TO ZAKKAI'S SURPRISE and annoyance, Elder Okafor chooses not to seek an audience with Queen Jokuye upon their return to Zafanya. Instead, he makes no delay to summon the Council of Rukisu Elders to their meeting place, stating that the duty of passing on a declaration of war lies on the shoulders of their Great Elder. The queen, he says, is too busy to take messages from anybody and everybody who has a mind to enter her court.

So the pair find themselves in the middle of a ring of questioning elders. Okafor now dons the scarlet ceremonial robes over his leather armor again. After having soaked the report in eagerly, now denial has set in, and rationalizations ensue.

"I want to believe you, Okafor, but I cannot," says the yellow-garbed elder with the lengthy beard, since introduced to Zakkai as Great Elder Karabo Riuki. "You slew Ralles Algari before my very eyes in Katnaj twelve years ago. You cannot possibly have faced him again just now."

Okafor throws up his hands. "I can only tell you what I saw with my own eyes. Zakkai here is my witness. Algari lived, breathed, and fought like any of us. And I slew him again three days ago."

"Are these things true, boy?"

Zakkai squints at the belittling title. "I do remind you that I am a prince and wish to be addressed as such. That said, everything Elder Okafor has said about the happenings out in Mejanno, I confirm wholeheartedly. I never knew this Algari character years ago as you do, but he was verifiably alive only days ago. We ensured his death for a second time, however."

"These things simply do not happen!" protests a pudgy elder draped in violet robes. "In all my years, I have never seen an elephant fly, and I have never seen a dead man rise again."

"Perhaps Algari never truly died years ago," suggests an elder clothed in orange whose face is wrinkled into a permanent scowl.

Great Elder Riuki shakes his head. "I know a dead man when I see one, Debayo. He was certainly dead."

"Then how do you explain Okafor's report?"

"This must be a trick somehow. An actor, perhaps."

"He fought exactly as Algari did," Okafor protests. "He was identical to the man we once knew in ways no actor could ever imitate. I ask you to believe the ridiculous only because the ridiculous is true."

The violet-robed elder shakes his head. "I still refuse to believe it."

Sitting next to the elder in the purple robe is a man wrapped in green garments, towering over his counterpart despite his sitting position. He has not spoken so far, but now he leans forward with a thoughtful hum.

"We must not forget about the final prophecy left unfulfilled," he says. "A time of signs and wonders has been foretold, and perhaps we are beginning to see that take place."

Debayo snorts. "The signs and wonders will be wrought by the children of God, not the workers of iniquity. Read the prophecy again, you should."

"I very well might."

"Now, excuse my repetition," Riuki says, "but what am I to tell the queen, exactly? If we have a difficult time believing in this resurrection of our old enemy, she certainly will disbelieve, but she must be advised of the political challenge laid out before us."

Okafor steps away from Zakkai, scarlet robes rustling as he heads for the empty seat belonging to him. "The seven Kalguri tribes have claimed Mejanno for themselves as a capital city. They also demand the western half of N'graza be ceded to their new nation as a place to pasture their cattle. If her majesty chooses to liberate Mejanno or fortify N'graza, then she will have created a state of war between Zafanya and the Kalguri peoples."

"I do wonder who Algari's new master is, in that case. Nomadic tribes do not suddenly gain an appetite for seizing territory and controlling pastures. For them to pursue this course of action is highly unusual."

"He alluded to the fact her majesty has created many enemies over the course of her rule. That should she be foolish enough to start a war, the Kalguri will have allies."

"Which of her enemies would have the power to resurrect the dead and the ambition to seize territory?"

Okafor eases into his seat, leaving Zakkai alone in the middle of the ring of elders. "None of it makes any sense to me. If T'kalla were to seek expansion on this side of the river again, they would not do so by empowering the Kalguri."

Debayo tilts his head. "Unless they are confident they could use the Kalguri against us and then crush them after they had served their purpose."

"That is ridiculous. If the Kalguri were somehow to overpower the queen of the savannah, who could hope to overpower them in turn?"

"So we are left no closer to an answer."

Riuki frowns. "And why only the western half of N'graza? Is the entire territory too large to occupy?"

"There are only eleven thousand of them, Great Elder."

"Something is very peculiar about all of this. I will pass on the message to her majesty, but she will expect answers, and we have none for her. We shall appear foolish in this."

The elder in the green robes breathes deeply. "We would do well to commit this matter to prayer before conveying the message to the queen. Clarity and insight are needed."

"Agreed, Ayodele." Riuki's gaze focuses in abruptly on Zakkai, causing the youth to freeze. "Tell me, Okafor, did you find this boy useful?"

"Exceedingly so."

Zakkai spins about, shooting Okafor a look of mingled surprise and appreciation. The elder's wisdom truly shines through now, as he must have recognized his incredible martial ability and reliability as an ally. Perhaps the queen herself will now receive word of his prowess—

"He has much potential." Okafor continues.

Potential. Maybe the man is not as keen as it had appeared. Surely he showed more than potential in Mejanno.

"Do you judge his intent to be in any way subversive?" Riuki asks.

"Not one bit. He lacks the tact of a spy and his ignorance is not an act. That said, he is inquisitive, and he was skilled enough with a blade that Algari did not cut him to pieces immediately. He has potential."

"A boy that skinny standing up to Algari himself?" Debayo chuckles. "Preposterous."

"Believe what you will, Debayo, but in that cathedral, I saw a swordsman of great promise. He can only grow from here."

"You also say you saw a man risen from the dead."

"And what of it?" Okafor shoots to his feet, fists clenched. "Perhaps your lips should be as slack as your arms have been lately."

"Enough, you two," Riuki barks. "I trust Okafor's judgement. If war is upon us, the Bladesmen could use more recruits. If you wish to pull him into your current pool of Rukisu initiates, you have my blessing."

"Does the boy understand the commitment fully?" asks an elder in a cyan robe, the only woman present.

Okafor shakes his head. "I had explained our purpose only, not our vow."

Riuki rises to his feet and takes slow steps toward the youth. "You must understand that the Rukisu are a breed of warrior deserving of high esteem, but bearing a heavy burden. We are no ordinary soldiers, conscripts drug in by circumstance. No, our vow is a weighty one, yet we make it willingly. Are you ready to shoulder this burden, or will you return to thieving in our streets?"

Zakkai wills his brow not to furrow. He gulps. "I should like to know the particulars of the vow before I swear it. However, I do find your cause just as I know it, and if Elder Okafor's conduct is any indication of your collective integrity, I would be honored to stand among you."

"Of primary importance to you, no doubt, a Rukisu's only earthly loyalty is that which is given to her majesty, the Zafanyan queen. You insist on being addressed as a prince, boy, but should you join our ranks, you are a prince no longer, and a Rukisu only. This, I would argue, is a greater honor than bearing the title of a prince while yet remaining an exile."

"Perhaps so. What else is included in the vow?"

"My hands are not mine, but the queen's," Riuki says in a manner as if reciting memorized words, "she may at all times do with them as she please."

"My feet are not my feet, but the queen's," Okafor echoes. "I go at all times where she pleases."

"My mouth is not my mouth, but the queen's," calls a third elder. "When bidden, I speak only what she pleases."

"My strength is not my strength, but the queen's. In all manner of trial and tribulation, I will endure for her pleasure."

"My life is not my life, but the queen's. When bidden, I will not hesitate to give it in her service."

"My heart is not my heart, but the queen's. My love and loyalty belong only to the Lord God above and to her majesty. No other earthly tie shall bind me."

At this last one, Zakkai's eyes widen. "Do I rightly perceive this oath includes a promise of celibacy?"

Debayo cackles. "Of course, the boy balks at this requirement."

"Yes," Riuki says, "for the honor and prestige we gain, we must forego certain entanglements which distract ordinary men. It must never be that we debate whether to make one choice or another based on the whims of a woman or the cries of a child. It is for our good that we make this vow."

But Algari had mentioned Okafor having a daughter, fifteen years old. Was this a lie? Zakkai's head spins.

"Continue," he breathes. "I will consider."

"That was all. If this commitment is one you can bear, then Okafor will be your teacher and mentor as you join his initiates. You will only be held to the particulars of the vow if you pass all his tests and the queen chooses to officially bring you into the proper ranks of the Rukisu, but we felt it important you are not blind to the promises that will be expected of you at that juncture. Do you accept our invitation?"

Zakkai considers for a long moment. As a prince, he had taken for granted that one day, he would take a wife, produce an heir, and build a legacy. Making this vow would render every bit of that an impossibility. But then again, he had been exiled and disowned, and as far as he had come from Esraya, did any of that matter? Most likely, the path now laid before him was the most fulfilling journey he could embark on. Perhaps the sacrifice would be worth it in the end.

At the very least, they were not forcing him to make a final decision at this instant.

"I accept your invitation, Great Elder, esteemed council. I will give Elder Okafor my all."

"I have one more question before we proceed," Debayo says, eyeing Okafor closely.

"Speak it."

"Suppose we do allow this boy to join your initiates, and one day, his skill warrants accepting him into the proper ranks of the Rukisu. How do you plan on avoiding another instance of what happened with Chukwudi?"

Okafor's jaw tenses. "Are you questioning my abilities as a teacher?"

"He was a son to you, and yet you lost him to the enemy. We should not like to see history repeat itself."

"I have my regrets, to be sure. But Chukwudi made his own choice. That says nothing about my ability—"

"This is nonsense," Riuki calls out, motioning to the indigo-dressed elder at Okafor's right hand. "Elder Folabi himself is a former student of Okafor's, if your memory fails you. Any doubt about his ability to teach can be laid to rest by that simple fact. War is upon us, men of the Council. It is time we sharpen our blades."

Debayo sinks back in his chair. "Very well, then. I have no objection."

Riuki lays his hands on Zakkai's shoulders and tightens his lips into an approximation of a smile. He nods his head and closes his eyes solemnly.

"You will find every trial you face among our ranks is but a doorway to a greater blessing. You have wandered far, but if the Lord wills it, you may have found a new home. Okafor, you may take the boy into the company of his new peers."