The Zulu territory….   "Sipho, try not to sit near the edges of the canoe alright?" Sarh said moving his long brown hair out of the way as he prepared his fishing net. "Sure, thing Sarh." Sipho replied shifting away from the edge of the canoe "I can tell you're really excited." Tamba said paddling the canoe with carefully rehearsed strokes. "Well, yes this is my first fishing experience." Sipho laughed. He placed his hand in the water and let out a happy gasp. The cold feel of the water tickled his fingers and he watched his reflection dance to the rhythm of the water.   Sarh and Tamba were young twin fishermen who have been fishing since childhood. To be honest they only brought Sipho along with them because of his vessel. He could smell any living thing from a mile away. This was accompanied by an usual large nose. There were only few Afikans born with parts of their body as vessels They have been finding it hard to catch f

Kumah slowly opened his eyes. He squinted as the sunlight hit his eyes through the holes in the ceiling of the hut. He waited for his surroundings to come into focus and sat on the bed he laid on. He groaned at a slight headache and placed his hand on his head. It was bandaged and so was his chest. He looked around the room. There was an empty bed next to him followed by a little girl who laid on the bed next to the empty one. She looked very sick. Little drops of sweat rested on her forehead and her breathing was heavy, like every breath she took was a titanic effort to draw in oxygen. To her side were small pots filled with herbs and water. A familiar figure walked in, it was the girl from before, Amahle. She carried a pot of water on her head holding it steady with her right hand and a basket of fresh herbs in her left hand. Kumah couldn’t recall such herbs growing in this region. She gave Kumah a disapproving look, like he should be resting and not be awake by now. Dropping the

A bucket of cold water gave Kumah a rude awakening. He let out a loud gasp and shivered. This was the third time he’d pass out and it was not good. That was the least of his worries though. He was tied onto a dirty pole in the middle of the village and the ropes made his wrists sore. He struggled to break them but they looked like they were designed to tie down a Zulu. They were thicker than usual ropes. The villagers surrounded him in a circle and he looked around searching for Amahle. In front of him, the seemingly perfect circle of people broke into two and a man walked through the path with guards and Amahle on his right-hand side. He wore a cloth made from bear skin and golden chains dangled from his neck. His presence was intimidating. He had a tiny nose accompanied by a contrasted broad chin. He had a muscular body which would put a body builder to shame. On his left arm was a golden brace vessel which complemented the diamond rings on his fingers. The people bowed at