Keywords:

Mey - Little sister
Plinas: a type of skirt with pockets everywhere and a veil attached to it (so ugly 😂) I.e her fashion sense isn't great sometimes
Brana - music box that looks like a giant phone with a touch screen
Insa: send
Me (pron. May) - This
Frag - witch
A tuna - to her grave
Hansa - a luxury car that was only for the royals of the country.
Jinga - royal attire worn on normal days
E (pron. ayy) - Yes

•Sanusi

The roads were dark and the cars were so old, ours looked like a brand new Benz when it was also as rickety as theirs. The cars we drive to these parts had to be worn out so we fit in without causing suspicion and it's worked for years. We just enjoyed patronizing local business owners without having to waste so much money.

We found a small shop that sold clothes and stopped a block away to enjoy the atmosphere as we trekked to the entrance of the small mud building.

It dark, the bright moon highlighted the darkness of the roads. People converged to a house straight away and I wondered what event was going on. Could it be a clan woman had given birth? It was none of our business.

"You think it's a celebration?" I nudged Surayya's shoulder.

"Stop gossiping." She pinched my arm "Mentor Mas'ood said gossipers don't make any sense. They don't know what they speak of..." she smiled, waiting for me to finish the sentence.

"And their words are cheap knockoffs of the sources lies."

That was one of the first things we learnt at the progressions academy. We were having an event mixed with the girls and then the boys started making noise in the crowd. They'd turn to the girls and smile then form a circle to talk about who they found the prettiest. He was making a speech, they all knew the power of his temper but they neglected the patience he had and the time they'd be leaving the hall, their social lives at the time, forever be destroyed.

Mentor Mas'ood called them all to the podium and gave them a lecture after embarrassing them in front of everyone—he asked them to take off their trousers and walk down the podium in their boxers with the bottom of their pants tied around their waists. I and Bala were only lucky we weren't caught.

"I think it's a wedding. Look at the way he's dressed." I point at a man smoking behind a car in front of the shop we were headed.

She looks at me funnily, nods her head and enters the shop after an old man answers to her knock.

"Mentor Mas'ood is in Disa mey."

She drags a shirt from a hanger "He still taught us half the morals we have."

I sit on a plastic chair "He didn't give you the character you have."

"I'll take that as a good thing." She laughs.

The man greets us with a smile and our eyes are wide open as we stared at his long beard, it reached the ground and was as white as snow.

"20 years." The man states.

"What?" Surayya is confused, so was I.

"My beard." He uses four fingers to comb it "I've had it for 20 years."

"How did you groom it to this length?" I inquired.

"It's so long." Surayya stares too long, almost as if she was about to touch it.

"I'd like to keep mine like that some day." I touch my beardless chin.

"You still have time to grow it." He laughs "So what would you like?"

"Clothes." Surayya answers.

He looks at her dumbfounded. Like, I sell clothes here.

"She's going off to college tomorrow so I wanted to get her new clothes and accessories before leaving." I explain.

"Ok, what would you like young girl?"

"Hmmm.." she hums "I'd like some plinas, sneakers, ballet flats, long sleeved body con..."

"What's that?" He interjects.

She laughs "Its a long dress."

He points at a side of the shop with a few dresses hanging off hangers with veils on them and some with jackets "Check there. I'll be right back with my wife."

He steps out of the shop noiselessly but with a rhythmic hum. The soft music playing from his brana reminded me of my fathers singing. There was a specific song he enjoyed to sing while we went horse riding but it was all so vague until hearing this and it almost sound like it.

Surayya drops the dress back on the hanger and approaches the brana. I just sit on a chair and answers calls of people that have been trying to reach me all day. She still bobs her head to the upbeat tune that played currently as i moved his leg back and forth slowly.

A loud horn blows and all the blood in my body goes cold. I lock eyes with Surayya and I see the fear written all over her face.

"Do you know who that is for?" I ask.

"Angelin." She looks around, paranoid. The man still isn't back and we sure as hell knew he wouldn't be.

We were thought about her since from childhood. It's been sixty-seven years since she was seen, almost considered a myth until she was sighted today. We only wondered where.

People were already screaming and that only scared Surayya more. She stood away from the brana and whispered "we need to leave."

"This is the safest place now. I can close the shop and switch off the lights."

"She's coming towards us!" A woman screams from outside the open window. I guess it's a terrible idea staying here.

"Let's go." Surayya drags my arm and my entire body off the metal chair.

"We don't know where she is."

"Do you think we can make it to the car before she comes around here?"

"We still have some time. So we can make a run for the car."

"How do you know that?" She asks.

"Her scent can be smelt when she's within the area."

"What else do you know about her?"

"If you let her spray her perfume on you she'll take you away."

"She's scary." She shakes her head, snapping her fingers loudly "I don't want to be here any longer. Tell me more about her when we reach the car."

I wait for her to go out and I follow behind to shield her. The crowd is still dispersing and running into their homes as we start running to the car.

The brave clanmen came out with sticks of flames to send her away but it wouldn't be long before she burnt them along with their sticks.

In books, one of her immunities was fire but her perfume only made it flare—which nullified some of their teachings—the girls were taught about why she took the eggs and as boys we learnt how to destroy her.

I then took it upon myself to study behind the scriptures we were given after leaving the academy. She fascinated me. For once there was a witch without a grievance—no one knew what her case was because she doesn't speak to the men—the women who she returns because they didn't have enough blood die before they can tell the tales of their visit to the ethereal cave of Angelin.

If she wasn't breeding infernal toddlers, what did she need eggs for? Right, she ate it to remain young and beautiful.

Her only weakness was a ring of smoke in an empty field and no priest has ever been strong enough to make one and live long enough to use it against her.

As soon as we reach the middle of the street a sweet smell fills my nose and I just know she's here. I turn to Surayya and from her bewildered look I know she has smelt it too.

"Run faster! If she catches you, she'll take your eggs and kill you."

"That's insane."

"Run as fast as you can so you don't have to be next in line for a death sentence."

She's too far from me at this point because I keep turning back to see if she's caught up to us. There's a large crowd but she sees all and just knows who's the most fertile in a space.

Once she singles you out that's the end. You become an egg donor and as you become useless, your death will come.

"Sanusi I can't leave you." She stops a few cars away from mine.

"I'll have to help the villagers stop her. I studied how to make the ring of smoke."

"You can die."

"Now we have gas masks. We'll able to survive."

She runs back to me and kneels, holding my legs with her head rested on them "If you go I'll go too."

"You're wasting time." I push my keys into her hands "Go and stay in till I come back."

"I won't be able to live with myself knowing I let to walk to your death."

"Why do you keep talking about me dying?" I tap her head "I'll be fine. Just lock yourself in till I can get back."

A few clan men were distributing gas masks to those willing to fight Angelin so I take one after hugging her. She rushes to the car and I don't leave till I know she's locked the door.

"Where are we doing it?" I ask an elder.

"The sand plain where the priests pray."

"Ok." I command "Lets go."

We are few but they look like strong men and I trust we can destroy her once and for all so our women can be safe once again.

The sand plain is not so far. The further we walk, the stronger the scent of her perfume is. I'm worried we might actually get hypnotized but the elder said the gas masks have internal air tanks that are made with a special gas that clears our head from her influence which lasts for only thirty minutes and can be refilled.

"Quickly!" The elder charges for the entrance and ushers is in then he stops there and slices his palm with a knife and lets the blood drip to where we stood in the middle. She, only, drains the blood of men.

Everywhere is silent now. I guess everyone has locked themselves inside. The sweet smell is back and a few of the men have already started going low on air. The elder gives them refills but as they take off the mask, she's able to get to them.

She appears in between the two affected men with her hands on their shoulders "Sit down. Pick up that stone and crush your knees till they're exposed to the bone."

"Don't do it." The elder begs "You can close your ears and she can't get to you."

They're still going down but with tears in their eyes. I wish we could help them but we can't so the elder continues to pour some ash, forming a circle around us whilst she's distracted by the men before her.

She sticks out a finger with a nail as long as a pencil and sticks it into one neck. She sucks on his blood while the other shivers in fear but can't move until she makes the command.

"I don't like this." She pushes the body, licks her bloody hand and moves for the next guy who she seemed to enjoy poking. She watched the blood slowly ooze out as she licked it off his chest "Now this, I like."

Can this night just get over?

The elder opens the scriptures to the page with her information on it and begins to say the order of smoke "Free Angelin, insa me frag a tuna. If she lives, let her remain inside another realm."

He repeats it three times as he continues to pour the ashes. I usually knew what the ashes were for but this, I never knew how or why they were needed.

There's not fire, but a tinge of smoke surrounds us and she begins to scream "Let me out."

The elder continues with the incantations in a whisper. He seems to no longer be in a rush because she's already weak. Her hands are loosing their color and her hair, turned brown. The beauty she once used to entrap men, gone with her beautiful hair and voice. She kept croaking like a frog till she disappeared into the smoke. Now the problem was how to stop it since she'd died.

The elder was killed right before she disappeared. She pushed all five of her fingers into his stomach and ripped out his intestines. All the three men I came with were dead except me.

The smoke was rising and getting thicker, picking up the sand it's horrifyingly ballistic twists. The elder disappeared with her, like the two men she'd killed earlier—into the smoke.

The tides grew and was getting closer and smaller—I thought I was about to die. My heart sunk, Surayya would be heartbroken and might even continue to blame herself for the rest of her life but there was nothing I could do so I sat in the middle and arched my neck inwards as my head laid on my knees.

Whatever fate I meet, father would be proud—I fought and it was for a great honor.

Next morning, I woke up to Surayya cradling my upper half in her arms. Her hands were on my cheeks  and from the looks of things, she hasn't slept. She's been crying and I'm sure she hasn't called anyone. It'd only be a matter of time before Bala came looking.

A few hours later...

"Bala did you reschedule the meeting for the next morning?" 

He bowed his head, "E Sanusi. But you're not ready to face anyone yet. You're injured, you need..."

"Just stop, i can walk. Can't I?"

"Doesn't mean shit. You're supposed to be in bed. Surayya is even doing a better job than you right now."

"You're just bugging." I begin to put a few clothes in a travelling box just in case I might have to sleep in Bunisa.

He takes the clothes out of my hands angrily and I wince in pain. My arms and shoulders hurt so badly and I wondered if it was the wall of smoke or the stress of being awake throughout the night to slay a myth.

"Bala, I need to go." I look at him pleadingly, hoping he'd listen.

"Go where?" Surayya opens the door without knocking. She finds a space on the bed without clothes or papers and lays on with crossed legs and her hands on her stomach.

"Bunisa."

"I can go alone. You're not fully healed. Bala can come too but I know he has stuff to do here since you're bedridden."

"Both of you don't know what you're saying." I laugh and feel a rib move "No. I'm ok."

They know I'm lying but they can't stop me. It's her first day moving to a different kingdom without me. The WPA was for me and her, now she was leaving to Bunisa without me or our father, I couldn't let that happen.

Bala hissed and sits on a chair. He's visibly tired too. He spent the whole night looking for us. Surayya had come looking too when she saw people had started coming out of their houses again and didn't want people to blow our cover. Eventually she called Bala who was able to sneak us back into the palace then scolded us like kids and made us promise not to act so recklessly again.

But we'd already done that before he came; it was to never put ourselves at such risks again.

She had my back, I had hers and that was all we cared about then.

"You can't make me stay so listen, I need you to handle something for me. I'll be busy doing some other things so for the mean time you'll be in charge. I need you to take a trip to River Ho so you can get the flowers and when they go to sell, make sure they come back with the right amount when they're done selling."

Flower was code for drugs. Tokyo as you may know if you watch the Peaky Blinders or Snow. We had a supplier who lived in one of the four kingdoms; Gaso but to get there I'd have to travel past Bunisa and that was going to be my only stop today.

I usually travelled to bring them back by myself but this time I had to help Surayya prepare before I took her to school in a farther Kingdoms and the tickets were always expensive from there because they knew it was that time of the year when parents took their children to university.

If anyone could do it, it'd have to be Bala, my right-hand man and war hero friend. We met ten years ago when Baba sent me to train for his army while he was training for the Disari ground forces. He was always so friendly and calm while I was angry and childish because everyone knew I was a privileged child who's father had paid for my training to go serve him and not my country.

The problem with all that was that I never stopped to think that we were just children and that it would never stop till I ignored them or stood up for myself. He couldn't stand up for me and I was close to exploding so I never said a word—making a fool of myself. Two scared friends and one tape night later, we were the most respected boys in the camp.

Want to know what tape night was? I don't think you do. But think of it as being Batman dealing with a dozen of Jokers at night. Then the war came and he was recruited earlier than he was supposed to be because he was one of the strongest while I remained to finish my training.

He didn't return till after the war. We never met till sixteen years later at sea trying to sell off our flowers for our separate kingdoms. I recognized him first, then the waving and hugs then I offered him a job he refused. Next thing I saw was him two weeks later from the balcony of my palace requesting to speak to me.

"Fine." He huffs "If you die just know I won't come for your funeral."

"My ghost will haunt." I chuckle.

"Shut up." I point at the bag on my bed "Help me finish this."

He helped me finish packing and we left with Surayya to her room. She also packed, both new and old things including the order we made for new dresses that came in this morning since we couldn't finish the shopping after our encounter yesterday.

Bala wishes us a safe journey and he lets us exit the palace in our famous Royal Hansa. None of us bothered to dress up. I was in a simple royal Jinga and she was in her regular, ugly and brightly colored plinas and a plain, black shirt that was large and tucked in.

Soon we had to ditch the car for our ship and so we travelled on the sea for hours until the evening when we were already bit tired. As soon as our feet hit the dock, a bullet shoots through and misses right beside Surayya's head. I ask some of the guards to cover her while some took her things.

There was no break for us.

I pulled a gun from my pocket and began shooting directly where the bullet came from. A car from the Bunisari royal house arrives and takes us. There was silence but I knew that wasn't where the shooting would end.

Now, at the college I asked the guards to follow us all the way to her hostel where they stood at the door while I watched her arrange her things in the wardrobe. It was empty on arrival and I had to ask myself if she resumed on the wrong day.

By the time she was almost down Bala began to call. I hand her the phone to speak to him before I hug her and she escorts me out of her room. Her strange but quiet roommate, Kareema tells me goodbye and we step out.

"I need you to stay safe, ok?" I touch her wrist.

She frowned "It was only a bullet. It didn't even hit me."

"That's what everyone says until they actually get hit."

"I don't care."

"Watch your tongue mey."

She rolls her eyes "Can you go?"

She hasn't even started college and she's giving me attitude. What happens when she fully enrolls?

"I abandoned all my work to be here and you're asking me to leave?"

"Well, you were leaving already." She shrugs.

"I don't want to fight mey but if you disrespect me I'll have to punish you."

"You're already punishing me by still being here."

The guards were ready to shock her with a charge torch but I stopped them. She knew I couldn't harm her so she continued to do as she pleased but she was wrong this time. If I continued like this my rules wouldn't matter to her.

"Your.." I pause "Our fathers enemies are everywhere. I need to protect you."

"Oh, so now he remembers I had a father."

"What are you talking about?"

"You suddenly want to become my father after one attempt to kill me." She snarls "We never even identified who it was or if he was really an enemy of my fathers."

"That's because he was executed a long time ago."

He was found as soon as we left the place and I ordered he bet executed once he was found.

"You don't mean that." She holds her head.

"What do I do with someone who tried to kill you?"

"I don't need you to keep trying to save me."

"You don't need me Surayya but our father entrusted you to me."

"You seem to forget we were trained by the same person and also left to the same academy for more training together." She seethed "So, I can defend myself. Thank you."

She has said this a hundred times. Can she be more original?

"You don't get to say that and walk away."

"I'm already walking." She's already at the door of her room.

"Stop!"

"Or what?" She turns back.

"Or nothing."

I let her enter back to her room whilst planning how I was going to punish her with no money.

She'd have to come back begging.

Serves her right since she believes I'm useless to her.
_________________________
~Aisha SafiyanuXO💚