The Dancing Bride And Her Spirit Warrior - Episode 25

 

Koni punched the wall in his study room creating a dent on the fine surface. He felt like strangling something or someone, better yet, strangling Juma Kanze. Who in the world was Juma Kanze, what was so special about him that made Vuyanzi care so much? Koni wished he could clear the boy from his bride’s head but it would not be easy. He was the first person she asked for after waking up so he must mean something to her . Koni punched the wall again, enlarging the dent. At first he didn’t think that Juma was anything other than a ‘harmless crush’ as Manute put it. Koni wished he would have sent him farther than Nairobi. The boy was putting a damp on progress between him and his bride. He didn’t only have to deal with the amanani that were growing cunning by the very minute but also a harmless crush.

‘Harmless crush’ my foot.

He recalled how she had responded to his touch and kiss, he suddenly wanted to go back upstairs and complete what they had started this morning but stopped himself, Vuyanzi was still sick. She needed time to recover and it did would not do her any good if he jumped on her like a goat on heat, more like a lion on heat. His skin itched for her touch and his canines wanted to pierce her soft skin

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. Vuyanzi had an effect on him that was both heady and intoxicating at the same time. He yearned for her in ways he couldn’t explain. He had watched as she slept for the past week and to say that he was going crazy out of his need with want for her was an understatement. His blood raced southwards whenever her scent hit him. He had come to learn the hard way that his bride hated to cover herself whenever she slept. Every time he covered her, she managed to sneak a limb out of the covers, Koni had taken more cold showers the past week than he could count.

For a week, he had watched her and held her as nightmares rocked her in her dreams. He watched as she cried and fight off imaginary beasts that were tormenting her in her sleep. Koni wished he could he kill off the amanani that had attacked her again and again. He had barely managed to stop her blood flow before she passed out. He had saved her, not that good for nothing Juma Kanze. After stopping the blood flow, he shifted to man and carried her to the game reserve.

He had found the hyenas dragging her towards the reserve. Why hadn’t they killed her? Where why they dragging her to? Koni let out frustrating growl, the door of his study room opened and there stood his Lishevi, Vuyanzi’s grandmother. She looked at him and his bleeding knuckles but said nothing.

Koni stood straight and motioned her to come in, ‘’Come in,’’ how was he supposed to refer to her shosho, Mrs. or what? He run his hands on his long dreadlocks and held them up on his head, trying to make himself look presentable. Lishevi was a very important woman in Vuyanzi’s life and he needed her approval if he was to court her granddaughter.

‘’Mr. Jasiri, I wanted to talk to you about my granddaughter,’’ Lishevi said sitting herself on the huge chair that was before the enormous mahogany table that acted as his study table. A laptop and a few files were also on the table. For a week he had been working from home watching over Vuyanzi.

‘’I need to know my daughter is safe with you,’’ Lishevi threw a glance on his bloodied knuckles before looking him squarely on the face. Koni held her gaze. He hoped she saw his sincerity there.

‘’Amani will always be safe with me,’’ he answered unwavering.

‘’Good, I will find a way to pay for her accommodation here and the treatment she needs,’’

‘’There is no need for that Lishevi, she is in my care now. I will take care of her’’ Koni had come to know that Lishevi is a very proud woman and wouldn’t ask for charity but he was prepare to turn her down.

‘’Why? I am still very capable, I can work and repay you,’’ Lishevi challenged before a bout of cough rocked her, Koni rushed and brought a glass of water from a dispenser that stood near the large window on the wall. Lishevi took the glass and gulped down the much needed liquid.

‘’Thank you Mr. Jasiri, I have a persistence cough. I have inhaled so much smoke in my recent years,’’ Lishevi wheezed while clutching her hand on her chest steading her breath. Koni knew the old woman was lying, she was hiding a very serious disease that needed urgent medical attention.

‘’Lishevi, I could have my doctor check on you while you are here…,’’

‘’No!’’ she said sharply and Koni could see where Vuyanzi got her stubbornness from.

‘’You are sick, Lishevi. Very sick. I can help you,’’

‘’No, don’t worry about me. Focus on my granddaughter, she needs to get well and be safe. Seeing her getting dragged away by wild animals nearly did me in,’’ she reached across the table and clutched his hands, Koni could feel her fierce grip trembling, ‘’Promise me Mr. Jasiri,’’ Koni could see unshed tears in the old woman’s eyes.

‘’I promise,’’

‘’Thank you. If there is anything you need. I will get it. Vuyanzi is stubborn and has a hard head but her heart is in the right place.’’ Koni chuckled at that and Lishevi broke into a small smile. Koni could see some of the wrinkles she had disappeared. She looked younger.

‘’Lishevi, you don’t have to worry. I will send the doctor to check on you at home…’’ she started to protest but Koni stopped her, ’do it for Vuyanzi,’’ Koni was firm in his decision.

‘’I don’t have such kind of money for treatment,’’

‘’It will be taken care off, don’t worry,’’

Lishevi eyed corner with suspicion, ‘’Why are you doing all of this for us?’’

‘’You know why Lishevi,’’ Koni’s gaze never wavered. Koni knew that Guma the rainmaker and Lishevi have been meeting, he knew that Lishevi knew about him, who he was and what Vuyanzi meant to him. Lishevi knew about his true nature. About his beast. For a week Koni had waited for Lishevi to confront him but she didn’t. She settled for following him with her eyes whenever he was in her presence. When their eyes met, she would hold his gaze but say nothing. Koni felt like she had been challenging him. Daring him to say anything.

‘’What if I object? What if I take her away from here?’’ she continued to push.

‘’I will follow her, she can’t be apart from us,’’ Koni emphasized on us. He needed her to know that the beast would not settle until it has mated with Vuyanzi. There was no compromise.

‘’Vuyanzi doesn’t know anything about you,’’ Lishevi pointed a figure  to his chest, ‘’she doesn’t know that she will end up with a half man, half animal, she doesn’t know that she would be hunted down if she decided to run away, she doesn’t know that she will never know a normal life again. She doesn’t deserve any of this.’’ Lishevi’s voice remained neutral as if she had resigned to her fate. The only sign of her distress was a shaking finger still pointing on Koni’s chest.

‘’It is destiny Lishevi, it was meant to be like this,’’ Koni emphasized. He hoped that Lishevi would not try to do anything to come between them. Now that Vuyanzi was within his grasp, he was not letting her go. Never.

‘’What if she says no and turns your advances down?’’

‘’She won’t,’’ Koni didn’t think Lishevi was talking about him and Vuyanzi anymore. The old lady was talking about someone else.

‘’It has happened before…,’’ Lishevi stopped herself before she said something she shouldn’t. Koni wondered why Lishevi kept so many secret. She straightened the headdress on her head, and released a deep sigh closing her eyes.

‘’Is there something you want to say Lishevi? Something you know? If you know something about Vuyanzi you have to tell me, her life is still in danger.’’

‘’I will never do anything to endanger Vuyanzi Mr. Jasiri. All I am doing is trying to protect her that’s why I let her stay with you despite her uncle protests,’’ Lishevi nearly shouted at Koni. How could he insinuate that she was endangering Vuyanzi’s life? Everything she had done since Vuyanzi was born was protect her to shield her from her cruel fate.

Koni’s phone vibrated on the table breaking their eye contact. Koni silenced it without checking the owner. He was having an important conversation with Lishevi about his bride everything else could wait.

Lishevi stood up, ‘’I will not keep you waiting Mr. Jasiri. Vuyanzi is sleeping after she took some breakfast. I will see you later,’’ with that she walked out.

Koni turned to his phone and saw Manute’s name flashing.

‘’Naambie (talk to me),’’

‘’Koni…are you okay?’’ Manute’s voice was hesitant and Koni rubbed his hand on his face scratching the beard that seemed to be ever growing. He needed to shave soon.

‘’Am fine brother,’’ even though they were not real brothers, they kept referring to each other as that. Out of the five of them Koni was closest to Manute than the others though he was attached to all of them.

‘’You don’t sound so good. Have you managed to calm down Vuyanzi, she didn’t seem okay this morning,’’ Manute’s voice sounded amused. Koni remembered how Manute had nearly broken down his door when he heard Vuyanzi screaming. Manute had walked in to find him and Vuyanzi in a compromising position. He wanted her to calm down and adding Manute seemed to be aggravating her more so he chased him out.

‘’She is fine, her grandmother said she’s sleeping,’’

‘’Lishevi talked to you?’’ Manute was surprised.

‘’I don’t think she likes me much, she thinks Vuyanzi deserves better than me and I think she is right,’’ Koni huffed leaning back on the chair tapping the chair arm absent mindedly.

‘’You are the best thing than can ever happen in Vuyanzi’s life Koni. Am sure she knows that,’’ Manute cheered him on.

‘’Yeah, I know…how are you doing over there, any progress?’’ Koni wanted to talk about something else. They had managed to keep an amanani alive after that fateful attack. They were interviewing him inside the hidden caves to get answers. So far they had found out the location of the amanani, they were planning a raid soon.

‘’No he is not talking anymore. Apart from saying that they are coming for Vuyanzi he has gone mum,’’

Koni growled, he would never let them anywhere near Vuyanzi.

‘’Ok, keep trying. I will be over there sometime today,’’

‘’Ok Koni,’’

Koni ended the call and dialed Sudi’s number,

‘’Yes boss,’’ Sudi liked infuriating Koni. Even though Koni was their leader, he didn’t like them referring to him as such.

‘’Are the journalists still at the entrance?’’

‘’They seem to be flocking in by the minute. You and Vuyanzi are the local stars it seems. Oh and Juma too. Boss am afraid but you have some fierce competition,’’ Sudi guffawed loudly that Koni had to put his phone far from his ear to avoid possible ear damage.

‘’Keep them there and keep me updated,’’

‘’As you say boss,’’ Koni ended the call.

Koni turned back to the papers on his desk and sighed deeply.

Read " Jabali's Redemption " by the same author ( Razia Iminza )

. Work seemed to be piling up and if there was something he was not good at was organizing his own desk.

Even with too much work he felt contended, Vuyanzi was near him, and he could go see her anytime he wanted. Just like it was supposed to be. His main challenge now was to settle her together with him. She was not going anywhere. He listened for half a minute to her deep breaths. She was asleep which was a good thing. Sleep meant she had enough time to heal.

Koni found a local newspaper on the mess on his desk. He turned on the back page to see him and Vuyanzi locked in an embrace. The picture was taken on the night the new reserve was being launched, his lips rose in a smile. They looked good together ‘Fated lovers’, the headlines read. Koni admitted that he liked that heading more, the writer could not be more right,

All he had to do was convince the girl who was asleep on his bed to accept his advances.

Hey ebonites, a new chapter for you.

What is Lishevi hiding? Where were the hyenas dragging Vuyanzi?

Find out more

Much Love