“It is the one hundred and tenth year of the new era, a decade has passed since Baba Kango crushed the rebel chieftains at the river Niari. The Kango emperor rules a vast and prosperous empire that stretches from the plains of the Murabandi to the great sea of Meterra. Wealthy and multicultural, Astragon is the jewel of the continent. These are the tales of that age and of the great emperor who ruled them”
The Toll
Bayyah Na Tyrooz
Capitol of Astragon
Baba Kango sat upon a throne of pure red marble, he was a giant of a man and even seated he towered over his advisors. His body was a mass of corded muscle and scars, a great mane of oiled black facial hair and intricate braids framed a face capable of stirring mirth or annihilation in equal measure. His nose was a large bulbous thing, broken countless times and reset haphazardly and his two surprisingly playful black eyes gazed out at the world with a relaxed, almost amused expression.
He was the lion of the Niari, Protector of Shaddaism within Astragon, lord of all the red sands upon whose face the new suns face caresses, Guardian of the faiths and great male elephant of the Hailakaid peoples. He was the Exalt and Emperor of Astragon and today his brow was furrowed and his patience rapidly thinning.
“He will arrive in the capital on the morrow, his presence will stir the masses to riotous action" Vizier Sokutu explained his tone low as though he feared to stir something
It mattered not, trouble already marched upon Tyrooz quite unbidden and it came clothed in grievance and vendetta.Tuvu Dembe, prince of the Mondaba and first spear of the empire, the boy that had bled for Kango at the Niari was now a man and he had seen fit to open old wounds across Kango’s realm.
“I could intercept him your exalt” Eiran muttered languidly before patting his broadsword for emphasis
The kaiderin prelate was as so many of his kind, clothed in red and bronze and equally armoured by arrogace and moral superiority. His order had once guarded the faithful of Shaddai as a militant offshoot of the Caanitic ways, now they were an army, leveraging the wealth of nations as they jostled for influence like all the other factions. Kango held them in healthy suspicion.
“Slaying a loyal subject with a righteous griveance, im sure your prophet would greatly appreciate such acts” Kango replied with an expression of disgust
It was more then that of course, certainly Tuvu was like a son to Kango but there were wider political considerations. Kango was no shaddaist, he gave due reverence to the gods of his fathers, this mattered little in the eyes of the nation. The Exalt was the protector of Shaddaism and guardian of the old faiths, to show favour was to make mockery of the delicate balance that held his empire together.
The act of a Kaiderin slaying an innocent would be fairly viewed as the emperor showing favour to the Caanitic faiths at the expense of the Ubgandian, no, there would be no underhanded murders in his name.Still Tuvu would come and the spectacle would send the capitol into a frenzy, to impede this would turn that fervour upon himself but to do nothing would surely invite equal troubles to play out. He was damned either way.
“My lord, the first spear stands in esteem with the Jomo shamans, if he is allowed to carry out his challenge the Kuvaku will deem it a sleight”
“And if he dies half the city revolts" Kango replied with an exasperated wave of a ringed hand
He rubbed his temples and felt the searing pain of a headache begin to rise at the back of his neck, his crown suddenly felt intolerably heavy. Tuvu, the boy had bled for Kango and the emperor had placed the coronet of a prince about his brow and the leopard fur of a champion about his shoulders, to bear such love for one who would cause such tumult was a particularly cruel fate.
“His cause is justified, not even i can deny a vengeful son his owed retribution" Kango said his eyes straying to the ceiling mosaics as he sought distraction
Above hunters and great beasts of the Savannah led each other on elaborate chases, these thousands of mosaics extending out in an unbroken circle. Sometimes the hunter would be eaten, othertimes an arrow ridden carcass was lashed about staves and carried home in triumph. So it was with men too, an endless cycle of hunter and prey, Tuvu's vendetta just another chapter in the eternal mosaic.
“The Letele are governors of much of Bukanda, if they are undone a power vaccum will form lord" Sokutu declared his tone grim and dripping with omen
“Poisoners” Kango corrected irritably
He wished now he had put them all to death, but they were like a great supporting root, to tear out so esteemed a clan had been deemed reckless. Truthfully? They governed well and their loyalty to him was backed by a decade of peace, but their final act of rebellion had left a black mark upon the new order.
Tuvu's father had drank deep on the eve of victory but the carafe bore terrible venom, the general had died in agony and the son had sworn vengeance. Everyone had known the poisons origin, but allowances had been made for the sake of the realm, allowances that now returned to haunt the victor of Niari.
“They will all die uncle" the boy had sworn
“I cannot bless your endeavour, but nor will i stay your hand, if vengeance is your desire then only god may deny its fulfillment, but know my child that the laws of god and those of man rarely intersect in neat concordance” He had declared each word a pained utterance, the man wanted to kill the
Letele himself but the king had known better.
He had given the boy permission, unleashed a beast upon his own land and now that trail of blood was leading in red stained footfalls to his own city.
Tyrooz Old City
On the Morrow
The morning air was cool as the sea winds drifted through the city streets, the stink of salt and ocean mingling with the melange of smoke, cooking and excrement that defined a city of men. Tuvu stalked streets like a wild beast, his ominous form causing passerbys to avert their gaze or promptly change course.
Months in the savannah had left him unkempt, mad eyed and feral looking, his body covered in the furs and leathers of the beasts he had hunted and about his belt a more vile collection of trophies. Shrunken heads ring his midsection, each a slain member of the Letele clan, their horror-stricken expressions remained even after death.
The only markers of the Princes royal status were the faded bronze coronet and the leopard skin draped across his right shoulder, he was otherwise rendered as though a wildman strolling from myth. People in the city were no strangers to unusual sights, merchants and foreigners arrived every day for trade and respite, it wasnt his bedraggled appearances or his rags, what alarmed people was the bones strapped to his bag.
“People of Tyrooz! I have a been wronged and today i shall seek recompense!” Tuvu had announced in a booming voice as he made his way ever closer to the place where destiny would be fulfilled
He walked the dust covered cobbles his bare feet caked in ash as was tradition for mourners, he passed the many tenements of stone and clay, fearful denizens gazing at the terrible sight from the doorways and windows. With each new street he declared the same challenge in loud and sombre tone, recompense was demanded again and again.
Finally he came upon his destination, they called it the Umqhele* a great series of steps leading up toward a tall roundhouse of stone and thatch, the highest court in all of Astragon resting at the summit. It was here that Tuvu had come to seek his justice and it would be here that the Letele would seek to avert their justified fate.
He mounted the steps and made for the top with a determined stride, the anticipation rose with each new step and by the time he reached the doorway he was practically feverish with expectation. The work of a decade would be completed this day, all he need do now was trust in the gods and his own ferocious desire.
“Prince Tuvu! You are awaited inside!” a captain in mail and feathered headdress declared with well rehearsed cadence
The massive baobab doors parted with a creak like wounded beasts and the path to vengeance was laid open wide.
Uru Letele watched from the stands as the Dembe prince entered the court and prostrated himself before the assembled nobles, he had grown since Uru had last seen him. The skinny boy soldier was gone, replaced by something that barely resembled a man. Tall, unkempt and bedecked in stinking furs, this visage of death the one that had claimed so many of Uru's kin, their faces now shrunken fetishes lining the wildmans belt.
Uru felt a surge of anger, his father had been wrong to poison Jubal Dembe, but this? It was another spiteful massacre that brought only more sorrows to life. Uru sighed as the prince glared at him with unconcealed hatred, he knew in that moment that he was doomed. Oddly he did not feel anger or fear at this revelation, just a calm and detached disappointment, this day would end with nothing save another vendetta.
“I come before this court seeking recompense!!!” Tuvu roared his voice hot with rage and indignation
The prodigal son come to take his due toll of blood and retribution, the commoners would lap the story up like honey. Uru simply nodded and with a resigned gesture, removed his breastplate and descended the steps to face his accuser. His bared gut wobbled and bounced as he moved and the hands that gripped his sword were more accustomed to ink and papyrus. He strode into the vast circle beneath the stands and inclined his head in a subtlt gesture of respect.
“This day i will spill your blood Letele! I will fill this halls with your screams and my fathers ghost will be appeased!” The First spear declared his voice more scream than speech
Uru regarded the man with a weary expression, how young Tuvu seemed, beneath the exterior of neglect and wildness rested a scared and angry boy who had been dealt a great unkindness. It was far to late to apologise, besides the scandal of poison would taint the family if admitted, all that remained was to fight and die, to give Tuvu his bloody toll and pray no more would be demanded.
“For what it is worth, i regret the strife between our two clans" Uru offered knowing rage would cause any reconciliation to die stillborn
Tuvu spat and raised his spear, Uru drew his sword from his scabbard and wondered if the weather in the underworld would be warm or frigid.
The fight was brief, Uru fought bravely and to his credit parried and swung his blade with more proficiency than many had expected. The end was never in doubt, Tuvu smacked the Letele patriach’s broadsword aside with the ease a parent seizes a toy from a child. The spear point pierce the man’s gut with a scream and a sickly, wet, sucking sound as he fell to his knees and vomited blood.
The man lay there twitching in fits of agony as the blood formed a crimson pool about him, the pained expression and pleaded in the mans eyes filled Tuvu with a sensation like a blade sliding between his ribs. Tuvu gazed up at the Emperor, his lord seated on a tall throne as he watched the proceedings, Baba Kango gazed down his expression somehwere between understanding, resignation and disappointment. The lord of Astragon simply nodded.
Tuvu drew a blade from his belt and drove it into the man’s neck, the arterial blood spraying out and covering him as the life faded, finally, mercifully from Urus eyes. The Letele fell back and the crowd erupted in jeers, roars of approval and no small amount of booing. He was soon led from the hall, Tuvu bore the distinct impression that the guards were for his protection rather then arrest.
The imperial Palace
The menials had scraped free the months of grime and neglect, the hot water of the bath and the scented oils swiftly working to cleanse his dishevelled odours. Furs had been stripped and cast into waiting fires, clean white linen and sandals of soft leather now adorned Tuvu’s form. The blood had been rinsed away with the filth, yet still the prince felt its presence and the stain that it carried.
He had dreamt of this moment for a decade, prayed and trained for the day he would strike down the family that had poisoned his father, now it had arrived and he felt only shame. Uru hadnt even ordered the poisoning, that man was long since dead and yet the governer of Bukanda had been forced to die in agony for the sins of his father. There was no glory or honour in his killing, just a vile sensation in the gut as though Tuvu had swallowed bile.
Soon the servants had shaved his louse ridden beard and cut the mangy braids from his scalp, the coronet was returned and the leopard cloak once more placed about his shoulders, now though he weight seemed unbearable and as he was led toward the emperors chambers, a word seemed to hiss in his mind as though whispered by some unbidden presence.
“Murderer!” it growled the words filling his chest with fits of pain and fear
The door to the chambers parted and he was led inside, the servants bowed and then departed sealing the doors behind them as they left. Baba Kango sat on a low stool, his broad frame comically large as he leaned forward, he regarded Tuvu with a look, not the ashamed or admonishing gaze he had anticipated, something sombre and compassionate filled the mans eyes. The expression somehow hurt more for its grace, it was a kindness Tuvu felt unworthy of.
“Please, sit" Baba Kango said his tone gentle and without the usual airs of command or regality, in this moment he was an elder counselling his child.
Kango rose from his chair and reached for a carafe of water, he poured a generous amount into a silver goblet and passed the drink to Tuvu who took the proffered drink with both hands as ceremony demanded. Baba Kango bade his nephew to drink and Tuvu did so finding his thirst greater then he had expected.
“Tuvu Dembe, do you know why i have summoned you?” the emperor asked his tone now solemn
Tuvu felt fear well up inside his chest, execution? Admonition? Condemnation? He couldn’t be sure but he felt the guilt tearing at his knotted insides like a thousand stinging insects. He set the goblet down and lowered himself to his knees in a gesture of abasement before his lord, staring at the reed matting beneath him, Tuvu spoke with a shaking voice, tears running hot down his face.
“I have broken the peace of the land, stained sacred ground with murder and i have failed you, my life is yours to do with as you wish my lord!” Tuvu
declared voice heavy with grief and involuntary sobbing
Hands rested on his heaving shoulders, warm and gentle, the lord of Astragon lifted Tuvu to his feet and wrapped the weeping prince in a fatherly embrace. They stood for a long time in that place as Tuvu's weeping began to slowly subside, when at last sobs gave way to laboured breaths, Baba Kango raised the mans chin and regarded him with an expression of pure warmth.
“You do not fail me Tuvu son of Jubal, you are merely another soul in the cycle of grief and wrongdoing, I will not condemn you for a sin i myself permitted, you are and remain my loyal subject”
“He died, in so much pain! I told myself night after night that i would kill him and that the act would be sweet as wine, instead i taste ashes in my mouth, my soul is damned for this act" Tuvu declared his voice pained, he thought to reach for his blade and to take his own life there and then, but he realized the blade had been removed along with all his former possessions
“We have come too far to turn back” Baba Kango said simply
What now though? Innocent blood spilled, the hatred of a family levelled against him for so many brutal slayings and why Uru? The others had been quick affairs, arrows fired from distant treeline or throats cut by night, why now did he suddenly know such guilt? Perhaps it was simply Uru's resigned, oddly dignified demeanour or more likely the agony of his last moments. Uru was no immaculate, he had been a politician like all his kin and yet in his final moments the superficial layers had fallen away to reveal another mortal soul in immense and unnecessary suffering.
“What is done is done, i had your braids and beard shaven and your old rags burned, not to shame you but to remove you from that which is now passed, you retain your life and freedom, you bear still the title of prince and that of my first spear! But the sin you carry is a harsh and heavy thing and you alone must walk the path toward forgiveness, not for the sake of Uru or his kin but for your own peace” Baba Kango explained his voice a gentle fatherly tone
“how can anyone know peace after such an act?” Tuvu exclaimed in despair
“I have killed men in the thousands, not directly but by my command as king and emperor, i have ordered executions, burned cities and stained my soul with a thousand great and petty atrocities, the priests and commoners call me the “good father “and praise my deeds, but at night i sometimes awake with the same horror that you must now feel, we are fallible Tuvu, imperfect parodies of the greater divinity, you will commit great sins in life but you can also choose to seek greater virtues, i cannot banish your demons but i can lead you to one who can help you master them?” Baba Kango replied his own voice beggining to shake and his eyes briefly threatening to proffer forth tears of their own
“What mortal could possibly bear such power?” Tuvu asked in astonishment
“One who speaks for a god, go north nephew, seek the counsel of the Dayyan with my blessing and when you have finally found the strength to forgive yourself, return to me and take up the mantle of first spear once more" Baba Kango replied simply
Red rimmed eyes stared up at the lord of the hailakaid, fear and trepidation still lingered in their form but joined now with something approaching hope. Tuvu bowed as the doors opened and he was ushered away to prepare for his journey. Kango returned to his stool and smiled weakly.
“Go with my blessing child, your struggle is the struggle of us all, find your peace" he intoned gently
*Crown in the old tongue of astragon
The Toll
Bayyah Na Tyrooz
Capitol of Astragon
Baba Kango sat upon a throne of pure red marble, he was a giant of a man and even seated he towered over his advisors. His body was a mass of corded muscle and scars, a great mane of oiled black facial hair and intricate braids framed a face capable of stirring mirth or annihilation in equal measure. His nose was a large bulbous thing, broken countless times and reset haphazardly and his two surprisingly playful black eyes gazed out at the world with a relaxed, almost amused expression.
He was the lion of the Niari, Protector of Shaddaism within Astragon, lord of all the red sands upon whose face the new suns face caresses, Guardian of the faiths and great male elephant of the Hailakaid peoples. He was the Exalt and Emperor of Astragon and today his brow was furrowed and his patience rapidly thinning.
“He will arrive in the capital on the morrow, his presence will stir the masses to riotous action" Vizier Sokutu explained his tone low as though he feared to stir something
It mattered not, trouble already marched upon Tyrooz quite unbidden and it came clothed in grievance and vendetta.Tuvu Dembe, prince of the Mondaba and first spear of the empire, the boy that had bled for Kango at the Niari was now a man and he had seen fit to open old wounds across Kango’s realm.
“I could intercept him your exalt” Eiran muttered languidly before patting his broadsword for emphasis
The kaiderin prelate was as so many of his kind, clothed in red and bronze and equally armoured by arrogace and moral superiority. His order had once guarded the faithful of Shaddai as a militant offshoot of the Caanitic ways, now they were an army, leveraging the wealth of nations as they jostled for influence like all the other factions. Kango held them in healthy suspicion.
“Slaying a loyal subject with a righteous griveance, im sure your prophet would greatly appreciate such acts” Kango replied with an expression of disgust
It was more then that of course, certainly Tuvu was like a son to Kango but there were wider political considerations. Kango was no shaddaist, he gave due reverence to the gods of his fathers, this mattered little in the eyes of the nation. The Exalt was the protector of Shaddaism and guardian of the old faiths, to show favour was to make mockery of the delicate balance that held his empire together.
The act of a Kaiderin slaying an innocent would be fairly viewed as the emperor showing favour to the Caanitic faiths at the expense of the Ubgandian, no, there would be no underhanded murders in his name.Still Tuvu would come and the spectacle would send the capitol into a frenzy, to impede this would turn that fervour upon himself but to do nothing would surely invite equal troubles to play out. He was damned either way.
“My lord, the first spear stands in esteem with the Jomo shamans, if he is allowed to carry out his challenge the Kuvaku will deem it a sleight”
“And if he dies half the city revolts" Kango replied with an exasperated wave of a ringed hand
He rubbed his temples and felt the searing pain of a headache begin to rise at the back of his neck, his crown suddenly felt intolerably heavy. Tuvu, the boy had bled for Kango and the emperor had placed the coronet of a prince about his brow and the leopard fur of a champion about his shoulders, to bear such love for one who would cause such tumult was a particularly cruel fate.
“His cause is justified, not even i can deny a vengeful son his owed retribution" Kango said his eyes straying to the ceiling mosaics as he sought distraction
Above hunters and great beasts of the Savannah led each other on elaborate chases, these thousands of mosaics extending out in an unbroken circle. Sometimes the hunter would be eaten, othertimes an arrow ridden carcass was lashed about staves and carried home in triumph. So it was with men too, an endless cycle of hunter and prey, Tuvu's vendetta just another chapter in the eternal mosaic.
“The Letele are governors of much of Bukanda, if they are undone a power vaccum will form lord" Sokutu declared his tone grim and dripping with omen
“Poisoners” Kango corrected irritably
He wished now he had put them all to death, but they were like a great supporting root, to tear out so esteemed a clan had been deemed reckless. Truthfully? They governed well and their loyalty to him was backed by a decade of peace, but their final act of rebellion had left a black mark upon the new order.
Tuvu's father had drank deep on the eve of victory but the carafe bore terrible venom, the general had died in agony and the son had sworn vengeance. Everyone had known the poisons origin, but allowances had been made for the sake of the realm, allowances that now returned to haunt the victor of Niari.
“They will all die uncle" the boy had sworn
“I cannot bless your endeavour, but nor will i stay your hand, if vengeance is your desire then only god may deny its fulfillment, but know my child that the laws of god and those of man rarely intersect in neat concordance” He had declared each word a pained utterance, the man wanted to kill the
Letele himself but the king had known better.
He had given the boy permission, unleashed a beast upon his own land and now that trail of blood was leading in red stained footfalls to his own city.
Tyrooz Old City
On the Morrow
The morning air was cool as the sea winds drifted through the city streets, the stink of salt and ocean mingling with the melange of smoke, cooking and excrement that defined a city of men. Tuvu stalked streets like a wild beast, his ominous form causing passerbys to avert their gaze or promptly change course.
Months in the savannah had left him unkempt, mad eyed and feral looking, his body covered in the furs and leathers of the beasts he had hunted and about his belt a more vile collection of trophies. Shrunken heads ring his midsection, each a slain member of the Letele clan, their horror-stricken expressions remained even after death.
The only markers of the Princes royal status were the faded bronze coronet and the leopard skin draped across his right shoulder, he was otherwise rendered as though a wildman strolling from myth. People in the city were no strangers to unusual sights, merchants and foreigners arrived every day for trade and respite, it wasnt his bedraggled appearances or his rags, what alarmed people was the bones strapped to his bag.
“People of Tyrooz! I have a been wronged and today i shall seek recompense!” Tuvu had announced in a booming voice as he made his way ever closer to the place where destiny would be fulfilled
He walked the dust covered cobbles his bare feet caked in ash as was tradition for mourners, he passed the many tenements of stone and clay, fearful denizens gazing at the terrible sight from the doorways and windows. With each new street he declared the same challenge in loud and sombre tone, recompense was demanded again and again.
Finally he came upon his destination, they called it the Umqhele* a great series of steps leading up toward a tall roundhouse of stone and thatch, the highest court in all of Astragon resting at the summit. It was here that Tuvu had come to seek his justice and it would be here that the Letele would seek to avert their justified fate.
He mounted the steps and made for the top with a determined stride, the anticipation rose with each new step and by the time he reached the doorway he was practically feverish with expectation. The work of a decade would be completed this day, all he need do now was trust in the gods and his own ferocious desire.
“Prince Tuvu! You are awaited inside!” a captain in mail and feathered headdress declared with well rehearsed cadence
The massive baobab doors parted with a creak like wounded beasts and the path to vengeance was laid open wide.
Uru Letele watched from the stands as the Dembe prince entered the court and prostrated himself before the assembled nobles, he had grown since Uru had last seen him. The skinny boy soldier was gone, replaced by something that barely resembled a man. Tall, unkempt and bedecked in stinking furs, this visage of death the one that had claimed so many of Uru's kin, their faces now shrunken fetishes lining the wildmans belt.
Uru felt a surge of anger, his father had been wrong to poison Jubal Dembe, but this? It was another spiteful massacre that brought only more sorrows to life. Uru sighed as the prince glared at him with unconcealed hatred, he knew in that moment that he was doomed. Oddly he did not feel anger or fear at this revelation, just a calm and detached disappointment, this day would end with nothing save another vendetta.
“I come before this court seeking recompense!!!” Tuvu roared his voice hot with rage and indignation
The prodigal son come to take his due toll of blood and retribution, the commoners would lap the story up like honey. Uru simply nodded and with a resigned gesture, removed his breastplate and descended the steps to face his accuser. His bared gut wobbled and bounced as he moved and the hands that gripped his sword were more accustomed to ink and papyrus. He strode into the vast circle beneath the stands and inclined his head in a subtlt gesture of respect.
“This day i will spill your blood Letele! I will fill this halls with your screams and my fathers ghost will be appeased!” The First spear declared his voice more scream than speech
Uru regarded the man with a weary expression, how young Tuvu seemed, beneath the exterior of neglect and wildness rested a scared and angry boy who had been dealt a great unkindness. It was far to late to apologise, besides the scandal of poison would taint the family if admitted, all that remained was to fight and die, to give Tuvu his bloody toll and pray no more would be demanded.
“For what it is worth, i regret the strife between our two clans" Uru offered knowing rage would cause any reconciliation to die stillborn
Tuvu spat and raised his spear, Uru drew his sword from his scabbard and wondered if the weather in the underworld would be warm or frigid.
The fight was brief, Uru fought bravely and to his credit parried and swung his blade with more proficiency than many had expected. The end was never in doubt, Tuvu smacked the Letele patriach’s broadsword aside with the ease a parent seizes a toy from a child. The spear point pierce the man’s gut with a scream and a sickly, wet, sucking sound as he fell to his knees and vomited blood.
The man lay there twitching in fits of agony as the blood formed a crimson pool about him, the pained expression and pleaded in the mans eyes filled Tuvu with a sensation like a blade sliding between his ribs. Tuvu gazed up at the Emperor, his lord seated on a tall throne as he watched the proceedings, Baba Kango gazed down his expression somehwere between understanding, resignation and disappointment. The lord of Astragon simply nodded.
Tuvu drew a blade from his belt and drove it into the man’s neck, the arterial blood spraying out and covering him as the life faded, finally, mercifully from Urus eyes. The Letele fell back and the crowd erupted in jeers, roars of approval and no small amount of booing. He was soon led from the hall, Tuvu bore the distinct impression that the guards were for his protection rather then arrest.
The imperial Palace
The menials had scraped free the months of grime and neglect, the hot water of the bath and the scented oils swiftly working to cleanse his dishevelled odours. Furs had been stripped and cast into waiting fires, clean white linen and sandals of soft leather now adorned Tuvu’s form. The blood had been rinsed away with the filth, yet still the prince felt its presence and the stain that it carried.
He had dreamt of this moment for a decade, prayed and trained for the day he would strike down the family that had poisoned his father, now it had arrived and he felt only shame. Uru hadnt even ordered the poisoning, that man was long since dead and yet the governer of Bukanda had been forced to die in agony for the sins of his father. There was no glory or honour in his killing, just a vile sensation in the gut as though Tuvu had swallowed bile.
Soon the servants had shaved his louse ridden beard and cut the mangy braids from his scalp, the coronet was returned and the leopard cloak once more placed about his shoulders, now though he weight seemed unbearable and as he was led toward the emperors chambers, a word seemed to hiss in his mind as though whispered by some unbidden presence.
“Murderer!” it growled the words filling his chest with fits of pain and fear
The door to the chambers parted and he was led inside, the servants bowed and then departed sealing the doors behind them as they left. Baba Kango sat on a low stool, his broad frame comically large as he leaned forward, he regarded Tuvu with a look, not the ashamed or admonishing gaze he had anticipated, something sombre and compassionate filled the mans eyes. The expression somehow hurt more for its grace, it was a kindness Tuvu felt unworthy of.
“Please, sit" Baba Kango said his tone gentle and without the usual airs of command or regality, in this moment he was an elder counselling his child.
Kango rose from his chair and reached for a carafe of water, he poured a generous amount into a silver goblet and passed the drink to Tuvu who took the proffered drink with both hands as ceremony demanded. Baba Kango bade his nephew to drink and Tuvu did so finding his thirst greater then he had expected.
“Tuvu Dembe, do you know why i have summoned you?” the emperor asked his tone now solemn
Tuvu felt fear well up inside his chest, execution? Admonition? Condemnation? He couldn’t be sure but he felt the guilt tearing at his knotted insides like a thousand stinging insects. He set the goblet down and lowered himself to his knees in a gesture of abasement before his lord, staring at the reed matting beneath him, Tuvu spoke with a shaking voice, tears running hot down his face.
“I have broken the peace of the land, stained sacred ground with murder and i have failed you, my life is yours to do with as you wish my lord!” Tuvu
declared voice heavy with grief and involuntary sobbing
Hands rested on his heaving shoulders, warm and gentle, the lord of Astragon lifted Tuvu to his feet and wrapped the weeping prince in a fatherly embrace. They stood for a long time in that place as Tuvu's weeping began to slowly subside, when at last sobs gave way to laboured breaths, Baba Kango raised the mans chin and regarded him with an expression of pure warmth.
“You do not fail me Tuvu son of Jubal, you are merely another soul in the cycle of grief and wrongdoing, I will not condemn you for a sin i myself permitted, you are and remain my loyal subject”
“He died, in so much pain! I told myself night after night that i would kill him and that the act would be sweet as wine, instead i taste ashes in my mouth, my soul is damned for this act" Tuvu declared his voice pained, he thought to reach for his blade and to take his own life there and then, but he realized the blade had been removed along with all his former possessions
“We have come too far to turn back” Baba Kango said simply
What now though? Innocent blood spilled, the hatred of a family levelled against him for so many brutal slayings and why Uru? The others had been quick affairs, arrows fired from distant treeline or throats cut by night, why now did he suddenly know such guilt? Perhaps it was simply Uru's resigned, oddly dignified demeanour or more likely the agony of his last moments. Uru was no immaculate, he had been a politician like all his kin and yet in his final moments the superficial layers had fallen away to reveal another mortal soul in immense and unnecessary suffering.
“What is done is done, i had your braids and beard shaven and your old rags burned, not to shame you but to remove you from that which is now passed, you retain your life and freedom, you bear still the title of prince and that of my first spear! But the sin you carry is a harsh and heavy thing and you alone must walk the path toward forgiveness, not for the sake of Uru or his kin but for your own peace” Baba Kango explained his voice a gentle fatherly tone
“how can anyone know peace after such an act?” Tuvu exclaimed in despair
“I have killed men in the thousands, not directly but by my command as king and emperor, i have ordered executions, burned cities and stained my soul with a thousand great and petty atrocities, the priests and commoners call me the “good father “and praise my deeds, but at night i sometimes awake with the same horror that you must now feel, we are fallible Tuvu, imperfect parodies of the greater divinity, you will commit great sins in life but you can also choose to seek greater virtues, i cannot banish your demons but i can lead you to one who can help you master them?” Baba Kango replied his own voice beggining to shake and his eyes briefly threatening to proffer forth tears of their own
“What mortal could possibly bear such power?” Tuvu asked in astonishment
“One who speaks for a god, go north nephew, seek the counsel of the Dayyan with my blessing and when you have finally found the strength to forgive yourself, return to me and take up the mantle of first spear once more" Baba Kango replied simply
Red rimmed eyes stared up at the lord of the hailakaid, fear and trepidation still lingered in their form but joined now with something approaching hope. Tuvu bowed as the doors opened and he was ushered away to prepare for his journey. Kango returned to his stool and smiled weakly.
“Go with my blessing child, your struggle is the struggle of us all, find your peace" he intoned gently
*Crown in the old tongue of astragon