"Now that you are here, why don't we get acquainted with one another."
As soon as the the serpent left, the old man said with a wide smile.
"Before that elder, there is a request I have, I hope you can help me." The young man said, his voice mixed with traces of anxiety.
"Anything you need, I am here to help you with, so long as it is within my means."
"There are a few humans and my beasts that have been put in custody by your subordinate. I believe they are meant to appease its master or gods, can you release them for me please?" The young man asked with pleading eyes
"Sigh..." The old man heaved a long sigh before continuing, "Ochieng', what you ask of is easy but at the cost of the well-being of the Mbeu people."
"What do you mean by that?" The young man asked in bewilderment.
"You must have known that I am worshipped by the Mbeu people."
"Yes." Ochieng' nodded.
"Do you know why?"
"No." The young man answered his face warping into frowns of confusion.
"Forty seasons ago, I was a young man working hard like any other to protect my clan and my family. I was as normal as anyone else until one day I decided to explore the world. In a land quite far from home, I met a man who was also obsessed with travelling like I was. He was from Lu tribe."
"We decided to travel together. We did so for around a month. On the third day of the second month, we found ourselves in a dire situation. To escape, one of us had to die. He killed himself to let me live. His name was Amoth Kware a brother to a wizard known as Okeyo Kware."
"I decided to come back home because I could not continue exploring the world after his death. When I arrived, I found everyone inflicted with a very dangerous plague. The people were dying in large numbers. I lost all my family members to the affliction. The chiefs led the people to shrines to offer sacrifices to the gods but the plague only worsened."
"The affliction was highly catching but I did not catch it. This made everyone wonder. All the medicine men in the tribe consulted me thinking that I could help salvage the situation but I was also helpless."
"As I rested in my hut one night, a man appeared. What petrified me was the fact that he was able to hover within the room. He said he was Okeyo Kware and he had realized that his brother had died just to save me. He said he could help me help the clan."
"I easily agreed. He told me to go outside and touch every afflicted person and they could be saved then he disappeared. When morning came, I did as I was told and everyone was saved. They thought I had been possessed by gods to be capable of such feat."
"A few months later, there were strange animals that attacked the Mbeu land but upon seeing me, they retreated. This made the people believe further that I was a god. I thought all was well until one day the Ice serpent crawled into my compound claiming that it was sent by Okeyo Kware to be my servant and help me protect my community. The moment I accepted it, I transformed into the old man I am today and that night, Okeyo appeared again. I asked him to reverse everything but said he couldn't for that would mean battling my fate and that would result to my death."
"Nonetheless, I was told even though Amoth died to save me, he died still longing for things he wanted to see and therefore had not joined the ancestors peacefully. To help him rest, I had to deliver at least fifteen human souls and ten beasts once in every season for fifty seasons. Otherwise, Amoth's spirit would come to the world of the living and would kill everyone in Mbeu and leave me alone though in my original state."
"I thought it would be easy but the prerequisite was to sacrifice non Mbeu people. The Ice serpent was brought to me to help me get these people. It has never been easy to get them. Its eyes are capable of seeing who is wanted and who is not. The time for the sacrifice is the day after tomorrow, the people and the beasts I have are not enough. We also do not know where we will get them. It has been this way for forty seasons now but I tell you I am tired."
The old man lowered his head in mortification. His eyes were already wet with tears. He had taken this risk for the sake of his tribe, but it did not mean that he was not feeling guilty for always killing innocent people. He did not know the criteria the surpent used to identify those items of sacrifice but the truth he knew was that everyone captured was innocent.
Ochieng' could not help but sigh heavily. He did not know what to say after that story.
At this time, two beautiful women walked in with trays of food before putting them on the table that was at the center of the room. After they walked away, the serpent crawled in. The room remained silent for a long time. Everyone was buried in his own thoughts.
"The food is here masters, please help yourselves." The serpent said respectfully to break the silence.
"You can leave for a moment but stay around incase I need you." The old man said to the beast emotionlessly before staying quiet again. He really did not know what to tell the young man.
"I understand what you go through. What will you do now with the limited time?" Ochieng' asked with concern.
"I know I have to save my tribe Ochieng'," The old man started with a heavy tone, "But after living like this for seasons, I have communicated with several ancestors through dreams. Okeyo visits occasionally and when he does, we talk. I have come to know of your responsibilities. I know what lies ahead of you. No matter what, you are meant to save even more people. If it means sacrificing my tribe for that, so be it."
"But..." Ochieng' wanted to go against the old man but was stopped by a quick wave.
"There are no buts... I have made up my mind here Ochieng'. I will release those people and you can continue with your quest." His voice did not allow for any argument.
After that, the serpent was summoned and was ordered to release the captives. The two men then had their meal in silence.
After about an hour, Ochieng' was with his companions on top of Ratong' and were ready to leave. He looked at the direction where the old man lived and sighed deeply.
"Let's go."
That is what left his voice. The look of unwillingness did not escape his face.
Ochieng' did not even realize that he had not learned the old man's name. The latter was currently in his room with another person.