The Dancing Bride And Her Spirit Warrior - Episode 36

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A knock sounded on Koni's bedroom door where Vuyanzi was.

She knew for sure that it was not Koni as he had locked himself up in the study room with his brothers shortly after her grandmother had been taken to the hospital by an ambulance.

The doctor had accompanied her.

"Yes," 

Neza poked her head in,

"Can I come in" her tone was unsure.

Her eyes pleading with Vuyanzi.

Vuyanzi sighed and nodded her head.

She might as well hear what her mother's sister was going to say.

Vuyanzi tied the bathrobe tightly against her body.

She had just stepped out of the bathroom.

Feeling refreshed after washing the tiredness out of her body.

It had been a long day and it seems it was not anywhere near ending seeing Neza standing before her.

Neza came in and stood on the center of the room, she smiled wearingly at Vuyanzi, 

"Can we talk?"

 "Why not?"

 Vuyanzi folded her hands on her chest in a defensive stance and looked at her mother's twin sister.

They looked erringly alike.

Though her reference was an old tattered photo, she could still see the similarities. "Am a dancing bride too like you,"

 Neza said and Vuyanzi eyes grew wide.

She did not see that coming.

"I have the markings too, look,"

Neza opened the top button of her blouse.

Vuyanzi didn't know what she was looking for but was even more surprised to see that her aunt had the same birthmarks as her, a litter of small dots that surrounded her neck and disappeared into her cleavage.

That was a mark of a dancing bride, she didn't know that.

Vuyanzi legs lost energy and she dropped on the bed.

Neza sat beside her

"Your mother was a dancing bride too,"

 Neza continued with her gentle tone.

Her accent was so enchanting

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. Vuyanzi could listen to her every day.

"What?"

 "Yes we knew of our destinies from an early age. What we didn't know was who would our spirit warriors. We were born in the world of spirit warriors Vuyanzi. Our father, your grandfather is the clan head. Our mother, your grandmother is a dancing bride too. Dancing bride is hereditary, if you'll ever be blessed with children, your sons will be spirit warriors and your daughters will be dancing brides."

 Neza revealed more than Koni had ever told Vuyanzi.

She was learning more about herself than she expected.

Apart from Koni telling her that she was a dancing bride, he didn't reveal much.

"So that means there is no way around it?" 

Vuyanzi questioned, she wanted to know.

"A way around being a dancing bride? No there is none. we are bound to spirit warriors Vuyanzi. Your mother tried to get away from all of it but you can't, you shouldn't try"

 Neza took Vuyanzi�s hand in hers. Imploring her.

"She tried to get away?" 

"Yes, she didn't wait for the warrior to come to her, she took off to Kenya in the name of studies. She was determined to get away. She met your father in campus in Nairobi city. She was happy, thinking that she had escaped her destiny but how wrong she was,"

 Neza finished with a sigh.

"Then?"

 Vuyanzi prompted Neza to speak, she wanted to know more about her mother, dancing brides, everything. More than anything she wanted to know more about her parents tragic deaths.

"When we came to age, like you now. Our spirits warriors came for us. I was the first to be taken away. One day I was out with my friends from school and then I was snatched by a warrior and deep into the forest he kept me hostage for almost a three weeks. Until I accepted to mate with him,"

 "He kept you hostage?"

 Vuyanzi could not believe that. That was so wrong.

"Yes,"

 Neza chuckled at the surprise look on Vuyanzi's face,

"by the time I came back, my sister had disappeared from the face of the earth,"

 Neza's voice grew somber again, Vuyanzi looked aside biting her lips.

Things were not adding up.

"Who killed my parents?"

 "The amanani, they traced her all the way across the border and found her in Nairobi, she was heavily pregnant by that time. Your mother's spirit warrior was too late. By the time he reached her the amanani had already slashed your parents throats and you were nowhere in sight. The warrior avenged your mother's death and then went back to Kigali. He broke the news to our distraught mother and disappointed father. I could not believe it. Your mother had confided in me that she was pregnant but nobody else. When I told my parents about you and the possibility that you were alive, they didn't believe me. I knew deep in my soul you were alive but I didn't know where to start from. The morgue where your parents lay recorded only one child being saved that night, Vuyanzi Amani. I was looking for Sentwali Zuri. You too had completely disappeared. After my sister's death, I was not allowed to go anywhere."

 "That is so horrible,"

 Vuyanzi could not believe it. All this sounded like a story that belonged to a book.

"My mother was killed by amanani and her spirit warrior avenged her? Even after she turned him away?"

 "Yes, you have to know Vuyanzi, spirit warriors are loyal to their brides whether they are mated or not. Your mother didn't want to be mated to a half man and half animal so she chose to run away but for the warrior didn't have a choice. He was coming after her, he was going to convince her to go back with him. She didn't have a choice. If the amanani didn't reach her first she was going to be taken back to Kigali." 

"But my mother didn't want that, she wanted to have freedom to choose whom to love and be with,"

 Vuyanzi stood up from the bed and threw her hands in the air in frustration.

"It was a pact made between our ancestors and the oracle if we were to defeat the amanani. Dancing brides were offered as appeasement to the warriors who shifted from man to animals."

 Neza stood up with her.

She explained more for Vuyanzi to understand,

"at first we were given as appeasement to the amanani."

"What?"

 Vuyanzi felt like her head is going to explode with all the information she was getting.

"Listen careful, when the amanani started appearing and creating havoc among the people, the oracle was consulted and the chiefs had to give up young virgin brides to the beasts to satisfy their anger and preventing them from losing their cattle and warriors in the fight. That method worked for a while but the amanani grew greedier so they wanted more. The oracle was consulted again and it was decided that there was another way for the fight against the amanani to end." 

"Which was?" 

"Our strongest warriors had to take the shape of animals to fight the amanani. We the dancing brides were now offered as appeasement to the warriors. That is how we became dancing brides to the spirit warriors,"

"Whoa," Vuyanzi exhaled trying to digest everything she was told.

"The amanani are after us because they feel cheated and want us back. The warriors can't let us go because we are entirely bound to them after the mating,"

 "Mating?"

 Vuyanzi raised her eyebrows in question.
'Yes, that finalizes the bond."

 Neza explained.

"What does 'um' mating entail?"

 Vuyanzi didn't know why she was feeling uncomfortable asking that question.

"Koni has not told you?"

 Neza was surprised.

She thought that Vuyanzi and Koni had already mated.

"No, he hasn't."

 "Ok well 'um'" Neza released a shaky laugh,

"he has to bite you on the neck during um s*x,"

 she said uncomfortably.

"What?" 

Vuyanzi's eyebrows reached her hairline. Her jaws dropped.

Her hand went instinctively to her neck.

She remembered the horror of being bitten by a hyena.

At the same phase she also remembered Koni heated kisses all over her neck, that was why he did that. He wanted to bite her.

"The bite is for the beast to mark you. To show that you belong to him,"

 Neza didn't want to reveal much and scare Vuyanzi.

She decided to stop there.

"I'um"

Vuyanzi was cut short when the door opened and Koni stood there. He didn't appear to be surprised to find Vuyanzi with Neza. His intense gaze fleeted between the two before pocketing his hands.

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

. Vuyanzi looked at him and swallowed remembering Neza's words.

Neza looked at her niece frightened look, she wanted to assure Vuyanzi that the bite was not as bad as she thought. In fact she would feel nothing only pleasure. "Vuyanzi, we are leaving in an hour," Koni stated, he looked like he wanted to add something else but held back ."Neza can I talk to you downstairs," 

"Yes sure Mr. Jasiri. "  Neza politely answered. Vuyanzi could not help but feel some tension between the two. Koni sent a heated look at her that left Vuyanzi feeling hot underneath the bathrobe. With a smirk on his lips he turned on his heels and stepped outside the room.

"I better go after him, we will talk later before you leave for the city. There is so much we have to discuss,"

 Vuyanzi nodded absentmindedly.

Neza walked to the door, satisfied that he was making progress with her niece.

"Wait Neza,"

 Vuyanzi called out suddenly,

"Yes?"

 Neza turned slightly her hand still on the door knob.

"What animal is your spirit warrior? I know Koni and his team are lions,"

 "Oh, Gahiji is part man and part a silver back,"

 "Silverback?"

 Vuyanzi didn't understand. Neza chuckled her sound coming out like muffled music,

"Gahiji is a silverback gorilla," 

Vuyanzi nearly collapsed where she was standing. What world had she stepped in? ...........................................

More secrets are bound to be revealed.

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