Spear and the Heart

Chapter 2

He sat in a mildly lit room, his left hand in his thick white dreadlocks that had been held in a low ponytail. His right hand held a short glass of chnag'aa in ice and the streaks of neon green light lit his dark floor. He scratched his head while playing with a piece of dreadlocks that hung to the side of his face. Releasing a deep breath, he leaned back into his black leather chair, which fell back from the force. His eyes trailed the ceiling marks that had been formed from the leaking roof. He made a mental note to get that fixed one day. 

He let his head fall to his right where a picture of two boys smiling in a way that showed all their teeth that failed, dressed in worn out and torn dungaree shorts and bare feet. Their feet to their knees were covered in deep red soil that had covered most of the underling's land. One of the boys was slightly leaner and taller and in his hand he held a long stick while the shorter one had his hands on his lap. The thought of how  Otich would get mad at people pointing out that he was the older brother but Abua was taller than him. He ran his hand over his face before taking a sip of his chnag'aa. 

"Where are you, Otich?" He let his upper body fall on the desk, burying his face. Just then, the door flung open, taking him away from his thoughts, but he did not raise his head. 

"You better have a good reason for burgling in without knocking." He calmly rode up to face the familiar presence in front of him. 

A newspaper was dropped in front of him, making him sit up again with his eyes immediately seeing why Oche, his right-hand man, could not wait to knock on the door. The cover had the story about the coronation of Sato but what Oche was pointing at was the sub-headline at the bottom of the paper on the left. 

    SOME OF THE REFUGEES WHO LEFT ALKEBULAN ARE{ COMING BACK AFTER THE EMPORORS TALKS. 

"What am I to do with that?" he brought the paper close to his face, reading the headline.

The door opened more and a middle-aged man walked in. His beard and head were all overtaken with white with some black strands still holding on to his scalp.You could see his age around his neck and as much as his hands had wrinkles one could still see veins and scars from his youth.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   The cane in his right hand had a cobra snake head as the handle. Its eyes were decorated with black crystals while the cane itself was coated in gold strips around the dark wood which matched his tiny, barely seen stud. Behind him were two huge men whose skin was as dark as coal and their eyes were as cold as the deep ocean. Each wore a dark brown leather vest showing off their earned muscles and scars  which they wore with black pants. Their bald shaved heads shine like their bulging muscles. They both had weapons with the one on the right having a quiver and a bow and arrow with a seme hanging from both his sides. The other had wrist knives that were  tucked in their sheath with a rungu that had spiked edges hanging from his left side . They stood behind the averagely tall, mid-aged man and they looked like giants. 

Abua sat back in his seat, not fazed by who walked in. “Uchao, son of the blowing wind, what can I do for you?”

He took his seat opposite Abua and his two men positioned themselves behind him. He grabbed the newspaper and brought it to his face. “I can see the golden blood Sato has finally been crowned emperor.”

“We all knew it was only a matter of time, Sato has been missing for two years now.” Abua signaled Oche to pour uche a drink. “ I know that is not the only reason as to why you are here. Tell me, why are you here?” he leaned on his hands that he had placed on the desk.

“I believe you have seen that the refugees  that left here 15 years ago are coming back.” He pointed at the headline showing Abua. 

“Yes, Uche was just showing me that. What does that have to do with anything? I gave you work to look for my brother and not tell me about the progress that the country is making, that is of less interest to me right now.” He forced a smile  that was familiar to most of the people he worked with. Uchao had always hated that smile because it was usually followed up with an unnecessary compliment that bordered on an insult.

“Before you get all witty with me, I got some news from one of my men that Otich your brother is on that boat.”

He perked up from his seat, rubbed his fingers on his palms and concentrated on Uchao’s face and his next words. He saw this and, without waiting for a question from Abua he continued.

“He is with a girl and, as we saw, it looks like he is hiding from the golden blood. He ran to Babwe, took a new identity and lived on the down low.”

“He could not be in Babwe. I sent most of my rats to look for him there.” Abua was now up on his feet, he put his hands in his black pants pockets to keep them from seeing him tremble. He walked over to the window and looked out at the pavement below them.

“You have to know people in Babwe to get what you want. Money does not buy people there the way it does here.” Uchao reached in one of his pockets and dropped a necklace on the desk, drawing everyone's attention to it. Abua walked up to the familiar worn out leather strap that had a wooden ball shape with an A on the surface. He held it in his palms before putting it in his pocket. 

“When will the ship arrive at the port?” His voice now calm and collected, he was planning on how to get to his brother before the emperor and her people got to him.

“Tomorrow, Sato talked to the emperor of Ina and, through some bureaucracy, s**t the refugees that wanted to return back are coming back.” Uche leaned back in his seat resting his weight on it. 

“Why didn't you tell me this earlier?” Abua leaned over the desk with his two hands on it, something that he always does to intimidate. 

Uchao took his cane between his legs and held Abua’s menacing look. “ I had to be sure, we all remember what you said last time when I gave you news that was half baked.”  

Abua fell back into his seat, he looked over at his dependable assistant who stood  close to the door and nodded at her. She nodded back and walked out of  the room. She came back in a few seconds with a boy who seemed a year if not two younger than her. He was taller than the girl and a bit more masculine. While she had shoulder-length locks with her right side cut, he had his whole head cut-leaving the locks with white edges. His face was beardless, lean and smiling, while hers was sullen and round-faced. 

“Iuki, I need you to find the whisperer, I need him to do something for me.” Iuki, the name of the boy, shook his head in agreement.

“Well, that was Abua, I have given you the message that you have wanted for so long. Can I now have my pay?” He stood up from his seat and straightened himself. Oche stretched her hands to Uchao and in it she held a brown rectangular envelope that was so full it was impossible to close it. Uchao looked at the envelope in her hands before taking it and placing it on Abua’s desk. ‘

“This is not what we had agreed on.” He tried as hard as he could to appear calm. 

“I know, I will give you the rest once I see Otich is safe in the iron bloodland.” he stood up and walked past Uchao and out of the room. Oche was right behind him.

“Where are we going ?” She asked, keeping up with Abua’s fast walking.

“We are going to OTT,” he said, as if it was a matter of fact “My brother is finally coming home.  

A worn out black oaken door led to a dark lit room with an energy of lawlessness and relentlessness. Sturdy and unexceptional tables were filled with irrational and anomalous individuals. The prostitutes sat in a group of two surrounding a pot of bussa. Their owner sat alone at a table drinking alone while keeping an eye on the ones that were mingling around the bar.   

Abua walked through the dark and filthy room, making his way to the counter where a light shone over the bartender. A silver-haired and slender man with a black round sud in his left ear stood behind the counter passing out drinks to the maids who were having a busy evening. 

“What can I get you today sir.” The silver-haired boy asked, smiling,  knowing who he was talking to. It was hard for Abua to keep up with the names of the bartenders at OTT Nana always liked changing the men behind the bar. 

“A chang’aa on ice.” He then tapped on the table twice and the silver-haired boy knew what it meant. He gave Abua his drink with four cubes of ice before walking out to the back. He called out to one of the maids to keep an eye on the counter when he was gone.

While waiting, Abua turned around to the group of prostitutes in the corner and scanned through them, looking for what made him happy. His eyes met a young man who  had a mesh top and leather pants sitting with his legs crossed holding a cigarette in one hand and a bussa straw in the other. He had an afro that he had accessorized with a bright yellow sunflower clip on his right side which matched his nail polish. Abua shifted in his seat now facing the boy whose smile had gotten all embracing. 

He gestured to him to come over and, without even looking at his mistress, he put out his cigarette and walked over and put his hand around Abua when he got to him. Abua put his hands around his waist and pulled him close.He whispered something in his ear and the boy, who now, closer to the light, could see that he was older than Oche. The group that was left around the pot of bussa could not keep their jealousy for not getting the biggest fish in the bar. Abua seemed to have noticed and to try to ease the tension, he sent another pot of busaa to the two groups. The other girls and men who had already gotten their clients for the night also could not keep their eyes off Abua and his new toy. 

The silver-haired bartender came back reliving the girl that was behind the counter. “She is coming down right now.”

Abua was so busy kissing the neck afro boy that it was hard to know if he heard the silver-haired or not. The back door flung open and a tall angular- gray-haired woman walked through. She had a long dress that covered her hands and legs but was sheer in some places. 

“Abua,” her voice was cheerful, “wasn't Iuki here just a few minutes ago?” she nodded to the silver-haired boy and he got out. 

Abua turned and nodded at Oche and gave his boy toy a kiss before facing Nana. “Nana, How are you?”

Oche took the boy and they went out of the bar. She knew that Abua only had time to have ‘fun’ if he had cleared what was eating him up. She never judged how he chose to live his life, she owes a lot to him. If it was not for his kindness, she would have been dead long ago. Her , Iuki and Yango owe a lot to Abua. However, people say they don’t see it because he was kind to them when no one was. 

“My name is Mweda.” the afro boy stretched out his hand once he caught up to her. 

“Am sure you know me,” she looked down at his stretched hand. Mwenda pulled his hand back when she did not shake it. He pulled a cigarette out of his pocket and lit it. He followed behind her, still not letting go of his questions. 

“I know you are Oche, Abua’s right-hand man.”

“Then why are you asking if you know?” 

“Just making conversation,” He took another drag of his menthol cigarette that seemed to bother Oche. “So why has he come down to Ott?” 

“To get you, of course.” Oche evaded the question. She knew as well as Abua that the emperor had spies all over. 

“We know if he wanted someone he could go to usi, the people working there are better than not,” he  said in a playful questioning tone.

“Maybe he missed his fun from ott.” Oche kept walking toward one of the buildings that Abua owned. They got head nods from people on the messy streets. 

“ I'm just saying the people in Usi are prettier. There are days I actually think of paying myself just to have one of the men or women in my arms and between my thighs.” he let out a chuckle. He looked over at Oche whose face was sour. 

“Do you ever smile?” he asked with a concerned voice when they reached their destination. 

In a place where most buildings look abandoned, you could tell where the ones who run the ironblood lands are. 

“I have always wanted to see what the penthouse in this building looks like.” Mweda took a last drag of his cigarette and turned it off under his black shiny boots. He pulled on his shirt, trying to make it as if there was something he had to fix. “Let’s go.”

hey walked into the building that had  dark lighting but this had a chandelier hanging from the ceiling providing the dimmed out lights. The entrance hall had some chairs that were occupied by the who is who of Ironblood. Oche nodded in recognition to the ones that looked her way and walked to the elevator.

“Did you see some fresh roses on the counter?”   Mweda spoke to break the silence. “I wonder how he gets them.” He immediately put his hand over his mouth immediately taking back what he said. Oche smiled under her breath when the doors closed. 

The door opened up on the last floor directly to what could only be Abua’s room. His room really did reflect the person that was staying in that room. Oche pointed to the couch that sat next to a side lamp. 

“Do you need anything to drink?” Oche asked, walking into the open kitchen to the bar that stood at the corner of the room. She poured herself a glass of changaa on ice. 

“I would love some muratina please. I don’t want to mix bussaa and the chang’aa.” she reached in her pockets and pulled out what seemed like a cigarette but it was not.

Oche walked over to her with his glass in hand and gave it to him.

“I noticed that you hated the cigarette, I hope you partake in the herb.” ” he held out what looked like a roughly rolled cigarette.Oche looked down at it in her round expressionless face. She walked to another room and came back with a small box that fit in his hand. She walked over to the couch and set it between them. She opened it to reveal a neatly packed box, a wooden smoking pipe, a yellow and pink lighter, some rolling cigarette paper and a round tin that had the green herb in it. Taking the rolling paper, she put the herb in it and rolled a neat roll. Mweda picked up the lighter and held it close to her face, showing off his polish. 

“Now this is a herb ready to smoke.” She took the lighter from Mweda who was now playing with it in her hands. She put the rolled herb between her soft flirtatious lips and lit it and took a long drag of it, letting out a huge cloud of smoke. “I needed that.”

Mweda took it from her and started smoking it, leaning back to the seat to join her. “So you and Abua are really close?” He moved his head to face her.

“Why would you say that?” She turned to look at him. Mweda lifted his hand that held the herb as an indication of his claim.

Oche laughed, taking the herb from him, “I am his right hand, I handle things that need to be handled and that is what made our relationship strong. He trusts me.”

“That hasn’t said anything, you know.” He leaned his head on one side and keenly looked at her, taking in her beautiful features. “What is he to you? a boss or a father ?"

This caught Oche unaware and she did a terrible job of hiding it. She stumbled over her words before pulling herself to sit up straight. She put her head in her hands and took a deep breath to calm herself down, “Why are you asking all these questions?” she gained control of herself. 

Just then, the elevator doors rang and Abua walked in all smiles and hands open for a hug. This pulled Oche from Mweda and walked to the kitchen, taking the now small rolled herb between her fingers.

“Finally, you are here.” Mwed jumped to his feet and walked to him, getting into his embrace. “ I thought you left me here with her.” he speculated, now having his hand resting on Abua. Abua put his hand around his waist, Oche could not keep from looking at them and how comfortable they acted around each other.

The wharf was busy the next morning. People from all over the land showed up. Reporters all wore their respective land colors. Barriers were put up between where the refugees would pass and the bystanders. The press were the closest to the action mixed with the soldiers from the red lands. Next behind the press were the other lands and finally a barrier that separated the ironblood from the rest.

The time finally came when the ship got closer and closer and it finally docked. The people were overwhelmed by emotion, especially the ironblood people. Most of their relatives did escape the war that broke out seventeen years ago. A woman stepped out of the ship, grasping her scarf tightly around her. The people behind followed once she had gotten out of the way. It was definitely a joyous day with shouts and screams from the ironblood side. The emperor sent out some of her maids to help out with handing out water and some food for the refugees who were coming back home. 

You could see a number of people looking for someone they knew in the crowd with the crowd shouting names of their loved ones in hopes of a response. You could hear screams and wailing of joy for the few people that spotted their loved ones. They were then guided to a tent where there sat a man and a woman who were asking questions and taking them down. There was confusion on most of their faces.

“We need to blend in.” 

“What names should we use?” The girl replied in a low tone so as to not get caught.

“We use what we have always used, we need to find my brother,” He stepped on his toes. 

and searched in the ironblood crowd. A hand gripped his arm hard, he turned around to look and saw a hooded figure, definitely someone who didn't want to be seen. 

“I think we are…” He turned to look at the girl he was with and he could not find her where he last saw her. Panic rose up inside him. He looked at the faces around him, trying to locate her. The last thing he had from his late wife. He poked his head above everyone, fighting the urge to call her name. He pulled his hand free and made his way through the crowd, turning and looking for his daughter. He ran all the way to the front of the line and she was not there and that’s when it hit him, he could not find her, he lost his daughter.

"We need to leave before you get seen by the emperor's guard." The hooded figure appeared again with his hand on his arm.