In the end, Welaba did not kill or even injure a single animal in the kraal. It seems he had consumed a little too much of the gourd's contents. As soon as he swung his machete, he collapsed and fell face first into a heap of dung. Zabu almost laughed at the comedy of the situation but he held himself back knowing all too well the weight of humiliation. He rushed through the confused cattle and helped Welaba back onto his feet. With his own hands and then his bark gown, he wiped most of the dung off Welaba's face before anyone else could see it.
'Did you see that, Zabu?' Welaba boasted, 'how many did I kill?'
Zabu very well knew that he hadn't even scratched a single animal. Before he could respond, Sola came rushing and rescued her son from Zabu's grasp.
'Get your hands off him!' She shouted, 'What have you done to my son you filthy peasant!'
'Mother, stop.' Welaba said in his drunken state, 'Zabu was just watching me kill the cattle!'
'Don't get too close to them,' Sola cautioned her son, 'Their bad luck could rub off on you. Perhaps, it already has.'
Zabu watched as Sola walked away with Welaba, providing him with support. He could not recall ever seeing her do anything by herself before that moment.
That day, he retired to his and his mother's quarters with quite a story to tell. Mulokozi was at first angry at him for disappearing minus notice but even she chuckled a little when she heard that Sola had done something by herself. Zabu kept the whole face in the dung incident to himself. He imagined it would not interest his mother and considered it a favour he had to do for Welaba. For the first time in his life, he felt like he might pity Welaba. It was as if they were at that impossible juncture where first and last were companions in misery. Zabu wondered if there were another juncture where that companionship was in joy. That night, Mulokozi and Zabu slept peacefully without a single worry on their minds. The night time is when they always felt the most peace because they were by themselves with their own dreams and aspirations. The fact that their quarters were intentionally situated far away from all the others kept them at ease. It wasn't strange for them to drift away with smiles on their faces. They were at peace, as always. And yet, the outside sounded like it was screaming at them.
Welaba that night slept like a baby in his mother's lap rambling about how he had just killed more cattle than any other man could. Sola on her part comforted her son by telling him that the bad luck of the 'lessers' he so pitied would want if only he kept his distance from them. Her son, even drunk and sleepy, defended Zabu proclaiming that he was his brother. If only Zabu had been there, he'd have found that moment of joy he wondered if it existed. Once Welaba had fallen asleep, his mother gently lifted his head off her lap and placed it on his pillow. She covered him with a bark blanket to keep him warm.
'Rest well my dear kingling,' she said to him, 'You will make a great king one day soon. And then you won't have a care in the world.'
As Sola exited her son's quarters, she felt like something wasn't quite right about the night. She ignored the feeling and proceeded to lie down in her chambers.
Sola's quarters were the closest to the entrance of the king's three wives. Mulokozi's were the farthest near the back of the palace's poorly tended fence. As a matter of fact, there was a gap in the fence section right next to Mulokozi's quarters. She had complained about it several times with the complaints largely ignored. Nafesi and Mulinzi shared the king's quarters at the very centre of the royal estate. There were hundreds of guards at the entrance and near each of the royal quarters except Mulokozi's. On any other night, the court would have been impenetrably secure but that night was different. All the guards were either too drunk or too satisfied. By the middle of the night, everyone in the royal estate was sound asleep. That was when it all started.
The king was snoring so loud you that Nafesi could not sleep. She used her hands to cover her son's ears so that he-at least-could escape the disturbance. On top of the snoring, his royal majesty began to speak rather loudly. After ensuring that Mulinzi was sound asleep, Nafesi decided to go outside for some fresh air. As soon as she stepped outside, she saw all the guards lying down in pools of blood. There was no hint of freshness in that night's air but terror. She dashed back inside and quietly lifted her son up.
'Nafesi, where are you going?' she heard the king ask. She turned and looked his way to notice he was sound asleep still.
'I want to drink some more!' shouted the king. Nafesi ignored him completely that time. She moved out of the chambers stealthily. Unluckily, the Intruders quickly noticed her and shot several arrows her way. Incredibly, she managed to soldier on while shielding her child. Incredibly stupidly, the Intruders did not follow up.
Nafesi ran bravely through the dark until she found herself at the edge of the estate at Mulokozi's door. Without a moment of hesitation, she raised her hand to knock on the door. When nobody responded at first, she knocked again and harder. As soon as Mulokozi opened the door, Nafesi handed her the sleeping child.
'Please, take care of him for me.' She begged. It was the very first time she had been polite to her.
'What is the matter?' Mulokozi asked with concern. In response, Nafesi smiled almost sarcastically.
'Nothing is the matter, fool!' She insulted Mulokozi. She was showing signs of discomfort. She only managed to remain on her feet by leaning against the door post.
'Don't you know…' she added, 'He will be king one day.'
With those words, she collapsed falling to the ground face first. There were at least seven arrows lodged deep into her back! When Mulokozi looked ahead, she could see a lot of the buildings inside the royal court all engulfed in flames. Zabu had come out to see who his mother was talking to. All he saw was the place he so detested being reduced to ashes. In that moment, he could not understand the fear that shook his heart filling his chest with a weight.
At the very centre of the court, the king, Sola and Mazima were on their knees with their hands bound behind them. There were surrounded by men wielding Spears. The king appeared to have been severely injured as a consequence of trying to resist.
'You must be the old king,' a tall scary man spoke as he approached. The men made way for him. In one hand, he held a bloodied machete. A palm leaf bag in the other.
'I am the new king.' the tall man declared. At this, the king sneered before laughing maniacally.
'You will not be when my son, Welaba, is done with you!' declared the king proudly. The tall man did not in the least seem scared.
'But, I have already met that son of yours.' the tall man revealed, ' And I still feel good about my chances of being king.'
As if to emphasize this point, the tall man threw the palm leaf bag onto the ground. Something rolled out of the bag which completely broke the king's and everyone else's hearts. The king was possessed with shock. He closed his eyes. A tear rolled down his cheek. Sola was abandoned by all her energy. She collapsed to the ground. The day had been given to the feast, the night had been stolen by the flames. Not even the falling rain could calm that fire.