The overdue visit

Arzika was not satisfied, having the Maker's messenger in his custody is not a win for him. He pocketed his pride and ordered for a change of direction towards Mugunta, He wanted to visit the Mugunta's gatekeeper, Gamsheka.

" Gamsheka is your inferior, there is no need to visit him. It is his duty to protect you, we are doing our best ," said The first Mayya.

" Your best is not enough, you become empty whenever you come closer to the beast, I mean, You saw him and couldn't raise a thumb," Arzika slammed.

" I am doing as the lord Riya directs,"

" Then I going to see gamsheka should not bother you"

Arzika proceeded to Gamsheka's territory, Gamsheka's Army could not stop or question him, they knew who he was.

Gamsheka was not surprised at his sight, He welcomed Arzika, and they went to a separate tent with each of them having their guard by the side, the first Mayya was with gamsheka, a table was prepared and they went down to business.

" I have been expecting you" Gamsheka was so relaxed while Arzika wore no pleasant look." I guess the beast is hunting you already"

" you know about the beast?"

" Hmmm,Arzika , I knew you will never come until something like this comes up, You have really looked down on me,"

" Let's talk about the issue,"

" Arzika , there is no long story, they are our destruction,"

" Who are they?"

" Hana's Heirs, it had been revealed that the only way We could rule forever was to prevent Hana from producing an heir,"

" When was that revealed?"

"As soon as Hana climbed the throne."

" Who revealed that?"

" You forget that I was a priest before we began to search for more powers, all you cared about was seeking for only powers, ignoring knowledge, I knew about this and I have been trying my best to avoid the birth of his twins , it was a little easy because Jikau was on my side, he is Hana's brother, we worked a way to prevent the Queen from getting pregnant but we could not stop her from conceiving the twins, I decided to find the reason behind that ,then I was told we could only get rid of them when they are born" Gamsheka paused to sip his wine

" So did you get rid of them?"

" We asked the wrong person to carry out the killings obviously,"

" How do you mean?"

" We paid the Midwife kaka to carry out the killings and She told us that She could only kill one that the other didn't die, I didn't believe her and I continued my findings, all these altered my seeking for more powers, I did some findings on Amir and I discovered that he had a strong spirit and destiny , the path he chose toward death is indeed rare,"

" Which is?"

" He is not destined to die by anyone but Himself,"

" Make me understand,"

" Amir is one of the twins and shall only die when He becomes very old , the only cause for his untimely death will be a suicide,"

" What? Who is their lord? what is the source Of their powers?"

" It's mysterious, even the lords are finding it difficult,"

" But the Midwife lied, she sold the second twin to a stranger in my Emirate,"

" Yes , the second twin is the real problem, He should never have left your Emirate,"

" But I didn't get him no matter how much I tried to search for him, how would I have known that it was a mere stranger? I did no wrong to them,Why are they my doom? I was fortified!"

" It is their destiny to trouble evil rulers and You are not an exception, the latest revelations hindered My actions, I got the most shocking one on the day He came back to lumana, those boys are more powerful than any Army when they fight together,"

"How can they destroy me ? they cannot set their feet in my abode in the Mugunta,"

" The first successful step to get into the Mugunta is getting rid of the Gatekeeper"

" You have an immortal army of 100 Men,"

" It doesn't matter when those two fight together,"

" I actually stopped relating with you because I felt you are being a Coward, why don't you just attack lumana and destroy them once and for all? Your playful six moons attack is meaningless"

" Destroying Lumana is never an issue, the issue is killing Amir , I can't win the battle if he remains alive, all these attacks was to bring him down and make him feel worthless since he is very emotional, I had done countless things to make him think that suicide is the only way out but your carelessness and unnecessary heart desires have wasted all my efforts!''

" What do you mean by carelessness?"

" I will make you understand, I am furious with lumana for throwing me away and I want to conquer it with all I have but I have obstacles and one of them had been taken away to your land , you were made up, You are an Emir, You have no reason to be angry with your own people but You treat them with grievance and it has fallen back on You, if you were good with your people , the beast in the Hamza who was a mere stranger would never had risen, He got angry and remembered who he was and you allowed him leave Nasara, if He had not left Nasara, Amir would have been dead and I would have conquered Lumana!" Gamsheka charged

" No, it was not all my fault, besides I have a reason behind the hatred I have for Nasara citizens,"

"That's not enough reason, You didn't have to punish the innocent, You should face the people who took the woman you loved but the only way you found to express your pains was to become a demon, at least I had a better reason," Gamsheka said angrily " You are only here because You are scared. You care less about me and I am the gate keeper , I am tired of your first shield Arzika,"

" Gamsheka, I told you We shall talk about that, I came here myself without your invitation, I agreed on being careless but a solution is what we need now. I took a bold step by abducting the person Hana believes in, the Messenger of his beliefs"

" That's is not a step, the one and the only way is to get rid of Hamza,"

" He is too powerful, My mayyu loose their powers in his presence, "

" That's because all you sought is power without knowledge, truly, Hamza inherited his special gift from his great grandfather, It would be difficult to kill him with a mere sword or spells, it is rather unfortunate that I knew about Hamza at a late time, If Hamza remains alive before the next moon, I wouldn't dare to take a next battle with Lumana and eventually you and I would become history because they would find me,"

" Okay, stay calm,what are you doing about this?"

Gamsheka took a deep breath, He stood up and lifted a clay pot, there was an burning flame inside the mini Clay pot, he walked back to Arzika , then dropped the Clay pot on the table " I am preparing the lemon poison, it would be ready in a moon time,"

" You must have been preparing for a while," Arzika said as stared at the Clay pot.

" This fire signifies his presence, once it goes off, it means that Hamza has been conquered" Gamsheka said " the lemon poison is the only way to avoid our destruction, once Hamza dies, Amir will be depressed again"

" If hamza dies, will I be free?"

" Probably, Amir cannot do it alone, if my plans goes well , then, I might have to continue with my mission,"

" I would advice you destroy Lumana, forget the honours, this will bring Amir into total depression,"

"I don't want to destroy all the people I plan to rule, They have great soldiers and resource, you can attest to that, I want to take over and you could have helped me but you have been quiet and I am here covering you up! "

" You have immortal soldiers, you have everything,"

" Arzika, You and I know what I am saying, You are a born traitor, You have hidden agendas, You have conquered Nasara and deep down in You, Lumana is one of the land you wish to conquer amongst others, You have the power! for that reason, my heart is divided, how am I certain that you will not double cross me?"

"You are right, I am power thirsty and it keeps eating me when I remember that some little bastards want to slow it down, but since I need to achieve my aims, I would let Lumana go, do your part,"

" I will, but we must take a blood oath,"

The first mayya was alarmed

" We need to take it, but if you disagree , I will not proceed with my plans and hamza would conquer us" Gamsheka warned

" What oath?" Arzika was puzzled

" If I go down on my mission to kill Hamza, You will go down too, I will be proud in my grave if none of us succeeds," Gamsheka halted for a second,then, He continued " you are thinking twice, I strived so hard to prepare the lemon poison, it is the only poison that serves two purposes, every other poison has a quick antidote , but if You think You can start preparing Yours or have another way to avoid your doom, You have just one moon left which is not enough to prepare a lemon poison"

" I will not take lumana, I promise I will help you In any way to become a successful ruler"

" An oath would clear all doubts, "

Arzika starred at gamsheka for a while and nodded "okay , let's do it,"

.....And They took the blood oath, Gamsheka also offered Arzika a Clay pot with flames signifying hamza's presence.

" You should never have taken an oath with him" the first mayya countered Arzika as they walked back to the Cart.

" If only you had a better solution, " Arzika snapped

" He would still carry out his plans even if you had not visited him, that's his duty , He wouldn't want to be destroyed,"

" I am an Emir , if anyone would do anything to avoid destruction, it should be me"

" He was quiet all this while, why didn't he come down to Nasara to tell you all he knows if he really cared?"

"His duty is the guide the entrance to the Mugunta, it is your duty to tell me what I need to know but Gamsheka was a strong person before he became the gate keeper, and I guess, He had performed your role better than you have ever done!"

" We are putting all efforts and we do deliver all the messages sent by Lord Riya, Hamza power is mysterious,"

" And even lord Riya couldn't explain all what the gate keeper found about Hamza ,maybe lord Riya is overrated,"

" Your highness, lord Riya gave you all you wanted, the so called gate keeper is an inferior to You and You didn't have to bow to him, We are at the edge of success,"

" Mind you, lord Riya didn't make me powerful for free, and abducting the messenger is not victorious to me, whenever the fool wakes up, throw him into the dungeon or kill him,"

" We cannot kill him yet, but your highness if Gamsheka fails, it will be disastrous, we are all going down, "

Lumana

Hamza's Chambers was the most exquisite of all, it was well decorated with the finest of classic wooden furniture, Hamza was well dressed, He could be mistaken for a new crowned Emir but he found it difficult to wear a smile, while they prepare for the celebration of His return, Hamza pleaded with Emir Hana for some time with his foster father which Hana approved.

Baba Abarshi Looked very thin and was dying, He was glad to see Hamza looking so charming but the reverse was the case for Hamza as tears were stuck in his eyes.

" why did you let them get you?"Hamza asked

" It was not my fault, Dangali's Mistress, Gerau's sister eavesdropped on our conversation, She heard Everything and stabbed Dangali with a knife , then ran along to expose us,"

" Why didn't you stop her?"

" It happened in a blink, I became this sick because I ran after her leaving my mask behind, we couldn't escape, I became so weak," Baba Abarshi tried to stand up but hamza didn't Let him, instead he bent down.

" Baba, You might not be the best father but you never gave me a reason to doubt you as my Father, They have told me everything , You actually saved me from the beginning...what about gimbiya and Hankarau?"

" Hankarau is in prison while Gimbiya was beheaded by Arzika, so I heard, "

Hamza became furious " That bastard! He should have stayed longer and I would have killed him with my bare hands!"

" No" Baba Abarshi couldn't talk any more. He lay his head on the bars and closed his eyes, Hamza got scared , He called on the guards but Baba Abarshi had kicked the bucket .

Hamza was sad and angry, He was left alone in his room for a while, then Amir showed up.

" I don't like this, I know how you feel but you need to take heart and get over it, Father was just being angry that he stole your away from him, nobody knew He was very ill, try to understand"

" It's fine, I will be better,"

" I know, I have asked Barau to get you some milk, the milk maids have finally got a store close to the Palace, Barau will get the milk and I will get the wine, We shall drink till we fall asleep in your castle, "Amir joked and they both chuckled.

Hamza sniffed and said " thank you Amir, this mood won't last, I am not backing off, I will be fine, I promise,"

Amir patted him on his back and left while Hamza remained weary in his bed with his mind revolving on all the events that had taken place in his life, He could not wait to accomplish his mission.

Queen kyawo was having a horrible night, She saw Hamza whenever she closed her eyes, She saw him telling her that He would make sure She never conceived, She was lying beside Emir Hana who had his eyes tightly closed, She was sweating profusely.

" I need to tell Kadada about this, the Emir is already enchanted He wouldn't believe me, but it's rather too late to summon her, oh no " the Queen held her head, She was having a severe migraine " I need to see Kadada , there must be a solution to this, I wish there was something She could give me to make the Emir believe me, I must see her and it must be now"

The Queen crept out slowly, her maids were in the rooms close the chambers, a guard saw the Queen , he asked if she needed anything, She told him she needed the Maid s' attention, and he bowed, then She continued walking to the Maids' room,the Queen told her Maids to remain calm, She told them that She needed to go out with nobody's consent and she needed a disguise, she collected the maids robes and wrapped her self with a veil, She left for kadada place , the Guards didn't question her, They believe she was a maid on an errand, moreover, it was not a midnight, the Queen walked so fast, she walked with speed into Barau's family house.

" Where is Kadada?"

" At the top, what's the issue? Wait," the Cleaner tried her best to stop her but the Queen didn't mind what the cleaner had to say, the only thing running through her mind was Hamza's image, Kadada's door was partially closed, the Queen who was in hurry opened the door and saw the unseen,her veil fell off and her breath almost left, She fell on her knees and tried to crawl back but Jikau stopped her! While kadada hurried to cover herself.

" I didn't see anything" the Queen said as she panicked.

" Of course ,you saw everything and you have seen your death, come inside" Jikau was a bit tipsy, Kadada was also angry, Jikau went ahead to lock the door as the Queen crawled in .

" Why didn't just summon me if it was this important?" Kadada yelled at the Queen.

" I will be quiet , I promise," begged the Queen.

" No , I will make sure you remain quiet for life," Jikau said

" Please, I came here because I could not sleep , I kept seeing hamza ..."

" I don't care, oh, you think Kadada is for you," jikau laughed sacarstically " You are a fool, it is a pity you found out this way, but as far as I am alive, You will not birth a child for Hana, we are your predicaments,not Hamza! "

" Jikau!" Kadada intruded

" No kadada, She need to know everything, she already saw us, woman, I will be a little fair to you, the only way to save yourself is to leave this palace or else you will remain barren for life! all what Kadada gives you is to stop you from conceiving and We have been doing that to other Queens. You are not the first!"

The Queen shivered and wept bitterly, was she having a lucid dream?she thought.

" If you ever mention anything you saw or heard, I will spare your life but I won't spare that of your sisters,Your brothers and your parents! I will have them killed! I promise!"

The Queen was terrified, she promised to be quiet and begged to leave before the Emir would become suspicious .

" Why did you come here?" Kadada asked! " You are such a fool, I guess you are happy now"

Jikau opened the door , The Queen wrapped her veil again and left crying silently.

Kadada was annoyed " I told you to lock the door but you refuted,"

" I was not expecting anybody, it was already late, you have nothing to worry about, she wouldn't dare to say a word! "Jikau said glowering profusely at no one.

The Queen managed to console herself,She was weak, She didn't bother to go back to the bedroom, She slept with her Maids.

The following morning was indeed bright, amir taught hamza how to pray, they both meditated along side barau and they got ready for the day's business.

The Queen walked back into the room ,She met Emir Hana who was almost done with breakfast.

" What happened? You didn't tell me you were going to sleep with your Maids" Emir hana chipped.

" I was having nightmares, and I didn't want to disturb you,"

" Your eyes are swollen, you should see the physician,"

The Queen was good at hiding her emotions, Emir Hana petted her as She lied on the bed. Emir Hana got dressed to attend a meeting with the Chiefs , Gamsheka next attack was around the corner. The Queen hopped from the bed immediately the Emir left, She got a knife and tore the pillow to remove the object Kadada had given her but alas, her time was up,the Emir opened the door while she had the object in her hands, She dropped it out of shock on the floor.

" What have you done?" Hana said with his eyes wide opened.

She went down on her knees and cried uncontrollably " I am sorry, It is because I needed a child,"

" This is an object of the old belief! You!!!!, how dare you? Since when have you been doing this? I was at the door, I saw you tearing the pillow, so definitely , you buried it there!"

" My Emir, "

" Guards!" The Emir screamed and ordered the arrest of her and her Maids .

The Queen was arrested and was brought before the Emir and his council for further judgment.

Hamza , Amir and Barau had also heard what happened and this halted their practices, Barau was the most concerned.

The Queen wanted to say all She knew but the warnings from Jikau hunted her.

" I am really sorry , your highness," said the Queen.

" So you are the enemy the messenger talked about, You finally revealed yourself, did you plant the idol In hamza's room? I remember vividly, you ordered the through sanitation" Emir Hana said.

" I am sorry, I thought he had enchanted you and I was only trying to make you send him away, I thought he brought bad luck,"

" What?" Emir Hana was agitated , the Chiefs also muttered.

"I am sorry your highness, I accept any punishment but I have realized that Hamza is not the enemy,"

" But you are! You are the enemy"

" No," the Queen had to swallow her main words .

Emir Hana had no choice than to send her out of Lumana. She was banished along side her maids.

The palace was like a graveyard , Amir and Hamza were dumb folded, although Hamza has been proved innocent but no one could ever think that the Queen was the snake, Barau was in disarray, He went to see his uncle Jikau , he was finding it difficult to believe the Queen's confession.

" If Hamza hadn't come, She wouldn't have done that," Barau said.

" I told you that he was a bad omen but you disbelieved me, Hamza means no good, He is behind her confession, He is manipulative, He is the one controlling her to clean his palms, I told you he was a trickster who has successfully saved himself, "

" Saved himself?"

" Reason Barau, Hamza was caught with idols and the Emir finds nothing wrong with it, Hamza wanted his name out of the mud and He used his evil powers to control the Queen into confessing that She was responsible for the His crimes, the Queen got banished because of him, He has won again,"

" I don't know what to believe, You tell me something entirely different from what Hamza portrays, We were already drawing out new patterns for the next battle with Gamsheka, the only reason I am crossed with him was the way she was humiliated before every one else, I feel so bad, "

" You need to act right if you really feel bad..... I am off to sell my products" Jikau always covered up whenever He wanted visiting gamsheka.

Emir Hana visited the Maker's Messenger and found out that He was still Praying, His prayer was taking too long.

Hamza and Amir had some conversation together, They were not going to be distracted, They also met their Father who was glad that they had discovered who the snake was.