The Legend of Cush

Fate of a Fugitive

Chapter 8: Fate of a Fugitive.

King Isasda was a wanderer who escaped from the far eastern tribes of Abyssinia ravaged by slave riders whose family was murdered before his eyes held down by strong Arab chains. Isasda of Ato, the eastern tribe famed for its tall stock of men, aggressive and Isasda was among the most aggressive, feared and wicked for he, most times, forcibly confiscate properties of the weak if they failed to pay him for a service rendered like offering them protection from Arab slave riders or lend money to meet a challenge. So, like this, he carved a niche for himself in Ato, fame which brought him ill-wind of favor before the people. But he couldn’t care less, as far as Ato and the adjoining regions are taken into commercial consideration, Isasda does not worry.

And because the eastern tribes were put to flight by the legions of Arab invaders across the Mediterranean Sea, noted for cruel, barbaric and merciless savagery, Isasda made good fortunes as he commanded a band of equally strong fellows of his tribe and closer to his lineage to provide security to travelers across the wooded lands. His services he renders only to the merchants able to pay promptly or sign agreements that last no longer than thirty days of which failure to pay automatically forfeits your agreed property. The people came to understand that Isasda and his band will rather love to see a default in payment so they can claim property which has made them rich.

Isasda’s business was thriving as he helped withstand strong gangs of Arab invaders, but yet still the people suffered a lot from such invasions and the people of the east wondered if the gods of Abyssinia have abandoned the northern tribes to their fate. The assembly of eastern tribes including Ato met and arranged to send envoys to Matella to consult the Sun god through his Priest, and each time the envoys take off on the journey they will be ambushed, attacked and killed. Isasda, sensing the wise move by the tribes to seek help will destroy his business decided to sabotage the mission of the tribes and on three occasions, despite the secrecy of the mission, these envoys were murdered and the journey aborted. But the Arab invaders didn’t relent except during the months of reprieve brought by the heavy rains.

However, Isasda and his gang had a dispute, as always a financial one, money always dividing the united and it led to a single disgruntle member becoming dissatisfied with the settlement terms and he let the cat out of the bag. The tribe’s elders were aghast with rage, but they employed tact and wisdom. Isasda was not confronted since he may deny knowledge and can fight his way free, the elders in a surprising move, a thing which the Arabs could not believe until the clandestine arrangement plotted for months eventually caught Isasda and his band unawares. Not to risk failure, the fiercest contingent of Arab slave riders carried out the raid on Isasda and his band with brutal and terrible force, conquered them, slaughtered their families before them which is the wish of the elders and bond them in chains and taken to the makeshift prisons constructed by the Arabs to hold their captives onward to the final journey across the sea.

A subdued Isasda vowed revenge even as he was held in chains and led away to certain s*****y. In such slavish conditions did Isasda found himself, overtaken by sorrow not for his present state but the loss of his family and wept sore but soon changed from an emotional wreck to a determined revenge seeker until the day he escaped from the dungeon that held him with fifteen members of his band and many others whom the Arabs will shortly cart away as slaves to their kingdom and trade them for gold. However, Isasda endowed with natural brute strength, an intimidating height of 6.2, broad-chested, massive arms, pale eyes, black short hairs, broad flat nose and with a skin as black as charcoal will eventually escape the dungeon and when that happened he didn’t head back to Ato, he knew the danger in so doing. He was wise to lead his band northward, to refresh, regroup, and armed themselves before returning to Ato for retribution that the world has never known. But when ambition and revenge meet, the outcome is not always pleasant.

 He was something to look at, and for the Arabs to have captured him, murder his family consisting of father, mother, his newly wedded wife, and five siblings means he was completely conquered. And in such furious state did he broke through the prison after snatching a guard who came taunting the prisoners, smashed his head on the iron bars, took the keys with which he freed himself and his fellow prisoners and before any alarm could reach other guards Isasda has made his escape to the mountains he knew so well.

They began wandering in the wilderness of mountains and valleys, he and ten kinsmen who choose to follow their savior, and he became the natural leader. They went through the mountains and crossed several rivers until they reached the backlands of western Alonika kingdom. They were famished; thirst would surely kill them now if no water is found soon. It was here the unexpected happens. Before them was a huge mountain whose height is almost three kilometers high, it was a desert land of no water or edible fruits, no game to hunt, but on top of the mountain they could from down discern faint foliage of green vegetation, they could see mountain goats and birds flying in and out, and none of them has the strength to climb atop. It was a strange terrain but from afar he could see a sprawling kingdom and further are rivers crisscrossing into several channels. But after what means death by hunger or summon the last strength to reach the top of this strange mountain, he told his companions to wait; he will reach the top with his last strength.

And laboriously he did begin to make the climb which took him almost an hour and encountered a fate that eventually conquered and destroyed him. As he neared the peak, an admirable table-top design, what he saw was discouraging. Nowhere is vegetation, no birds flying in or out or wild goats, he paused on the climb, hung on a cleft to catch his breath and contemplated if he should continue the ascent or descend, but decided against it having gone this far. He kept the climb up, and as he neared the top so does the vegetation seemed to vanish and the mountain goats that have wetted his throat a mirage. But he kept climbing until he exhaustively collapsed on the peak and unknown to him, on the peak of the mountain of the god of Strength, the magnificent and jealous Libi.

 He lay there exhausted, and was allowed to rest some more when eventually he opened his eyes, a fairy attended him, but he was frightened to the bone, but the fairy clothed in shining white garment  addressed him,

“Be not afraid, son of Isasda, the man of strength. You have done what no man has done, did you not seek food? Food you shall have in abundance, and strength you have gotten that as you go down from the sacred mountain of Libi, no man born of woman shall be able to take your life. Sit up and be refreshed.” Before he said a word the fairy has vanished, and despite his normal bravado was frightened and confused.

He looked down from the mountain to seek out his men but if there was anybody down the base, everything appeared like little ants to his eyes, he stood on his feet, felt awkward as if a whirlwind is upon him to take him down to his death.  He went on the floor and sat. Soon, a second fairy, looking all blue in appearance brought him a bowl of water and two greenish round fruits, which he drink violently to his fill but discovered the little bowl has not emptied since he started gulping water from it, and as he handed it to the fairy, it was still full of water and he eats the fruits that kept multiplying to his utter astonishment.

This second fairy left him with those presents and suddenly, a strong wind began blowing around the peak, he had to lie flat, dig his hands on the cleavages of the mountain to protect himself from being pulled off by the wind, and in that wind appeared the god of Strength, magnificently looking in appearance, in the manner of a god, indeed.

“Be not afraid, son of Isasda, you have come to the right place, the place of strength. I’m Libi, I’m the strongest, no man encounters me who is for me and ever is defeated by another man, and that encounter you have as it is now.” Libi’s form was human but keeps changing from human to half beast with four arms and in height as tall as ten feet, his size huge leaving Isasda frightened than relieved.

“Rise, that you may join your company. Listen, however, son of man. You shall from here enter Alonika, that vile kingdom ruled by that pagan king Lilac, you shall overrun it and hold the kingdom in my stead. Spare the weak, destroy the strong, rule with an iron fist. Have I not sent you? Beware, don’t torch my city. Now, take”, he pointed the end of a rod at Isasda, the moment he touched it, a force surged through him and he convulsed violently and when he recovered, the Libi was gone and he was at the base of the mountain with his companions surrounding him.

He woke up feeling different, energized, and all around him was different kinds of fruits, eleven water jugs, eleven swords, and seven change of clothing. He never gave his kinsmen a complete account of his encounter with the Libi, the god of Strength, that he kept to himself, but told how he had met fairies who had sympathy on him, brought him down, and presented him with such gift as they see here. “Up”, he said, with renewed strength, we go to Alonika, the kingdom before us is been given to me. I shall take it, and with your help rule it and one day seek out the traitors of Ato and Arab savages and take my sweet revenge.”

One of the men, Om, equally of great stature, asked, “Isasda, where is Alonika, and how do you take it? “Om, I m no more Isasda, in a few days hence I shall be addressed as King Isasda, the conqueror of Alonika. Om, Ila, Massa, (names of the three prominent among them) ask questions no more, come, follow me and let us take our revenge, a prelude to the real payback.”

He did not tell his companions cooked up lies, neither did he say the whole truth, not because he is given to such petty deceptions or is there a deep desire to hide anything, but Isasda is afflicted with the disease hubris, a deeply proud being, blunt to a fault and a straightforward character. He cannot, however, be exempted from the flaws that cling to every mortal, and he choosing for himself that of pride.  Having been presented with the opportunity for glory, he must not share it with these commoners; all must accrue to him, the glory

From the strength of Libi and common sense, Isasda and his men lay siege on Alonika from a distance of five kilometers to the city camping on a deserted pathway that is seldom used making surreptitious forays into the town, nixing with locals and posing as travelers for sixty days until the entire capital city of the kingdom lay bare in his hands. They survived by stealing food items from the surrounding villages, but the water was abundant. In his superstitious manner, two days to the planned invasion, he captured an Alonika teenage girl out to fetch water from the woods and sacrificed her ass an offering to Ato Meme, the god of his land to seek favors on his enterprise since Libi didn’t ask for any sacrifice.

After the fifty-ninth days of spying on Alonika, he chooses the day of festivity, a merrymaking day where everyone including the King, warriors, and citizens are entertained by the fair maidens dance to please their warriors on the city square. His information concerning this day was accurate as all guard was let down from the king to the guards on duty on the palace and the on the wee hours of the morning, after an exhausting day of celebration, when the limbs need rest, did Isasda attacked Alonika with the strength of ten bulls.

 He, alongside his ten escapees, taking first the palace, wiping out King Lilac and his family with such fiery fury in an attack the King and palace warriors never expected and were easily cut down. Before full dawn Alonika was thrown into chaos, and in that confusion did Isasda succeed and before dusk he sat on the throne of Alonika, commanding a defeated and frighten citizenry who never knew what hit them. But they shall know, they will.