Brother vs Brother
Author's note:
Please note, that I have intentionally changed the names of my original characters and took out some physical descriptions. In doing so that I don't give away anything big in my story line for this novel from which the excerpt came from.
All Characters and Environments are © 2002 - 2011 by Eben Prentzler
In case you missed the introductions and other excerpts
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A great feeling of unease was growing over the fort. This was the final day of battle and Mwezi was very worried about his brother and the province. He attempted to rub the worry away from his Pride-Keeper face, but it did not help. If the winner challenged Chaka today and he lost, then it would be all over. Where would they go? Would they be banished from the province by the new ruler or would they live under his charge. Then again, Mwezi was at the point where he didn't care if a new rule came over these lands. Obviously he was doing something very wrong and couldn't even solve a simple case of murder. He just felt like hiding away in a corner and wait till everything blew over. The thing that ate at his soul the most was that this was not the kind of person he was. A few months back he would've been busting down doors and turning everything upside down to find the killer. Now he felt like a coward sitting behind the stone protection of this fort, a prisoner of his own glory.
A sudden knock at the dining room door startled Mwezi and woke him from his daydreaming. A Night-Stalker entered the room; he was one of Mwezi's many messengers.
"Did you find him?" Mwezi asked.
"No my lord," the messenger said. "There is no sign of Hadi. He did not return to the fort last night. We did find a note in his room though."
"What did the note say?"
The Night-Stalker pulled a note out of his black clothes and started to read the note with his green eyes. "The note says: If this note is found and read, then it means that I have not survived this past night. Please make no effort to find my body. I know that I died with honour, serving our province. ~Hadi." He gave the note to Mwezi.
Mwezi thanked the messenger and sent him on his way. He read the note again and wondered if there was anything that could stop this murderer. Hadi was one of Mwezi's best or at least he had proven it the past month. There was only one more thing to do and that was to honour Hadi's last wish. Mwezi removed the letter that Hadi gave to him from his robes. He removed his dagger from his belt and opened the envelope. His first removed the letter and then saw that there was a second item in the envelope as well. Mwezi gently removed the smooth stone and stared at it in disbelief. He immediately recognized it. He had five stones like this as well and they were all embedded on his dagger that was lying on the desk. After inspecting his dagger, Mwezi confirmed that the stone didn't come from his weapon. Now he really didn't want to read the letter, because he was afraid of what the letter might contain. But he forced himself to open the letter and he started reading:
_ My Lord,_
_ You are either reading this letter in my presence or I have died trying to catch the murderer. You have most likely also discovered the stone that I put in the envelope. There is no doubt in my mind that your brother is the murderer. I know this comes as a shock, but this has been coming a long way._
_ If I am not in your presence whilst you are reading this letter, I urge you not to pursue Chaka. He is more evil than you can imagine. I advise you to leave Kaskazi as soon as you can. Something is brewing, something that you won't be able to stop. I really have come to like you in this past month my lord and I would not want anything bad happen to you._
_ Heed my words and please leave immediately._
_ Your Faithful Servant,
Hadi._
Mwezi crumbled the letter and an immense anger grew in him. How dare Hadi tell him what to do? There was no way that he could believe a word that was written in that letter. Yes, he knew that Chaka had problems, but there was no way he could go as far as murdering people. Yet there was the small twinge of doubt that also growing. What if Hadi was right about Chaka? What if Chaka was the murderer? Mwezi had to admit that Chaka has been acting very strange as of late. The constant outbursts of anger and the immense anti-social status he had taken up after every day of battle. He just disappeared not to be seen until late at night or the next morning. Where was he the whole time? Mwezi was contemplating that question, then it dawned on him...it all fits, Chaka being gone after each day of competition and the stone. There was only one thing to do to.
"Guards!" Mwezi called out loudly. Two Pride-Keeper guards entered the dining room and waited for orders. "Get me the ten best guards we have. We are going to arrest my brother for the multiple murders of the citizens of Kaskazi." That was the hardest thing for Mwezi to say. He couldn't believe that he gave that order but something had to be done.
The crowds at the arena were quiet. Chaka was standing in the middle of the stone platform, waiting to make an announcement. "I thank you all for watching this competition," he said loudly and the crowd cheered. Once they were silent again, Chaka continued, "May I present your winner and champion...Ricanus!" There was a deafening roar from the audience and the small Short-Tail made his appearance on the platform. He approached Chaka, who shook his hand. "Many congratulations," Chaka said to the champion. "Now originally you had the choice of two prizes. The first, you take the pot of money that was collected as entrance fee by all the competitors over this past month. The second was a match to the death with me for the chance to become the new ruler of Kaskazi." Everyone waited for a reply from the champion, but before Ricanus could answer, Chaka added something else. "There is another option though. You can also take the money and fight me for the sport of it."
"I don't want your money," Ricanus said. "And I certainly do not want to be the ruler of any province. I just came here for one reason alone, to prove to myself that I'm the best."
"You deny your prizes?" Chaka sneered.
"You don't get it do you?" Ricanus stated. "Fighting is not about winning the big prize at the end and it certainly is not about your lust for blood. It is about the honour and pride shown by the fighters."
"How dare you?" Chaka was disgusted by the champion's attitude. He was offering so much, yet it was thrown right back into his face. He felt insulted and it also felt like his pride was being stepped on. "Guards! Kill him."
"Why don't you kill him yourself?" a voice resounded around the arena. Everyone looked to see Mwezi standing there with ten guards behind him. Chaka didn't move, he just stared at his brother. "What's wrong? Can't do it? Don't have the guts? You certainly had no problem killing all those innocent people."
A big gasp came from the crowd. They all looked at Chaka, waiting for him to at least deny it. At first Chaka looked at his brother with a very stern face, but he quickly started to smile...this was not just any smile, but one of the most evil smiles that anyone had ever seen. There was no remorse behind his once gentle eyes. With one swift movement Chaka unsheathed his dagger and wisped it over Ricanus' exposed throat, rewarding him with a spray of blood on his face.
"I prayed to the gods that it wasn't true," Mwezi sighed. "But my prayers fell upon deaf ears."
"What are you going to do my dear brother?" Chaka asked. His eyes started to glow an eerie yellow colour. "Are you going to arrest me?"
"You are not my brother," Mwezi said with difficulty. "My brother died the day he spilt innocent blood."
"You are definitely right," Chaka grinned. "You are not my brother. My brother would be powerful." There was short silence to see what effect those words had on Mwezi, but Chaka quickly continued. "I grow tired of this bickering." He raised his hands to the sky and they started to glow. "Rise brothers! Show them the meaning of true power." There was a light rumble in the earth and the tombstones in the graveyard next to the arena started to shake. The ground started to crumble and all those who died by Chaka's hand and all those who were killed in the competition arose from their graves. Ricanus also stood up, staring at the people with empty eyes. The dead walked through the arena and the crowd screamed and ran with terror. Chaka laughed loudly as a small army of dead rallied behind him. He pulled out his sword and pointed it at Mwezi. "Do you really think you and your small band of pathetic guards can stop us?"
"We will kill you," Mwezi said, drawing his sword. "Or die trying."
"It is funny you should mention that," Chaka said with a smug smile on his face. He impaled one of his dead legions with his sword and pulled it out again. The one he ran through just stood there, feeling no pain and not collapsing dead on the ground. "How are you going to kill something that is already dead?"
Mwezi didn't know what to do. He was scared out of his mind. His brother had power beyond any compare and there was nothing he could do to stop this. At first he wanted to stay and do the right thing, but what was the point if you couldn't stop the enemy. "Fall back to the fort!" Mwezi commanded his guards. They started to cautiously back away, until they broke into a run towards the fort.
"Yes! Run Mwezi!" Chaka yelled after them. "Watch Kaskazi burn to the ground!"
~**~
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