War of whips

He stood observing the men before him, enduring the harsh harmattan breeze that sucked all moisture from his skin. He saw some of them show signs of their displeasure and he frowned, staring them down with his orange eyes, tightening his fists. They were Tije. The Royal army that was made up only of the king's sons. They were his brothers, so to speak but they were not a part of the princes. They did not have the curse about them.

He had a thousand and eighty six brothers of which he was the five hundred and fifty fourth. But he ranked far above them because he was a Viner. His father was the emperor of the dried lands, a place that had been known as Nigeria before the great eruption, five thousand years ago. An event that obliterated the lands beyond the seas and birthed the first of the cursed. His father had tried to bear cursed sons and even after countless tries over five thousand years, he had birthed only four who possessed one out of the three curses. He had gathered the rest of his sons and turned them into Tije; a battalion of highly trained, mutated men that possessed heightened senses, increased strength, speed and agility. He had given them armor and swords made of sandsteel but they were expendable to him as he prized only his cursed sons.

The young man observed the pink sun and a shadow of a smile flew across his lips. A new year was coming. His twentieth year of existence. The year it was promised that he would go to battle, the year he got to choose a wife, not that there was any urgency to it. He shook his head, clearing his thoughts and focusing on the task at hand. He frowned, wondering where Elek was. The man always seemed to enjoy keeping people waiting.

He had barely run through the thought when the sands swirled beside him and he rolled his eyes, watching Elek slowly come up from within the ground. Elek smiled at him; a calm cold thing that made the deepest of scowls seem flowery. He ran his hand through his thick, black, braided hair, totally free from dust and sand despite where he had come from, advantages of him being a Sander. He turned towards the men, his broad, powerful chest expanding to impossible breadths with every breath and he clenched his fists in obvious irritation, making the muscles of his arm writhe under his tattooed skin. Elek was the first son of the emperor and commander of the entire black army. He had fought alongside the emperor during the sand wars, three thousand years after the great eruption and he was instrumental in the victory against the formless priests and the whip masquerades.

"Where are our brothers, Idem?" He asked, gritting his teeth in a deeply irritating way that made Idem struggle awhile with his temper.

"I have not seen them in a few days. I thought you would know." Idem said and spat into the dust. Elek observed him quietly for awhile then shrugged, turning to the men. Both of them waited patiently. It was time for the duel of princes. It was held once every fifty days, a rule made by the emperor himself and it was observed by the emperor and the Tije.

" They had better come here before he arrives" Elek said, scowling and Idem bit his tongue, reining in his nervousness. The emperor would not tolerate this disrespect and they would all endure the punishment that came with it. All of them except Elek. There was a respect the emperor gave him that was given to no one else. Idem looked at the sky and saw it darkening. He suddenly felt a sudden, inexplicable fear hit him like a fist. He turned to Elek who had a deep frown on his face. He felt it too. The utter dread that hit any man whenever the emperor was close.

Idem grimaced as a darkness covered his vision for a time and a weakness enveloped him but he stood perfectly still, his head raised in defiance. The men stood shaking but none of them cried out. They would be killed if they did. Weakness was not tolerated among the Tije.

The darkness left Idem's sight and he saw, seated on a skillfully carved ivory throne, the emperor. He wore black silk trousers, his massively muscled body unclad, covered with tattoos. His beard was braided and bits of cowries were intertwined in them. He had fierce, almost glowing red eyes and his face was calm and unmarked. He was sorrounded by cursed guards. It was rare for a commoner to be born cursed but the emperor went to great lengths to gather them and transformed them into his guards though he could not extend their lives as he could with his cursed sons.

Idem felt a wave of nausea smash into him and he felt his consciousness stretch, accommodating another, causing him to wince as he tightened his fist. Elek's face turned hard and expressionless. He felt it too. They heard a voice, the emperor's voice speak into them. It was soft, quiet, almost feminine but laced with an undertone of violence and danger that constantly sent shivers down Idem's spine. He yearned for the day when he would be able to handle it as well as Elek did.

"Where are Tuli and Mmuo?" He asked. Idem heard it within himself, deep within and Elek did too for he shook his head, communicating that he did not know. Idem did the same, gritting his teeth. He never seemed to think right whenever his father was within his head, he felt stretched, torn into two perspectives and it hurt him in ways that he could not understand. Suddenly, he felt a wave of anger lash through him, causing him to gasp. It stretched him, rising like something solid. He knew it was not his emotion but that of his father, transferred into he and Elek. He hated the fact that his father's displeasure was often transferred to them. The emperor nodded, his face calm, handsome. He ordered them, without words, to duel before him.

Suddenly, the ground caved in and smoothed out, forming a pit in which the princes would duel. Elek jumped in, his face almost bored as if he was sure of the outcome. Idem felt irritation and annoyance tear through him, these were his own emotions now and he leaped into the pit, landing lightly on his feet and taking the fighting stance of Aranta with his head tucked in, his legs spread apart and his knees bent to keep him low.

He stretched his hand and felt his curse roar through him, coming alive, coursing through his leanly muscled frame and he reached deep into the earth with his mind, feeling all the seeds within and he infused life into them, causing them to sprout long lines that shot out of the earth, stretching far above him, thickening like unnaturally thick, extremely flexible ropes. He broke off a part, weaving it quickly into complex armor which he wore on his body, increasing the density until it was almost impenetrable.

Elek shrugged and came at him, drawing sand from the ground, locking them until they formed large rocks and he threw them at Idem. Idem blocked with a vine shield and at the last moment, the rocks broke off into a million tiny arrowheads. Idem jumped on a vine and threw himself up and out of range. He landed on a thick vine and shot it forward, carrying himself to Elek. He reached behind the man and caught on to a seed, sprouting a vine which he immediately swung at Elek. Elek formed a sand wall behind him,deflecting the vine then he threw himself to the side as an extremely dense vine stabbed at him. He slithered into the ground and Idem froze.

He could not tie him with an underground vine because of the sheer speed and force with which the man moved whenever he was beneath the ground. Idem leaped off the vine he was standing upon and onto another, shooting himself off to the side. Almost at the same time, a thousand sand Spears tore through where he was before from beneath the ground.

Elek smiled and launched the Spears at him. He leaped to the side, blocking himself with a vine shield which he transformed into a wide web- like structure and shot at Elek. Elek immediately covered himself in a sand cocoon, letting the web wrap him. Then he burst the cocoon and the web along with it, spraying a cloud of sand, blocking Idem's vision. Then from the thick cloud, hundreds of sand Spears launched in a frightening stream. Idem blocked again with a vine shield but he was tiring fast.

Vining was the most physically demanding of all the curses and it had started to take it's toll. He blocked all of the Spears but when he looked up, Elek was smiling. Then he felt it, a small, daggerlike structure of sand was pointing at his chest. He sighed in frustration and fatigue, letting himself fall to the ground. Elek nodded at him, clasping his hands behind his back then bowed deeply to the emperor before slipping underground. Idem felt his mind stretch again, eliciting a groan from him. This time, it was disappointment that was conveyed. Then the voice, ever soft, ever calm, ever dangerous, spoke to him.

"You have lost your duel and your brothers have missed theirs. You will suffer the same punishment. Meet me on the singing rock after sunset, bring your brothers with you."

Idem nodded and a darkness hovered around his sight for a moment. When it left, his father and his guards were gone, leaving only the Tije. Idem stood up, fighting the dizziness that welled up in him. He understood why they trained and duelled constantly and mercilessly. It was the only way to keep them alert, sharp, strong. It was a preparation against the armies of the whip masquerades and the formless priests.

Zamu looked up at the deep purple sky. It was night time already and he folded his sleeves that had fallen as he worked. He wiped the sweat that dripped from his brow as he heard the whistle for the end of his labor for that day. He stood straight, stretching his tall, lean, dark body and he shook his head, clearing the fatigue and dizziness that clouded it. He picked up his worn leather bag and started walking home. None of the men there spoke to him. He never replied and with time, they seemed to understand.

He walked up the hill and into the reservation. The place where the lowliest of commoners resided. The stench hit him like a pungent wall, the mixture of body fluids, excrement and large hills of refuse blew into his nose, causing him to screw up his rough, pimple filled face. He spat and increased his pace. He walked past all of the 'Atu'.

The Atu was the sort of buildings that was allowed in the reservation. They were like domes made of rock and clay. He walked to a small one that sat alone, away from the others. He kept his head down, avoiding eye contact with the soldiers in their black leather armor, wearing long black swords and the emblem of the Immortal emperor on their chests; a spear striking skull. He walked in and immediately screwed up his face. The stench of white wine and vomit filled the air. He looked down at his mother, naked, spread on the floor in a wine induced hallucination.

He got a wrapper and threw it over her, wondering absently where Resi went. Resi was his younger sister, seventeen and one of the best seamstresses in the reservation. He looked around for food but he found none. He sighed, feeling the wave of darkness, the familiar, beautiful wave descend on him, fouling his already sour mood, drawing him deeper into it's embrace. He walked out of the house and made his way to one of the few eateries that existed in the reservation. He touched his pocket, feeling the cowries within. It gave him small comfort to do that.

" Zamu! Eyy Zamu! Have you lost your ears?". He heard the loud, melodic voice call out and he turned to see Resi, running towards him, her dreadlocks flapping about.

He smiled inwardly at how beautiful she was. With dark smooth skin which was a marvel to him because they could not afford any oils and skin spices. She was tall, almost as tall as him and lean but maintaing the curves and fullness of a woman. Zamu felt a sadness well up within him. She would have to marry soon, maybe to one of the soldiers. Their life might be better then. A woman like her continuing in the reservation was bound to meet with some misfortune. He forced himself to smile as she ran to him, wrapping him in an embrace. She smelled of sweat and old fabric. He held her to himself, feeling some of the darkness leave him. She drew away from him then and slapped his forehead. He winced and raised an eyebrow in inquiry.

" Ah, fool. You were going to an eatery, no? That money could be used to buy a few things from the market. We could make good soup. It will last for a few days, no?" She asked and hooked her arm in his, towing him towards the direction of the market. It pleased Zamu that she did not speak "Pidgin", the common tongue among the lowest class. He did not want to lose himself to the reservation. He nursed a hope of leaving one day.

"So, how was your day? Konam is not giving you too much trouble, eh?" He asked and she turned to him, flashing healthy white teeth.

" She's alright. She knows that if I leave her shop, she will loose all her customers. Eruption to that! I can barely stand the woman anymore. I'm saving up to leave, you see." She said and increased her speed, walking with long, spring like steps. Zamu increased his pace, frowning at the extra stress. He was already tired from his work at the Shandar.

They walked into the small clearing that served as the reservation's market. Almost immediately, market women started calling out to them, displaying their wares and lavishing the siblings with flattery. Resi ignored most of them, settling for the women she knew and had decent trust for. Zamu handed over his five white cowries to her, keeping two back. She smiled at him and turned to the women, setting an expressionless face she normally used for haggling. After a few hours of which Zamu wanted to scream, they started back home. Resi handed back two of his cowries.

" You should begin to have a care for the subtleties of the marketplace, Zamu. No be Everytime wey I go dey here o." She said, throwing in some Pidgin into her words. Zamu scowled at this but said nothing. He blew out breath through puffed cheeks.

" So, have you seen ma today? She was out drinking white wine, I expect. Where she gets the money from I do not know." He said and his scowl deepened. Resi shook her head, her lips forming into a thin line.

" She has been lost for a while. I really don't think she was ever there. Ah, erupt it. I do not want to think of her right now." She said and Zamu nodded. Both of them walked silently then Resi slipped her arm round Zamu's waist, humming a tune then laid her head on his shoulder. He smiled fondly and held her shoulder as well, his free hand holding the sack that held their purchase.

They were close to the Atu when he sensed it. It rippled across him, awakening his darkness. He walked faster, outpacing Resi. He burst into a run and threw himself at the door of their Atu, bursting it open. His darkness roared to life at what he saw. There, on top of his mother, a soldier sprawled, his head thrown back as he thrust into her motionless body, his eyes closed. Zamu gripped him by the neck without thinking, the darkness working deeper into him as he flung the man across the room. The man crashed into the wall, shouting in surprise. The man leaped for him and knocked him back with an uppercut. He landed on the floor and heard Resi screaming behind him through the noise that rang through his ears.

"You fool, son of a whore! You dare touch me?" He roared and Drew his black blade, raising it above Zamu. Zamu embraced the darkness, slipping into it, letting it take him.

He opened his eyes, tasting blood in his mouth, a headache tore at his skull and his body felt weaker than it did in ages. He groaned and tried to stand but his legs were too weak. He turned to see Resi sitting down on the ground, eyes wide with shock and horror. He followed the direction of her eyes to see the soldier, or what was left of him. He was torn into unrecognizable pieces and his blade was broken into small fragments. Zamu nodded. That was what the darkness did. His mind finally pieced everything together. A soldier was dead. The rest would come. The noise. Fear burned through him, strengthening him. He stood up and he saw Resi observe him with surprise and he looked down at himself, seeing that he was naked. He looked through his clothe sack and brought out a brown, faded shirt and black wool trousers. He made to reach for Resi but she leaned away from him, eyes wide with horror. He knelt beside her and held her face in his palm, ignoring the fear and tears in her wide, brown eyes.

" Look, Resi. You have to come with me. We have to go, now. The soldiers are coming. We must leave this place. Do you hear? I promise I will explain everything." She nodded at him, some of her senses returning and she looked at their mother, still sprawled on the mat, naked, oblivious to reality. Zamu shook his head, his face bearing a mournful look.

" We will have to leave her. You understand? We have to." He said and Resi seemed to understand. He gripped her arm and towed her out of the Atu, running with her hand in his. They kept on running and running, out of the reservation. Zamu breathed cold air, headache and weakness still ravaging his body. He had done what was needed. Mother was gone. It was he and Resi now. They would not find them. They would not find him. He had to protect her at all costs. He grit his teeth, shoving down his weakness and pain as he ran, clutching his sister's hand in his.