Angel Of Death

Chapter 9

When the men entered the cave of Asa thunder struck in the sky and it was as if a voice was heard laughing. The men were now inside the cave and to their surprise the vultures they had seen had refused to move an inch instead they remained perched and watching the men. One of the men counted the numbers of the vultures and they were ten in number. He calculated their own number and realised that they were ten in number as well. He went and held the one that was leading them and complained that something was not right somewhere and that there must be danger somewhere.

"Of course there is danger in here. You fear like a woman. You did not expect to be sent your picnic did you? This is the life; the life that you said you were qualified to live which made me accept that this uniform be given to you. Being a soldier is not a wedding ceremony where you smile all through. You have got to face your enemies with the same look they give you else you will wither like smoke and if possible we see your corpse we will take you back to your wife and make her understand that you were too cowardly for what lied ahead and so you died. Is that the memory you want to give to your family? If not then make it a norm to understand that this journey must produce a result and I do not care if you feel there is something wrong somewhere because you are right; everything is wrong everywhere"

The rest of the men had also stopped moving because they would like to know what had gone wrong between their leader and the one that kept complaining about everything. They made their way into the inner part of the cave and just as they were about to take another step after they had stopped for sometime to inspect the human skull they saw lying on the ground they found out they could not move again. Their legs had been stuck on the ground and they realised they had walked into a trap, a very big trap. They kept dragging their feet and screaming. All of a sudden they began to hear heavy footsteps as though an elephant is moving about in the cave and they all remained silent. The leader asked them to keep quite and listen and as they kept quite and paid the attention they could hear the sound and the sound was becoming clearer in each taken step. They could not move for if they could they would have tore their way outside the cave without waiting a moment.

Ayva who had decided to visit the cave of Asa, was almost upon it and when she sighted horses before the mouth of the cave she told herself that the horses might be the horses the men the king of Sepha sent to go to the cave of Asa. She decided to wait behind and see when they would come out, if they would be able to come out and if they did, what they would be coming out with. She remained there and watched closely.

Inside the cave the sound of feet was becoming even clearer as if it was upon them and then came the wind that carried dust and blinded the men the king sent. They rubbed their eyes and screamed and when they opened their eyes they could see they were only remaining five of them. The leader was shocked and they looked around. "Five of us are missing" He heard himself say and they found out too that they could now move their feet. They wanted to run out of the cave but then a heavy stone had rolled forward and passed them to cover the mouth of the cave. It was totally down by now inside the cave and before they could do anything the touches hanging on both sides of the walls of the cave lighted by themselves and then a voice was heard in the inner cave. They felt the voice was telling them to come inside. The leader positioned his sword and the rest did the same. They began to move inside the cave.

In the land of Sepha the king of Sepha appeared restless as he moved about in front of the throne. The Chief priests of the kingdom had already told him what they needed to tell him. They had made him understand that disturbing the ancient witch, Asa could bring back what happened thousands of years ago. The king knowing how stubborn he himself could be had refused to pay attention but then something came up this afternoon and that was his dream. This dream of his had troubled him greatly and he had sent for one of the chief priests of Sepha to come so he could explain the dream to him. When the chief arrived he went straight to the King's receiving space and they both sat down . The king was going to narrate to him how he saw himself in a dream going to the cave of Asa and in the dream he was actually going there to meet someone and the person was a woman but she he reached the cave he saw Ayva instead. When the king mentioned the name Ayva the chief priest wanted to know what he meant by the name Ayva. When he asked the king made him to understand that he was talking about the same Ayva whom he banished for having been accused of being responsible for the death of a hunter by using magic to heal his wound. When the chief priest heard this words he kept mute and asked the king to continue with his narration and the king continued. At a point the king began to tell him that when he turned and the person was Ayva she was smiling and was very kind to him. He did not expect that kindness and he was not sure if she was being real to him. When Ayva offered him a seat he sat and then waited for the woman he had come to see.

"Who was the woman you went to see at the cave in your dream?" asked the chief priest.

"That must have been someone I thought would help me find solution to a problem I was having and so when I sat and waited Ayva sat beside me and we discussed. On the process of discussing I looked at Ayva and found out that I was already discussing with the woman I had because of gone to the cave in the first place. The king had then begun to tell the woman all of his problem all so the woman could foster a solution to them. While he was still talking he looked at the woman again and found out that it was now Ayva again and before he could say another word Ayva was already talking to him. Ayva, in that dream had made the king know that as long as she had tricked him into revealing all of his problems that she was going to use his problems against him and that he would hate the day he was born. After Ayva was done saying this she disappeared and I could not find her again. I then decided to return to this kingdom but when I reached at a certain place I saw that the kingdom of Sepha was burning down to he ground and when I saw one of the soldiers from my palace running towards me I stopped him to ask him what had happened and he told me that Sepha had been burning for hours and that it was Asa, the witch who had returned to unleash terror again. The king then told the chief priest that while all these was going on the same man that was explaining this to him suddenly turned to Ayva and stabbed him to death. The king said this and showed the chief priest the wound that appeared on his left chest after he woke up from the dream. The chief priest signed deeply and began to think. He knew for sure that something was not right somewhere and so he asked the king, "Did you later send your men to the cave of Asa as you said you would?" The king nodded and the chief priest continued. "The part where you saw yourself in the dream going to that place in the first place means that you have sent those men of yours. The part where Ayva welcomed you kindly was the part where Ayva was first loved in this land before the hatred we later showed her. The part where you went there with your problems shows the problems you feel the kingdoms of this world are suffering due to the sorcerers. The part where Ayva had to turn to the woman you felt would give you solution to your problem is the part where Ayva will will try to help herself from the situation the people of Sepha put her through. The part where she would turn back to her real self and made you understand that she would be using your problems against you means that Ayva will take revenge. My lord you were told severally not to send your men to the cave of Asa but you refused and did what pleased you. I pray that the gods will save us all"

Inside the cave the remaining five soldiers (the men the king of Sepha sent) Were now unable to move again as their feet had stuck on the ground again. Then they saw Asa as she was walking up to them. Fear gripped them and one of them was already wetting his cloth. Asa stood before them and spoke, "I see. I see that I cannot be allowed to have my rest in peace. The children of men have a way of putting themselves into trouble while trying to find out what they should not be finding out. I would have said you came here ignorantly but why would I say that knowing that you came here because your king commanded you to come. I would have loved him to come here with you so that I will show myself to him and make him to understand that I truly truly exist"