairs had been grey. Their beards were fighting to reach the ground whenever they sit on the floor. Their nails, carved, dirty, and long. They wore black garments, covering their heads.

In front of them was a breakable black pot vomiting red thick smoke. The smoke went straight to hit the roof of the cave and divided itself to every corner. The wind was powerless to the vertical strength of the smoke. The smoke maintained its direction till the conclusion of the meeting. The sorcerer sitting in the middle was full of authority. His eyes were redder. Their little silence produced a sound of a crying owl. Light rays kept exposing their faces time after time.

“Brothers,” said the one at the middle, “the days of calamity are drawing near. What must we do to keep our powers? We all know that this cave is not our home. We must dominate the people. We need the other part of the sacred scroll King Oakley buried in the castle of Portsmouth. We need that scroll to have our utmost power.” The two other sorcerers blew the red smoke coming out from the pot with the air from their mouths. More smoke came out, and the first one who spoke continued.

“The hearts of the kings are with us, their homage rest upon our actions. We must dominate the entire land through their hands.” He stopped and the one on his left continued.

“As it pleases you, let throw signs on their land and water. These signs will sink their hearts forever. We all know humans, easily carried away by supernatural signs and we will hold them firmly by this.”

The one who seemed to be their leader raised his face towards the direction of the smoke. And when there were no more words from the one who spoke last, he turned to him.

“You, I deliver the river Hampshire into your hands, color it when due.” He turned to the other sorcerer.

“On the day of the great assembly of the people, speak to them in the form of rain and thunder. As for me, I will make the heart of the people clasp with terror. I will speak through King Benedict. They will believe every word he will say to them. They all stretched out their hands over the mouth of the pot which was in their front. The smoke forced itself into their bodies. The dark sky over the cave responded with a resounding thunder and lightning. Then followed by the sound of a great rotating wind.

The next morning, the dark cave stole some light from the rising sun. The pot ceased to smoke and the three sorcerers were on the floor deep in slumber. Horses made some sound outside the cave. The five kings had come again and a big flamboyant red chariot convened them. And as the sorcerers were in slumber. They have cast a spell at the entrance of the cave. The kings being without any supernatural power could not see it. They threw their legs, but it hit an invisible block. The kings were perturbed and had not experienced such since their previous coming. Their presence sent a message to the sorcerers through a movement of the wind. The wind took a form of a broom and swept around them twice and the movement produced some dust. One of the sorcerers who seemed little younger, though all were aged, felt the presence of the broom. He stood and held the invisible broom as it tried to move the third time around them. Then he got the message that some persons were at the mouth of the cave. He touched the remaining two and they stood up.

“Humans are at the gate,” he stretched his left hand towards the entrance.

“The kings are here again,” said the one who stood up last. “Go and open the door.”

So the one who woke up at first left and walked towards the kings. He turned left, then right, and then walked straight to meet the five crowned kings. The sorcerer walked through the invisible blockade and his contact broke the seal. The kings followed him while they murmured with their eyes. Wondering what had held them from entering. Soon they stood before the other sorcerers. King Benedict and the other kings removed their crowns. King Benedict who was a foot forward spoke up.

“Greetings my lords, men of ancient wisdom. We have come before you as you have directed. The long-awaited days are over and it is time to own our possessions. Patience has held us calm and your thoughts have made us strong. You have made the great kingdom of Portsmouth look like a moth before our feet. Our former fear had become our courage. Empower us with all you have and we will throw that mighty kingdom down from her glorious reign.”

The leader of the sorcerers breathed in, and as the breathing was moving his upper part of his chest, there came a dark wind that surrounded them including the kings, putting everyone in darkness. The four kings, except King Benedict, could not see the sorcerers any longer. And they drew themselves closer at the back of King Benedict, and their hands were shivering. The leader of the sorcerers laughed and the two sorcerers standing by his sides used their hands to rub his shoulders. He looked at King Benedict’s eyes and nodded. He waved his right hand in front of King Benedict and the darkness covering the cave disappeared. And he spoke the following:

“You are a man with a big heart. You were created for this including all your associates. You are speaking the mind of your father. All your people who died in the hands of Portsmouth are lying down in pain. They are awaiting the day of victory over Portsmouth. You must go and gather the people so that they can be ambitious as you are. Your ancestors have waited so long and their minds must have worn out. I will go to the land of your forefathers, where they dwell. And I will bring their message to you in signs on your lands and water. Assemble all men and women and renew them on the day of the gathering. Your ancestors will send down the rain as a sign and support for your struggle. In the dawn of that night, all should go to the river of Hampshire. Collect a hand full of water and on their way home, it will turn to blood. The blood of their ancient men the king of Portsmouth had slain. They must take the joy of vengeance.” The leader of the sorcerers gave King Benedict a jug of olive oil.