The crackling sound of the fire occupied the court as other court officials gathered in silence. The fire warmed all the people in the court, from the cloud cover that brought light showers to the ground. The Bantu warriors were getting evil glances from the court officials, a welcoming gesture they didn't expect.
The mood inside the court hut was tense. The presence of the Bantu warriors made them realize that they were in need of answers, yet there was something they weren't sure of. When Mambo Tenda entered, everyone rose to their feet in silence.
The state of the Karanga kingdom when they arrived had shocked them.
The Bantu warriors also needed answers as well. But it was clear that they were the ones to provide answers first. One thing which was also clear to them, the answers they had to provide were in relation to the damage caused in the Karanga kingdom.
Mhare, of the Bantu kingdom, watched as the tall muscular figure of the king moved to a huge seat which occupied an elevated position of the hut. He had been taken to the court hut for questioning whilst his warriors were kept in a separate hut. The seat was decorated with leopard skin. When Mambo Tenda sat, all the court officials followed suit.
Mhare clapped his hands a few times in respect of the king before he said, "Mambo Tenda, we come in peace. We mean no harm to your people." After saying this he clapped his hands again a few times and waited for the king to respond.
"What is the purpose of your visit?" The king questioned.
"There are rumours circulating in our land. It has reached the ears of our king, Changamire Zama, that your kingdom's livestock has been decimated by wild animals. These rumours are beginning to scare our people. Changamire Zama sent us to investigate and see if you need any help. Like he always says, 'Your problem is ours,' " Mhare responded.
"What more do these rumours tell?" Mambo Tenda questioned.
"The people in our land are talking. They fear that their cattle is at risk. The rumours have become more of a scare in our land-which is why the king sent us here," Mhare responded again.
The court officials started whispering among themselves. The king raised his right hand and they all went silent. "Do you have any idea of who attacked our land today?"
Mhare shook his head and said, "I am afraid I don't know who did this. I assure you that this has nothing to do with our arrival. But we can assist in defending your state from this enemy."
The King dismissed Mhare and began to discuss with his officials. On the other hand, Muteyo of the Karanga kingdom and his warriors journied to the Zezuru kingdom. On the fourth day they stopped to rest at sunset on a small hill. Only a half-day's journey was left for them to reach Zezuru kingdom.
Fire was made, as they prepared a young impala, which they had hunted on their way. After eating the roasted meat they all slept. At midnight, a sudden movement woke up Muteyo. He looked around and saw Musiiwa looking to the east where the Zezuru kingdom was located.
He rose to his feet, walked and stood beside Muteyo. He just looked to the east and froze there for a moment. Only the snoring of the other warriors could be heard.
The horizon was red as if dawn was already cracking. Muteyo stood beside Musiiwa as he looked on. "I guess we are late," Musiiwa said.
"The Zezuru kingdom has fallen. Some is burning down their kingdom as we speak. We continue with our journey. Maybe the Zezuru will be able to tell us who attacked them," Muteyo responded.
"Do you think it's the Bantu who are launching these attacks?" Musiiwa asked.
Muteyo kept looking at the reflection of fire in the horizon for a moment. He shook his head and said, "At this point we know nothing. But whoever is doing this is going to pay with their life."
"Indeed," Musiiwa said.
Muteyo turned around and started packing his weapons.
"Wake the warriors, we are finishing our journey now," Muteyo said.
They all packed their belongings and continued with their journey to the Zezuru kingdom. When they approached the Zezuru kindgom, they were welcomed by smoke rising from the burnt huts. There were constant cries of men and women in the kingdom. The state of the kingdom was much worse than what they had experienced back in the Karanga kingdom.
Many of the people in the villages looked helpless as they watched the Karanga warriors passing through their land. Dead bodies lay on the ground.
When they approached the king's compound, the sound of a horn covered the air. Everyone turned around and saw a pack of wolves charging towards the King's compound. Zezuru warriors and the Karanga warriors assembled to defend themselves.
They started throwing spears and arrows towards the wolves. These efforts were futile because throwing spears left them unarmed and open to destruction. As the wolves approached the compound, unarmed warriors began fleeing. Some of them were killed before they could climb nearby trees.
The armed defended themselves until they were circled by the wolves. Muteyo, Musiiwa and other warriors from both parties were faced the wolves' wrath. Suddenly, a horn was blown from the forest near the king's compound and the wolves began dispersing leaving the warriors in both awe and shock.
Only their eyes communicated the effects of the event. Mambo Gwati, king of the Zezuru kingdom, summoned the visitors to his court and sat with them.
"This is the second attack. They came during the night and destroyed our homes. I have never seen something like this before," the King said after a short moment of silence.
"How did the houses get burnt? These are just animals. I believe there's a man's hand in all this," Musiiwa said.
"My people saw these animals approaching their villages with burning torches of fire in their mouths. It's like they have been ordered to do so. That's how the huts were burnt. Someone is coordinating with these animals," the King responded.
"The question is who and why. Our kingdom fell into the same tragedy a few days ago. Which is why the king sent us. He was hoping you could assist us with warriors to defend our kingdom. But we all need warriors to defend our kingdoms," Muteyo said.
"Any word from the Bantu and the Manyika? They need to be warned. If two kingdoms have already been attacked then they can also be at danger," one of the elders in Mambo Gwati's court said.
"We don't know anything, yet. We have never seen something like this before. If these attacks continue, our kingdoms will be reduced to ashes. You go and send word to the Bantu kingdom whilst we send word to the Manyika kingdom," Mambo Gwati said.
In the east, the Manyika and the Zezuru kingdoms were the closest ones. In the west, the Bantu and Karanga kingdoms were close to each other. "We suspected that this was the work of the Bantu. Remember they attack at night and burn down houses. So our King had spies to see if this was so," Musiiwa said.
"We are dealing with a new enemy. We made an alliance with the Bantu, Manyika and Karanga four years ago. We agreed to protect each other in times like these. The Bantu would not break such an alliance," Mambo Gwati argued.
"You all saw the animals and how they attacked our land. No man attacked our land. It was a group of animals. The Bantu also need to be warned about this," another elder said.
Muteyo and his men then stayed for two more days whilst resting from their long journey. On their third day they started preparing to return back to the Karanga kingdom. Before they left, Muteyo decided to walk around the small Zezuru kingdom to assess the damage caused.
As he approached the edge of the villages, he saw an elderly women sitting on a rock. "Good morning amai," Muteyo said.
The elderly woman looked at him and smiled at him. "The ancestors are angry. All the kingdoms have forsaken their ancestors. They will not rest until all the kingdoms have restored our tradition. War is not the solution," the woman spoke.
Muteyo raised his eyebrows and said, "What tradition?"
"You have the answers my son. You can not protect yourselves from the ancestors," the woman responded.
A sudden movement behind Muteyo made him to turn around swiftly with his spear ready to attack. He sighed when he saw two squirrels playing a few feet from where he was standing. When he turned to respond to the elderly woman, she was gone. He looked around but he couldn't find her.
His men came looking for him and they began to journey back to their kingdom. Along the way, the woman's words kept on ringing in Muteyo's mind. His soul was not at ease because of these words.