Ring Of Fire

Ring Of Fire 4

"My mistress you are sweating profusely!" Ama cried as they continued to advance towards the mountain. "The Ring. The ring is speaking to me. It is overwhelming me. I need to deliver it to the one who found it and you must do a duty now" Lotem said while panting. "What duty my mistress?" Ama asked but Lotem kept quite. The dead were dominating the earth. Lotem's soldiers and her army of the dead faced the attackers from the four sides. Lotem was making her way to the mountain. The lord of the underworld held Zimba by the shoulder and one of his generals held Feb as well where they both knelt. "Kill her once she arrives and don't allow her touch you with the ring. She can't possess my armies but beware of the ring" the lord warned his generals and they stood their ground and waited. Lotem was riding her horse up the mountain and so was Ama. Ama drew her sword and screamed in anger. Lotem raised the ring again and this time it is covered with flames. Feb opened his eyes wide as he watched Lotem coming up in her glory. The soldiers of the earth, the army of the dead, the men of the oracles and the kings of the earth paused and paid all their attention on the mountain to see the end of this. Lotem reached the mountain and the beastly fight began. This time the lord of the underworld drew his burning sword and struck it on the ground. The mountain shook terribly and Lotem fell on the ground but like a snake stood on her feet again. She raised her palm where the ring was and struck it on the mountain and it divided. The lord, Zimba and some of the lord's generals fell in to the opening. Ama faced the remaining generals on the mountains and Lotem helped her push them into the opening. "My brother. He fell into the opening" Lotem cried. Feb approached her and held her shoulder. "Don't touch my mistress!!!" Shouted Ama and Feb removed his hand. Lotem screamed and pulled out the ring from her hand and presented it to Feb and said. "You once said that love will destroy the lord of the underworld. Take this ring and propose to Ama with it" "My mistress I don't want to marry him" Ama said almost crying. "Accept the ring. It is my command" Lotem said to Ama. Feb knelt down and presented the ring to Ama. "Will you marry me my love?". Ama accepted the ring and at once the two of them returned to their normal skins and all the dead on the earth disappeared. Lotem fell to the ground.

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Ama quickly bent down to check on Lotem who was lying on the ground. "She is still breathing" Ama said to Feb. "Are you still possessed to her?' Feb asked. " Feb no. But I still want to make sure she is alright" Ama said and Lotem slowly opened her eyes and held Ama's hand and said. "Find my brother" Ama nodded and stood to face the great crowd of the remaining men of the oracle, the remaining soldiers of the earth and their kings and seers who stood on the foot of the mountain to watch them and said to them, "go to the center of this mountain, find the leader of the men of the oracle and make sure he is fine" "Who is she to give us orders?" One of the seers of the earth asked the king of Lobatam. "She is one of our saviours. Do as she said" The King said. The soldiers ran to the opening of the mountain and found Zimba lying there alone. He was not dead yet but was almost. Ama helped Lotem to stand and helped her down the mountain as Feb helped them. The kings provided them a tent and all they needed. The palace physicians of lobatam had attended to Zimba and Lotem and left their fate to the gods. Ama sat close to Lotem on her sick bed. Feb sat beside Zimba on his sick bed. "My mistress, you will be fine" Ama said. This got Feb's attention. "You still calling her that?" Feb asked almost angrily. "I'm not confessed anymore Feb and I love you. She was once my mistress and I still regard her as such" Ama said to Feb. Lotem held Ama's finger where the ring was and said, "Ama. I want you to finish what I started. The battle is over but the war is not. This ring is yours but you must use it for the good of the people. Lobatam and other kingdoms needs to be set free from themselves. Only soldiers are meant to fight in the battle field not innocent men subjected to oracles. They need to be freed from their vows. Will you fight for this?" "I will" Ama seriously said and went close to Feb and held his hands. "Will you support me Feb?" "I will always stand beside you. And I will do anything possible to free my friend Zimba from his vows and the opportunity for him to find love in a lovely maiden of this land just like I found in you" Feb assured her and Ama hugged him with tears. Lotem knew she would soon die and Zimba who was unable to stand up but knew quite alright that his sister was in pains was ready to do anything to save her life.

Ama stepped out and Feb followed her. Zimba turned to look at his sister from where he laid and saw she was breathing harder. Their parents walked in tearfully and couldn't stand to see their children in pains. Inside the palace of Lobatam, Ama stood in front of their King with Feb beside her. The king was not pleased with the whole thing Ama had said but somehow he believed in the change Lotem intended to bring. The Chief Seer of Lobatam rose and said. "If Lotem is to eradicate the practice of men of Lobatam and any other man of every other kingdom of the lands to stop swearing to the oracles then there must be a sacrifice" "What sacrifice?" Ama asked. "The ring must be given to the oracle for an eternal appeasement. Only then will they turn their attention away from the children of men and focus their strength on fortifying the soldiers of the lands whom you stated are the only qualified ones to fight in a war" Ama and Feb returned to the tent to meet with Lotem and Zimba. They met their mother and father too. Zimba's mother was leaning her head on her husband's shoulder as she cried. Ama explained everything to Lotem who was getting weaker. Zimba called Feb and Feb went closer to him. "Take me to the shrine of the Chief Seer. I need to be treated spiritually. I don't want to die" Feb and Ama helped him out of the tent to the shrine of the Chief Seer. They dropped him at the foot of the oracle and Zimba said to Ama and Feb. "I heard what you said to Lotem Ama. Be together with Feb but I asked you to bring me here so that I can end all this. I will personally take the ring to the oracles in the afterlife, never to return. There will be no more men of the oracle and Lotem will be fine while I'm gone. I will go. It all Worth it" he finalised and Ama and Feb were already in tears as Ama pulled off the ring and gave it to him where he laid. He asked them to leave the shrine back to the palace to tell the king and the Chief Seer that the leader of the men of the oracle has sacrificed himself to end this practice" Feb and Ama walked out in tears. When Feb and Ama returned to the tent from telling the King and the Seer of Zimba's sacrifice which left them stunned, Lotem was now seated on her bed entirely healed from her pains. They forced themselves to tell her what her brother did and Lotem screamed and made her way to the shrine.

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When Lotem bursted into the shrine of the Chief Seer of Lobatam she met Zimba,her brother dead with his eyes open. The dagger he used to slay his own throat still laid beside him. She picked the dagger and cried the more. ****

Before now. When Feb and Ama left the shrine after dropping Zimba at the feet of the image of the oracle Zimba had picked a dagger from the sacred pot in the palms of the oracle and used it on himself after saying some few words. He stopped breathing and his spirit escaped from his body. His spirit stood looking at his lifeless body on the ground. His spirit had bent down and pulled out the ring from the finger of his body and had disappeared with it to travel to the afterlife as a gift to the oracles of the earth for their appeasement and their acceptance of the change Lotem intended to bring to the children of men. **** Now* Lotem stood up with the dagger with tears fully blinding her. She said, "brother, I passed through hell to set you free and now you have left me. But who says I will find joy without you on this earth. Mother and father can fair well without us. I'm coming with you. ****

Zimba appeared in a strange land. The lands were covered with black grasses and the skies were red. There was no sun and it was cold. He looked around and saw a strange man approaching him. When the man reached where Zimba was standing he presented the ring and the man said after he collected it, " we the oracles heard your request. And this ring is a great gift. Your wish is granted. We have also decided to send you back to the land of the living. You deserve to live great Zimba" Zimba was in tears as he replied, " this was not my prayer. It was my sister's prayer. I'm happy I'm going to see her again" Zimba said but the oracle didn't smile. He just touched his shoulder and Zimba disappeared from the strange land. He appeared back into the shrine but was shocked to see Lotem dead beside his own corpse. He quickly entered into his body, came back to life and knelt beside his dead sister. He cried out agonisingly. The cries drew Feb, Ama, and some of the soldiers of Lobatam into the shrine. They met Zimba kneeling and holding dead Lotem to his chest. He wouldn't let his sister go like that. He now understood why the oracle didn't smile when he was happy he was going home. He swore to go back to the strange land.

Ama stepped out and Feb followed her. Zimba turned to look at his sister from where he laid and saw she was breathing harder. Their parents walked in tearfully and couldn't stand to see their children in pains. Inside the palace of Lobatam, Ama stood in front of their King with Feb beside her. The king was not pleased with the whole thing Ama had said but somehow he believed in the change Lotem intended to bring. The Chief Seer of Lobatam rose and said. "If Lotem is to eradicate the practice of men of Lobatam and any other man of every other kingdom of the lands to stop swearing to the oracles then there must be a sacrifice" "What sacrifice?" Ama asked. "The ring must be given to the oracle for an eternal appeasement. Only then will they turn their attention away from the children of men and focus their strength on fortifying the soldiers of the lands whom you stated are the only qualified ones to fight in a war" Ama and Feb returned to the tent to meet with Lotem and Zimba. They met their mother and father too. Zimba's mother was leaning her head on her husband's shoulder as she cried. Ama explained everything to Lotem who was getting weaker. Zimba called Feb and Feb went closer to him. "Take me to the shrine of the Chief Seer. I need to be treated spiritually. I don't want to die" Feb and Ama helped him out of the tent to the shrine of the Chief Seer. They dropped him at the foot of the oracle and Zimba said to Ama and Feb. "I heard what you said to Lotem Ama. Be together with Feb but I asked you to bring me here so that I can end all this. I will personally take the ring to the oracles in the afterlife, never to return. There will be no more men of the oracle and Lotem will be fine while I'm gone. I will go. It all Worth it" he finalised and Ama and Feb were already in tears as Ama pulled off the ring and gave it to him where he laid. He asked them to leave the shrine back to the palace to tell the king and the Chief Seer that the leader of the men of the oracle has sacrificed himself to end this practice" Feb and Ama walked out in tears. When Feb and Ama returned to the tent from telling the King and the Seer of Zimba's sacrifice which left them stunned, Lotem was now seated on her bed entirely healed from her pains. They forced themselves to tell her what her brother did and Lotem screamed and made her way to the shrine.

**********

When Lotem bursted into the shrine of the Chief Seer of Lobatam she met Zimba,her brother dead with his eyes open. The dagger he used to slay his own throat still laid beside him. She picked the dagger and cried the more. ****

Before now. When Feb and Ama left the shrine after dropping Zimba at the feet of the image of the oracle Zimba had picked a dagger from the sacred pot in the palms of the oracle and used it on himself after saying some few words. He stopped breathing and his spirit escaped from his body. His spirit stood looking at his lifeless body on the ground. His spirit had bent down and pulled out the ring from the finger of his body and had disappeared with it to travel to the afterlife as a gift to the oracles of the earth for their appeasement and their acceptance of the change Lotem intended to bring to the children of men. **** Now* Lotem stood up with the dagger with tears fully blinding her. She said, "brother, I passed through hell to set you free and now you have left me. But who says I will find joy without you on this earth. Mother and father can fair well without us. I'm coming with you. ****

Zimba appeared in a strange land. The lands were covered with black grasses and the skies were red. There was no sun and it was cold. He looked around and saw a strange man approaching him. When the man reached where Zimba was standing he presented the ring and the man said after he collected it, " we the oracles heard your request. And this ring is a great gift. Your wish is granted. We have also decided to send you back to the land of the living. You deserve to live great Zimba" Zimba was in tears as he replied, " this was not my prayer. It was my sister's prayer. I'm happy I'm going to see her again" Zimba said but the oracle didn't smile. He just touched his shoulder and Zimba disappeared from the strange land. He appeared back into the shrine but was shocked to see Lotem dead beside his own corpse. He quickly entered into his body, came back to life and knelt beside his dead sister. He cried out agonisingly. The cries drew Feb, Ama, and some of the soldiers of Lobatam into the shrine. They met Zimba kneeling and holding dead Lotem to his chest. He wouldn't let his sister go like that. He now understood why the oracle didn't smile when he was happy he was going home. He swore to go back to the strange land.