Otheris and the Serpents of Qhudrus (3 page)

Zeenah
chortled, “Anyways, after my husband returned to the stranger, the
man handed a book to my husband and told him it was worth more than
what the men have taken, then he gave up the ghost!”

“It’s a very
powerful book, and that’s a really deplorable and tragic story,”
said Otheris.

Zeenah nodded,
“Yes, it is! But the story didn’t end there; my husband decided to
return home that night, but, he encountered his friends waiting for
him on his way back. Thinking what he held was another big bar of
gold or probably fearing he may expose them, they confronted him
and one of the men stabbed him in the stomach.”

Otheris felt
soaked in sadness, “I’m sorry, I didn’t know…”

Zeenah smiled,
“Well, after that, they threw the book on his body and fled the
scene, however, on that fateful night the men packed their
belongings and their families and left Moughdug. My husband was a
very strong man, he got up and crawled his way home, dragged
himself to the door that night,” she said, “he used the book to
cover his wounds…that’s why I’m finding it hard to flip through
those pages myself! He died the next morning in my arms with his
hand clenched to a book he never got to read!” She bent her head
down.

Otheris moved
his hand and wrapped his arm around her shoulder, “I lack words to
say! You’re a strong woman!”

“I do not need
sympathy now son! You see, that is why your cousin ran away from
home,” she suspired, “I made the biggest mistake the day Jaharial
turned twenty three; I told him how his fathered was killed!” She
sobbed.

“Jaharial? He’s
gone after them?” Otheris asked.

Zeenah nodded,
“He said he’d avenge his father! I cried and begged him but he
wouldn’t listen! Now I haven’t seen him in months! I can’t afford
to lose the two of them, no! I shouldn’t! This is not fair!”

Jaharial
left for a great adventure without me, and I thought he went to
Guiheq to learn the merchant trade,
Otheris thought.

That morning,
Otheris comforted his aunt and assured her he would go seek his
cousin when he returned from his mission. He made a few jokes to
make her laugh and they hugged each other.

“Did I tell
you?” he asked.

“What?” she
inquired.

“The king…he
promised to give me his daughter’s hand in marriage on my return!”
he said excitedly.

“You mean one
of the king’s daughters?” she said.

“The most
beautiful one among them…um, Thakina!” said Otheris, “yeah that’s
her name!”

“Hmm!”
exclaimed Zeenah, “The Oracle? Is that so?”

“Yeah!” he
sighed, “plus the king’s western garden! All mine when I
return?”

“The one with
the fish pond?” she asked.

“Yes! That
one!” he answered.

“Hmmm!” she sat
opposite him, “I hope you know that the king could kill his own
brother over that garden. As a matter of fact, the rightful owner
of that garden was killed by…”

“I am not his
brother, and we had a deal okay! I don’t want to hear what happened
with whom, when or where! Got to go!” he said as he stood up,
kissed her forehead again and walked out, “just don’t forget to
pray for me!”

“Aren’t you
forgetting something?” she said.

Otheris walked
back in and picked a small bag kept on the wooden table, “That
garden is yours on my return aunt Zeenah! All of it.”

“Wouldn’t it be
better if you’d carry the book along with you on this journey
Otheris!?” Zeenah yelled.

“No need, I
have memorised some part of it, I’d reflect on the ones in my head!
Thanks for the food!”

“Okay! I shall
pray for you and when you’re faced with fire, remember son, there‘s
a fire that burns all fires!” she said.

The
road to Qhudrus

“I thought they
would have some slaves drive you in some royal chariot or carry you
on a litter my princess!” Otheris gagged.

“You can call
me Thakina, and I am not your princess!” she answered. Thakina led
the way on her black horse as Otheris and the rest of the men
trotted along behind her, “by the way, if I am ever going to marry
anyone from Moughdug, it certainly won’t be you!”

“Oh! I am
falling in love with you every step of the way…princess!” he said,
“the more I hear your voice the deeper the ship that carries my
heart sinks! I am not a proud man! I am just a boy who happens to
be in love with the most beautiful girl in the world!” winked from
his own horse, “Pride? Hmm!” he turned, “Look at Karim on that
horse,” as he pointed at the huge warrior among the seven men
traveling with them, “now that is a man who’s got pride written all
over him! I heard you slain thousands when you served under the
former king, Karim!”

“I have slain
more than a thousand,” said Karim as he drew his sword from its
fully decorated scabbard, “in battle, to me a thousand men are like
a woman’s heart! Already stolen without even thinking of wooing!”
answered Karim, “that is why king Ikaneziah gave me this beauty as
a gift!” lifted his sword up high for the rest to see, they all
cheered.

“You’re all
unbelievable!” said Thakina as she neck reined her horse to push
Otheris away from her side, “imbeciles!” She whipped her horse
leaving the men behind.

“Easy princess,
don’t talk to your knight in shining armour like that!” joked one
of the men as they laughed.

“She’s mine
boys! You know that, so beat it!” Otheris said.

Otheris,
Thakina and the seven men journeyed through the hot desert sand and
ran out of drinking water but were lucky to come across a beautiful
orchard. Otheris tried hard to get Thakina’s attention but she
stubbornly ignored all his efforts.

“The king has
more than thirty beautiful daughters, I do not know why you waste
your effort picking the arrogant one Otheris!” shouted one of the
men as they mounted their horses to continue their journey.

“Just in case
you’re blind my brother, it is called love!” Otheris replied.

“Yeah!
Brothers, Otheris is right! He is in love…because he is blind!”
said another laughing hysterically.

“Half-wits!”
said Otheris as he dashed his horse, Karim stood next to his horse
admiring his sword.

Otheris rode
away and caught up with Thakina, “Hey princess!”

“Ugh!” she
exclaimed, “I’ve told you several times stop calling me that!”

“Oh I am sorry!
I thought girls like it when a boy calls them princess,” he
japed.

“Well, I don’t
deal with boys and I am not a girl…I am a lady!” she shouted, “and
so should be treated like one…by a real man that is but, as you can
see my friend, you’re a boy so I understand!” she teased.

“Whoa there!
How many times are you going to talk about the boy-girl thing? I am
a twenty six year old male and that makes me a man!” he said, “Look
at these? See?” raised his arm and showed her his biceps to impress
her.

“Yes you are…a
man who still lives with his aunt!” she mocked, “You think you’ll
win a woman’s heart acting like that?”

“Hey! When we
get back I am going to own a beautiful garden, the best of all the
gardens in the kingdom for that matter and I heard it has got a
beautiful fish pond in the middle of it!” he said, “and the good
Lord has bestowed me with a beautiful woman!”

“My father will
never give you that garden, trust me! Even if you slay the devil
himself!” she said, “By the way, why would you choose something
like that? Of all the things a man would ask a king, you chose a
garden!? Gosh you’re way more boyish than I thought!”

“Well, I did
swap it with the most precious thing in the world, didn’t I? Still
the generous king offered to give me both the garden and his
beautiful daughter’s hand in marriage when I return?” he giggled,
“So who’s wiser now?”

“Stop fooling
yourself, I am not beautiful. You haven’t seen my sisters yet, have
you?” Thakina said, “And stop telling me you gave it all up simply
because I am beautiful!”

“I’d give up
the world itself just for you!” he replied.

“Only a foolish
boy would do that, do you know what a real man would do?” she
asked.

“Oh here we go
again!” he injected.

“A real man
would go for the world so the girls would rush for him!” she
added.

“Well, I don’t
want to be a man then, I want to remain a boy…who loves you!” he
blew a kiss in the air for her but she acted as though she caught
it then bent towards her horse’s mouth and fed it the symbolic
kiss, then drew her hand from the horse’s mouth to its tail and
threw it off like the horse just dropped some dung.

“What? You did
not just do that princess,” he said.

“Aargh!” she
exclaimed.

“Ha-Ha! You’re
so going to make a fun companion, and a great mother too!” Otheris
winked.

“I hate it when
you wink! I hate it when you address me as a princess! Stop it
already!” she said, “why are you so annoying?”

“Only on one
condition!” he answered.

“Which is?” she
asked.

“If you will
sing for me on the day of our wedding?” he teased.

“I am dead!
Yep, I am definitely dead!” she replied, “Do you even know why I
came along with you on this journey?”

“Well, maybe
your father wants you to go see the world and probably expects that
you’d learn a lot about life and maybe meet the man of your
dreams!” he joked.

“There is no
such thing as the man of my dreams but you may be right; father did
want me to go out and interact more but then…you and my father had
already struck a deal so if his problem was for me to get a partner
he would’ve told me to just stay home and wait for you to come
back, then we marry, don’t you think?” she replied.

“Aah! So she
does like me!” he said.

“You’re
pathetic!” said Thakina.

Otheris started
to whistle a sweet song.

“What song is
that? You got the tunes wrong!” she added.

“Then teach
me!” he replied.

“I won’t
whistle, I’ll sing it so move your horse from my view and listen to
a professional sing,” prided Thakina, and as she opened her mouth
to sing, Karim and the others galloped through.

“I think we
should rest beneath the mountains and camp there for the night!”
Karim insisted.

“Unbelievable!
This is so not fair! I can’t believe this!” Otheris deplored.

“What did I
do?” Karim asked, “I was only trying to save your life! You should
thank me!” he stared at Thakina.

“Save my life?
Ugh!” Otheris emphasised life, “On this journey, I am the one doing
the saving!”

“Did you hear
that boys?” said Karim, “our young-wanna-be hero here thinks he
will save the day when this all ends!” the men laughed.

“Not only is he
going to save the day, he’s taking home your swords along with the
heads of the serpents of Qhudrus…boys!” said Thakina as she flogged
her horse leaving the men with nothing but dust.

“Ha! Ha! Ha!
Princess!” mocked one of the men, “very funny!”

“Let’s not
forget boys! Thakina here is the all mighty Oracle! Oracles have
foresight, right?” said Otheris. The men didn’t find it funny as
they stared at him.

Otheris walked
his horse passed the men, “I thought so!”

“This woman I
don’t like the way she talks!” said one of the men.

“She’s a
princess, that’s how they talk Zuka!” Karim responded.

“Well, I don’t
like princesses! And this Otheris I say we cut off his head after
we are done with the serpents of Qhudrus and fabricate a story of
how he died heroically!” Zuka added.

“The princess
will tell the king!” said another.

“Who says her
body must return home with its heart still beating?” Zuka
suggested.

“That’ll do
boys! Let’s not waste our time scheming on silly things! Don’t you
just love the drama and entertainment they put up? Imagine how
boring this trip would be if these love birds weren’t with us!”
said Karim.

“You think she
loves him?” asked Zuka.

“She likes him
alright!” answered Karim, “let’s go make a camp for the night men!”
he moved his horse in front of the men and turned, “by the way,
this talks about cutting heads and taking a lifeless body home!” he
cleared his throat, “let it die here and now, unless you want to
choose a new leader but if you still trust me to lead this mission
I say no one should even dare to think about what my ears just
heard! We’re on this journey for one thing, and that is to help the
young man here bring back the heads of the serpents of Qhudrus to
King Ikaneziah!” Karim turned to look at where Otheris was headed,
“I don’t know how he intend to do, but ours is to follow the orders
of the king!”

“I’m starving!”
said Zuka.

Karim led the
men and by the time the seven of them got beneath the mountains, it
was sun down. Thakina and Otheris had gathered some sticks to set
up a fire.

The men got a
nice spot and tied their horses to the trees in order to rest for
the night. Zuka and two of the men went up the mountain.

“We should be
at the gates of Qhudrus by dawn!” said Thakina.

“I heard
there’s a shortcut up these mountains!” Otheris responded.

“Well, it’s
best we go through the gates. It’ll be less suspicious, we don’t
want any of the serpents alerted before we even make any move, do
we?” she said, “let me see your sword!” as she turned to
Otheris.

“My sword?”
Otheris asked posing like a warrior.

“Yes! Your
sword, might I have a look at it?” she said.

“Why not!
Here!” as he handed it to her.

“Hmm! I kind of
like it,” she drew her own sword, “let’s see!” Thakina threw his
sword back at him and as soon as he grabbed it, she charged towards
him faster than he’d think; Otheris used his sword to protect
himself, and as their swords clanked, half of Otheris’s sword went
flying in the air.