'It's what my father would have done. A good chief loses his life for an innocent one.' With these words he left.
He returned later in the evening. Buhlebenkosi was still sitting at the far end of the hut in the same position he had left her. He ignored her and continued towards the gourd of water.
She looked curious. 'What now?'
He ignored her and kept gulping down the contents.
'Hey!' she shouted.
Silence.
She stood up and walked towards him.
She spun him around so he could face her but with such effort. 'Can't you hear me!'
He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. 'I'm sure you heard what I told you earlier.'
'But your response was just out of pride. It's not logical and I want a clear answer!'
He gave her a brisk shove which knocked her to the floor buttocks first. 'I already told you, woman that no harm shall fall upon you!' he spoke confidently staring into her frightened face.
She stood up quickly, brushed herself up then began slapping his shoulder, 'What kind of a chief are you!'
'A good one.' He turned around to leave, tired of her incessant questions but she quickly ran and blocked the exit.
'You're not leaving until you at least come up with a plan…a reasonable one at that.'
He stared into her eyes. They were watery but he could feel a powerful resilience coming from them. He placed his grubby hands on her puny, soft and slender shoulders. 'What is it that you have heard about me?'
She gulped. A tear rolled down her eye. 'That you're a brave, wise and…selfless warrior. And this has been uttered by my own people.'
'And you think I'm not brave enough to face this? I have been through a lot worse and yet I have no scars to show for it. I can definitely fight this, Buhle. Trust me.'
She placed a hand on his cheek and another on his chest which was glowing with sweat. 'You can't fight culture,' she whispered facing the floor, now wearing a look of distress and sorrow.
He tilted her chin up and their eyes met, 'Morality conquers culture,' he whispered too.
It happened unexpectedly. His hand was now on her exposed breast but she did not fight it off. He placed his other hand on her back and pulled her gently towards him. They caressed each other passionately for a while before he carried her in his arms towards the mat. She did not resist. He placed her on the mat, gently, back first. Her entire breasts were now exposed. She panted and sighed, her soft hands stroking his masculine body. She moaned and groaned, gasped and panted some more but even still…she did not resist.
*
The sun was slowly rising and a ray of sunlight snuck into Brahmuhn's hut. When he opened his eyes he discovered that Buhlebenkosi was awake, safe in his arms. They were both naked.
'Did you even sleep?' he asked her looking concerned.
She shook her head slowly. 'How can I when I'm not even sure of what they will do to you? To us?'
He sighed. He was now getting tired of this topic. 'Where did you learn how to speak our tongue anyway?' he changed it.
'Taking captives is not a new thing to my people. I despise war so whenever I got the chance, I tried to find a way to free the ones I could.'
'And how many was that?'
'About twelve in every hundred captured. I would do it before they counted them so as to avoid being caught. Even though it was a long shot, I thought that those few I managed to set free were enough to heal the wounds left by war. I was wrong. Nothing but peace can cure us of war. I would make friends with the captives that remained. Since I was one of those in charge of feeding them I would give them more than I was ordered to. As I got closer to them, I learned their tongue.'
Brahmuhn's heart burned. The very person he had abducted was actually the one who loved his people most. The irony was too heavy to handle. 'I'm sorry,' he apologized. He could not find any other words to offer her but it seemed clear she could tell the pain that he felt.
'It's okay,' she said stroking his cheek, 'I understand… it's war.'
'War doesn't start itself though; people do. People motivated by greed, power and jealousy. I know how much these factors can drive people. Chief Mbada of Matanda Village is a good example of that. A man so depraved that he takes what he wants from his own people when and where he wants to. He takes the life of whoever looks at him the wrong way. If the devil is evil then Chief Mbada taught him.'
Buhlebenkosi noticed that Brahmuhn looked greatly enraged. 'What did Chief Mbada do to you?' she asked him, her voice as sympathetic as ever.
'It's not what he did to me but what he took from me.'
'And what did he take from you?'
'Everything.'
'Well, well, well…and the sinner continues to sin.' This was Dombo and he had walked into Brahmuhn's hut and found Buhlebenkosi wrapped in his arms.
Gumbo spat on the floor, 'Such audacity!'
Shiri was behind the two as if he wanted no part of it.
Brahmuhn groaned, but in boredom, and placed a hand over his eyes, his face turned up. 'You know something?' Brahmuhn said. 'All this sudden turn of events got me thinking. I now know that you two fools couldn't stand the fact that I have never valued your advice ever since I came to this village. You see, unlike my father I see your services as irrelevant and I'm sure the current situation can bear witness to that.'
Dombo grinned, 'Well, I think your opinion is no longer relevant…'
'I also got to thinking,' Brahmuhn interrupted him. 'Why is it that the Ndebele forces always increased in number each time I fought them? At first I thought that they knew how powerful our army is but then I did a little digging last night and by the way, those spies you sent to the Ndebele villages to start trouble, you won't be sending them anywhere again.'
'You killed your own people?!' Gumbo looked shocked.
'Oh, of course not. I just told them to leave this village and if they showed up two hundred years later it would be way too soon.'
'Then why didn't you confront us about this?' Gumbo asked him.
'That's where my mistake was. Even though I despise you, I trusted you and I regarded the information those spies told me as ludicrous.'
Buhlebenkosi, meanwhile, was greatly frustrated. Her arms tightened around her stubborn breasts and she cast a murderous stare at the two Elders. She said, 'So you are to blame for the wars between my people and this village? You are responsible for the death of so many of my people?!'
'Quiet, girl!' Dombo barked at her. 'Your kind is not worthy to speak to us and besides, Brahmuhn; your accusations cannot be proven.'
'Just get on with it!' Brahmuhn hissed at the two. 'What have you decided as my punishment?'
Gumbo now wore a look of disappointment. 'We wanted you dead but this stupid people…these ignorant fools almost started a riot claiming that you have done too much for them. I guess they are blinded by your so-called heroic deeds.'
'So what now?' he asked them again.
Dombo licked his dry lips, 'We therefore settled on a "merciful" punishment for you.'
'And what's that?'
Gumbo smirked, 'Banishment!'