KUMAH

Chapter 1

“How did they find me?’’ Kumah thought as he fled through the thick forest. He kept on through the woods breaking off the weaker branches in his way, swiftly evading the ones he couldn't break in split seconds. His heart pounded in his chest and sweat dribbled from his forehead down to his chin. He was fast, too fast for a normal person. His hunters couldn’t keep up with him and they were on horseback. He knew they weren’t after his vessel. The Al-Kida wouldn’t send such average warriors after him. But there’s something wrong all of a sudden. His vessel sends him a strange signal, his heart skips a beat as he glanced at what was ahead of him. He quickly broke his speed and slid, leaving a cloud of dust behind him.

"Damn it! A cliff?" He thought to himself "what now?" He looked down the cliff. It was a long way down. A familiar feeling of nausea crawled up his gut. Let’s just say Kumah and heights aren’t the best of friends. This is ironic since his vessel manifested as an eagle. Damn the gods! Why didn’t they give him something else? A fish would be great at a time like this. He wouldn’t have to bother about jumping into the river below. Or maybe a rhino would do. He’d just rampage is way out of here. But an eagle? What was he supposed to do? Flap his enemies to death? He backed off slowly.

He could hear his hunters approaching. He had to think fast. If he jumped off the cliff into the river, there’s no guarantee he’d survive and there’s no time to fuse with his vessel. Great! He orders his vessel to stay out of sight. The eagle flew into the horizon and his hunters finally caught up with him. Took them long enough.

"Be careful, this one is dangerous." one of them said.

‘’Oh, I’m the one who is dangerous, you have guns, I think I’m the one who needs to be careful here!’’ Kumah snapped.

 Kumah had managed to reduce their numbers to four when he knocked out six of them on their little pursuit. They held long wooden tools they call ‘guns’ and wore black robes which covered their faces leaving holes for their eyes and room for breathing. Kumah knew very little about guns. All he knew was that they were very dangerous weapons. He hoped the eagle armor he wore under his sleeveless top could protect him from the guns. Three of them moved closer to Kumah with their leader behind them, him pushing him closer and closer to the edge of the cliff, to the point where he had no more room. He looked down and boy, was it a long way down.

"Any last words?" The one who Kumah presumed to be their leader cared to ask.

‘’I’m glad you asked,’’ Kumah said with a smirk. ‘’Could you kind sirs or madams if there are any please move back a little? You’re intruding on my space here. Not cool guys.’’

The man behind sighed. ‘’Is this what my career has been reduced to? Hunting down a spoilt brat?’’

‘’Spoilt brat?’’ Kumah asked ‘’My good sir, I’ve been a good boy. I wasn’t the one who knocked down your men. And I wasn’t the one who took your pouch.’’

The man looked to his side where his pouch of gold coins was supposed to be. The look of surprise on his face would have made Kumah’s day if he wasn’t wearing a mask. When did he..?

"Kill him." Their leader ordered

Kumah jumped off the cliff on impulse of course. He would never play games with heights. He also wouldn’t like being shot. Jumping was the better of the two alternatives. The other three aimed at Kumah and fired. Two missed, one didn’t. A sharp pain tore through Kumah’s chest and he let out a violent groan. His eagle armor reduced the damage which would have been fatal.  Falling into the river he hit his head on a protruding rock on the side of the cliff. He started to lose consciousness and his eagle armor began to disintegrate as he fell down the cliff.

The leader observed Kumah’s fall. Kumah met the calm river with a splash and began to sink leaving behind a trace of blood. That was a good thing. No one would find his body and he won't survive underwater. He was about to leave when Kumah’s body suddenly emerged. The leader cursed.

‘’Should we go after him sir?’’ one of the men asked

The leader looked to the nearby Zulu village in the distance. ‘’That’s Zulu territory. It wouldn’t be wise to pursue. Besides, I doubt he survived that fall. Let’s go’’

Flashback…. The Ashanti Clan 6 years ago.

It was a peaceful evening. The owls hooted and the crickets filled the air with their songs. The moon gave the forest an eerie finish.

Kumah tread cautiously. One mistake and it would all be over. His oversized long sleeve shirt danced to rhythm of the wind. He scanned around, looking through the trees and noticing everything that moved. He held small wooden dagger for defense. Well, he wasn’t the only one with a dagger. Nhyira watched Kumah from above. Perfectly hidden from his sight she waited for the right moment to strike.

Kumah knew his sister was good at hiding but he wasn’t good at seeking. He had to wait for her to make her move and he knew just now to trigger her. He squatted pretending to be searching for footprints. He placed his dagger next to him and brushed his hands on the wilting grass and felt the sand between his fingers.

This was the perfect time to attack. Nhyira thought. With his back turned and his dagger away he wouldn’t be able to react in time. She held her dagger in one of the thick strands of her hair. She launched herself at Kumah in a split second. Kumah looked over his shoulder to see his sister coming at him with full force and large grin. He just couldn’t get used to her thick strands of hair. They were very unusual. You can’t comb them but you can definitely swig with them. Long story short, they made her look like medusa. Closing in on Kumah, she prepared her attack. He wasn’t going to reach for his dagger on time. Well, he didn’t need to.

The grin on her face disappeared when Kumah revealed another dagger he hid under his sleeve. She flings her dagger at Kumah. It meets his dagger with a cling and sends sparks flying around.

He didn’t expect that from her. She kicked Kumah, still in midair. Her feet sunk into his chest. He let out a wheezing cough, he loses grip on his dagger and it falls to the ground. She landed and saw the the dagger Kumah left on the ground before. She reached for it but noticed a thin line reflecting in the moonlight.

Kumah pulled the string and sent the dagger flying into his hand. It flew too close to Nhyira’s face. Kumah gripped the end of the dagger once it reached him.  Nhyira still bent down stared at the spot where the dagger used to be.

‘’Guess I win’’ Kumah said

She let out a long sigh. ‘’I let you win little brother’’ she placed her had over her check, observing the cut on her cheek. The dagger must gave cut her on its way to Kumah. He noticed the cut and a worried look crawled up his face. ‘’The invisible thread was a clever move, I’ll admit that.’’ She continued looking up at him she noticed his worry. He had a soft spot for broken things. But she wasn’t broken, it was just a little scratch.

A battle horn cried in the distance. He looked at his sister even more worried. It’s been a while since they heard that sound.  They hurried through the forest to their village and before they exited the forest, the air carried a mixture of smoke and screams. Exiting, the chaos was overwhelming. Kumah froze as he saw his people getting slaughtered and the gun shots echoed in his head.

How was this happening? Nhyira looked around, it was hell. Houses were being burnt to the ground and people were fleeing from the Ashanti clan.  

A dark figure appeared to Kumah’s left. He turned looking at the huge man whose eyes harbored pure evil. He held an axe with an unforgiving blade. Drops of blood dripped from the edges of the blade stained with the cries of its victims. He lifted his axe ready to strike Kumah down. Kumah had to do something, but his body wouldn’t move. His eyes filled with fear and confusion. The man aimed the blade at Kumah’s neck..