Preparing for War

Brahmuhn was sitting on his throne, all alone in the room. Besides the grief for his father, Chief Kindi and his two comrades, Mamba and Hippo, he was also meditative of the impending war which would take place the next day. The third Elder, Shiri, came in walking in hurried paces.

'What is it now, Shiri?'

'My Chief, it is very urgent…'

'You know very well that you cannot consult me in the absence of the first or second Elder.' Brahmuhn sounded very irritated. He had grown weary of the Elders. He had always watched them as a child when they provided his father with "advice" and never really saw their importance and therefore never grew to tolerate them. He began to see their services as irrelevant to the chiefdom.

'Forgive me, my Chief but I have to tell you this.'

He sat up straight. 'Then out with it.'

He knelt at his feet. He was breathing heavily in anxiety and he was nervously looking over his shoulder. 'Your Greatness, your life could be in danger.'

He frowned harder and leaned closer towards him. 'What is it, Shiri?' he asked him whispering.

Shiri gulped, 'Your Greatness..,' he panted, '…I fear for your life.'

Brahmuhn was more curious than fearful of Shiri's behavior. Besides, all his feelings of anxiety were focused on his comrades' death and his father's death.

'I overheard people plotting to kill you.'

His curiosity deepened. He placed a gentle but firm hand on Shiri's shoulder. 'Who is it, Shiri?'

Dombo and Gumbo suddenly barged in. 'A meeting without us, Shiri?' Dombo smirked, greatly annoyed.

'I think you know very well that only the first Elder or the second Elder can meet with the chief alone,' Gumbo said in an irritated tone.

Brahmuhn held them off by raising his hand.

The two stopped in their tracks.

'Shiri?' Brahmuhn was waiting for Shiri to finish his story.

He was still panting, 'Its…It's…' he looked over his shoulder at Dombo and Gumbo. Their expressions were calm but he could imagine the anger and wrath building up inside them. He turned his eyes to Brahmuhn's feet then sighed deeply. 'It's nothing, my chief. It's just…It's just a nightmare I had last night.'

Brahmuhn smiled and gave him a reassuring pat on the shoulder. 'Do not worry about me, Shiri. No illusion can govern my fate.' He turned to Dombo and Gumbo who were still standing a small distance away. His smile suddenly disappeared. 'What is it?'

'We just came to say, may Mwari be with you in your battle against the Ndebele tomorrow,' Dombo said smiling. 'We pray that He will guide your…your knobkerrie,' he added.

Brahmuhn got up and said, 'God is a myth. The power of man is within himself and God is just a mere illusion to the weak and lazy that man cannot make it on his own.' He walked quickly past the two, bumping violently into Dombo's shoulder. 'I'm going to prepare for battle.'

'I hope you didn't vomit a word to that pompous fool!' Dombo warned Shiri as soon as Brahmuhn had left. Brahmuhn had seen having bodyguards as unnecessary, contrary to most chiefs and he only called his attendants when he was hungry or wanted to send a message to someone outside his homestead. Whenever he sat in his throne room he was at most times alone.

'I…I didn't say anything,' Shiri answered Dombo. 'But I almost did.'

'Don't you realize that by getting rid of Brahmuhn we are doing this village a favor? The fool doesn't believe in Mwari or any spiritual ancestor,' Gumbo pointed out to Shiri trying to make him see reason.

'I know that but…'

'Stay out of our way, Shiri,' Dombo warned him, 'or you might just suffer the same fate as him.' They left him frozen and afraid inside the throne room.

The Vadhindi, led by Brahmuhn were training harder than they had ever trained before. Shumba and Tortoise were locked in vicious wrestling sparring whilst Brahmuhn and Cheetah were sparring with their weapons. Cheetah was swift with his whip, trying to strike Brahmuhn but the brute was too quick. Brahmuhn would dodge his whip then roll towards him, trying to get as close to him as possible.

Shumba was on top of Tortoise, pinning his arms to the ground so that Tortoise was now lying on his back facing him, trying to wriggle free from his grip.

Cheetah managed to strike Brahmuhn at the side of his neck, slurping up a small fountain of blood which shot through the air. This did not stop Brahmuhn though and the routine continued. This training procedure was carried out throughout the whole day. They would switch partners, change from weapons to wrestling, from wrestling to target practice and from target practice to heavy lifting of boulders and tree trunks. Their training ended just after sunset and Brahmuhn and the Vadhindi headed back to their homes to rest, tomorrow was a day that required them to.

Brahmuhn had trouble sleeping that night. He was continuously having nightmares of Chief Mbada. It actually seemed more like a memory than a nightmare. The nightmarish memory of the day Chief Mbada kissed his mother in front of the entire village. He felt the shame and hopelessness his father felt at that time. His attack on Ngoni and Bhonzo which led to him being beaten up by the two hulks…the marriage of Mbada to his mother. But a new nightmare unfolded: He was tied to a tree as he watched Mbada hang his mother from the same tree. 'Useless whore!' Mbada spat at his mother while her body helplessly dangled from the tree branch. His father was nowhere in sight. All Tawana could do was cry out in fear and misery.